Greece

presidential parliamentary governmentIndependence 1829 (from the Ottoman Empire)

Greece as the 1992 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 74 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalAthens

Area131,940 km2

Populationas each edition published it

10.06 million July 1992 · 10.03m in 1990

Population growth% a year

Not in this edition 0.95% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 39.8 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

Not in this edition 77.5 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

1.5 children per woman 1992 · 1.5 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

10 deaths per 1,000 live births 1992 · 10 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

Not in this edition $8,200 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

Not in this edition 1.2% in 1993

Geography

13 fields

Total area

131,940km2

Comparative area: slightly smaller than Alabama

Coastline

13,676km

Continental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitationTerritorial sea: 6 nm, but Greece has threatened to claim 12 nm

Land boundaries

1,210km

Albania 282 km, Bulgaria 494 km, Turkey 206 km, Macedonia 228 km

Disputes

air, continental shelf, and territorial water disputes with Turkey in Aegean Sea; Cyprus question

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, crude oil, marble

Land use

arable land 23%;
permanent crops 8%;
meadows and pastures 40%;
forest and woodland 20%;
other 9%;
includes irrigated 7%

Environment

subject to severe earthquakes;
air pollution;
archipelago of 2,000 islands

Note

strategic location dominating the Aegean Sea and southern approach to Turkish Straits

People

14 fields

Population

10,064,250

(July 1992), growth rate 0.2% (1992)

Per 1,000 population(1992)

Birth

11Death

9Net migration

Religions

Greek Orthodox 98%Muslim 1.3%other 0.7%

Literacy

93%

(male 98%, female 89%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

Ethnic divisions

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

Languages

Greek (official); English and French widely understood

Labor force

3,657,000; services 44%, agriculture 27%, manufacturing and mining 20%, construction 6% (1988)

Organized labor

10-15% of total labor force, 20-25% of urban labor force

Government

Presidential parliamentary government

19 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

46.89%

ND 46.89%PASOK 38.62%Left Alliance 10.27%PASOK/Left Alliance 1.02%Ecologist-Alternative List 0.77%DEANA 0.67%Muslim independents 0.5%

Type

presidential parliamentary government; monarchy rejected by referendum 8 December 1974

52 departments (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: Agios Oros (Mt. Athos)

Independence

1829 (from the Ottoman Empire)

Constitution

11 June 1975

Legal system

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

National holiday

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

Executive branch

president, prime minister, Cabinet

Legislative branch

unicameral Greek Chamber of Deputies (Vouli ton Ellinon)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court

Leaders

Chief of State:: President Konstantinos KARAMANLIS (since 5 May 1990); -
Head of Government:: Prime Minister Konstantinos MITSOTAKIS (since 11 April 1990)

Political parties and leaders

New Democracy (ND; conservative), Konstantinos MITSOTAKIS;
Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK), Andreas PAPANDREOU;
Left Alliance, Maria DAMANAKI;
Democratic Renewal (DEANA), Konstantinos STEFANOPOULOS;
Communist Party (KKE), Aleka PAPARIGA;
Ecologist-Alternative List, leader rotates

Suffrage

universal and compulsory at age 18

Elections

Chamber of Deputies:: last held 8 April 1990 (next to be held April 1994);
results - ND 46.89%, PASOK 38.62%, Left Alliance 10.27%, PASOK/Left Alliance 1.02%, Ecologist-Alternative List 0.77%, DEANA 0.67%, Muslim independents 0.5%;
seats - (300 total) ND 150, PASOK 123, Left Alliance 19, PASOK-Left Alliance 4, Muslim independents 2, DEANA 1, Ecologist-Alternative List 1;
note - one DEANA deputy joined ND in July, giving ND 151 seats;
in November, a special electoral court ruled in favor of ND on a contested seat, at PASOK'S expense;
PASOK and the Left Alliance divided their four joint mandates evenly, and the seven KKE deputies split off from the Left Alliance;
new
configuration:: ND 152, PASOK 124, Left Alliance 14, KKE 7, others unchanged
President:: last held 4 May 1990 (next to be held May 1995); results - Konstantinos KARAMANLIS was elected by Parliament

Communists

an estimated 60,000 members and sympathizers

Member of

AG, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, COCOM, CSCE, EBRD, EC, ECE, EIB, FAO, G-6, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NACC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation

Ambassador Christos ZACHARAKIS;
Chancery at 2221 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008;
telephone (202) 939-5800;
there are Greek Consulates General in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco, and a Consulate in New Orleans

US:: Ambassador Michael G. SOTIRHOS; Embassy at 91 Vasilissis Sophias Boulevard, 10160 Athens (mailing address is APO AE 09842; telephone [30] (1) 721-2951 or 721-8401; there is a US Consulate General in Thessaloniki

Flag

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

16 fields

Inflation, consumer prices

17.8%

(1991)

Unemployment rate

8.6%

(1991)

External debt

$25.5billion

(1990)

Budget

Revenues

$24.0 billionExpenditures

$33.0 billion

expenditures, including capital expenditures of $3.3 billion (1991)

Overview

Greece has a mixed capitalistic economy with the basic entrepreneurial system overlaid in 1981-89 by a socialist government that enlarged the public sector from 55% of GDP in 1981 to about 70% when Prime Minister Mitsotakis took office. Tourism continues as a major industry, and agriculture - although handicapped by geographic limitations and fragmented, small farms - is self-sufficient except for meat, dairy products, and animal feedstuffs.

The Mitsotakis government inherited several severe economic problems from the preceding socialist and caretaker administrations, which had neglected the runaway budget deficit, a ballooning current account deficit, and accelerating inflation. In early 1991, the government secured a $2.5 billion assistance package from the EC under the strictest terms yet imposed on a member country, as the EC finally ran out of patience with Greece's failure to put its financial affairs in order.

Over the next three years, Athens must bring inflation down to 7%, cut the current account deficit and central government borrowing as a percentage of GDP, slash public-sector employment by 10%, curb public-sector pay raises, and broaden the tax base.

GDP

purchasing power equivalent - $77.6 billion, per capita $7,730; real growth rate 1.0% (1991)

Exports

$6.4 billion (f.o.b., 1990)

commodities:: manufactured goods 48%, food and beverages 22%, fuels and lubricants 6%
partners:: Germany 22%, Italy 17%, France 10%, UK 7%, US 6%

Imports

$18.7 billion (c.i.f., 1990)

commodities:: consumer goods 33%, machinery 17%, foodstuffs 12%, fuels and lubricants 8%
partners:: Germany 21%, Italy 15%, Netherlands 11%, France 8%, UK 5%

Industrial production

growth rate - 2.4% (1990); accounts for 22% of GDP

Electricity

10,500,000 kW capacity; 36,420 million kWh produced, 3,630 kWh per capita (1991)

Industries

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

Agriculture

including fishing and forestry, accounts for 17% of GDP and 27% of the labor force;
principal products - wheat, corn, barley, sugar beets, olives, tomatoes, wine, tobacco, potatoes;
self-sufficient in food except meat, dairy products, and animal feedstuffs;
fish catch of 115,000 metric tons in 1988

Economic aid

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-81), $525 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $1,390 million

Currency

drachma (plural - drachmas); 1 drachma (Dr) = 100 lepta

Exchange rates

drachma (Dr) per US$1 - 182.33 (January 1992), 182.27 (1991), 158.51 (1990), 162.42 (1989), 141.86 (1988), 135.43 (1987)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

9 fields

Merchant marine, 977 ships by type

passenger 15short-sea passenger 66passenger-cargo 2cargo 136container 24roll-on/roll-off cargo 15refrigerated cargo 18vehicle carrier 1petroleum tanker 196chemical tanker 18liquefied gas 9combination ore/oil 37specialized tanker 3bulk 417combination bulk 19livestock carrier; note - ethnic Greeks also own large numbers of ships under the registry of Liberia, Panama, Cyprus, Malta, and The Bahamas 1977 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 23,450,910 GRT/42,934,863 DWT

Airports, 77 total, 77 usable

permanent-surface runways

77runways | over 3,659 m

nonerunways 2,440-3,659 m

19runways 1,220-2,439 m

Networkskm

Highways

38,938Railroads

2,479Inland waterways

Highways: ; 16,090 km paved, 13,676 km crushed stone and gravel, 5,632 km improved earth, 3,540 km unimproved earth · Railroads: ; 1,565 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, of which 36 km electrified and 100 km double track, 892 km 1.000-meter gauge; 22 km 0.750-meter narrow gauge; all government owned · Inland waterways: ; system consists of three coastal canals and three unconnected rivers

Railroads

2,479 km total;
1,565 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, of which 36 km electrified and 100 km double track, 892 km 1.000-meter gauge;
22 km 0.750-meter narrow gauge;
all government owned

adequate, modern networks reach all areas;
4,080,000 telephones;
microwave carries most traffic;
extensive open-wire network;
submarine cables to off-shore islands;
broadcast stations - 29 AM, 17 (20 repeaters) FM, 361 TV;
tropospheric links, 8 submarine cables;
1 satellite earth station operating in INTELSAT (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean antenna), and EUTELSAT systems