]! ^! Greece achieved its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1829. During the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, it gradually added neighboring islands and territories, most with Greek-speaking populations. In World War II, Greece was first invaded by Italy (1940) and subsequently occupied by Germany (1941-44); fighting endured in a protracted civil war between royalist supporters of the king and communist rebels. Following the latter's defeat in 1949, Greece was able to join NATO in 1952. A military dictatorship, which in 1967 suspended many political liberties and forced the king to flee the country, lasted seven years. The 1974 democratic elections and a referendum created a parliamentary republic and abolished the monarchy. Greece joined the European Community or EC in 1981 (which became the EU in 1992); it became the 12th member of the euro zone in 2001. 
]" ^" Southern Europe, bordering the Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea, between Albania and Turkey ^# 39 00 N, 22 00 E ^$ Europe ^% `! 131,940 sq km `" 130,800 sq km `# 1,140 sq km ^& slightly smaller than Alabama ^' `! 1,228 km `U Albania 282 km, Bulgaria 494 km, Turkey 206 km, Macedonia 246 km ^( 13,676 km ^) `$ 12 nm `J 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation ^* temperate; mild, wet winters; hot, dry summers ^+ mostly mountains with ranges extending into the sea as peninsulas or chains of islands ^, `% Mediterranean Sea 0 m `& Mount Olympus 2,917 m ^- lignite, petroleum, iron ore, bauxite, lead, zinc, nickel, magnesite, marble, salt, hydropower potential ^. `' 21.1% `( 8.78% `) 70.12% (2001) ^/ 14,220 sq km (1998 est.) ^0 severe earthquakes ^1 air pollution; water pollution _J `K Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands `L Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds ^2 strategic location dominating the Aegean Sea and southern approach to Turkish Straits; a peninsular country, possessing an archipelago of about 2,000 islands 
]# ^3 10,668,354 (July 2005 est.) ^4 `* 14.4% (male 791,227/female 744,178) `+ 66.8% (male 3,561,689/female 3,564,675) `, 18.8% (male 884,497/female 1,122,088) (2005 est.) ^5 `! 40.5 years `- 39.39 years `. 41.65 years (2005 est.) ^6 0.19% (2005 est.) ^7 9.72 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^8 10.15 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^9 2.34 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^: `/ 1.06 male(s)/female `0 1.06 male(s)/female `+ 1 male(s)/female `, 0.79 male(s)/female `1 0.96 male(s)/female (2005 est.) ^; `! 5.53 deaths/1,000 live births `- 6.08 deaths/1,000 live births `. 4.94 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) ^< `1 79.09 years `- 76.59 years `. 81.76 years (2005 est.) ^= 1.33 children born/woman (2005 est.) ^> 0.2% (2001 est.) ^? 9,100 (2001 est.) ^@ less than 100 (2003 est.) ^A `2 Greek(s) `3 Greek ^B Greek 98%, other 2% note: the Greek Government states there are no ethnic divisions in Greece ^C Greek Orthodox 98%, Muslim 1.3%, other 0.7% ^D Greek 99% (official), English, French ^E `M age 15 and over can read and write `1 97.5% `- 98.6% `. 96.5% (2003 est.) _` women, men, and children are trafficked to and within Greece for the purposes of sexual exploitation and forced labor 
]$ ^F `4 Hellenic Republic `5 Greece `V Elliniki Dhimokratia `W Ellas or Ellada `X Kingdom of Greece ^H parliamentary republic; monarchy rejected by referendum 8 December 1974 ^I Athens ^J 51 prefectures (nomoi, singular - nomos) and 1 autonomous region*; Agion Oros* (Mt. Athos), Achaia, Aitolia kai Akarmania, 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 ^K 1829 (from the Ottoman Empire) ^L Independence Day, 25 March (1821) ^M 11 June 1975; amended March 1986 and April 2001 ^N based on codified Roman law; judiciary divided into civil, criminal, and administrative courts ^O 18 years of age; universal and compulsory ^P `6 President Karolos PAPOULIAS (since 12 March 2005) `7 Prime Minister Konstandinos KARAMANLIS (since 7 March 2004) `8 Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister `9 president elected by parliament for a five-year term; election last held 8 February 2005 (next to be held by February 2010); according to the Greek Constitution, presidents may only serve two terms; president appoints leader of the party securing plurality of vote in election to become prime minister and form a government `: Karolos PAPOULIAS elected president; number of parlimentary votes, 279 out of 300 ^Q unicameral Parliament or Vouli ton Ellinon (300 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms) `9 elections last held 7 March 2004 (next to be held by March 2008) `: percent of vote by party - ND 45.4%, PASOK 40.6%, KKE 5.9%, Synaspismos 3.3%; seats by party - ND 165, PASOK 117, KKE 12, Synaspismos 6 ^R Supreme Judicial Court; Special Supreme Tribunal; all judges appointed for life by the president after consultation with a judicial council ^S Coalition of the Left and Progress (Synaspismos) [Alekos ALAVANOS]; Communist Party of Greece or KKE [Aleka PAPARIGA]; New Democracy or ND (conservative) [Konstandinos KARAMANLIS]; Panhellenic Socialist Movement or PASOK [Yiorgos PAPANDREOU]; Popular Orthodox Rally [Yeoryios KARATZAFERIS] ^T General Confederation of Greek Workers or GSEE [Khristos POLYZOGOPOLOS]; Federation of Greek Industries or SEV [Odysseas KYRIAKOPOULOS]; Civil Servants Confederation or ADEDY [Spyros PAPASPYROS] ^U Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, EU, FAO, G- 6, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIK, UNOMIG, UPU, WCO, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC ^V `N Ambassador Yeoryios SAVVAIDIS `O 2221 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 `P [1] (202) 939-1300 `Q [1] (202) 939-1324 `R Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Tampa `g Atlanta, Houston, and New Orleans ^W `N Ambassador Charles RIES `Z 91 Vasilissis Sophias Avenue, 10160 Athens `[ PSC 108, APO AE 09842-0108 `P [30] (210) 721-2951 `Q [30] (210) 645-6282 `R Thessaloniki ^X nine equal horizontal stripes of blue alternating with white; there is a blue square in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a white cross; the cross symbolizes Greek Orthodoxy, the established religion of the country 
]% ^Y Greece has a capitalist economy with the public sector accounting for about 40% of GDP and with per capita GDP 70% of the leading euro-zone economies. Tourism provides 15% of GDP. Immigrants make up nearly one-fifth of the work force, mainly in menial jobs. Greece is a major beneficiary of EU aid, equal to about 3.3% of annual GDP. The Greek economy grew by about 4.0% for the past two years, largely because of an investment boom and infrastructure upgrades for the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. Despite strong growth, Greece has failed to meet the EU's Growth and Stability Pact budget deficit criteria of 3% of GDP since 2000; public debt, inflation, and unemployment are also above the eurozone average. Further restructuring of the economy will need to include privatizing of several state enterprises, undertaking pension and other reforms, and minimizing bureaucratic inefficiencies. ^Z $226.4 billion (2004 est.) ^[ 3.7% (2004 est.) ^\ purchasing power parity - $21,300 (2004 est.) ^] `; 7% `< 22% `= 71% (2004 est.) ^^ 4.4 million (2004 est.) ^_ agriculture 12%, industry 20%, services 68% (2004 est.) ^` 10% (2004 est.) ^a NA _! `> 3% `? 28.3% (1998 est.) _d 35.4 (1998) _" 2.9% (2004 est.) _P 27% of GDP (2004 est.) _# `@ $54.39 billion `A $64.4 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.) _Q 112% of GDP (2004 est.) _$ wheat, corn, barley, sugar beets, olives, tomatoes, wine, tobacco, potatoes; beef, dairy products _% tourism; food and tobacco processing, textiles; chemicals, metal products; mining, petroleum _& 4.1% (2004 est.) _' 47.22 billion kWh (2002) _( 47.42 billion kWh (2002) _) 1.1 billion kWh (2002) _* 4.6 billion kWh (2002) _+ 5,992 bbl/day (2001 est.) _, 405,700 bbl/day (2001 est.) _- 84,720 bbl/day (2001) _. 468,300 bbl/day (2001) _R 4.5 million bbl (1 January 2002) _S 35 million cu m (2001 est.) _T 2.021 billion cu m (2001 est.) _U 0 cu m (2001 est.) _V 2.018 billion cu m (2001 est.) _W 254.9 million cu m (1 January 2002) _X $-8 billion (2004 est.) _/ $15.5 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) _0 food and beverages, manufactured goods, petroleum products, chemicals, textiles _1 Germany 13.2%, Italy 10.3%, UK 7.5%, Bulgaria 6.3%, US 5.3%, Cyprus 4.6%, Turkey 4.5%, France 4.2% (2004) _2 $54.28 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) _3 machinery, transport equipment, fuels, chemicals _4 Germany 13.3%, Italy 12.8%, France 6.4%, Netherlands 5.5%, Russia 5.5%, US 4.4%, UK 4.2%, South Korea 4.1% (2004) _Y $7.3 billion (2004 est.) _5 $67.23 billion (2004 est.) _6 $8 billion from EU (2000-06) _7 euro (EUR) note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries _8 euros per US dollar - 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000) _9 calendar year 
]& _: 5,205,100 (2003) _; 8,936,200 (2003) _< `B adequate, modern networks reach all areas; good mobile telephone and international service `C microwave radio relay trunk system; extensive open-wire connections; submarine cable to offshore islands `D country code - 30; tropospheric scatter; 8 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Eutelsat, and 1 Inmarsat (Indian Ocean region) _= AM 26, FM 88, shortwave 4 (1998) _> 36 (plus 1,341 low-power repeaters); also two stations in the US Armed Forces Radio and Television Service (1995) _? .gr _@ 208,977 (2004) _A 1,718,400 (2003) 
]' _e `! 2,571 km (764 km electrified) `b 1,565 km 1.435-m gauge `c 961 km 1.000-m gauge; 22 km 0.750-m gauge `f 23 km combined 1.435-m and 1.000-m gauges (three rail system) (2004) _B `! 117,000 km `E 107,406 km (including 470 km of expressways) `F 9,594 km (1999 est.) _b 6 km note: Corinth Canal (6 km) crosses the Isthmus of Corinth; shortens sea voyage by 325 km (2004) _[ gas 1,166 km; oil 94 km (2004) _C Agioitheodoroi, Aspropyrgos, Irakleion, Pachi, Peiraiefs, Thessaloniki _K `! 861 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 30,186,624 GRT/52,943,968 DWT by type: bulk carrier 296, cargo 65, chemical tanker 47, combination ore/oil 2, container 46, liquefied gas 2, passenger 13, passenger/cargo 121, petroleum tanker 252, roll on/roll off 17 `S 25 (Chile 1, China 1, Cyprus 5, Norway 6, Sweden 1, United Kingdom 11) `\ 2,208 (2005) _D 80 (2004 est.) _E `! 66 `] 5 `G 16 `^ 20 `_ 16 `T 9 (2004 est.) _L `! 14 `_ 3 `T 11 (2004 est.) _\ 7 (2004 est.) 
]( _F Hellenic Army, Hellenic Navy, Hellenic Air Force (Polemiki Aeroporia, EPA) _M 18 years of age for compulsory military service; during wartime the law allows for recruitment after reaching January of the year of inductee's 18th birthday, thus including 17 year olds; 17 years of age for volunteers; conscript service obligation - 12 months for the Army and Air Force, 15 months for Navy (2005) _] males age 18-49: 2,459,988 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 2,018,557 (2005 est.) _^ `` 58,399 (2005 est.) _N $5.89 billion (2004) _O 4.3% (2003) 
]) _H 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 _I a gateway to Europe for traffickers smuggling cannabis and heroin from the Middle East and Southwest Asia to the West and precursor chemicals to the East; some South American cocaine transits or is consumed in Greece; money laundering related to drug trafficking and organized crime 