Greece achieved 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. In World War II, Greece was first invaded by Italy (1940) and subsequently occupied by Germany (1941-44); fighting endured in a protracted civil war between supporters of the king and Communist rebels. Following the latter's defeat in 1949, Greece joined NATO in 1952. In 1967, a group of military officers seized power, establishing a military dictatorship that suspended many political liberties and forced the king to flee the country. In 1974, democratic elections and a referendum created a parliamentary republic and abolished the monarchy. In 1981, Greece joined the EC (now the EU); it became the 12th member of the European Economic and Monetary Union in 2001. In 2010, the prospect of a Greek default on its euro-denominated debt created severe strains within the EMU and raised the question of whether a member country might voluntarily leave the common currency or be removed.

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

39 00 N, 22 00 E

Europe

slightly smaller than Alabama

13,676 km

temperate; mild, wet winters; hot, dry summers

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

lignite, petroleum, iron ore, bauxite, lead, zinc, nickel, magnesite, marble, salt, hydropower potential

14,530 sq km (2003)

72 cu km (2005)

severe earthquakes

air pollution; water pollution

strategic location dominating the Aegean Sea and southern approach to Turkish Straits; a peninsular country, possessing an archipelago of about 2,000 islands

10,749,943 (July 2010 est.)

0.106% (2010 est.)

9.34 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)

10.6 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)

2.33 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)

1.37 children born/woman (2010 est.)

0.2% (2007 est.)

11,000 (2007 est.)

fewer than 100 (2007 est.)

population: Greek 93%, other (foreign citizens) 7% (2001 census)

Greek Orthodox 98%, Muslim 1.3%, other 0.7%

Greek 99% (official), other 1% (includes English and French)

4.4% of GDP (2005)

parliamentary republic

51 prefectures (nomoi, singular - nomos) and 1 autonomous region*; Achaia, Agion Oros* (Mt. Athos), Aitolia kai Akarnania, 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

1829 (from the Ottoman Empire)

Independence Day, 25 March (1821)

11 June 1975; amended March 1986 and April 2001

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

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

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

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

Coalition of the Radical Left or SYRIZA [Alexis TSIPRAS]; Communist Party of Greece or KKE [Aleka PAPARIGA]; Democratic Revival [Stelios PAPATHEMELIS]; Ecologist Greens [Nikos CHRYSOGELOS]; Fighting Socialist Party [Nikos KARGOPOULOS]; Greek Ecologists [Dimosthenis VERGIS]; New Democracy or ND [Antonis SAMARAS]; Panhellenic Socialist Movement or PASOK [Yiorgos PAPANDREOU]; Popular Orthodox Rally or LAOS [Yioryios KARATZAFERIS]; Union of Centrists [Vassilis LEVENTIS]

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

Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, FATF, 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, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIS, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

nine equal horizontal stripes of blue alternating with white; a blue square bearing a white cross appears in the upper hoist-side corner; the cross symbolizes Greek Orthodoxy, the established religion of the country; there is no agreed upon meaning for the nine stripes or for the colors; the exact shade of blue has never been set by law and has varied from a light to a dark blue over time

Greece has a capitalist economy with the public sector accounting for about 40% of GDP and with per capita GDP about two-thirds that of the leading euro-zone economies. Tourism provides 15% of GDP. Immigrants make up nearly one-fifth of the work force, mainly in agricultural and unskilled jobs. Greece is a major beneficiary of EU aid, equal to about 3.3% of annual GDP. The Greek economy grew by nearly 4.0% per year between 2003 and 2007, due partly to infrastructural spending related to the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, and in part to an increased availability of credit, which has sustained record levels of consumer spending. But growth dropped to 2% in 2008. The economy went into recession in 2009 and contracted by 2%, as a result of the world financial crisis, tightening credit conditions, and Athens' failure to address a growing budget deficit, which was triggered by falling state revenues, and increased government expenditures. Greece violated the EU's Growth and Stability Pact budget deficit criterion of no more than 3% of GDP from 2001 to 2006, but finally met that criterion in 2007-08, before exceeding it again in 2009, with the deficit reaching 10.7% of GDP. Public debt, inflation, and unemployment are above the euro-zone average while per capita income is below; debt and unemployment rose in 2009, while inflation subsided. Eroding public finances, a credibility gap stemming from inaccurate and misreported statistics, and consistent underperformance on following through with reforms prompted major credit rating agencies in late 2009 to downgrade Greece's international debt rating, which has led to increased financial instability. Under intense pressure by the EU and international market participants, the government has adopted a medium-term austerity program that includes cutting government spending, reducing the size of the public sector, decreasing tax evasion, reforming the health care and pension systems, and improving competitiveness through structural reforms to the labor and product markets. Athens, however, faces long-term challenges to push through unpopular reforms in the face of often vocal opposition from the country's powerful labor unions and the general public. Greek labor unions are prepared to strike over new austerity measures and continued widespread unrest could challenge the government's ability to implement reforms and meet budget targets, and could also lead to rioting or violence. In April 2010 a leading credit agency assigned Greek debt its lowest possible credit rating; in response, the International Monetary Fund and Eurozone goverments pledged more than $160 billion in support of Greece over the next three years.

$341 billion (2009 est.)

$347.9 billion (2008 est.)

$338 billion (2007 est.)

$342.2 billion (2009 est.)

-2% (2009 est.)

2% (2008 est.)

4% (2007 est.)

$32,100 (2009 est.)

$32,400 (2008 est.)

$31,600 (2007 est.)

5 million (2009 est.)

9% (2009 est.)

7.7% (2008 est.)

20% (2009 est.)

33 (2005)

35.4 (1998)

15.6% of GDP (2009 est.)

113.4% of GDP (2009 est.)

97.4% of GDP (2008 est.)

1.2% (2009 est.)

4.1% (2008 est.)

3% (31 December 2008)

5% (31 December 2007)

8.65% (31 December 2008)

7.71% (31 December 2007)

$NA

$NA

$394.6 billion (31 December 2008)

$365.9 billion (31 December 2007)

$NA (31 December 2008)

$264.9 billion (31 December 2007)

$208.3 billion (31 December 2006)

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

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

3.2% (2009 est.)

58.79 billion kWh (2007 est.)

58.28 billion kWh (2007 est.)

1.962 billion kWh (2008 est.)

7.575 billion kWh (2008 est.)

4,891 bbl/day (2008 est.)

434,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)

151,300 bbl/day (2008 est.)

553,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)

10 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.)

14 million cu m (2008 est.)

4.206 billion cu m (2008 est.)

0 cu m (2008 est.)

4.205 billion cu m (2008 est.)

1.982 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.)

-$34.43 billion (2009 est.)

-$45.16 billion (2008 est.)

$21.37 billion (2009 est.)

$29.14 billion (2008 est.)

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

Italy 11.5%, Germany 10.5%, Bulgaria 7.1%, Cyprus 6.2%, US 5%, UK 4.7%, Romania 4.4% (2008)

$64.27 billion (2009 est.)

$93.91 billion (2008 est.)

machinery, transport equipment, fuels, chemicals

Germany 12.1%, Italy 11.7%, Russia 7.4%, China 5.6%, France 5.1%, Netherlands 4.7% (2008)

$NA (31 December 2009 est.)

$3.473 billion (31 December 2008 est.)

$552.8 billion (30 June 2009)

$504.6 billion (31 December 2008)

$43.07 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$36.7 billion (31 December 2008 est.)

$29.55 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$32.44 billion (31 December 2008 est.)

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7338 (2009), 0.6827 (2008), 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005)

5.975 million (2008)

13.799 million (2008)

AM 26, FM 88, shortwave 4 (1998)

36 (plus 1,341 repeaters); also 2 stations in the American Armed Forces Radio and Television Service (1995)

.gr

2.342 million (2009)

4.253 million (2008)

81 (2009)

9 (2009)

gas 1,197 km; oil 75 km (2009)

6 km

Agioitheodoroi, Aspropyrgos, Pachi, Piraeus, Thessaloniki

Hellenic Army (Ellinikos Stratos, ES), Hellenic Navy (Ellinikos Polemiko Navtiko, EPN), Hellenic Air Force (Elliniki Polimiki Aeroporia, EPA) (2009)

19-45 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 - 1 year for all services; women are eligible for voluntary military service (2008)

4.3% of GDP (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