Country	Greece
Capital	Athens
Continent	Europe
Currency	Euro(EUR)
Languages	Greek

Locaion

Southern Europe, bordering the Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea, between Albania and Turkey

Geographic Co ordinates

39 00 N, 22 00 E

Land Boundries

Total:1,228 km
Border countries:Albania 282 km, Bulgaria 494 km, Turkey 206 km, Macedonia 246 km

Geography - note

strategic location dominating the Aegean Sea and southern approach to Turkish Straits; a peninsular country, possessing an archipelago of about 2,000 islands

Population

10,749,943 (July 2010 est.)
Country comparison to the world:75

Nationality

Noun:Greek(s)
Adjective:Greek

Ethnic groups

population: Greek 93%, other (foreign citizens) 7% (2001 census)
note: percents represent citizenship, since Greece does not collect data on ethnicity

Religions

Greek Orthodox 98%, Muslim 1.3%, other 0.7%

Languages

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

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

Government 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

Administrative divisions

51 prefectures (nomoi, singular - nomos) and 1 autonomous region*; Achaia, Agion Oros* (Mt. Athos), Aitolia kai Akarnania, Argolis, Arkadia, Arta, Attiki, Chalkidiki, Chanion, Chios, Dodekanisos, Drama, Evros, Evrytania, Evvoia, Florina, Fokidos, Fthiotis, Grevena, Ileia, Imathia, Ioannina, Irakleion, Karditsa, Kastoria, Kavala, Kefallinia, Kerkyra, Kilkis, Korinthia, Kozani, Kyklades, Lakonia, Larisa, Lasithi, Lefkas, Lesvos, Magnisia, Messinia, Pella, Pieria, Preveza, Rethynnis, Rodopi, Samos, Serrai, Thesprotia, Thessaloniki, Trikala, Voiotia, Xanthi, Zakynthos

Independence

1829 (from the Ottoman Empire)

National Holiday

Independence Day, 25 March (1821)

Constitution

11 June 1975; amended March 1986 and April 2001

Legal system

based on codified Roman law; judiciary divided into civil, criminal, and administrative courts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch

Chief of state: President Karolos PAPOULIAS (since 12 March 2005)
Head of government:Prime Minister Yeoryios (George) PAPANDREOU (since 6 October 2009)
Cabinet:Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister
(For more information visit the World Leaders website)
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 4 October 2009 (next to be held by 2013)
Election results:percent of vote by party - PASOK 43.9%, ND 33.5%, KKE 7.5%, LAOS 5.6%, SYRIZA 4.6%, other 4.9%; seats by party - PASOK 160, ND 91, KKE 21, LAOS 15, SYRIZA 13

Judicial branch

Supreme Judicial Court; Special Supreme Tribunal; all judges are appointed for life by the president after consultation with a judicial council

Political Parties and Leaders

Coalition of the Radical Left or SYRIZA [Alexis TSIPRAS]; Communist Party of Greece or KKE [Aleka PAPARIGA]; Democratic Revival [Stelios PAPATHEMELIS]; Ecologist Greens [Nikos CHRYSOGELOS]; Fighting Socialist Party [Nikos KARGOPOULOS]; Greek Ecologists [Dimosthenis VERGIS]; New Democracy or ND [Antonis SAMARAS]; Panhellenic Socialist Movement or PASOK [Yiorgos PAPANDREOU]; Popular Orthodox Rally or LAOS [Yioryios KARATZAFERIS]; Union of Centrists [Vassilis LEVENTIS]

Political pressure groups and leaders

Civil Servants Confederation or ADEDY [Spyros PAPASPYROS]; Federation of Greek Industries or SEV [Dimitris DASKALOPOULOS]; General Confederation of Greek Workers or GSEE [Ioannis PANAGOPOULOS]

International organization participation

Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, FATF, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIS, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US

Chief of mission: Ambassador Vassilis KASKARELIS
Chancery:2217 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
Telephone:[1] (202) 939-1300
FAX:[1] (202) 939-1324
Consulate(s) general:Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Tampa
consulate(s): Atlanta, Houston, New Orleans

Diplomatic representation from the US

Chief of mission:Ambassador Daniel V. SPECKHARD
Embassy:91 Vasilisis Sophias Avenue, 10160 Athens
Mailing address:PSC 108, APO AE 09842-0108
Telephone: [30] (210) 721-2951
FAX: [30] (210) 645-6282
consulate(s) general: Thessaloniki

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

Video

View Larger Map

Government - President of the Greece Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ministry of Education
Newspapers -  Kathimerini Reporter Apogevmatini Athinapoli Etnos Express
                              Imerisia TA NEA TO BHMA Naftemporiki
Tourism -         Tourism - Greece

Google News

This RSS feed URL is deprecatedThis RSS feed URL is deprecated, please update. New URLs can be found in the footers at https://news.google.com/news Macedonia MPs vote to change country's name, easing tension with Greece - Telegraph.co.uk Telegraph.co.uk Macedonia MPs vote to change country's name, easing tension with Greece Telegraph.co.uk Macedonia's parliament on Friday voted to start the process of renaming the country North Macedonia, a major step towards ending a decades-long stalemate with Greece and opening a door to Nato and the EU. The razor-thin majority was reached after a ... Macedonia's Parliament Backs 'Name' Agreement with GreeceBalkan Insight Macedonia's Parliament Approves Name-Change Agreement With GreeceWall Street Journal Macedonia charges journalist over comments on fire in GreeceNational Post Aljazeera.com all 132 news articles » Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu meets Prime Ministers of Greece, Portugal - Economic Times Economic Times Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu meets Prime Ministers of Greece, Portugal Economic Times Naidu, who is here to attend the 12th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit, met on Thursday Prime Minister of Greece Alexis Tsipras and Portugese Prime Minister Antonio Costa and sought his collaboration to strenghten ties in areas of defence, space, ... Venkaiah Naidu meets Prime Ministers of Greece, Portugal at 12th Asia-Europe Meeting Summit in BrusselsFirstpost Greece seeks Indian investment, particularly in port sectorUnited News of India all 59 news articles » South African opera trio wow on 'Greece Got Talent' - Jacaranda FM Jacaranda FM South African opera trio wow on 'Greece Got Talent' Jacaranda FM By the end of their performance, they have won smiles from the crowd and enthusiastic cheering from the presenter of 'Greece Got Talent', Giorgos Lianos. Proving that talent transcends all boundaries, one judge tells the group that he is happy they ... Macedonia's parliament approves name change deal with Greece - Irish Times Macedonia's parliament approves name change deal with Greece Irish Times The dispute has paralysed their relations since Macedonia gained independence in 1991, with Athens claiming that its use of the same name as a province of northern Greece implies a territorial claim on the area and the legacy of its ancient ruler ... and more » Turkey-Greece ties face new round of tension over reserves in Mediterranean - Hurriyet Daily News Hurriyet Daily News Turkey-Greece ties face new round of tension over reserves in Mediterranean Hurriyet Daily News Ties between Turkey and Greece are facing a new source of tension on military terms, this time due to natural reserves in the Mediterranean Sea. Turkish Naval Forces have interdicted a Greek warship as it harassed a Turkish seismic vessel off Cyprus, ... Greece faces a dilemma as tensions rise in eastern MediterraneanAhval Greece is an Attractive Investment Opportunity in Med and Europe, Says MinisterGTP Headlines (press release) (blog) Turkish energy exploration ship to continue operations amid tensions with GreeceDevdiscourse all 33 news articles » Chinese premier pledges joint efforts with Greece to promote practical cooperation - Xinhua Chinese premier pledges joint efforts with Greece to promote practical cooperation Xinhua BRUSSELS, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang pledged on Friday joint efforts between his country and Greece to push for new achievements in practical cooperation marked by port projects in Piraeus. Li made the remarks when meeting with his ... and more » He went to Greece to help migrants, now he's accused of trafficking them - CNN International CNN International He went to Greece to help migrants, now he's accused of trafficking them CNN International Binder's case is just one example of how both Greece and Italy are actively arresting and prosecuting volunteer rescue teams, as part of a strategy aimed at deterring undocumented immigrants from making the treacherous journey across the Mediterranean. Macedonian parliament votes to approve name change - Aljazeera.com Aljazeera.com Macedonian parliament votes to approve name change Aljazeera.com The Macedonian parliament has passed constitutional changes to allow the Balkan country to change its name to the Republic of North Macedonia, as agreed with Greece. A total of 80 deputies in the 120-seat parliament on Friday voted in favour of the ... Kouros of Apollonas - Atlas Obscura Atlas Obscura Kouros of Apollonas Atlas Obscura The statue is a kouros, a type of free-standing statue of a naked young man that dates to the Archaic period of Ancient Greece. It was originally believed to pay homage to Apollo until the 1930s, when archaeologists noticed its beard and realized the ... Protests planned for Cork volunteer being detained in Greece - BreakingNews.ie BreakingNews.ie Protests planned for Cork volunteer being detained in Greece BreakingNews.ie Five protests will be held in Ireland and across the world tomorrow to show solidarity with volunteer worker, Sean Binder, who is being held in a jail in Greece amid allegations of helping illegal migrants enter the country. The 24-year-old Trinity ...