Greece
|
| Basic Facts |
| Country name |
conventional long form: Hellenic Republic
conventional short form: Greece local long form: Elliniki Dhimokratia local short form: Ellas or Ellada former: Kingdom of Greece |
| Gevernment type | parliamentary republic |
| Capital |
name: Athens
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 |
| Flag 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 |
| Currency | euro (EUR)
note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries |
| Internet country code | .gr |
| Ports and terminals | Agioitheodoroi, Aspropyrgos, Irakleion, Pachi, Piraeus, Thessaloniki |
| 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 |
| Geography |
| Location | Southern Europe, bordering the Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea, between Albania and Turkey |
| Coordinates | 39 00 N, 22 00 E |
| Continent | Europe |
| Area |
total: 131,940 sq km
land: 130,800 sq km water: 1,140 sq km |
| Boundaries |
total: 1,228 km
border countries: Albania 282 km, Bulgaria 494 km, Turkey 206 km, Macedonia 246 km |
| Coastline | 13,676 km |
| Climate | temperate; mild, wet winters; hot, dry summers |
| Terrain | mostly mountains with ranges extending into the sea as peninsulas or chains of islands |
| Natural resources | lignite, petroleum, iron ore, bauxite, lead, zinc, nickel, magnesite, marble, salt, hydropower potential |
| Natural hazards | severe earthquakes |
| People |
| Population | 10,688,058 (July 2006 est.) |
| Ethnic groups | Greek 98%, Turkish and 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 99% (official), English, French |
