Hellenic Republic

National name: Elliniki Dimokratia

President: Karolos Papoulias (2005)

Prime Minister: Kostas Karamanlis (2004)

Land area: 50,502 sq mi (130,800 sq km); total area: 50,942 sq mi (131,940 sq km)

Population (2006 est.): 10,688,058 (growth rate: 0.2%); birth rate: 9.7/1000; infant mortality rate: 5.4/1000; life expectancy: 79.2; density per sq mi: 212

Capital (2003 est.): Athens, 3,247,000 (metro. area), 747,300 (city proper)

Other large cities: Thessaloníki, 361,200; Piraeus, 179,300; Patras, 167,000

Monetary unit: Euro (formerly drachma)

Languages: Greek 99% (official), English, French

Ethnicity/race: Greek 98%, other 2%; note: the Greek government states there are no ethnic divisions in Greece

Religions: Greek Orthodox 98%, Islam 1%, other 1%

Literacy rate: 98% (2003 est.)

Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2005 est.): $243.3 billion; per capita $22,800. Real growth rate: 3.3%. Inflation: 3.8%. Unemployment: 10.8%. Arable land: 21%. Agriculture: wheat, corn, barley, sugar beets, olives, tomatoes, wine, tobacco, potatoes; beef, dairy products. Labor force: 4.72 million; agriculture 12%, industry 20%, services 68% (2004 est.). Industries: tourism, food and tobacco processing, textiles, chemicals, metal products; mining, petroleum. Natural resources: lignite, petroleum, iron ore, bauxite, lead, zinc, nickel, magnesite, marble, salt, hydropower potential. Exports: $18.54 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.): food and beverages, manufactured goods, petroleum products, chemicals, textiles. Imports: $48.2 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.): machinery, transport equipment, fuels, chemicals. Major trading partners: Germany, Italy, UK, Bulgaria, U.S., Cyprus, Turkey, France, Netherlands, Russia, South Korea (2004) .

Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 5,205,100 (2003); mobile cellular: 8,936,200 (2003). Radio broadcast stations: AM 26, FM 88, shortwave 4 (1998). Television broadcast stations: 36 (plus 1,341 low-power repeaters); also two stations in the US Armed Forces Radio and Television Service (1995). Internet hosts: 208,977 (2004). Internet users: 1,718,400 (2003).

Transportation: Railways: total: 2,571 km (2004). Highways: total: 117,000 km; paved: 107,406 km (including 470 km of expressways); unpaved: 9,594 km (1999 est.). Waterways: 6 km; note: Corinth Canal (6 km) crosses the Isthmus of Corinth; shortens sea voyage by 325 km (2004). Ports and harbors: Agioitheodoroi, Aspropyrgos, Irakleion, Pachi, Peiraiefs, Thessaloniki. Airports: 80 (2004 est.).

International disputes: Greece and Turkey continue discussions to resolve their complex maritime, air, territorial, and boundary disputes in the Aegean Sea; Cyprus question with Turkey; Greece rejects the use of the name Macedonia or Republic of Macedonia.
 

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