Facts About Greece
Name of the country: Hellas - Republic of Greece (Elliniki Dimokratia) (in Greek Ellas, Ellada)
People: Ellines (Hellenes - Greeks) 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 €
Greece
Greece located in southeastern Europe, at the southernmost tip of the Balkan peninsula, in the Eastern Mediterranean. Capital and largest city of Greece is Athens.Greece is a member of the European Union since 1981, eurozone since 2001, NATO since 1952
Latitude: 38.3228° N Longitude: 22.2592° E
The Greek Flag
Religion: 98% Greek Orthodox, 1,3 Muslim, 0,7 Other
Government: parliamentary republic, until 1974 monarchy
Administrative divisions:51 prefectures and 1 autonomous
region*: 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 Agion Oros* (Mt. Athos).
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: According to data from the European Statistical
Office, Greece recorded the highest increase in unemployment in
one year 21% in December 2011 from 14.3% in December 2010,
in particular: men 18%, women 25%, young people under 25
years 50.4%.
.
Industries: agriculture: food, wine, tobacco, dairy products, olives, tomatoes, potatoes, meat, corn, wheat, barley, sugar beets Tourism, textiles, Chemicals, Metal, Mining, petroleum.
National Holiday: 25 March (1821 Day when the war of
independence broke out.)
Chief of State: Karolos Papoulias
Prime Minister: Antonis Samaras, government of the conservative
party of Nea Democratia with the support of the Socialist party (PASOK)
and the left party of Democratiki Aristera (DIMAR) since
June-18-2012.
Elections: every 4 years
Parliament: 300 seats, the MP's are voted by the people for four
years.
(13). source www.ypes.gr.
Budget:(2010) Gross Domestic Product 318.1 billion $ Gross
National Product 310,8 billion $ world rank 39 Gross National
Income per capita $29,600 $ world rank 47,
National external debt: $394 (2011) billion $. Annual inflation 2.99 (November2011)
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,
EIB, EU, FAO, G- 6, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA,
NSG,
OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR,
UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNOMIG, UPU, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO, WTrO, ZC
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.
Climate
Greece has Mediterranean climate. This climate is characterized by
hot summer, mild winters, small, relatively, level of rainfall and high
duration of sunshine .
Depending on the form of the Greek climate is characterized in,
mountainous, seaside and
continental. The mountain climate is the climate of many Greek mountains.
Renowned for its abundance of snowfall, especially during winter months,
the intense cold and high rainfall index. During the summer the
temperature rises considerably but never reaches very high levels.
the Mediterranean climate is characterized by its sweet winters and cool
summers. However, in many coastal cities observed high rainfall,
resulting in the existence of a fairly large air moisture.
The continental climate is what has most in common with the climate of
continental Europe. Such a climate is the climate observed in the
extensive plain of Thessaly.
Apart from the climatic differences due firstly to the altitude, and on
the other hand the distance between the given place from the sea, an
important factor shaping the Greek climate is the complex horizontal and
vertical partition of Greece and the sea currents which dominate the
Greek seas.
Exposed to cold northern winds the east coast of Greece has generally
lower temperatures than the corresponding Western, which is dominated by
the warm humid winds of Africa.
Seas
Greece for the most part is surrounded by the sea. Towards the west
coast is the Ionian Sea, to the east the Aegean Sea and to the south the
Libyan Sea.
Characteristic of Greek sea waters is the blue colour and the high
transparency. This is due to the fact that there aren't large quantities
of solids, such as plankton, soil, or dust.
The Greek seas contain salt (sodium chloride averaged 3.8%.) The content
of salt varies depending on the sea areas. In the Aegean Sea, the
salinity is greater, while in the north the water content is low in salt.
The temperature of the waters, at a depth below 400 meters is always
around 13 ° C. On the surface the water has a temperature, depending on
the season, with maximum 22 ° C - 23 ° C. and minimum between 12 ° C. -
14 ° C.
The length of the Greek coastline reaches about 15,000 km, of which
about 11,000 km are in the islands and 4,000 km on the mainland.
Education
The education system includes the following steps:
preschool
primary (elementary)
secondary (middle), which includes three-grade middle school and
three-grade secondary school (general, multidisciplinary, professional,
technical)
Superior
Higher
Defence:
The military service in Greece is compulsory for men aged over 18 years old. Head of the Armed Forces is the Ministry of National Defence, to which are attached the General Staff of National Defence, the Army General Staff, the Hellenic Air Force and the General Staff of the Navy.
Trasports
Commercial shipping
The commercial fleet has great importance for the Greek economy, and
holds one of the first places in the world. In 2012 the power of the
Greek merchant fleet consisted of 3,760 vessels with a capacity of 2.3
million tons.
The national road network of the country has a total length of 9,255 km.
The provincial road network has a total length of 29,351 km, of which
20,810 km are paved and 20,611 km are in good condition.
Railways. The length of the railway network is 2,474 km, only 1,565 km
of lines have international standard gauge.
The country has 36 airports with most important the airports of Athens,
Thessaloniki and Heraklion
Useful links
Greek Government