Greece

[Country map of Greece]

Map ©1996 NGS Cartographic Division. Developed in association with GeoSystems Global Corp. World Map

Geography

Location: Southern Europe, bordering the Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea, between Albania and Turkey

Map references: Europe

Area:
total area: 131,940 sq km
land area: 130,800 sq km
comparative area: slightly smaller than Alabama

Land boundaries: total 1,210 km, Albania 282 km, Bulgaria 494 km, Turkey 206 km, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 228 km

Coastline: 13,676 km

Climate: temperate; mild, wet winters; hot, dry summers

Terrain: mostly mountains with ranges extending into sea as peninsulas or chains of islands

Natural resources: bauxite, lignite, magnesite, petroleum, marble

Land use:
arable land: 23%
permanent crops: 8%
meadows and pastures: 40%
forest and woodland: 20%
other: 9%

Irrigated land: 11,900 sq km (1989 est.)


People

Population: 10,647,511 (July 1995 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 18% (female 904,374; male 947,494)
15-64 years: 67% (female 3,601,029; male 3,565,931)
65 years and over: 15% (female 919,044; male 709,639) (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.72% (1995 est.)

Birth rate: 10.56 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate: 9.31 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net migration rate: 5.99 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 8.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.92 years
male: 75.39 years
female: 80.59 years (1995 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.46 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Greek(s)
adjective: Greek

Ethnic divisions: Greek 98%, other 2%
note: the Greek Government states there are no ethnic divisions in Greece

Religions: Greek Orthodox 98%, Muslim 1.3%, other 0.7%

Languages: Greek (official), English, French

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1991)
total population: 95%
male: 98%
female: 93%

Labor force: 4.077 million
by occupation: services 52%, agriculture 23%, industry 25% (1994)


Government

Names:
conventional long form: Hellenic Republic
conventional short form: Greece
local long form: Elliniki Dhimokratia
local short form: Ellas
former: Kingdom of Greece

Digraph: GR

Type: presidential parliamentary government; monarchy rejected by referendum 8 December 1974

Capital: Athens

Administrative divisions: 52 prefectures (nomoi, singular - nomos); Aitolia kai Akarnania, Akhaia, Argolis, Arkadhia, Arta, Attiki, Dhodhekanisos, Dhrama, Evritania, Evros, Evvoia, Florina, Fokis, Fthiotis, Grevena, Ilia, Imathia, Ioannina, Iraklion, Kardhitsa, Kastoria, Kavala, Kefallinia, Kerkira, Khalkidhiki, Khania, Khios, Kikladhes, Kilkis, Korinthia, Kozani, Lakonia, Larisa, Lasithi, Lesvos, Levkas, Magnisia, Messinia, Pella, Pieria, Piraievs, Preveza, Rethimni, Rodhopi, Samos, Serrai, Thesprotia, Thessaloniki, Trikala, Voiotia, Xanthi, Zakinthos, autonomous region: Agion Oros (Mt. Athos)

Independence: 1829 (from the Ottoman Empire)

National holiday: Independence Day, 25 March (1821) (proclamation of the war of independence)

Constitution: 11 June 1975

Legal system: based on codified Roman law; judiciary divided into civil, criminal, and administrative courts

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory


Economy

Overview: Greece has a mixed capitalist economy with the basic entrepreneurial system overlaid in 1981-89 by a socialist system that enlarged the public sector from 55% of GDP in 1981 to about 70% in 1989. Since then, the public sector has been reduced to about 60% of GDP. Tourism continues as a major source of foreign exchange, and agriculture is self-sufficient except for meat, dairy products, and animal feedstuffs. Over the last decade, real GDP growth has averaged 1.6% a year, compared with the European Union average of 2.2%. Inflation continues to be well above the EU average, and the national debt has reached 140% of GDP, the highest in the EU. Prime Minister PAPANDREOU will probably make only limited progress correcting the economy's problems of high inflation, large budget deficit, and decaying infrastructure. His economic program suggests that although he will shun his expansionary policies of the 1980s, he will avoid tough measures needed to slow inflation or reduce thestate's role in the economy. He has limited the previous government's privatization plans, for example, and has called for generous welfare spending and real wage increases. Athens continues to rely heavily on EU aid, which recently has amounted to about 6% of GDP. Greece almost certainly will not meet the EU's Maastricht Treaty convergence targets of public deficit held to 3% of GDP and national debt to 60% of GDP by 1999. Per capita GDP has fallen below Portugal's level, the lowest among EU members.

National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $93.7 billion (1994 est.)

National product real growth rate: 0.4% (1994 est.)

National product per capita: $8,870 (1994 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 10.9% (1994 est.)

Unemployment rate: 10.1% (1994 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $28.3 billion
expenditures: $37.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $5.2 billion (1994)

Exports: $9 billion (f.o.b., 1993)
commodities: manufactured goods 53%, foodstuffs 34%, fuels 5%
partners: Germany 24%, Italy 14%, France 7%, UK 6%, US 4% (1993)

Imports: $19.2 billion (f.o.b., 1993)
commodities: manufactured goods 72%, foodstuffs 15%, fuels 10%
partners: Germany 16%, Italy 14%, France 7%, Japan 7%, UK 6% (1993)

External debt: $26.9 billion (1993)

Industrial production: growth rate 3.2% (1993 est.); accounts for 18% of GDP

Electricity:
capacity: 8,970,000 kW
production: 35.8 billion kWh
consumption per capita: 3,257 kWh (1993)

Industries: tourism, food and tobacco processing, textiles, chemicals, metal products, mining, petroleum

Agriculture: including fishing and forestry, accounts for 12% of GDP; principal products - wheat, corn, barley, sugar beets, olives, tomatoes, wine, tobacco, potatoes; self-sufficient in food except meat, dairy products, and animal feedstuffs

Currency: 1 drachma (Dr) = 100 lepta

Fiscal year: calendar year


Transportation

Railroads:
total: 2,503 km
standard gauge: 1,565 km 1.435-m gauge (36 km electrified; 100 km double track)
narrow gauge: 887 km 1,000-m gauge; 22 km 0.750-m gauge; 29 km 0.600-m gauge

Highways:
total: 130,000 km
paved: 119,210 km (116 km expressways)
unpaved: 10,790 km (1990)

Inland waterways: 80 km; system consists of three coastal canals; including the Corinth Canal (6 km) which crosses the Isthmus of Corinth connecting the Gulf of Corinth with the Saronic Gulf and shortens the sea voyage from the Adriatic to Piraievs (Piraeus) by 325 km; and three unconnectedrivers

Pipelines: crude oil 26 km; petroleum products 547 km

Ports: Alexandroupolis, Elevsis, Iraklion (Crete), Kavala, Kerkira, Khalkis, Igoumenitsa, Lavrion, Patrai, Piraievs (Piraeus), Thessaloniki, Volos

Merchant marine:
total: 1,046 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 29,076,911 GRT/53,618,024 DWT
ships by type: bulk 469, cargo 105, chemical tanker 22, combination bulk 21, combination ore/oil 31, container 40, liquefied gas tanker 5, oiltanker 239, passenger 14, passenger-cargo 3, refrigerated cargo 10, roll-on/roll-off cargo 16, short-sea passenger 67, specialized tanker 3, vehicle carrier 1
note: ethnic Greeks also own 125 ships under Liberian registry, 323 under Panamanian, 705 under Cypriot, 351 under Maltese, and 100 under Bahamian

Airports:
total: 79
with paved runways over 3,047 m: 5
with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 15
with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437m: 16
with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 17
with paved runways under 914 m: 22
with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 1
with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 3


Flag by Dream Maker Software, Inc.
Information obtained from CIA, The World Factbook 1995