Greece

Agriculture

wheat, corn, barley, sugar beets, olives, tomatoes, wine, tobacco, potatoes; meat, dairy products

Budget

revenues: $43.2 billion (excluding privatization receipts) expenditures: $47 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1995 est.)

Currency

1 drachma (Dr) = 100 lepta

Economic aid

recipient: ODA, $NA

Economic overview

Greece has a mixed capitalist economy. The basic entrepreneurial system underwent extensive socialist change in 1981-89, which enlarged the public sector from 55% of GDP in 1981 to about 70% in 1989. Tourism is a major source of foreign exchange, and agriculture is self-sufficient, except for meat, dairy products, and animal feedstuffs. Despite a moderate recovery in industrial output over the last year, the Greek economy remains weak, with real GDP growth of 1.7%; the country's huge public sector and burgeoning budget deficit are contributing to a public debt of 120% of GDP. The government's hard drachma policy and public sector wage restraint are largely responsible for the downward trend in inflation, which is at the lowest level in 20 years. Investment is likely to be the primary engine for economic growth in 1996. Athens continues to rely heavily on EU aid, which currently amounts to about 4% of GDP. New Prime Minister SIMITIS's reputation as the architect of Athens' mid-1980s austerity program suggests that he will pursue prudent economic policies that will bring Greece closer to meeting the EU criteria for participating in economic and monetary union. SIMITIS faces strong opposition to further privatization and further austerity.

Electricity

capacity: 8,970,000 kW production: 35.8 billion kWh consumption per capita: 3,257 kWh (1993)

Exchange rates

drachmae (Dr) per US$1 - 240.21 (January 1996), 231.60 (1995), 242.60 (1994), 229.26 (1993), 190.62 (1992), 182.27 (1991)

Exports

$8.8 billion (f.o.b., 1994) commodities: manufactured goods 53%, foodstuffs 34%, fuels 5% partners: EU 55% (Germany 21%, Italy 14%, France 5.4%, UK 6%), US 5% (1994)

External debt

$31.2 billion (1995 est.)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $101.7 billion (1995 est.)

GDP composition by sector

agriculture: 11.8% industry: 22.2% services: 66% (1994)

GDP per capita

$9,500 (1995 est.)

GDP real growth rate

1.7% (1995 est.)

Illicit drugs

illicit producer of cannabis and limited opium; mostly for domestic consumption; serves as 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; transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin transiting the Balkan route

Imports

$21.9 billion (f.o.b., 1994) commodities: manufactured goods 72%, foodstuffs 15%, fuels 10% partners: EU 70% (Germany 17%, Italy 17%, France 8%, UK 6%, Japan 3%) (1994)

Industrial production growth rate

1.7% (1995 est.)

Industries

tourism; food and tobacco processing, textiles; chemicals, metal products; mining, petroleum

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

8.1% (1995 est.)

Labor force

4.077 million by occupation: services 52%, agriculture 23%, industry 25% (1994)

Unemployment rate

9.6% (1995 est.)

Area

total area: 131,940 sq km land area: 130,800 sq km comparative area: slightly smaller than Alabama

Climate

temperate; mild, wet winters; hot, dry summers

Coastline

13,676 km

Environment

current issues: air pollution; water pollution natural hazards: severe earthquakes international agreements: party to - Air Pollution, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Desertification

Geographic coordinates

39 00 N, 22 00 E

Geographic note

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

International disputes

complex maritime, air, and territorial disputes with Turkey in Aegean Sea; Cyprus question; dispute with The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia over name; border demarcation with Albania, the treatment of Albania's ethnic Greek minority, and migrant Albanian workers in Greece remain unresolved issues

Irrigated land

11,900 sq km (1989 est.)

Land boundaries

total: 1,210 km border countries: Albania 282 km, Bulgaria 494 km, Turkey 206 km, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 228 km

Land use

arable land: 23% permanent crops: 8% meadows and pastures: 40% forest and woodland: 20% other: 9%

Location

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

Map references

Europe

Maritime claims

continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation territorial sea: 6 nm

Natural resources

bauxite, lignite, magnesite, petroleum, marble

Terrain

mostly mountains with ranges extending into sea as peninsulas or chains of islands lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Olympus 2,917 m

Administrative divisions

51 prefectures (nomoi, singular - nomos)and 1 autonomous region*; Ayion Oros* (Mt. Athos), Aitolia kai Akarnania, Akhaia, Argolis, Arkadhia, Arta, Attiki, Dhodhekanisos, Drama, Evritania, Evros, Evvoia, Florina, Fokis, Fthiotis, Grevena, Ilia, Imathia, Ioannina, Iraklion, Kardhitsa, Kastoria, Kavala, Kefallinia, Kerkira, Khalkidhiki, Khania, Khios, Kikladhes, Kilkis, Korinthia, Kozani, Lakonia, Larisa, Lasithi, Lesvos, Levkas, Magnisia, Messinia, Pella, Pieria, Preveza, Rethimni, Rodhopi, Samos, Serrai, Thesprotia, Thessaloniki, Trikala, Voiotia, Xanthi, Zakinthos

Capital

Athens

Chamber of Deputies (Vouli ton Ellinon)

elections last held 10 October 1993 (next to be held by NA October 1997); results - PASOK 46.88%, ND 39.30%, Political Spring 4.87%, KKE 4.54%, and Progressive Left (replaced by Coalition of the Left and Progress) 2.94%; seats - (300 total) PASOK 170, ND 111, Political Spring 10, KKE 9; note - seating as of January 1996: PASOK 170, ND 109, Political Spring 11, KKE 9, independent 1

Constitution

11 June 1975

Data code

GR

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission: Ambassador Loukas TSILAS chancery: 2221 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 939-5800

Executive branch

chief of state: President Konstandinos (Kostis) STEPHANOPOULOS (since 10 March 1995) was elected for a five-year term by Parliament; election last held 10 March 1995 (next to be held by NA 2000); results - Konstandinos STEPHANOPOULOS was elected by Parliament head of government: Prime Minister Konstandinos SIMITIS (since 19 January 1996) was appointed by the president cabinet: Cabinet was appointed by the president on recommendation of the prime minister

FAX

[1] (202) 939-5824 consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco consulate(s): Atlanta, Houston, and New Orleans

FAX

[30] (1) 645-6282 consulate(s) general: Thessaloniki

Flag

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

Independence

1829 (from the Ottoman Empire)

International organization participation

Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CCC, CE, CERN, EBRD, ECE, EIB, EU, FAO, G- 6, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MTCR, NACC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNOMIG, UPU, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

Judicial branch

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

Legal system

based on codified Roman law; judiciary divided into civil, criminal, and administrative courts

Legislative branch

unicameral

Name of country

conventional long form: Hellenic Republic conventional short form: Greece local long form: Elliniki Dhimokratia local short form: Ellas former: Kingdom of Greece

National holiday

Independence Day, 25 March (1821) (proclamation of the war of independence)

Political parties and leaders

New Democracy (ND; conservative), Miltiades EVERT; Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK), Andreas PAPANDREOU (special congress scheduled for July 1996); Communist Party (KKE), Aleka PAPARIGA; Political Spring, Andonios SAMARAS; Coalition of the Left and Progress (Synaspismos), Nikolaos KONSTANDOPOULOS; Democratic Social Movement (DIKKI), Dhimitrios TSOVOLAS; Rainbow Coalition, Pavlos VOSKOPOULOS

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Type of government

parliamentary republic; monarchy rejected by referendum 8 December 1974

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas M.T. NILES embassy: 91 Vasilissis Sophias Boulevard, 10160 Athens mailing address: PSC 108, APO AE 09842 telephone: [30] (1) 721-2951, 8401

Age structure

0-14 years: 16% (male 899,029; female 837,308) 15-64 years: 68% (male 3,571,918; female 3,542,556) 65 years and over: 16% (male 736,818; female 950,965) (July 1996 est.)

Birth rate

9.78 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death rate

9.53 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Ethnic divisions

Greek 98%, other 2% note: the Greek Government states there are no ethnic divisions in Greece

Infant mortality rate

7.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Languages

Greek (official), English, French

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 78.1 years male: 75.6 years female: 80.78 years (1996 est.)

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write (1991 est.) total population: 95% male: 98% female: 93%

Nationality

noun: Greek(s) adjective: Greek

Net migration rate

3.98 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Population

10,538,594 (July 1996 est.)

Population growth rate

0.42% (1996 est.)

Religions

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

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female all ages: 0.98 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.37 children born/woman (1996 est.)

Airports

total: 1 with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1995 est.) Defense

Airports

total: 77 with paved runways over 3,047 m: 5 with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 15 with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 16 with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 17 with paved runways under 914 m: 21 with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (1995 est.)

Defense note

defense is the responsibility of France

Heliports

1 (1995 est.)

Highways

total: 130,000 km paved: 119,210 km (including 116 km of expressways) unpaved: 10,790 km (1990 est.)

Merchant marine

total: 1,051 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 28,842,200 GRT/52,583,281 DWT ships by type: bulk 468, cargo 92, chemical tanker 23, combination bulk 22, combination ore/oil 26, container 40, liquefied gas tanker 4, oil tanker 245, passenger 15, passenger-cargo 3, refrigerated cargo 8, roll-on/roll-off cargo 17, short-sea passenger 84, specialized tanker 3, vehicle carrier 1 note: Greece owns an additional 1,798 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 62,291,974 DWT operating under the registries of Liberia, Panama, Cyprus, Malta, The Bahamas, Hong Kong, Japan, Hondurus, Portugal, and Singapore (1995 est.)

Pipelines

crude oil 26 km; petroleum products 547 km

Ports

none; offshore anchorage only

Ports

Alexandroupolis, Elevsis, Iraklion (Crete), Kavala, Kerkira, Khalkis, Igoumenitsa, Lavrion, Patrai, Piraievs (Piraeus), Thessaloniki, Volos

Railways

total: 2,474 km standard gauge: 1,565 km 1.435-m gauge (36 km electrified; 100 km double track) narrow gauge: 887 km 1.000-m gauge; 22 km 0.750-m gauge (a rack type railway for steep grades)

Waterways

80 km; system consists of three coastal canals; including the Corinth Canal (6 km) which crosses the Isthmus of Corinth connecting the Gulf of Corinth with the Saronic Gulf and shortens the sea voyage from the Adriatic to Piraievs (Piraeus) by 325 km; and three unconnected rivers