| | World Fact Book | Mark H. Solsman | Documentation Training and Publications, Center for Academic Computing | mhs108@psu.edu 10/19/93 I _@_Greece Geography Total area: 131,940 km2 Land area: 130,800 km2 Comparative area: 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 claims: Continental 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 Natural 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% Environment: subject to severe earthquakes; air pollution; archipelago of 2,000 islands Note: strategic location dominating the Aegean Sea and southern approach to Turkish Straits :Greece People Population: 10,064,250 (July 1992), growth rate 0.2% (1992) Birth rate: 11 births/1,000 population (1992) Death rate: 9 deaths/1,000 population (1992) Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1992) Infant mortality rate: 10 deaths/1,000 live births (1992) Life expectancy at birth: 75 years male, 81 years female (1992) Total fertility rate: 1.5 children born/woman (1992) Nationality: noun - Greek(s); adjective - Greek Ethnic divisions: Greek 98%, other 2%; note - the Greek Government states there are no ethnic divisions in Greece Religions: Greek Orthodox 98%, Muslim 1.3%, other 0.7% Languages: Greek (official); English and French widely understood Literacy: 93% (male 98%, female 89%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.) 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 :Greece Government Long-form name: Hellenic Republic 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) Independence: 1829 (from the Ottoman Empire) Constitution: 11 June 1975 Legal system: based on codified Roman law; judiciary divided into civil, criminal, and administrative courts National holiday: Independence Day (proclamation of the war of independence), 25 March (1821) Executive branch: president, prime minister, Cabinet Legislative branch: unicameral Greek Chamber of Deputies (Vouli ton Ellinon) Judicial branch: Supreme Court Leaders: Chief of State: President Konstantinos KARAMANLIS (since 5 May 1990); - Head of Government: Prime Minister Konstantinos MITSOTAKIS (since 11 April 1990) Political parties and leaders: New Democracy (ND; conservative), Konstantinos MITSOTAKIS; Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK), Andreas PAPANDREOU; Left Alliance, Maria DAMANAKI; Democratic Renewal (DEANA), Konstantinos STEFANOPOULOS; Communist Party (KKE), Aleka PAPARIGA; Ecologist-Alternative List, leader rotates Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 18 Elections: 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 :Greece Government Communists: an estimated 60,000 members and sympathizers Member of: 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 2221 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008; telephone (202) 939-5800; 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, 10160 Athens (mailing address is APO AE 09842; telephone [30] (1) 721-2951 or 721-8401; there is a US Consulate General in Thessaloniki Flag: 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 :Greece Economy 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) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 17.8% (1991) Unemployment rate: 8.6% (1991) Budget: revenues $24.0 billion; expenditures $33.0 billion, including capital expenditures of $3.3 billion (1991) Exports: $6.4 billion (f.o.b., 1990) commodities: 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) commodities: consumer goods 33%, machinery 17%, foodstuffs 12%, fuels and lubricants 8% partners: Germany 21%, Italy 15%, Netherlands 11%, France 8%, UK 5% External debt: $25.5 billion (1990) Industrial production: growth rate - 2.4% (1990); accounts for 22% of GDP Electricity: 10,500,000 kW capacity; 36,420 million kWh produced, 3,630 kWh per capita (1991) Industries: food and tobacco processing, textiles, chemicals, metal products, tourism, mining, petroleum Agriculture: 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 Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-81), $525 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $1,390 million :Greece Economy Currency: drachma (plural - drachmas); 1 drachma (Dr) = 100 lepta Exchange 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) Fiscal year: calendar year :Greece Communications Railroads: 2,479 km total; 1,565 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, of which 36 km electrified and 100 km double track, 892 km 1.000-meter gauge; 22 km 0.750-meter narrow gauge; all government owned Highways: 38,938 km total; 16,090 km paved, 13,676 km crushed stone and gravel, 5,632 km improved earth, 3,540 km unimproved earth Inland waterways: 80 km; system consists of three coastal canals and three unconnected rivers Pipelines: crude oil 26 km; petroleum products 547 km Ports: Piraievs, Thessaloniki 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 Airports: 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 Telecommunications: adequate, modern networks reach all areas; 4,080,000 telephones; microwave carries most traffic; extensive open-wire network; submarine cables to off-shore islands; broadcast stations - 29 AM, 17 (20 repeaters) FM, 361 TV; tropospheric links, 8 submarine cables; 1 satellite earth station operating in INTELSAT (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean antenna), and EUTELSAT systems :Greece Defense Forces Branches: Hellenic Army, Hellenic Navy, Hellenic Air Force, Police Manpower availability: males 15-49, 2,453,756; 1,883,152 fit for military service; 73,913 reach military age (21) annually Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $3.8 billion, 5.6% of GDP (1991) .