Greece

Greece (Ελλάδα or Ελλάς ), officially the Hellenic Republic (Greek: Ελληνική Δημοκρατία ), is a  in Southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the. It borders, the and  to the north, and  to the east. The lies to the east and south of mainland Greece, while the  lies to the west. Both parts of the Eastern basin feature a vast number of.

Greece lies at the juncture of, , and. It is heir to the heritages of, the , and nearly four centuries of rule. As a culture (albeit not as a continuous state) Greece has a particularly long and eventful history and a cultural heritage that has played an influential and formative role in cultures throughout the /western Asia,, and ( and ). It is regarded as the cradle of civilization by many cultures and is regarded as the birthplace of, Western , the , , , major scientific principles and including both  and.

Modern Greece is a, a member of the since 1981, a member of the  since 2001,  since 1952, the  since 1961, the  since 1995, and  since 2005. is the capital;, , , and  are some of the country's other major cities.

History
The shores of Greece's saw the emergence of the first advanced civilizations in Europe. and civilizations, and later Greek, emerged across the Greek peninsula but also on the shores of ,  and , reaching great levels of prosperity  that resulted in an  unprecedented cultural boom,  expressed in , , ,  and , and nurtured in Athens under a   environment. and led the way in repelling the  in a series of. Both were later overshadowed by and eventually, with the latter under the guidance of  uniting and leading the Greek world to victory over the ,  to presage the ,  itself brought only partially to a close two centuries later with the establishment of  rule over Greek lands in 146 BC.

The subsequent mixture of and  culture took  form in the establishment of the  in 330 AD around, and remained a major  cultural and military force for the next 1,123 years until  at the hands of  in 1453. On the eve of the Ottoman era the Greek intelligentsia migrated to, playing a significant role in the  through the transferring of works by  to. Nevertheless, the system contributed to the ethnic cohesion of Orthodox Greeks by segregating the various peoples within the  based on religion as the latter played an an integral role in the formation of modern Greek identity.

Through the, successfully fought against the from 1821 to 1829, the nascent Greek state was finally recognized under the. In 1827,, a noble Greek from the , was chosen as the first governor of the new Republic. However, following his assassination, the  soon installed a  under, of the Bavarian. In 1843, an uprising forced the King to grant a constitution and a representative assembly. Due to his unimpaired authoritarian rule, he was eventually dethroned in 1863 and replaced by Prince Vilhelm (William) of Denmark, who took the name and brought with him the  as a coronation gift from. In 1877,, a dominant figure of the Greek political scene who is attributed with the significant improvement of the country's infrastructure, curbed the power of the monarchy to interfere in the assembly by issuing the rule of  to any potential.



As a result of the, Greece had successfully increased the extent of her territory and population, a challenging context both socially and economically. In the following years, the struggle between the new and his charismatic prime minister  over the country's foreign policy on the eve of  dominated the country's political order, and divided the country into two bitterly hostile factions (see ).

In the aftermath of WW I, Greece fought against Turkish nationalists led by (, with the traumatic conflict ending in a massive population exchange between the two countries under the . Instability and successive coup d'etats marked the following era, which was coloured by the massive task of incorporating 1.5 million Greek refugees from Asia Minor into Greek society. On 28 October 1940  demanded the surrender of Greece, but the Greek dictator  famously responded to the Italian ultimatum with the single word "OXI" ("No"). In the following, Greece repelled Italian forces into , giving the  their first victory over  forces on land. The country would eventually fall to urgently dispatched German forces during the , but the occupiers nevertheless met serious challenges from the.

After liberation, Greece experienced a bitter  between  and  forces, which led to economic devastation and severe social tensions between its    and  recently outlawed. The next 20 years were characterized by a significant economic growth, also propelled in part by the. In 1965, a period of political turbulence led to a coup d’etat on, by the US-supported. On November 1973 the sent shock waves across the regime, and a counter-coup established   as dictator. On, , as invaded the island of ,  using  a junta-sponsored coup d'etat in the island as a pretext, the regime collapsed.

Ex-Premier was invited back from  where he had lived in self-exile since 1963, marking the beginning of the  era ; a 1975 democratic republican constitution was activated and the monarchy abolished by a referendum held that same year. Meanwhile, Andreas Papandreou had also founded the Panhellenic Socialist Party, or , in response to ' party, and the two groupings have dominated Greek political affairs in the ensuing decades. Greece became the tenth member of the  on, ,  and ever since the nation has experienced a remarkable and sustained economic growth.Widespread investments in industrial enterprises and heavy infrastructure, as well as funds from the European Union and growing revenues from tourism, shipping and a fast growing service sector have raised the country's standard of living to unprecedented levels. The country adopted the in 2001, and successfully organised the  in.

Government and politics


Greece is a. The is the, who is elected by the  for a five-year term. After the the President's duties were curtailed to a significant extent, and they are now largely ceremonial.

The current was drawn up and adopted by the Fifth Revisionary Parliament of the Hellenes and entered into force in 1975 after the fall of the. It has been revised twice since, in 1986 and in. The Constitution, which consists of 120 articles, provides for a into, , and es, and grants extensive specific guarantees (further reinforced in 2001) of  and.

According to the Constitution, executive power is exercised by the President of the Republic and the ; after 1986, however, the role of the President in the executive branch is ceremonial. The position of, Greece's , belongs to the of the  that can obtain the confidence of a plurality in the Parliament. The President of the Republic formally appoints the Prime Minister and, on his recommendation, appoints and dismisses the other members of the Cabinet. The Prime Minister exercises vast political power, and the amendment of 1986 further strengthened his position to the detriment of the President of the Republic.

Legislative power is exercised by a 300-member. Statutes passed by the Parliament are promulgated by the President of the Republic. Parliamentary elections are held every four years, but the President of the Republic is obliged to dissolve the Parliament earlier on the proposal of the Cabinet, in view of dealing with a national issue of exceptional importance. The President is also obliged to dissolve the Parliament earlier, if the opposition manages to pass a.

The is independent of the executive and the legislature and comprises three Supreme Courts: the  (Άρειος Πάγος), the  (Συμβούλιο της Επικρατείας) and the  (Ελεγκτικό Συνέδριο). The Judiciary system is also composed of civil courts, which judge civil and penal cases and administrative courts, which judge administrative cases, namely disputes between the citizens and the State.

Since the restoration of democracy the party system is dominated by the liberal-conservative  and the socialist  (PASOK). Non-negligible parties include the, the and the.

On, , , president of the New Democracy party and nephew of the late was elected as the new Prime Minister of Greece, thus marking his party's first electoral victory in nearly eleven years. Karamanlis took over government from of PASOK, who had been in office since January 1996, replacing the ailing  who died on,. Kostas Karamanlis won a second term on, , however his party acquired a slimmer majority in the gaining only 152 out of 300 seats.

Peripheries and prefectures
Administratively, Greece consists of thirteen peripheries subdivided into a total of fifty-one prefectures (nomoi, singular ). There is also one, (Agio Oros, "Holy Mountain"), which borders the periphery of.

Geography
Greece consists of a mountainous and craggy mainland jutting out into the sea at the southern end of the, the peninsula (separated from the mainland by the canal of the ), and  (around 2,000), including , , , , the  and the  groups of the  as well as the  islands. Greece has the in the world with 14,880 km; its land boundary is 1,160 km (721 mi).

Four-fifths of Greece consist of mountains or hills, making the country one of the most mountainous in Europe. Western Greece contains a number of lakes and wetlands and it is dominated by the mountain range. Pindus has a maximum elevation of 2,636 metres (8,648 ft) and it is essentially a prolongation of the.

The range continues through the western, crosses the islands of and Antikythera and find its way into southwestern Aegean, in the island of  where it eventually ends. (the islands of the Aegean are peaks of underwater mountains that once constituted an extension of the mainland). Pindus is characterized by its high, steep peaks, often dissected by numerous canyons and a variety of other karstic landscapes. Most notably, the impressive formation consisting of high, steep boulders provides a breathtaking experience for the hundreds of thousands of tourists who visit the area each year. Special lifts transfer visitors to the scenic monasteries that lie on top of those rocks.



Meteora is situated in the prefecture. The Vikos-Aoos Gorge is yet another spectacular formation. The Vikos-Aoos Gorge is a popular hotspot for those fond of extreme sports. is the highest mountain in the country, located in the southwestern prefecture, near. Mytikas in the Olympus range has a height of 2,918 m (9,573 ft) at its highest peak. Once considered the throne of the Gods, it is today extremely popular among hikers and climbers who deem its height as a challenge. Moreover, northeastern Greece features yet another high altitude mountain range, the Rhodope range, spreading across the periphery of ; this area is covered with vast, thick, ancient forests. The famous Dadia forest is in the prefecture of, in the far northeast of the country.

Expansive plains are primarily located in the prefectures of, and. They constitute key economic regions as they are among the few arable places in the country. and are the two largest cities of Thessaly. Rare marine species such as the Pinniped Seals and the live in the seas surrounding mainland Greece, while its dense forests are home to the endangered, the , the  and the Wild Goat.

Climate


The climate of Greece can be categorised into three types that influence well-defined regions of its territory. The Pindus mountain range strongly affects the climate of the country by making the western side of it (areas prone to the south-westerlies) wetter on average than the areas lying to the east of it ( of the mountains). The three distinct types are the Mediterranean, the Alpine and the Temperate types. The first one features mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers. The Cyclades, the Dodecanese, Crete, Eastern Peloponessus and parts of the Sterea Ellada region are mostly affected by this particular type. Temperatures rarely reach extreme values although snowfalls do occur occasionally even in the Cyclades or the Dodecanese during the winter months.

The Alpine type is dominant mainly in the mountainous areas of Northwestern Greece as well as in the central parts of, including the prefectures of ,  and parts of , where extensions of the Pindus mountain range pass by). Finally, the Temperate type affects  and ; it features cold, damp winters and hot, dry summers. Athens is located in a transitional area featuring both the Mediterranean and the Temperate types. It averages about 16 inches of rain annually. The city's northern suburbs are dominated by the temperate type while the downtown area and the southern suburbs enjoy a typical Mediterranean type.

Economy


Greece operates a economy that produced a GDP of $305.595 billion in 2006. Its principal economic activities include tourism and shipping industries, banking and finance, manufacturing and construction and telecommunications. The country serves as the regional business hub for many of the world's largest multinational companies.

The people of Greece enjoy a high standard of living. Greece ranks 24th in the 2006, 22nd on 's 2005 world-wide quality-of-life index, and, according to the it has an estimated average per capita income of $33,004 for the year 2006, comparable to that of Germany, France and Italy and approximately 116% of the EU average.

Greece's present prosperity is largely owed to the post-World War II "" (when GDP growth averaged 7% between 1950 and 1973), the implementation of a number of structural and fiscal reforms, combined with considerable European Union funding over the last twenty-five years and increasing private consumption. The latter facts have contributed to a consistent annual growth of the Greek GDP that was surpassing the respective one of most other partners.

Today, the (74.4%) makes up the largest, most vital and fastest-growing sector of the Greek economy, followed by industry (20.6%) and agriculture (5.1%). The tourism industry is a major source of foreign exchange earnings and revenue accounting for 15% of Greece’s total GDP and employing (directly or indirectly) 659,719 people (or 16.5% of total employment). In 2005, Greece welcomed almost 18 million visitors and in 2006 that figure almost reached 20 million.

The Greek banking & finance sector is also an important source of revenue and employment and Greek banks have invested heavily in the Balkan region. The manufacturing sector accounts for about 13% of GDP with the food industry leading in growth, profit and export potential.

High-technology equipment production, especially for telecommunications, is also a fast-growing sector. Other important areas include textiles, building materials, machinery, transport equipment, and electrical appliances. Construction (10%GDP) and agriculture (7%) are yet two other significant sectors of the Greek economic activity.

Maritime Industry


The shipping industry is a key element of Greek economic activity. Given that Greece is a peninsula, shipping in ancient times was the natural way for Greeks to reach their neighboring people, trade with them and expand by establishing colonies. Today, shipping is one of the country's most important industries. It accounts for 4.5% of, employs about 160,000 people (4% of the workforce), and represents 1/3 of the country's trade deficit.

During the 1960s the size of the Greek fleet nearly doubled, primarily through the investment undertaken by the shipping magnates and. The basis of the modern Greek maritime industry was formed after when Greek shipping businessmen were able to amass surplus ships sold to them by the  Government through the Ship Sales Act of the 1940s. According to the, the Greek-owned maritime fleet is today the largest in the world, with 3,079 vessels accounting for 18% of the world's fleet capacity (making it the largest of any other country) with a total of 141,931 thousand (142 million dwt). In terms of ship categories, Greece ranks first in both and dry s, fourth in the number of, and fourth in other ships. However, today's fleet roster is smaller than an all-time high of 5,000 ships in the late 70's.

Science and Technology


Because of its strategic location, qualified workforce and political and economic stability, many multinational companies, such as, , , , have their regional R&D Headquarters in Greece.

The General Secretariat for Research and Technology of the Hellenic Ministry of Development is responsible for designing, implementing and supervising national research and technological policy.

In 2003, public spending on R&D was 456,37 million Euros (12,6% increase from 2002). Total research and development (R&D) spending (both public and private) as a percentage of GDP has increased considerably since the beginning of the past decade, from 0,38% in 1989, to 0,65% in 2001. R&D spending in Greece remains lower than the EU average of 1,93%, but, according to Research DC, based on OECD and Eurostat data, between 1990 and 1998, total R&D expenditure in Greece enjoyed the third highest increase in Europe, after Finland and Ireland.

In 2001, there were 55,626 researchers (from 30,500 in 1993)in such fields as telecommunications, microelectronics, multimedia, computer science, computer networks and software engineering, attracting the interest of many multinational companies and producing an increasing number of high quality publications. Of that number, approximately 33,507 were employed in Higher Education Foundations, 13,100 by private companies, 8,800 in State-owned Research Centres and approximately 200 in non-profit private research centres.

Greece's technology parks with incubator facilities include the Science and Technology Park of Crete (Heraklion), the Thessaloniki Technology Park,the Lavrio Technology Park and the Patras Science Park.

Greece has been a member of the (ESA) since 2005. Cooperation between ESA and the Hellenic National Space Committee began in the early 1990s. In 1994, Greece and ESA signed their first cooperation agreement. Having formally applied for full membership in 2003, Greece became ESA's sixteenth member on March 16 2005. As member of the ESA, Greece participates in the agency's telecommunication and technology activities, and the Initiative.

Demographics
The official Statistical body of Greece is the National Statistical Service of Greece (NSSG). According to the NSSG, Greece's total population in 2005 was 11,082,752, of whom 5,486,632 were males and 5,596,119 females. As statistics from 1971, 1981 and 2001 show, the Greek population has been aging the past several decades. The birth rate in 2003 stood 9.5 per 1,000 inhabitants (14.5 per 1,000 in 1981). At the same time the mortality rate increased slightly from 8.9 per 1,000 inhabitants in 1981 to 9.6 per 1,000 inhabitants in 2003. In 2001, 16.71% of the population were 65 years old and older, 68.12% between the ages of 15 and 64 years old, and 15.18% were 14 years old and younger. In 1971 the figures were 10.92%, 63.72% and 25.36% respectively. Greek society has also rapidly changed with the passage of time. For example, marriage rates kept falling from almost 71 per 1,000 inhabitants in 1981 until 2002, only to increase slightly in 2003 to 61 per 1,000. Divorce rates on the other hand, have seen an everlasting and accelerating increase – from 89.2 per 1,000 marriages in 1981 to 191 per 1,000 marriages in 2002. Almost two-thirds of the Greek people live in urban areas. Greece's largest cities in 2001 were: Athens (3,361,806), Thessaloniki (800,764), Patra (185,626), Iraklio (144,642), Volos (124,591), and Larissa (124,394).

Minorities
The only minority in Greece which receives special treatment is the (Μουσουλμανική μειονότητα) in Thrace, which amounts to approximately 0.95% of the total population. Its members are predominantly of, and  ethnic origins. Other recognized ethnic minorities include approximately 35,000 and 5,500.

Immigration
Due to the complexity of Greek immigration policy, practices and data collection, truly reliable data on immigrant populations in Greece is difficult to gather and therefore subject to much speculation. A study from the Mediterranean Migration Observatory maintains that the 2001 Census from the NSSG recorded 762,191 persons residing in Greece without Greek citizenship, constituting around 7% of total population and that, of these, 48,560 were EU or  nationals and 17,426 Cypriots with privileged status. At the same time, Albanians constituted some 56% of total immigrants, followed by Bulgarians (5%), Georgians (3%) and Romanians (3%). Americans, Cypriots, British and Germans appeared as sizeable foreign communities at around 2% each of total foreign population. The rest were around 690,000 persons of non-EU or non-homogeneis status.

The greatest cluster of non-EU immigrant population is in the Municipality of Athens –some 132,000 immigrants, at 17% of local population. Thessaloniki is the second largest cluster, with 27,000 – but reaching only 7% of local population. After this, the predominant areas of location are the Athens environs.

According to the same study, the foreign population (documented and undocumented) residing in Greece may in reality figure upwards to 8.5% or 10.3%, that is approximately meaning 1.15 million - if immigrants with homogeneis cards are accounted for.

Religion


The constitution of Greece recognizes the Greek Orthodox faith as the "prevailing" religion of the country, while guaranteeing freedom of religious belief for all. The majority of Greek citizens (97%) identify themselves as, and most of them celebrate at least the main religious feasts, especially Pascha (Greek Orthodox Easter).

The Greek Government does not keep statistics on religious groups and censuses do not ask for religious affiliation. has in present-day Greece for more than 2000 years. had made such a large presence in the city of that their traditional language,, had been spoken by the non-Jews of the city as well. Few Greek Jews survived, and today the Jewish community as estimated to be around 5,000. Estimates of the recognised, which is mostly located in Thrace, range from 98,000 to 140,000, (between 0.9% and 1.2%) while the immigrant Muslim community numbers between 200,000 and 300,000. In an address to the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of Greece on   Archbishop  stated: "Today more than 500,000 Muslims live in our country."

Greek members of faith (including both  and ) are estimated at 50,000  with the Roman Catholic immigrant community approximating 200,000. Old Calendarists account for 500,000 followers. The report having 30,000 active members. including Evangelicals stand at about 30,000. and other denominations are about 12,000. can also be found with 420 followers, and with 500 followers. The long-standing community numbers approximately 5,500 followers.

has also reappeared, with approximately 2,000 adherents, comprising 0.02% of the general population. Some of these Greek religionists have made claims that they are not reconstructionists but are just people.

In the - Eurobarometer poll of 2005, 81% of Greek citizens responded that they believe there is a God, whereas 16% answered that they believe there is some sort of spirit or life force, and 3% that they do not believe there is a God, spirit, nor life force. Greece's percentage of respondents asserting that they believe there is a God was the third highest among members behind  and.

Education


Compulsory education in Greece comprises s (Δημοτικό Σχολείο, Dimotikó Scholeio) and (Γυμνάσιο). s (Παιδικός σταθμός, Paidikós Stathmós) and s (Νηπιαγωγείο, Nipiagogeío) are popular but not compulsory. Children start primary school aged 6 and remain there for six years. Some primary schools are "all-day", offering an extended timetable and enriched syllabus. Attendance at gymnasia starts at age 12 and last for three years. Greece's post-compulsory secondary education consists of two school types: unified upper s (Ενιαίο Λύκειο, Eniaia Lykeia) and - educational schools (Τεχνικά και Επαγγελματικά Εκπαιδευτήρια, "TEE"). Post-compulsory secondary education also includes vocational training institutes (Ινστιτούτα Επαγγελματικής Κατάρτισης, "IEK") which provide a formal but unclassified level of education. As they can accept both Gymnasio (lower secondary school) and Lykeio (upper secondary school) graduates, these institutes are not classified as offering a particular level of education.

Public higher education is divided into, "Highest Educational Institutions" (Ανώτατα Εκπαιδευτικά Ιδρύματα, Anótata Ekpaideytiká Idrýmata, "ΑΕΙ") and "Highest Technological Educational Institutions" (Ανώτατα Τεχνολογικά Εκπαιδευτικά Ιδρύματα, Anótata Technologiká Ekpaideytiká Idrýmata, "ATEI"). Students are admitted to these Institutes according to their performance at national level examinations taking place after completion of the third grade of Lykeio. Additionally, students over twenty-two years old may be admitted to the through a form of lottery.

The Greek education system also provides special kindergartens, primary and secondary schools for people with special needs or difficulties in learning. Specialist gymnasia and high schools offering musical, theological and physical education also exist.

Some of the main universities in Greece include:

•   •    •   (in Thessaloniki)  •    •   •    •    •   (across the )  •    •    •    •    •    •   •   (across the )

Culture


Greek culture evolved over several thousand years, with its earliest known civilization being in, continuing into , the birth of the and through the influence of the  and its ern successor the. The also had a significant influence on Greek culture, but the  is credited for the  revitalization Greece and establishing a single [once again] sovereign single entity (though notably smaller), of its multi-faceted culture throughout the ages.

Notably is known as "the cradle of ".

Sports
The is the reigning  having won the. In the final, the team managed to beat their by 1-0. They are as of  ranked 11th in the, and are currently first in their  group. The is the highest professional football league in the country. Currently sixteen clubs compete in that league, playing each other twice, once at home and once away. At the end of each season, the bottom three clubs are relegated to the Second National League only to be replaced by the top three teams from that particular league. The top three most known football clubs are, , and.

The men's actually is more successful with a decades-long tradition of excellence. Greece is generally considered an important power in international basketball and the national team is regarded as one of the best in the world.They are as of  ranked 6th in the , They have won the  twice, once in  and again in , and have reached the final four in three of the last four s  taking second place in 2006. They currently are ranked 5th in the world. The domestic Greek basketball league, is composed of fourteen teams. The most successful Greek teams are, , , and.

Armed Forces
The Hellenic Armed Forces are overseen by the  (Γενικό Επιτελείο Εθνικής Άμυνας - ΓΕΕΘΑ) and consists of three branches:

Government

 * President of the Hellenic Republic
 * Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic
 * Hellenic Parliament
 * Greek News Agenda Newsletter
 * Greece — information and links related to Greece from the ministry of foreign affairs
 * Greek missions abroad (embassies, consulates, representations)
 * Foreign missions in Greece
 * Greek National Tourism Organisation
 * National Statistical Service of Greece

Other

 * Encyclopaedia Britannica - Greece's country page
 * Hellenic History
 * The Greek Heritage
 * Open Directory Project: Greece
 * Chronology of Greece from the World History Database
 * History of Greece: Primary Documents
 * Greek Political Structure
 * Historical Reconstruction of Greek Pankration
 * Greek Council for Refugees

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