2005 Edition

Administrative divisions

51 prefectures (nomoi, singular - nomos) and 1 autonomous region*; Agion Oros* (Mt. Athos), Achaia, Aitolia kai Akarmania, Argolis, Arkadia, Arta, Attiki, Chalkidiki, Chanion, Chios, Dodekanisos, Drama, Evros, Evrytania, Evvoia, Florina, Fokidos, Fthiotis, Grevena, Ileia, Imathia, Ioannina, Irakleion, Karditsa, Kastoria, Kavala, Kefallinia, Kerkyra, Kilkis, Korinthia, Kozani, Kyklades, Lakonia, Larisa, Lasithi, Lefkas, Lesvos, Magnisia, Messinia, Pella, Pieria, Preveza, Rethynnis, Rodopi, Samos, Serrai, Thesprotia, Thessaloniki, Trikala, Voiotia, Xanthi, Zakynthos

Age structure

0-14 years: 14.4% (male 791,227/female 744,178) 15-64 years: 66.8% (male 3,561,689/female 3,564,675) 65 years and over: 18.8% (male 884,497/female 1,122,088) (2005 est.)

Agriculture - products

wheat, corn, barley, sugar beets, olives, tomatoes, wine, tobacco, potatoes; beef, dairy products

Airports

80 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total

66 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 16 1,524 to 2,437 m: 20 914 to 1,523 m: 16 under 914 m: 9 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

14 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 11 (2004 est.)

Area

land

130,800 sq km

total

131,940 sq km

water

1,140 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Alabama

Background

Greece achieved its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1829. During the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, it gradually added neighboring islands and territories, most with Greek-speaking populations. In World War II, Greece was first invaded by Italy (1940) and subsequently occupied by Germany (1941-44); fighting endured in a protracted civil war between royalist supporters of the king and communist rebels. Following the latter's defeat in 1949, Greece was able to join NATO in 1952. A military dictatorship, which in 1967 suspended many political liberties and forced the king to flee the country, lasted seven years. The 1974 democratic elections and a referendum created a parliamentary republic and abolished the monarchy. Greece joined the European Community or EC in 1981 (which became the EU in 1992); it became the 12th member of the euro zone in 2001. Geography Greece

Birth rate

9.72 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Budget

expenditures

$64.4 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)

revenues

$54.39 billion

Capital

Athens

Climate

temperate; mild, wet winters; hot, dry summers

Coastline

13,676 km

Constitution

11 June 1975; amended March 1986 and April 2001

Country name

conventional long form

Hellenic Republic

conventional short form

Greece

former

Kingdom of Greece

local long form

Elliniki Dhimokratia

local short form

Ellas or Ellada

Currency (code)

euro (EUR) note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries

Currency code

EUR

Current account balance

$-8 billion (2004 est.)

Death rate

10.15 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Debt - external

$67.23 billion (2004 est.)

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Charles RIES

consulate(s) general

Thessaloniki

embassy

91 Vasilissis Sophias Avenue, 10160 Athens

FAX

[30] (210) 645-6282

mailing address

PSC 108, APO AE 09842-0108

telephone

[30] (210) 721-2951

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

2221 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

Ambassador Yeoryios SAVVAIDIS

consulate(s)

Atlanta, Houston, and New Orleans

consulate(s) general

Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Tampa

FAX

[1] (202) 939-1324

telephone

[1] (202) 939-1300

Disputes - international

Greece and Turkey continue discussions to resolve their complex maritime, air, territorial, and boundary disputes in the Aegean Sea; Cyprus question with Turkey; Greece rejects the use of the name Macedonia or Republic of Macedonia

Distribution of family income - Gini index

35.4 (1998)

Economic aid - recipient

$8 billion from EU (2000-06)

Economy - overview

Greece has a capitalist economy with the public sector accounting for about 40% of GDP and with per capita GDP 70% of the leading euro-zone economies. Tourism provides 15% of GDP. Immigrants make up nearly one-fifth of the work force, mainly in menial jobs. Greece is a major beneficiary of EU aid, equal to about 3.3% of annual GDP. The Greek economy grew by about 4.0% for the past two years, largely because of an investment boom and infrastructure upgrades for the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. Despite strong growth, Greece has failed to meet the EU's Growth and Stability Pact budget deficit criteria of 3% of GDP since 2000; public debt, inflation, and unemployment are also above the eurozone average. Further restructuring of the economy will need to include privatizing of several state enterprises, undertaking pension and other reforms, and minimizing bureaucratic inefficiencies.

Electricity - consumption

47.42 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports

1.1 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports

4.6 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - production

47.22 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

94.5%

hydro

3.8%

nuclear

0%

other

1.7% (2001)

Elevation extremes

highest point

Mount Olympus 2,917 m

lowest point

Mediterranean Sea 0 m

Environment - current issues

air pollution; water pollution

Environment - international agreements

party to

Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds

Ethnic groups

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

Exchange rates

euros per US dollar - 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000)

Executive branch

cabinet

Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister

chief of state

President Karolos PAPOULIAS (since 12 March 2005)

election results

Karolos PAPOULIAS elected president; number of parlimentary votes, 279 out of 300

elections

president elected by parliament for a five-year term; election last held 8 February 2005 (next to be held by February 2010); according to the Greek Constitution, presidents may only serve two terms; president appoints leader of the party securing plurality of vote in election to become prime minister and form a government

head of government

Prime Minister Konstandinos KARAMANLIS (since 7 March 2004)

Exports

$15.5 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities

food and beverages, manufactured goods, petroleum products, chemicals, textiles

Exports - partners

Germany 13.2%, Italy 10.3%, UK 7.5%, Bulgaria 6.3%, US 5.3%, Cyprus 4.6%, Turkey 4.5%, France 4.2% (2004)

Fiscal year

calendar year Communications Greece

Flag description

nine equal horizontal stripes of blue alternating with white; there is a blue square in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a white cross; the cross symbolizes Greek Orthodoxy, the established religion of the country Economy Greece

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

7%

industry

22%

services

71% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $21,300 (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

3.7% (2004 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$226.4 billion (2004 est.)

Geographic coordinates

39 00 N, 22 00 E

Geography - note

strategic location dominating the Aegean Sea and southern approach to Turkish Straits; a peninsular country, possessing an archipelago of about 2,000 islands People Greece

Government type

parliamentary republic; monarchy rejected by referendum 8 December 1974

Heliports

7 (2004 est.) Military Greece

Highways

paved

107,406 km (including 470 km of expressways)

total

117,000 km

unpaved

9,594 km (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.2% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

less than 100 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

9,100 (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 3% highest 10%: 28.3% (1998 est.)

Illicit drugs

a gateway to Europe for traffickers smuggling cannabis and heroin from the Middle East and Southwest Asia to the West and precursor chemicals to the East; some South American cocaine transits or is consumed in Greece; money laundering related to drug trafficking and organized crime This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005 ======================================================================

Imports

$54.28 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities

machinery, transport equipment, fuels, chemicals

Imports - partners

Germany 13.3%, Italy 12.8%, France 6.4%, Netherlands 5.5%, Russia 5.5%, US 4.4%, UK 4.2%, South Korea 4.1% (2004)

Independence

1829 (from the Ottoman Empire)

Industrial production growth rate

4.1% (2004 est.)

Industries

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

Infant mortality rate

female

4.94 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

male

6.08 deaths/1,000 live births

total

5.53 deaths/1,000 live births

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

2.9% (2004 est.)

International organization participation

Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, EU, FAO, G- 6, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIK, UNOMIG, UPU, WCO, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC

Internet country code

.gr

Internet hosts

208,977 (2004)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

27 (2000)

Internet users

1,718,400 (2003) Transportation Greece

Investment (gross fixed)

27% of GDP (2004 est.)

Irrigated land

14,220 sq km (1998 est.)

Judicial branch

Supreme Judicial Court; Special Supreme Tribunal; all judges appointed for life by the president after consultation with a judicial council

Labor force

4.4 million (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture 12%, industry 20%, services 68% (2004 est.)

Land boundaries

border countries

Albania 282 km, Bulgaria 494 km, Turkey 206 km, Macedonia 246 km

total

1,228 km

Land use

arable land

21.1%

other

70.12% (2001)

permanent crops

8.78%

Languages

Greek 99% (official), English, French

Legal system

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

Legislative branch

unicameral Parliament or Vouli ton Ellinon (300 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms)

election results

percent of vote by party - ND 45.4%, PASOK 40.6%, KKE 5.9%, Synaspismos 3.3%; seats by party - ND 165, PASOK 117, KKE 12, Synaspismos 6

elections

elections last held 7 March 2004 (next to be held by March 2008)

Life expectancy at birth

female

81.76 years (2005 est.)

male

76.59 years

total population

79.09 years

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

female

96.5% (2003 est.)

male

98.6%

total population

97.5%

Location

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

Manpower available for military service

males age 18-49: 2,459,988 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 18-49: 2,018,557 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually

males

58,399 (2005 est.)

Map references

Europe

Maritime claims

continental shelf

200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

territorial sea

12 nm

Median age

female

41.65 years (2005 est.)

male

39.39 years

total

40.5 years

Merchant marine

by type

bulk carrier 296, cargo 65, chemical tanker 47, combination ore/oil 2, container 46, liquefied gas 2, passenger 13, passenger/cargo 121, petroleum tanker 252, roll on/roll off 17

foreign-owned

25 (Chile 1, China 1, Cyprus 5, Norway 6, Sweden 1, United Kingdom 11)

registered in other countries

2,208 (2005)

total

861 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 30,186,624 GRT/52,943,968 DWT

Military branches

Hellenic Army, Hellenic Navy, Hellenic Air Force (Polemiki Aeroporia, EPA)

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$5.89 billion (2004)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

4.3% (2003) Transnational Issues Greece

Military service age and obligation

18 years of age for compulsory military service; during wartime the law allows for recruitment after reaching January of the year of inductee's 18th birthday, thus including 17 year olds; 17 years of age for volunteers; conscript service obligation - 12 months for the Army and Air Force, 15 months for Navy (2005)

National holiday

Independence Day, 25 March (1821)

Nationality

adjective

Greek

noun

Greek(s)

Natural gas - consumption

2.021 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports

2.018 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - production

35 million cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

254.9 million cu m (1 January 2002)

Natural hazards

severe earthquakes

Natural resources

lignite, petroleum, iron ore, bauxite, lead, zinc, nickel, magnesite, marble, salt, hydropower potential

Net migration rate

2.34 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Oil - consumption

405,700 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports

84,720 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports

468,300 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - production

5,992 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

4.5 million bbl (1 January 2002)

People - note

women, men, and children are trafficked to and within Greece for the purposes of sexual exploitation and forced labor Government Greece

Pipelines

gas 1,166 km; oil 94 km (2004)

Political parties and leaders

Coalition of the Left and Progress (Synaspismos) [Alekos ALAVANOS]; Communist Party of Greece or KKE [Aleka PAPARIGA]; New Democracy or ND (conservative) [Konstandinos KARAMANLIS]; Panhellenic Socialist Movement or PASOK [Yiorgos PAPANDREOU]; Popular Orthodox Rally [Yeoryios KARATZAFERIS]

Political pressure groups and leaders

General Confederation of Greek Workers or GSEE [Khristos POLYZOGOPOLOS]; Federation of Greek Industries or SEV [Odysseas KYRIAKOPOULOS]; Civil Servants Confederation or ADEDY [Spyros PAPASPYROS]

Population

10,668,354 (July 2005 est.)

Population below poverty line

NA

Population growth rate

0.19% (2005 est.)

Ports and harbors

Agioitheodoroi, Aspropyrgos, Irakleion, Pachi, Peiraiefs, Thessaloniki

Public debt

112% of GDP (2004 est.)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 26, FM 88, shortwave 4 (1998)

Radios

5.02 million (1997)

Railways

dual gauge

23 km combined 1.435-m and 1.000-m gauges (three rail system) (2004)

narrow gauge

961 km 1.000-m gauge; 22 km 0.750-m gauge

standard gauge

1,565 km 1.435-m gauge

total

2,571 km (764 km electrified)

Religions

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

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$7.3 billion (2004 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth

1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female

total population

0.96 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Telephone system

domestic

microwave radio relay trunk system; extensive open-wire connections; submarine cable to offshore islands

general assessment

adequate, modern networks reach all areas; good mobile telephone and international service

international

country code - 30; tropospheric scatter; 8 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Eutelsat, and 1 Inmarsat (Indian Ocean region)

Telephones - main lines in use

5,205,100 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular

8,936,200 (2003)

Television broadcast stations

36 (plus 1,341 low-power repeaters); also two stations in the US Armed Forces Radio and Television Service (1995)

Televisions

2.54 million (1997)

Terrain

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

Total fertility rate

1.33 children born/woman (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate

10% (2004 est.)

Waterways

6 km note: Corinth Canal (6 km) crosses the Isthmus of Corinth; shortens sea voyage by 325 km (2004)