Visiting Greece

Facts About Greece

Name of the country: Elliniki Dimokratia (Ellas, Ellada)
People: Ellines (Hellenes) Women: Ellenides Men: Ellines
Size: 131.940 sq. km (land 99%, sea 1%)
Coastline: 13,676 km
Population: just under 11000000 (46% men, 54% women)
Language: Greek (Ellinika)
Coordinates: 39 00N 22 00E
Borders to: Albania, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria, Turkey
Highest mountain: Mt Olympus, 2917 m
Capital: Athens

Natural resources: petroleum, marble, hydropower, magnetite, lignite, bauxite (and gold)
Natural hazards: earthquakes

Currency: EURO €

Religion: 98% Greek Orthodox, 1,3 Muslim, 0,7 Other
Literacy: 95%
Population growth: 0,14 %
Life expectancy: 82,21 (women), 76,98 (men)
Work branches: 8,3 % agriculture, 27,3 % industry, 64,4 % services
Unemployment: 8,3% (2007)
Industries: agriculture: food, wine, tobacco, dairy products, olives, tomatoes, potatoes, meat, corn, wheat, barley, sugar beets Tourism, textiles, Chemicals, Metal, Mining, petroleum.
Government: parliamentary republic, until 1974 monarchy

Administrative divisions:51 prefectures (nomoi, singular - nomos)and 1 autonomous region*; Ayion Oros* (Mt. Athos), Aitolia kai Akarnania, Achaia, Argolis, Arkadia, Arta, Attici, Dodekanisos, Drama, Evritania, Evros, Evvoia,

Florina, Fokis, Fthiotida, Grevena, Ilia, Imathia, Ioannina, Irakleion, Karditsa, Kastoria, Kavala, Cephalonia, Kerkyra (Corfu), Halcidiki, Chania, Chios, Cyclades, Kilkis, Korinth, Kozani, Lakonia, Larissa, Lasithi, Lesvos,
Lefcas, Magnisia, Messinia, Pella, Pieria, Preveza, Rethymnon, Rodhopi, Samos, Serrai, Thesprotia, Thessaloniki, Trikala, Voiotia, Xanthi, Zakynthos

National Holiday: 25 March (1821 Day when the war of independence broke out.)
Chief of State: Karolos Papoulias
Prime Minister: Georgios Papandreou, Socialist party (PASOK) since October-06-2009
Elections: every 4 years
Parliament: 300 seats, the MP's are voted by the people for four years.
Last election (4 October 2009): PASOK 43.92% 160 seats NEA DEMOKRATIA 33.48 % (91 seats) , KKE 7.54% (21 seats), LA.O.S 5.63% (15), SY.RI.ZA 4.60% (13). source www.ypes.gr.
Budget:(2007) Gross Domestic Product 314,6 billion $ Gross National Product 310,8 billion $ world rank 29 Gross National Income per capita 30,600 $ world rank 24,
National external debt: $301,9 billion $. Annual inflation 2.8%

Electricity: 91,24% hydro, 8,26% fossil fuel, 0,5% other
Ports and harbours: Alexandroupolis, Eleusis, Irakleion, Kavala, Kerkyra (Corfu), Chalkis, Igoumenitsa, Lavrion, Patras, Pireus, Thessaloniki, Volos

International organizations: Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CCC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE,

Trade partners: Germany, Italy, UK, France, Netherlands, US.
National Service: Obligatory, 1 year.
Military branches: Hellenic Army, Hellenic Navy, Hellenic Air Force, National Guard, Police