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

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