Statistical information Greece 1992

Greece in the World
top of pageBackground: 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 with Greek-speaking populations. Following the defeat of communist rebels in 1949 Greece joined NATO in 1952. A military dictatorship which in 1967 had suspended many political liberties and forced the king to flee the country was itself overthrown seven years later. Democratic elections in 1974 abolished the monarchy and created a parliamentary republic; Greece joined the EU in 1981.
top of pageLocationGeographic coordinatesMap referenceAreaTotal: 131,940 km²
Land: 130,800 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Alabama
Land boundaries: 1,210 km; Albania 282 km, Bulgaria 494 km, Turkey 206 km, Macedonia 228 km
Coastline: 13,676 km
Maritime claimsContinental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation
Territorial sea: 6 nm, but Greece has threatened to claim 12 nm
Disputes:air, continental shelf, and territorial water disputes with
Turkey in Aegean Sea; Cyprus question
Climate: temperate; mild, wet winters; hot, dry summers
Terrain: mostly mountains with ranges extending into sea as peninsulas or chains of islands
ElevationNatural resources: bauxite, lignite, magnesite, crude oil, marble
Land use: arable land: 23%; permanent crops: 8%; meadows and pastures 40%; forest and woodland 20%; other 9%; includes irrigated 7%
Irrigated landMajor riversMajor watersheds area km²Total water withdrawalTotal renewable water resourcesNatural hazardsGeographytop of pagePopulation: 10,064,250 (July 1992), growth rate 0.2% (1992)
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 (official; English and French widely understood
Religions: Greek Orthodox 98%, Muslim 1.3%, other 0.7%
Demographic profileAge structureDependency ratiosMedian agePopulation growth rateBirth rate: 11 births/1000 population (1992)
Death rate: 9 deaths/1000 population (1992)
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1000 population (1992)
Population distributionUrbanizationMajor urban areasEnvironmentCurrent issues: subject to severe earthquakes; air pollution; archipelago of 2,000 islands
Current issues note: strategic location dominating the Aegean Sea and southern approach to Turkish Straits
Air pollutantsSex ratioMothers mean age at first birthMaternal mortality ratioInfant mortality rate: 10 deaths/1000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth: 75 years male, 81 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate: 1.5 children born/woman (1992)
Contraceptive prevalence rateDrinking water sourceCurrent health expenditurePhysicians densityHospital bed densitySanitation facility accessHiv/AidsMajor infectious diseasesObesity adult prevalence rateAlcohol consumptionTobacco useChildren under the age of 5 years underweightEducation expendituresLiteracy: 93% (male 98%, female 89%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
School life expectancy primary to tertiary educationYouth unemploymenttop of pageCountry nameConventional long form: Hellenic Republic
Government type: presidential parliamentary government; monarchy rejected by referendum 8 December 1974
Capital: Athens
Administrative divisions:
52 departments (nomoi, singular - nomos);
Aitolia kai Akarnania, Akhaia, Argolis, Arkadhia, Arta, Attiki,
Dhodhekanisos, Dhrama, Evritania, Evros, Evvoia, Florina, Fokis, Fthiotis,
Grevena, Ilia, Imathia, Ioannina, Iraklion, Kardhitsa, Kastoria, Kavala,
Kefallinia, Kerkira, Khalkidhiki, Khania, Khios, Kikladhes, Kilkis,
Korinthia, Kozani, Lakonia, Larisa, Lasithi, Lesvos, Levkas, Magnisia,
Messinia, Pella, Pieria, Piraievs, Preveza, Rethimni, Rodhopi, Samos,
Serrai Thesprotia Thessaloniki Trikala Voiotia Xanthi Zakinthos autonomous region: Agios Oros (Mt. Athos)
Dependent areasIndependence: 1829 (from the Ottoman Empire)
National holiday: Independence Day (proclamation of the war of independence), 25 March (1821)
Constitution: 11 June 1975
Legal system: based on codified Roman law; judiciary divided into civil, criminal, and administrative courts
International law organization participationCitizenshipSuffrage: universal and compulsory at age 18
Chamber of Deputies:last held 8 April 1990 (next to be held April 1994); results - ND 46.89%, PASOK 38.62%, Left Alliance 10.27%, PASOK/Left
Alliance 1.02%, Ecologist-Alternative List 0.77%, DEANA 0.67%, Muslim independents 0.5%; seats - (300 total) ND 150, PASOK 123, Left Alliance 19,
PASOK-Left Alliance 4, Muslim independents 2, DEANA 1, Ecologist-Alternative
List 1; note - one DEANA deputy joined ND in July, giving ND 151 seats; in
November, a special electoral court ruled in favor of ND on a contested seat, at PASOK'S expense; PASOK and the Left Alliance divided their four joint mandates evenly, and the seven KKE deputies split off from the Left
Alliance; new configuration: ND 152, PASOK 124, Left Alliance 14, KKE 7, others unchanged
President:last held 4 May 1990 (next to be held May 1995); results -
Konstantinos KARAMANLIS was elected by Parliament
Communists: an estimated 60,000 members and sympathizers
Executive branch: president, prime minister, Cabinet
Legislative branch:
unicameral Greek Chamber of Deputies (Vouli ton
Ellinon)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leadersInternational organization participation:
AG, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, COCOM, CSCE, EBRD, EC, ECE, EIB, FAO,
G-6, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO,
INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NACC, NAM (guest),
NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO,
UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation:Ambassador Christos ZACHARAKIS; Chancery at 2,221 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008; telephone (202) 939-5,800; there are Greek Consulates General in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago,
Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco, and a Consulate in New Orleans
US:Ambassador Michael G. SOTIRHOS; Embassy at 91 Vasilissis Sophias
Boulevard, 10,160 Athens (mailing address is APO AE 9,842; telephone 30 (1) 721-2,951 or 721-8,401; there is a US Consulate General in Thessaloniki
Diplomatic representationFlag 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
National symbolsNational anthemNational heritagetop of pageEconomy overview:
Greece has a mixed capitalistic economy with the basic entrepreneurial system overlaid in 1981-89 by a socialist government that enlarged the public sector from 55% of GDP in 1981 to about 70% when Prime
Minister Mitsotakis took office. Tourism continues as a major industry, and agriculture - although handicapped by geographic limitations and fragmented, small farms - is self-sufficient except for meat, dairy products, and animal feedstuffs. The Mitsotakis government inherited several severe economic problems from the preceding socialist and caretaker administrations, which had neglected the runaway budget deficit, a ballooning current account deficit, and accelerating inflation. In early 1991, the government secured a 2.5 billion assistance package from the EC under the strictest terms yet imposed on a member country, as the EC finally ran out of patience with
Greece's failure to put its financial affairs in order. Over the next three years, Athens must bring inflation down to 7%, cut the current account deficit and central government borrowing as a percentage of GDP, slash public-sector employment by 10%, curb public-sector pay raises, and broaden the tax base.
GDP: purchasing power equivalent - $77.6 billion, per capita $7,730; real growth rate 1.0% (1991)
Real gdp purchasing power parityReal gdp growth rateReal gdp per capitaGross national savingGdp composition by sector of origin
Gdp composition by end useGdp composition by sector of originAgriculture products: including fishing and forestry, accounts for 17% of GDP and 27% of the labor force; principal products - wheat, corn, barley, sugar beets, olives, tomatoes, wine, tobacco, potatoes; self-sufficient in food except meat, dairy products, and animal feedstuffs; fish catch of 115,000 metric tons in 1988
Industries: food and tobacco processing, textiles, chemicals, metal products, tourism, mining, petroleum
Industrial production growth rate: growth rate - 2.4% (1990; accounts for 22% of GDP
Labor force: 3,657,000; services 44%, agriculture 27%, manufacturing and mining 20%, construction 6% (1988)
Organized labor: 10-15% of total labor force, 20-25% of urban labor force
Unemployment rate: 8.6% (1991)
Youth unemploymentPopulation below poverty lineGini indexHousehold income or consumption by percentage shareDistribution of family income gini indexBudget: revenues $24.0 billion; expenditures $33.0 billion, including capital expenditures of $3.3 billion (1991)
Taxes and other revenuesPublic debtRevenueFiscal year: calendar year
Inflation rate consumer pricesCentral bank discount rateCommercial bank prime lending rateStock of narrow moneyStock of broad moneyStock of domestic creditMarket value of publicly traded sharesCurrent account balanceExports: $6.4 billion (f.o.b., 1990)
Commodoties: manufactured goods 48%, food and beverages 22%, fuels and lubricants 6%
Partners: Germany 22%, Italy 17%, France 10%, UK 7%, US 6%
Imports: $18.7 billion (c.i.f., 1990)
Commodoties: consumer goods 33%, machinery 17%, foodstuffs 12%, fuels and lubricants 8%
Partners: Germany 21%, Italy 15%, Netherlands 11%, France 8%, UK 5%
Reserves of foreign exchange and goldDebt externalStock of direct foreign investment at homeStock of direct foreign investment abroadExchange rates: drachma (Dr) per US$1 - 182.33 (January 1992), 182.27 (1991), 158.51 (1990), 162.42 (1989), 141.86 (1988), 135.43 (1987)
top of pageElectricityProduction: 10,500,000 kW capacity; 36,420 million kWh produced, 3,630 kWh per capita (1991)
CoalPetroleumCrude oilRefined petroleumNatural gasCarbon dioxide emissionsEnergy consumption per capitatop of pageTelephonesTelephone systemBroadcast mediaInternetBroadband fixed subscriptionstop of pageMilitary expendituresPercent of gdp:exchange rate conversion - $3.8 billion, 5.6% of
GDP (1991)
Military and security forcesMilitary service age and obligationSpace programTerrorist groupstop of pageNational air transport systemCivil aircraft registration country code prefixAirports:
77 total, 77 usable; 77 with permanent-surface runways; none
with runways over 3,659 m; 19
with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 23
with runways 1,220-2,439 m
HeliportsPipelines: crude oil 26 km; petroleum products 547 km
RailwaysRoadwaysWaterways: 80 km; system consists of three coastal canals and three unconnected rivers
Merchant marine:
977 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 23,450,910
GRT/42,934,863 DWT; includes 15 passenger, 66 short-sea passenger, 2 passenger-cargo, 136 cargo, 24 container, 15 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 18 refrigerated cargo, 1 vehicle carrier, 196 petroleum tanker, 18 chemical tanker, 9 liquefied gas, 37 combination ore/oil, 3 specialized tanker, 417 bulk, 19 combination bulk, 1 livestock carrier; note - ethnic Greeks also own large numbers of ships under the registry of Liberia, Panama, Cyprus,
Malta, and The Bahamas
Civil air: 39 major transport aircraft
Ports and terminalsGreece - Transnational issues 1992
top of pageDisputes internationalRefugees and internally displaced personsIllicit drugs