Greece General Information

Official Name: Known officially as Hellenic Republic, or commonly as Greece.

Capital: Athens is the capital of Greece and is located on a peninsula that stretches southeastward into the Aegean Sea.

Location: Greece is located in Southern Europe, bordering the Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea, between Albania and Turkey.

Size: The total land area of Greece is 131,957 square kilometers and this ranks 96th globally. The size is slightly smaller than Alabama in the USA.

Climate: Greece has a warm Mediterranean climate. Summers are warm and dry while winters are mild and wet.

Population: Greece has an estimated population of 10.7 million people and ranks 74th globally. The country has a population growth rate of 0.127%.

Life expectancy at birth: The average life expectancy at birth for citizens of Greece is 79.66 years, ranking at 26th globally. Females have a longer average life span at 82.37 years, while Males average at 77.11 years from birth.

Prevalence of HIV/AIDS: The prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Greece is about 0.2%, placing 101th globally. This means that around 11,000 people are living with the disease in the country.

Major Illnesses: Potential health risks in Greece include Hepatitis A, Tetanus and Swine Flu.

Ethnic Groups: Greece is mainly comprised of Greek ethnics at 93% of the population. Other ethnic groups include other (foreign citizens) at 7%.

Languages: The official language in Greece is Greek at 99%. Other languages include English and French at 1%.

Religion:The major religion in Greece is Greek Orthodox accounting for 98% of the population. Other religions include Islam at 1.3% and other at 0.7%.

Government: The Government of Greece is a parliamentary democracy. The people of Greece elect 300 parliamentary deputies who form the parliament to conduct legislative duties of the Government. The political party that collects 151 seats or more in the parliament assumes the duties of the administration. The party president automatically becomes Prime Minister and he appoints people to become cabinet ministers accordingly.

Head of State: The Head of State in Greece is the President Karolos Papoulias who is elected by the parliamentary deputies for a 5-year term, renewable once. The President is responsible for some executive and legislative functions in addition to some ceremonial duties. The Prime Minister along with the cabinet play a vital role.

Head of Government: The Head of Government in Greece is the Prime Minister Yeoryios Papandreou who is appointed by the President. The Government exercises executive power.

Military: The Federal Armed Forces of Greece consist of three branches namely Hellenic Army, Hellenic Navy and Hellenic Air Force. The suitable age for male compulsory military service is 19-45 years of age. Women are eligible for voluntary military service only.

Economy: Among the various sectors of the Greece economy, the services sector plays an important role, it accounts for about 75.7% of the total GDP while the industry and agriculture sectors account for 20.6% and 3.7% of the country’s GDP respectively. Main industries of Greece include tourism; shipping; Industrial products, food and tobacco processing, textiles; chemicals, metal products; mining and petroleum. The Greek labor force totals 4.9 million, and it is the second most industrious between OECD countries, after South Korea. Immigrants make up nearly one-fifth of the work force, mainly in agricultural and unskilled jobs. In 2008, Greece exported goods valued at US$ 29.14 billion. Export items include food and beverages, manufactured goods, petroleum products, chemicals, textiles. The main export partners include Italy, Germany, Bulgaria, Cyprus, US, UK and Romania.