Greece

Hellenic RepublicElliniki Dhimokratia

parliamentary republicIndependence 1829 (from the Ottoman Empire)

Greece as the 2003 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 126 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
Position39 00 N, 22 00 E
Area131,940 sq km
LocationSouthern Europe, bordering the Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea, between Albania and Turkey
2003

Every edition of Greece

Populationas each edition published it
10.67 million July 2003 est. · 10.03m in 1990
Population growth% a year
0.19% 2003 est. · 0.95% in 1993
Median ageyears
39.8 years 2002 · 46.8 yrs in 2025
Life expectancyyears at birth
78.89 years 2003 est. · 77.5 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
1.35 children per woman 2003 est. · 1.5 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
6.12 deaths per 1,000 live births 2003 est. · 10 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$19,100 2002 est. · $8,200 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
4% 2002 est. · 1.2% in 1993

Introduction

1 field

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. Following the defeat of Communist rebels in 1949, Greece joined NATO in 1952. A military dictatorship, which in 1967 suspended many political liberties and forced the king to flee the country, lasted seven years. Democratic elections in 1974 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).

Geography

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

18 fields

Land useshare of 131,940 sq km

arable land 22.12%permanent crops 8.47%other 69.41% (1998 est.)irrigated 14,220 sq km (1998 est.)
Area
131,940sq km
water: 1,140 sq kmland: 130,800 sq kmslightly smaller than Alabama
Coastline
13,676km
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitationterritorial sea: 6 NM
Highest point
2,917m
Mount Olympuslowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
Land boundaries
1,228km
border countries: Albania 282 km, Bulgaria 494 km, Turkey 206 km, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 246 km

Location

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

Geographic coordinates

39 00 N, 22 00 E

Climate

  • temperate;
  • mild, wet winters;
  • hot, dry summers

Terrain

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

Natural resources

bauxite, lignite, magnesite, petroleum, marble, hydropower potential

Natural hazards

severe earthquakes

Environment - current issues

air pollution; water pollution

Environment - international agreements

party to:
Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, 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, Antarctic Treaty, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

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

19 fields
Population
10,665,989
(July 2003 est.)growth rate: 0.19% (2003 est.)

Per 1,000 population(2003 est.)

Birth
9.79Death
9.86Net migration
1.96

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (2003 est.)78.89
76.32 · 81.65Infant mortality deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)6.12
6.64 · 5.57
TotalMale · femaleLiteracy (2003 est.)97.5%
98.6% · 96.5%Median age years (2002)39.8
38.6 · 41
MaleFemaleLiteracy definition: age 15 and over can read and write

Religions

Greek Orthodox 98%Muslim 1.3%other 0.7%

Age structure

0-14 years:
14.7% (male 811,080; female 761,728)
15-64 years:
67% (male 3,578,320; female 3,557,800)
65 years and over:
18.3% (male 866,425; female 1,090,636) (2003 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth:
1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.79 male(s)/female
total population:
0.97 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.35 children born/woman (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

less than 100 (2001 est.)

Nationality

noun:
Greek(s)
adjective:
Greek

Ethnic groups

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

Languages

Greek 99% (official), English, French

Government

Parliamentary republic; President Konstandinos (Kostis) STEPHANOPOULOS (since 10 March 1995); Prime Minister Konstandinos SIMITIS (since 19 January 1996)

18 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

43.8%
PASOK 43.8%ND 42.7%KKE 5.5%Coalition of the Left and Progress 3.2%elections last held 9 April 2000 (next to be held by NA May 2004)

Parliament or Vouli ton Ellinon, 300 seatsone dot, one seat

PASOK 158ND 125KKE 11Coalition of the Left and Progress 6

Percent of vote

PASOK 43.8%ND 42.7%KKE 5.5%Coalition of the Left and Progress 3.2%

Country name

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

Government type

parliamentary republic; monarchy rejected by referendum 8 December 1974

Capital

Athens

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

Independence

1829 (from the Ottoman Empire)

National holiday

Independence Day, 25 March (1821)

Constitution

11 June 1975; amended March 1986 and April 2001

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch

chief of state:
President Konstandinos (Kostis) STEPHANOPOULOS (since 10 March 1995)
elections:
  • president elected by Parliament for a five-year term;
  • election last held 8 February 2000 (next to be held by NA February 2005);
  • prime minister appointed by the president
head of government:
Prime Minister Konstandinos SIMITIS (since 19 January 1996)
cabinet:
Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister
election results:
Konstandinos STEPHANOPOULOS reelected president; percent of Parliament vote - 90%

Legislative branch

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

elections:
elections last held 9 April 2000 (next to be held by NA May 2004)
election results:
  • percent of vote by party - PASOK 43.8%, ND 42.7%, KKE 5.5%, Coalition of the Left and Progress 3.2%;
  • seats by party - PASOK 158, ND 125, KKE 11, Coalition of the Left and Progress 6;
  • note - seats by party as of January 2002 - PASOK 156, ND 122, KKE 11, Coalition of the Left and Progress 6, independents 5

Judicial branch

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

Political parties and leaders

  • Coalition of the Left and Progress (Synaspismos) [Nikolaos KONSTANTOPOULOS];
  • Communist Party of Greece or KKE [Aleka PAPARIGA];
  • New Democracy or ND (conservative) [Konstandinos KARAMANLIS];
  • Panhellenic Socialist Movement or PASOK [Konstandinos SIMITIS]

International organization participation

Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, 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, MINURSO, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNOMIG, UPU, WCO, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission:
Ambassador Yeoryious SAVVAIDES
consulate(s):
Atlanta, Houston, and New Orleans
consulate(s) general:
Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco
FAX:
[1] (202) 939-1324
telephone:
[1] (202) 939-1300
chancery:
2221 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission:
Ambassador Thomas J. MILLER
embassy:
91 Vasilissis Sophias Avenue, 101 60 Athens
mailing address:
PSC 108, APO AE 09842-0108
telephone:
[30] (210) 721-2951
FAX:
[30] (210) 645-6282
consulate(s) general:
Thessaloniki

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 has a mixed capitalist economy with the public sector accounting for half of GDP and with per capita GDP 70% of the leading euro-zone economies.

43 fields
Real growth rate
4%
(2002 est.)industrial production growth: 7% (2000 est.)
Unemployment rate
10.3%
(2002 est.)
Labor force
4.37million
(2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector(2002 est.)

agriculture 8.1%industry 22.3%services 69.3% (2002 est.)

Trading partnersexports left, imports right

10.4%
Germany
12.2%
8.5%
Italy
11.5%
Russia
7.4%
6.3%
UK
4.1%
South Korea
6%
France
5.7%
Netherlands
5.6%
5.4%
Bulgaria
5.3%
US
4.7%
4.7%
Cyprus
Belgium
4.3%
Exports $12.6 billion f.o.b. (2002)Imports $31.4 billion f.o.b. (2002)(2002)

Budget

Revenues
$45 billionExpenditures
$47.6 billion (1998 est.)
expenditures including capital expenditures of $NA

Electricity

fossil fuel 94.5%hydro 3.8%other 1.7% (2001)nuclear 0%
Electricity production
49.79 billion (2001)Electricity consumption
48.8 billion (2001)Electricity exports
1.062 billion (2001)Electricity imports
3.562 billion (2001)

Economy - overview

Greece has a mixed capitalist economy with the public sector accounting for half 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 GDP. The economy has improved steadily with economic growth averaging 4% since 1997, exceeding EU growth by more than 1 percentage point.

Remaining challenges include the reduction of the public debt, inflation, and unemployment; and further restructuring of the economy, including privatizing several state enterprises, undertaking pension and other reforms, and minimizing bureaucratic inefficiencies. The Olympic Games will be held in Athens in mid-2004.

GDP

purchasing power parity - $203.3 billion (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $19,100 (2002 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%:
3%
highest 10%:
25.3% (1993 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

industry 20%, agriculture 20%, services 59% (2000 est.)

Industries

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

Oil - production

5,992 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption

405,700 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports

84,720 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports

468,300 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - proved reserves

4.5 million bbl (37257)

Natural gas - production

35 million cu m (2001 est.)

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 - proved reserves

254.9 million cu m (37257)

Agriculture - products

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

Exports

$12.6 billion f.o.b. (2002)

Exports - commodities

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

Imports

$31.4 billion f.o.b. (2002)

Imports - commodities

machinery, transport equipment, fuels, chemicals

Debt - external

$63.4 billion (2002 est.)

Economic aid - recipient

$5.4 billion from EU

Currency

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

Exchange rates

euros per US dollar - 1.06 (2002), 1.12 (2001), 365.4 (2000), 305.65 (1999), 295.53 (1998) note: in January 2001, the drachma became a participating currency within the Eurosystem, and the euro market rate became applicable to all transactions

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

8 fields
Mobile cellular
937,700
(1997)
Fixed lines
5.431 million
(1997) · country code .gr

Telephone system

general assessment:
adequate, modern networks reach all areas; good mobile telephone and international service
domestic:
  • microwave radio relay trunk system;
  • extensive open-wire connections;
  • submarine cable to offshore islands
international:
  • 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)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 26, FM 88, shortwave 4 (1998)

Television broadcast stations

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

Internet users

1.4 million (2002)

Transportation

10 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right

6
over 3,047 m
15
2,438 to 3,047 m
17
914 to 1,523 m
3
9
under 914 m
10
19
1,524 to 2,437 m
Paved 66Unpaved 13

Networkskm

Highways
117,000Railways
2,571Waterways
80
Highways: paved: 107,406 km (including 470 km of expressways) · unpaved: 9,594 km (1999 est.) · Railways: (764 km electrified) · standard gauge: 1,565 km 1.435-m gauge · narrow gauge: 961 km 1.000-m gauge; 22 km 0.750-m gauge · dual gauge: 23 km combined 1.435-m and 1.000-m gauges (three rail system) (2002) · Waterways: note: 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 Peiraiefs (Piraeus) by 325 km; there are also three unconnected rivers

Railways

total:
2,571 km (764 km electrified)
standard gauge:
1,565 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge:
961 km 1.000-m gauge; 22 km 0.750-m gauge
dual gauge:
23 km combined 1.435-m and 1.000-m gauges (three rail system) (2002)

Highways

total:
117,000 km
paved:
107,406 km (including 470 km of expressways)
unpaved:
9,594 km (1999 est.)

Waterways

80 km

note: 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 Peiraiefs (Piraeus) by 325 km; there are also three unconnected rivers

Pipelines

gas 1,531 km; oil 108 km (2003)

Ports and harbors

Alexandroupolis, Elefsis, Irakleion (Crete), Kavala, Kerkyra, Chalkis, Igoumenitsa, Lavrion, Patrai, Peiraiefs (Piraeus), Thessaloniki, Volos

Merchant marine

total:
813 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 29,173,608 GRT/51,184,723 DWT

note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Ireland 1, Japan 1, Liberia 1, Norway 1, Panama 2, Russia 1, Saudi Arabia 1, United Kingdom 1 (2002 est.)

ships by type:
bulk 289, cargo 59, chemical tanker 32, combination bulk 6, combination ore/oil 4, container 47, liquefied gas 7, passenger 14, petroleum tanker 281, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 18, short-sea passenger 49, specialized tanker 4, vehicle carrier 2

Airports

79 (note - new Athens airport at Spata opened in March 2001) (2002)

Heliports

7 (2002)

Military

Hellenic Army, Hellenic Navy, Hellenic Air Force, Police, National Guard

7 fields

Military branches

Hellenic Army, Hellenic Navy, Hellenic Air Force, Police, National Guard

Military manpower - military age

21 years of age (2003 est.)

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 2,662,208 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49: 2,026,409 (2003 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$6.12 billion (FY99/00 est.)

Transnational Issues

2 fields

Disputes - international

  • Greece and Turkey have resumed discussions to resolve their complex maritime, air, territorial, and boundary disputes in the Aegean Sea;
  • Cyprus question with Turkey;
  • dispute with The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia over its name

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

Central Intelligence Agency. “Greece.” The World Factbook 2003. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/greece/2003.

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