Background: Greece achieved independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1830. 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 other anti-communist 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.

Geographic coordinates: 39 00 N 22 00 E

Area
Rank: 97
Land: 130,647 km²
Water: 1310 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Alabama

Land boundaries
Border countries: (4) Albania 282 km; Bulgaria 494 km; Turkey 206 km; Macedonia 246 km

Coastline: 13,676 km

Maritime claims
Continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Climate: temperate; mild wet winters; hot dry summers

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

Elevation
Extremes highest point: Mount Olympus 2,917 m

Natural resources: lignite petroleum iron ore bauxite lead zinc nickel magnesite marble salt hydropower potential

Land use
Permanent crops: 8.73%
Other: 72.32% (2011)

Irrigated land: 15,550 km² (2007)

Total renewable water resources: 74.25 km³ (2011)

Natural hazards: severe earthquakes
Volcanism: Santorini (elev. 367 m) has been deemed a 'Decade Volcano' by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior worthy of study due to its explosive history and close proximity to human populations; although there have been very few eruptions in recent centuries Methana and Nisyros in the Aegean are classified as historically active

Geography
Note: strategic location dominating the Aegean Sea and southern approach to Turkish Straits; a peninsular country possessing an archipelago of about 2000 islands

Population: 10,772,967 (July 2013 est.)
Rank: 82
Growth rate: 0.04% (2013 est.)
Growth rate rank: 189
Below poverty line: 20% (2009 est.)

Nationality
Adjective: Greek

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

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

Religions: Greek Orthodox (official) 98% Muslim 1.3% other 0.7%

Age structure
15-24 years: 9.8% (male 541,603/female 519,170)
25-54 years: 43.5% (male 2,334,949/female 2,349,421)
55-64 years: 12.5% (male 661,324/female 684,639)
65 years and over: 20.1% (male 945,277/female 1,215,024) (2013 est.)

Dependency ratios
Youth dependency ratio: 22.3 %
Elderly dependency ratio: 29.9 %
Potential support ratio: 3.3 (2013)

Median age
Male: 42.1 years
Female: 44.3 years (2013 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.04% (2013 est.)
Rank: 189

Birth rate: 8.94 births/1000 population (2013 est.)
Rank: 209

Death rate: 10.9 deaths/1000 population (2013 est.)
Rank: 41

Net migration rate: 2.32 migrant(s)/1000 population (2013 est.)
Rank: 37

Urbanization
Rate of urbanization: 0.6% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: ATHENS (capital) 3.252 million; Thessaloniki 834,000 (2009)

Environment
Current issues: air pollution; water pollution
International agreements signed but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds

Sex ratio
0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2013 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 29.2 (2007 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Rank: 180
Male: 5.33 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 4.34 deaths/1000 live births (2013 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Rank: 31
Male: 77.59 years
Female: 82.93 years (2013 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.4 children born/woman (2013 est.)
Rank: 205

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 76.2%

Drinking water source:

Physicians density: 6.04 physicians/1000 population (2008)

Hospital bed density: 4.9 beds/1000 population (2009)

Sanitation facility access:

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2009 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 127
People living with hivaids: 8,800 (2009 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 103
Deaths: fewer than 500 (2009 est.)
Deaths rank: 98

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 20.1% (2008)
Rank: 96

Education expenditures: 4.1% of GDP (2005)
Rank: 105

Literacy
Total population: 97.3%
Male: 98.4%
Female: 96.3% (2011 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Male: 16 years
Female: 16 years (2007)

Country name
Conventional short form: Greece
Local long form: Elliniki Dimokratia
Local short form: Ellas or Ellada
Former: Kingdom of Greece

Government type: parliamentary republic

Capital
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

Administrative divisions: 13 regions (perifereies singular - perifereia) and 1 autonomous monastic state* (aftonomi monastiki politeia); Agion Oros* (Mount Athos) Anatoliki Makedonia kai Thraki (East Macedonia and Thrace) Attiki (Attica) Dytiki Ellada (West Greece) Dytiki Makedonia (West Macedonia) Ionia Nisia (Ionian Islands) Ipeiros (Epirus) Kentriki Makedonia (Central Macedonia) Kriti (Crete) Notio Aigaio (South Aegean) Peloponnisos (Peloponnese) Sterea Ellada (Central Greece) Thessalia (Thessaly) Voreio Aigaio (North Aegean)

Independence: 1830 (from the Ottoman Empire)

National holiday: Independence Day 25 March (1821)

Constitution: many previous; latest entered into force 11 June 1975; amended 1986 2001 2008 (2013)

Legal system: civil legal system based on Roman law

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch
Head of government: Prime Minister Antonis SAMARAS (since 20 June 2012)
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 on 3 February 2010 (next to be held by February 2015); president appoints leader of the party securing plurality of vote in election to become prime minister and form a government
Election results: Karolos PAPOULIAS reelected president; number of parliamentary votes 266 out of 300

Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament or Vouli ton Ellinon (300 seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms)
Elections: last held on 17 June 2012 (next to be held by 2016); note - there was a legislative election on 6 May 2012 in which none of the leaders of the top three parties (New Democracy Coalition of the Radical Left and the Panhellenic Socialist Movement) were able to form a government
Election results: percent of vote by party - ND 29.7% SYRIZA 26.9% PASOK 12.3% ANEL 7.5% Golden Dawn 6.9% DIMAR 6.3% KKE 4.5% other 6.0%; seats by party - ND 129 SYRIZA 71 PASOK 33 ANEL 20 Golden Dawn 18 DIMAR 17 KKE 12; note - only parties surpassing a 3% threshold are entitled to parliamentary seats; parties need 10 seats to become formal parliamentary groups but can retain that status if the party participated in the last election and received the minimum 3% threshold

Judicial branch
Judge selection and term of office: judges selected by the Supreme Judicial Council which includes the president of the Supreme Court other judges and the prosecutor of the Supreme Court; judges appointed for life following a 2-year probationary period
Subordinate courts: Supreme Administrative Court; Courts of Appeal; Courts of First Instance; Court of Auditors

Political parties and leaders:

International organization participation: Australia Group BIS BSEC CD CE CERN EAPC EBRD ECB EIB EMU ESA EU FAO FATF IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC (national committees) ICRM IDA IEA IFAD IFC IFRCS IGAD (partners) IHO ILO IMF IMO IMSO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO ITSO ITU ITUC (NGOs) MIGA NATO NEA NSG OAS (observer) OECD OIF OPCW OSCE PCA Schengen Convention SELEC UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNHCR UNIDO UNIFIL UNMISS UNWTO UPU WCO WFTU (NGOs) WHO WIPO WMO WTO ZC

Diplomatic representation
In the us chancery: 2,217 Massachusetts Avenue NW Washington DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 939-1300
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 939-1324
In the us consulate general: Boston Chicago Los Angeles New York Tampa (FL) San Francisco
In the us consulate: Atlanta Houston New Orleans
From the us embassy: 91 Vasillisis Sophias Avenue 10,160 Athens
From the us mailing address: PSC 108 APO AE 9,842-0108
From the us telephone: [30] (210) 721-2,951
From the us FAX: [30] (210) 645-6,282
From the us consulate general: Thessaloniki (2012)

Flag description: 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

National symbols: Greek cross (white cross on blue field; arms equal length)

National anthem
Lyrics and music: Dionysios SOLOMOS/Nikolaos MANTZAROS

Economy overview: Greece has a capitalist economy with a 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% 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 the economy went into recession in 2009 as a result of the world financial crisis tightening credit conditions and Athens' failure to address a growing budget deficit. The economy contracted by 2.3% in 2009 3.5% in 2010 6.9% in 2011 and 6.0% in 2012. 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 15% of GDP. Austerity measures reduced the deficit to about 8% in 2012. Deteriorating public finances inaccurate and misreported statistics and consistent underperformance on reforms prompted major credit rating agencies to downgrade Greece's international debt rating in late 2009 and has led the country into a financial crisis. Under intense pressure from the EU and international market participants the government adopted a medium-term austerity program that includes cutting government spending decreasing tax evasion overhauling the health-care and pension systems and reforming the labor and product markets. Athens however faces long-term challenges to push through unpopular reforms in the face of widespread unrest from the country's powerful labor unions and the general public. In April 2010 a leading credit agency assigned Greek debt its lowest possible credit rating; in May 2010 the International Monetary Fund and Euro-Zone governments provided Greece emergency short- and medium-term loans worth $147 billion so that the country could make debt repayments to creditors. In exchange for the largest bailout ever assembled the government announced combined spending cuts and tax increases totaling $40 billion over three years on top of the tough austerity measures already taken. Greece however struggled to meet 2010 targets set by the EU and the IMF especially after Eurostat - the EU's statistical office - revised upward Greece's deficit and debt numbers for 2009 and 2010. European leaders and the IMF agreed in October 2011 to provide Athens a second bailout package of $169 billion. The second deal however calls for Greece's creditors to write down a significant portion of their Greek government bond holdings. In exchange for the second loan Greece has promised to introduce an additional $7.8 billion in austerity measures during 2013-15. However these massive austerity cuts are lengthening Greece's economic recession and depressing tax revenues. Greece's lenders are calling on Athens to step up efforts to increase tax collection privatize public enterprises and rein in health spending and are planning to give Greece more time to shore up its economy and finances. Many investors doubt that Greece can sustain fiscal efforts in the face of a bleak economic outlook public discontent and political instability.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 47

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 218

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 62

Gross national saving:
Rank: 124

Gdp composition by end use
Government consumption: 17.8%
Investment in fixed capital: 12.6%
Investment in inventories: 1%
Exports of goods and services: 27%
Imports of goods and services: -32%: (2012 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Industry: 16%
Services: 80.6% (2012 est.)

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

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

Industrial production growth rate: -6.2% (2012 est.)
Rank: 175

Labor force: 4.95 million (2012 est.)
Rank: 78
By occupation industry: 22.4%
By occupation services: 65.1% (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate: 17.7% (2011 est.)
Rank: 171

Population below poverty line: 20% (2009 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Highest 10: 26% (2000 est.)

Distribution of family income gini index: 35.4 (1998)
Rank: 99

Budget
Expenditures: $136.8 billion (2012 est.)
Surplus or deficit: -10.2% of GDP (2012 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 201

Taxes and other revenues: 45.5% of GDP (2012 est.)
Rank: 22

Public debt: 170.3% of GDP (2011 est.)
Rank: 3

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 3.3% (2011 est.)
Rank: 29

Central bank discount rate: 1.75% (31 December 2010)
Rank: 114

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 7.15% (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 125

Stock of narrow money: $126.4 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 32

Stock of broad money: $262.1 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 35

Stock of domestic credit: $413.4 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 32

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 48

Current account balance: $-28.72 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 171

Exports: $28.16 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 66
Commodities: food and beverages manufactured goods petroleum products chemicals textiles
Partners: Turkey 10.9% Italy 7.8% Germany 6.5% Bulgaria 5.8% Cyprus 5.3% (2012)

Imports: $66.05 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 52
Commodities: machinery transport equipment fuels chemicals
Partners: Russia 12.1% Germany 9.5% Italy 8.3% Saudi Arabia 5.5% Netherlands 4.7% China 4.5% France 4.4% (2012)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $6.9 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 80

Debt external: $478.7 billion (31 December 2011)
Rank: 24

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: $29.17 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 56

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad: $43.7 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 38

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Production: 50.43 billion kWh (2011 est.)
Production rank: 50
Consumption: 56.4 billion kWh (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 43
Exports: 4.122 billion kWh (2012 est.)
Exports rank: 31
Imports: 5.946 billion kWh (2012 est.)
Imports rank: 33
Installed generating capacity: 15.12 million kW (2010 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 47
Generation sources fossil fuels: 69.5% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 107
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 98
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 16.2% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 97
Generation sources other renewable sources: 10.5% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 25

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 7,497 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 95
Crude oil exports: 17,020 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 54
Crude oil imports: 405,500 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 19
Crude oil proven reserves: 10 million bbl (1 January 2013 es)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 91

Refined petroleum
Products production: 462,000 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products production rank: 33
Products consumption: 343,400 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Products consumption rank: 35
Products exports: 183,100 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products exports rank: 34
Products imports: 133,100 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products imports rank: 42

Natural gas
Production: 6 million m³ (2011 est.)
Production rank: 94
Consumption: 3.85 billion m³ (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 66
Exports: 0 m³ (2011 est.)
Exports rank: 111
Imports: 4.376 billion m³ (2012 est.)
Imports rank: 37
Proven reserves: 991.1 million m³ (1 January 2013 es)
Proven reserves rank: 104

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 91.3 million Mt (2011 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 42

Telephones
Main lines in use: 5.461 million (2012)
Main lines in use rank: 30
Mobile cellular: 13.354 million (2012)
Mobile cellular rank: 63

Telephone system
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 - 4 (2 Intelsat - 1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean 1 Eutelsat and 1 Inmarsat - Indian Ocean region)

Broadcast media: broadcast media dominated by the private sector; roughly 150 private TV channels about a dozen of the private channels broadcast at the national or regional level; 3 publicly owned terrestrial TV channels with national coverage 1 publicly owned satellite channel and 3 stations designed for digital terrestrial transmissions; multi-channel satellite and cable TV services available; upwards of 1500 radio stations nearly all of them privately owned; state-run broadcaster has 7 national stations 2 international stations and 19 regional stations (2007)

Internet
Country code: .gr
Hosts: 3.201 million (2012)
Hosts rank: 32
Users: 4.971 million (2009)
Users rank: 46

Military expenditures: 4.3% of GDP (2005 est.)
Rank: 23

Military service age and obligation: 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; 18 years of age for volunteers; conscript service obligation is 1 year for all services; women are eligible for voluntary military service (2012)

Airports: 77 (2013)
Rank: 69
With paved runways over 3047 m: 6
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 15
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 19
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 18
With paved runways under 914 m: 10 (2013)
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 2
With unpaved runways: 7 (2013)

Heliports: 9 (2013)

Pipelines: gas 1329 km; oil 94 km (2013)

Railways
Rank: 65
Standard gauge: 1565 km 1.435-m gauge (764 km electrified)
Narrow gauge: 961 km 1.000-m gauge; 22 km 0.750-m gauge (2008)

Roadways
Rank: 40
Paved: 41,357 km (includes 1091 km of expressways)
Unpaved: 75,603 km (2010)

Waterways: 6 km (the 6 km long Corinth Canal crosses the Isthmus of Corinth; it shortens a sea voyage by 325 km) (2012)
Rank: 107

Merchant marine
Rank: 12
By type: bulk carrier 262 cargo 49 carrier 1 chemical tanker 68 container 35 liquefied gas 13 passenger 7 passenger/cargo 109 petroleum tanker 302 roll on/roll off 14
Foreign owned: 42 (Belgium 17 Bermuda 3 Cyprus 3 Italy 5 UK 6 US 8)
Registered in other countries: 2,459 (Antigua and Barbuda 4 Bahamas 225 Barbados 14 Belize 2 Bermuda 8 Brazil 1 Cabo Verde 1 Cambodia 2 Cayman Islands 9 Comoros 4 Curacao 1 Cyprus 201 Dominica 4 Egypt 8 Gibraltar 8 Honduras 4 Hong Kong 27 Indonesia 1 Isle of Man 62 Italy 7 Jamaica 3 Liberia 505 Malta 469 Marshall Islands 408 Mexico 2 Moldova 1 Panama 379 Philippines 5 Portugal 2 Saint Kitts and Nevis 2 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 42 Sao Tome and Principe 1 Saudi Arabia 4 Singapore 22 UAE 3 Uruguay 1 Vanuatu 3 Venezuela 4 unknown 10) (2010)

Ports and terminals
Oilgas terminal: Agioi Theodoroi

Disputes international: Greece and Turkey continue discussions to resolve their complex maritime air territorial and boundary disputes in the Aegean Sea; 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

Illicit drugs: 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