Greece

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Greece

General Information
Geography
Government
Economy
Population
Health
Communications and media
Chronology


GENERAL INFORMATION

National name Elliniki Dimokratia/Hellenic Republic Area 131,957 sq km/50,948 sq mi Capital Athens Language Greek (official) Religion Greek Orthodox, over 96%; about 1% Muslim Time difference GMT +2 Major holidays 1, 6 January, 25 March, 1 May, 15 August, 28 October, 25–26 December; variable: Monday in Lent, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Whit Monday


GEOGRAPHY

Major towns/cities Thessaloniki, Peiraias, Patras, Iraklion, Larisa, Peristerio, Kallithéa Major ports Peiraias, Thessaloniki, Patras, Iraklion Physical features mountainous (Mount Olympus); a large number of islands, notably Crete, Corfu, and Rhodes, and Cyclades and Ionian Islands Airports ten international airports and 24 domestic airports, of which 13 are authorized to receive international flights; total passengers carried: 7.5 million (2003 est) Railways total length: 2,474 km/1,537 mi; total passenger journeys: 16.2 million (2003) Roads total road network: 117,000 km/72,704 mi, of which 91.8% paved (1999 est); passenger cars: 434.6 per 1,000 people (2002 est)


GOVERNMENT

Head of state Karolos Papuolias from 2005 Head of government Kostantinos Karamanlis from 2004 Political system liberal democracy Political executive parliamentary Administrative divisions 13 regions, divided into 54 administrative divisions, and one autonomous region (Mount Athos) Political parties Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK), nationalist, democratic socialist; New Democracy Party (ND), right of centre; Democratic Renewal (DIANA), centrist; Communist Party (KKE), left wing; Political Spring, moderate, left of centre Death penalty abolished in 2004 Armed forces 163,900; plus 325,000 reservists and paramilitary forces of 4,000 (2006 est) Conscription up to 16 months (army) or up to 19 months (navy and air force) Defence spend (% GDP) 2.8 (2005 est) Education spend (% GDP) 4 (2003 est) Health spend (% GDP) 5.1 (2004)


ECONOMY

Currency euro (drachma until 2002) GDP (US$) 213.7 billion (2005 est) Real GDP growth (% change on previous year) 3.7 (2006 est) GNI (US$) 218.1 billion (2005 est) GNI per capita (PPP) (US$) 23,620 (2005 est) Consumer price inflation 3.3% (2006 est) Unemployment 9.7% (2006 est) Labour force 12.4% agriculture, 22.4% industry, 65.2% services (2005) Major trading partners Germany, Italy, UK, France, the Netherlands, USA, EU Resources bauxite, nickel, iron pyrites, magnetite, asbestos, marble, salt, chromite, lignite Industries food products, metals and metal products, textiles; radio, television, and communications equipment; petroleum refining, machinery and transport equipment, tourism, wine Exports machinery, fruit and vegetables, chemicals, clothing, mineral fuels and lubricants, textiles, iron and steel, aluminium and aluminium alloys. Principal market: Germany 12.6% (2005) Imports petroleum and petroleum products, machinery and transport equipment, food and live animals, chemicals and chemical products. Principal source: Germany 12.3% (2005) Arable land 20.5% (2006 est) Agricultural products fruit and vegetables, cereals, sugar beet, tobacco, olives; livestock and dairy products


POPULATION

Population 11,140,400 (2006 est) Population growth rate 0.2% (2005–10) Population density (per sq km) 84 (2006 est) Urban population (% of total) 61 (2005 est) Age distribution (% of total population) 0–14 14%, 15–59 63%, 60+ 23% (2005 est) Ethnic groups predominantly Greek (98%); main minorities are Turks, Slavs, and Albanians Life expectancy 76 (men); 81 (women) (2005–10) Child mortality rate (under 5, per 1,000 live births) 5 (2004) Education (compulsory years) 9 Literacy rate 99% (men); 97% (women) (2004 est)


HEALTH

Physicians (per 10,000 people) 44 (2004 est) Hospital beds (per 1,000 people) 4.9 (2002 est) HIV infection (% of population aged 15–49) 0.2 (2005 est) AIDS deaths <100 (2005 est)


COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA

Landline telephones (per 100 people) 56.7 (2005 est) Mobile phone subscribers (per 100 people) 90.3 (2005 est) Radios (per 1,000 people) 478 (1998) TV sets (per 1,000 people) 537 (2004 est) Personal computer users (per 100 people) 8.9 (2005 est) Internet users (per 100 people) 17.6 (2005 est)


CHRONOLOGY

c. 2000–1200 BC Mycenaean civilization flourished. c. 1500–1100 BC Central Greece and Peloponnese invaded by tribes of Achaeans, Aeolians, Ionians, and Dorians. c. 1000–500 BC Rise of the Greek city states; Greek colonies established around the shores of the Mediterranean. c. 490–404 BC Ancient Greek culture reached its zenith in the democratic city state of Athens. 357–338 BC Philip II of Macedon won supremacy over Greece; cities fought to regain and preserve independence. 146 BC Roman Empire defeated Macedon and annexed Greece. 476 AD Western Roman Empire ended; Eastern Empire continued as Byzantine Empire, based at Constantinople, with essentially Greek culture. 1204 Crusaders partitioned Byzantine Empire; Athens, Achaea, and Thessaloniki came under Frankish rulers. late 14th century–1461 Ottoman Turks conquered mainland Greece and captured Constantinople in 1453; Greek language and culture preserved by Orthodox Church. 1685 Venetians captured Peloponnese; regained by Turks in 1715. late 18th century Beginnings of Greek nationalism among émigrés and merchant class. 1814 Philike Hetairia (‘Friendly Society’) formed by revolutionary Greek nationalists in Odessa. 1821 Philike Hetairia raised Peloponnese brigands in revolt against Turks; War of Independence ensued. 1827 Battle of Navarino: Britain, France, and Russia intervened to destroy Turkish fleet; Count Ioannis Kapodistrias elected president of Greece. 1829 Treaty of Adrianople: under Russian pressure, Turkey recognized independence of small Greek state. 1832 Great Powers elected Otto of Bavaria as king of Greece. 1843 Coup forced King Otto to grant a constitution. 1862 Mutiny and rebellion led King Otto to abdicate. 1863 George of Denmark became king of the Hellenes. 1864 Britain transferred Ionian islands to Greece. 1881 Following Treaty of Berlin in 1878, Greece was allowed to annex Thessaly and part of Epirus. late 19th century Politics dominated by Kharilaos Trikoupis, who emphasized economic development, and Theodoros Deliyiannis, who emphasized territorial expansion. 1897 Greco-Turkish War ended in Greek defeat. 1908 Cretan Assembly led by Eleutherios Venizelos proclaimed union with Greece. 1910 Venizelos became prime minister and introduced financial, military, and constitutional reforms. 1912–13 Balkan Wars: Greece annexed a large area of Epirus and Macedonia. 1916 ‘National Schism’: Venizelos formed rebel pro-Allied government while royalists remained neutral. 1917–18 Greek forces fought on Allied side in World War I. 1919–22 Greek invasion of Asia Minor; after Turkish victory, a million refugees came to Greece. 1924 Republic declared amid great political instability. 1935 Greek monarchy restored with George II. 1936 Gen Ioannia Metaxas established right-wing dictatorship. 1940 Greece successfully repelled Italian invasion. 1941–44 German occupation of Greece; rival monarchist and communist resistance groups operated from 1942. 1946–49 Civil war: communists defeated by monarchists with military aid from Britain and USA. 1952 Became member of NATO. 1967 ‘Greek Colonels’ seized power under George Papadopoulos; political activity banned; King Constantine II exiled. 1973 Republic proclaimed with Papadopoulos as president. 1974 Cyprus crisis caused downfall of military regime; Constantinos Karamanlis returned from exile to form Government of National Salvation and restore democracy. 1981 Andreas Papandreou elected Greece's first socialist prime minister; Greece entered European Community. 1989–93 Election defeat of Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) followed by unstable coalition governments. 1993 PASOK returned to power. 1995 Costis Stephanopoulos was elected president. 1996 Costas Simitis succeeded Papandreou as PASOK prime minister. 1997 Direct talks with Turkey resulted in agreement to settle all future disputes peacefully. 2000 Simitis re-elected prime minister and Stephanopoulos re-elected president. 2001 Greece joined single European currency (euro). 2003 15 members of leftwing ‘November 17’ terrorist group, responsible for series of political murders since 1975, jailed for life. 2004 George Papandreou led PASOK to election defeat to conservative New Democracy Party under Costas Karamanlis. Athens hosted Olympic Games. 2005 PASOK's Carolos Papoulias elected president by parliament, replacing Costis Stephanopoulos. 2005–06 Industrial action over unemployment, inflation, and labour law reform. 2007 Forest fires killed more than 60 people and destroyed up to 6,000 homes. New Democracy Party re-elected in general elections.


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