Greece

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

at birth:

1.06 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.063 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

0.998 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.783 male(s)/female

total population:

0.962 male(s)/female (2007 est.)

noun:

Greek(s)

adjective:

Greek

conventional long form:

Hellenic Republic

conventional short form:

Greece

local long form:

Elliniki Dhimokratia

local short form:

Ellas or Ellada

former:

Kingdom of Greece

name:

Athens

geographic coordinates:

37 59 N, 23 44 E

time difference:

UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

daylight saving time:

+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

• based on codified Roman law;
• judiciary divided into civil, criminal, and administrative courts;
• accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

chief of state:

President Karolos PAPOULIAS (since 12 March 2005)

head of government:

Prime Minister Konstandinos (Kostas) KARAMANLIS (since 7 March 2004)

cabinet:

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

elections:

• president elected by parliament for a five-year term (eligible for a second 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

election results:

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

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

• 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 or LAOS [Yeoryios KARATZAFERIS]

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

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

chief of mission:

Ambassador Alexandros P. MALLIAS

chancery:

2221 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 939-1300

FAX:

[1] (202) 939-1324

consulate(s) general:

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

consulate(s):

Atlanta, Houston, New Orleans

chief of mission:

Ambassador Daniel V. SPECKHARD

embassy:

91 Vasilisis Sophias Avenue, 10160 Athens

mailing address:

PSC 108, APO AE 09842-0108

telephone:

[30] (210) 721-2951

FAX:

[30] (210) 645-6282

consulate(s) general:

Thessaloniki

• 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

agriculture:

12%

industry:

20%

services:

68% (2004 est.)

lowest 10%:

2.5%

highest 10%:

26% (2000 est.)

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:

• country code - 30;
• landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-3 optical telecommunications submarine cable that provides links to Europe, Middle East, and Asia;
• a number of smaller submarine cables provide connectivity to various parts of Europe, the Middle East, and Cyprus;
• tropospheric scatter;
• satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Eutelsat, and 1 Inmarsat (Indian Ocean region)

total:

2,571 km

standard gauge:

1,565 km 1.435-m gauge (764 km electrified)

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) (2006)

total:

114,931 km

paved:

105,507 km (includes 880 km of expressways)

unpaved:

9,424 km (2004)

• 18 years of age for compulsory military service;
• during wartime the law allows for recruitment beginning 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, Air Force;
• 15 months for Navy;
• women are eligible for voluntary military service (2007)

males age 18-49:

2,459,988

females age 18-49:

2,442,818 (2005 est.)

males age 18-49:

2,018,557

females age 18-49:

2,000,650 (2005 est.)

males age 18-49:

58,399

females age 18-49:

55,571 (2005 est.)

• 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;
• the mass migration of unemployed Albanians still remains a problem for developed countries, chiefly Greece and Italy

• 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