Brief on Greece

GEOGRAPHY 

Greece lies at the Southeastern tip of Europe occupying a total area of 131,990 sq. km. The country shares borders to the north with Albania, ex-Yugoslavia, Bulgaria and to the east with Turkey, a total length of 1,228 km. 

Land use: 23% arable land; 40% meadows and pastures; 20% forests and woodland; 9% other; 

Terrain: Mostly mountainous with ranges extending into the sea as peninsulas or chains of islands. 

Climate: Mediterranean. Summers are hot and dry, winters usually mild. Most of the rain falls in autumn and winter. 

Topography: Greece, the southernmost extremity of the Balkan peninsula, is a mountainous, stony country with a highly indented and crenellated coast. According to a Greek myth, when god created the world he distributed all the available soil through a sieve and when he had provided every country with enough of it he tossed the remaining stones from the sieve over his shoulder - and there was Greece. More than two thirds of the country is classified as hilly and mountainous. The Pindos range traverses the Greek mainland from N.W. to S.E. dividing it in two. The mainland coastline is 4,000 km long while 9,841 islands, 114 of which are inhabited, add another 11,000 km of coastline. 

Greece is divided into ten regions of which Macedonia is the largest with an area of 34,177 sq. km and a population of 2,263,099. The highest Greek mountain is Mount Olympus (2,917 m.), believed to be the seat of the 12 Gods of ancient Greek mythology. The largest river is Aliacmon (297 km.). 

The largest city and capital is Athens, with a population of over 3m. Piraeus is the main port. The second largest city, Thessaloniki, capital of Macedonia, with a population of nearly 1m, is an important seaport functioning as the gateway to the Balkans and a major economic and cultural centre for the whole of northern Greece. 

Time: 2 hours ahead of GMT in winter 

3 hours ahead of GMT in summer 

Flora: Trees include white poplars, spearheaded cypresses, chestnut, pine, fir and olive trees. Of special beauty are the cultivated and wild flowers of Greece, many of which are mentioned in classical poetry and mythology, such as evosmon, anemone, violets, tulips, peonies, narcissus, parthenium, primrose and chamomile. 

Fauna: Wild animals include boar, bear, wild cat, brown squirrel, jackal, fox, deer, wolf. A rare white goat is found in Crete. A number of 358 species of birds are found throughout Greece, two-thirds of which are migratory. Among the birds of prey are the golden and imperial eagle, and several species of falcons. Other indigenous varieties of birds are the owl, pelican, pheasant, partridge, woodcock and nightingale. 

Marine Fauna: Some 246 species of marine life have been identified in Greek seas. Among the best known one species such as red mullet, lobster, squid, octapus, shrimp, crab, oyster, mussel and cockle. River fish are rare. Dolphins, so familiar in the legends and sculpture of antiquity, are still present in the Greek seas.    

THE PEOPLE

Population: 10,264,156 (1991 census-estimate). More than 4 m. Greeks are estimated to live abroad, including over 2 m. in America. 

Sex distribution: Male 49.2%, female: 50.8%. Urban 57.7%, rural 42.3%.
Density 77.8 inhabitants per sq. km.
Life expectancy: males 72.2 years (1985) females 76.4 years (1985) 

Religious affiliations: Of all citizens of the Hellenic Republic 97.6% are Greek Orthodox, 1.3% Muslim, 0.4% Roman Catholic, 0.1% Protestant, 0.6% other, including Jews. The Greek Orthodox Church is autocephalous, with its own Charter but indissolubly united in doctrine with the Great Church of Constantinople, i.e. the Ecumenical Patriarchate. On the peninsula of Chalkidiki, located in southeastern Macedonia, is the famous Mount Athos, where a number of monasteries of the Greek Orthodox Church form, as they have for centuries, an autonomous monastic community. 

Language: The Greek language with a documented record spanning three and a half millennia is a strong element of national continuity. Modern Greek derives from the same idiom used by Homer. Greek is also the language of the Gospels. The Greek alphabet and the Greek language have contributed much to all western languages. Today's Greeks, however, are the only ones who ensure this linguistic continuity. In this respect Greek is to be distinguished sharply from Latin which generated numerous neo-latin languages from Rumanian to Portuguese before it became itself extinct. 

DEMOCRACY 

Greece, also known as Hellas, is the birthplace of politics as an art and democracy as a form of government. Its democratic ideals inspired, among others, the framers of the US constitution. The present Greek Constitution, voted in 1975 and amended in 1986, defines the country's political system as a Parliamentary Democracy headed by a President. 

Legislative powers are exercised by a single Chamber Parliament (the Vouli) and executive powers are vested in the Government and the President. The Prime Minister, whose Government must enjoy the confidence of the House, has extensive powers. The judiciary is independent. Civil, political and human rights are constitutionally guaranteed. General elections for the 300 parliamentary seats are held every four years. The President of the Republic is elected by MP's and serves for a five year term, renewable only once. 

Mr. C. Stefanopoulos is the President of the Hellenic Republic and Mr. K. Simitis is the Prime Minister. 

The Flag: The National Flag of Greece consists of four white and five blue alternating horizontal stripes, with a white cross on the upper inner corner. Blue and white are the national colours of Greece. 

Greece in the world: Greece is a member of UN, IMF, CSCE, and other major Western and European institutions such as the OECD, NATO, WEU, Council of Europe and the European Community which she joined in 1981. The country's commitment to the European Union enjoys overwhelming political support. 

Education: Greece spends 4.5% of its GDP on education, which is compulsory for nine years and free of charge at all levels in any state institution. 

Welfare: Two main social insurance organisations known by their Greek acronyms as IKA (for labourers) and OGA (for farmers) cover more than 80% of the working population. 

Defence: Defence expenditure was $ 2,512 billions in 1994.

 

THE ECONOMY 

Per capita GDP is $ 7,155 (1994); Real GDP growth is 1 % (1994); Registered unemployment 10% (Dec 1994); Consumer Price Index 10.9% (Nov. 1994); Current account deficit $ 340 mn (1994 ). 

Invisible receipts, originating mainly from tourism, shipping (Greek registered and Greek owned ships constitute the largest merchant fleet in the world), and migrant workers' remittances offset to a great extent the balance of trade deficit. The national currency is the drachma which is included in the European 

Monetary System but is outside the EC Exchange Rate Mechanism. The US dollar was exchangeable in winter 1995 for 240 drs. and the ECU for 296 drs. EC countries absorb nearly 64.3% of Greek exports while Greek imports from EC represent 64.4% of total imports (1990). 

Weights and Measures: Metric system (since 1959).