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Hellenic Republic Ελληνική Δημοκρατία Ellinikí Dimokratía
Flag Coat of Arms
Motto: Ελευθερία ή θάνατος Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)  (transliteration) "Freedom or Death"
Anthem: Ύμνος εις την Ελευθερίαν Ýmnos eis tīn Eleutherían Hymn to Liberty
Location of Greece (orange) – in Europe (tan & white) – in the European Union (tan)  [Legend]
Capitaland largest city	Athens
Official languages	Greek
Demonym(s)	Greek
Government	Parliamentary republic
• President	Karolos Papoulias
• Prime Minister	Kostas Karamanlis
Modern statehood
• Independence from the Ottoman Empire	25 March 1821
• Recognized	3 February 1830, at the London Conference
• Current constitution	1975, "Third Republic"
Area
• Total	131,990 km (50,960 sq mi) (96)
• Water (%)	0.8669
Population
• 2008 estimate	11,216,708 (74)
• 2001 census	10,964,020
• Density	84/km (217.6/sq mi) (88)
GDP (PPP)	2008 IMF estimate
• Total	$412.521 billion (31)
• Per capita	$36,983 (17)
GDP (nominal)	2008 IMF estimate
• Total	$388.332 billion (27)
• Per capita	$34,814 (23)
Gini (2000)	35.4 Error: Invalid Gini value
HDI (2005)	0.926 Error: Invalid HDI value (24)
Currency	Euro (€) (EUR)
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Calling code	30
ISO 3166 code	GR
Internet TLD	.gr
Also the national anthem of Cyprus. UNU/Wider World Income Inequality Database. Prior to 2001: Greek Drachma. The .eu domain is also used, as it is shared with other European Union member states.

Greece (Template:Lang-el, IPA: [ɛˈlaða], or Ελλάς, Ellás, ), officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula. It has borders with Albania, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to the east. The Aegean Sea lies to the east and south of mainland Greece, while the Ionian Sea lies to the west. Both parts of the Eastern Mediterranean basin feature a vast number of islands.

Greece lies at the juncture of Europe, Asia and Africa. It is heir to the heritages of ancient Greece, the Roman and Byzantine Empires, and nearly four centuries of Ottoman rule. Greece is regarded as the birthplace of democracy, Western philosophy, the Olympic Games, Western literature and historiography, political science, major scientific and mathematic principles, and Western drama including both tragedy and comedy.

Greece is a developed country, a member of the European Union since 1981, a member of the Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union since 2001, NATO since 1952, the OECD since 1961, the WEU since 1995 and ESA since 2005. Athens is the capital; Thessaloniki, Patras, Heraklion, Volos, Ioannina and Larissa are some of the country's other major cities.

History

The southern shores of Greece's Aegean Sea experienced the emergence some of the first advanced civilizations in Europe. Minoan and Mycenean civilizations, and later Greek city-states, emerged across the Greek peninsula but also on the shores of Black Sea, South Italy and Asia Minor, reaching great levels of prosperity that resulted in an unprecedented cultural boom, expressed in architecture, drama, science and philosophy, and nurtured in Athens under a democratic environment. Athens and Sparta led the way in repelling the Persian Empire in a series of battles. Both were later overshadowed by Thebes and eventually Macedonia, with the latter under the guidance of Alexander the Great uniting and leading the Greek world to victory over the Persians, to presage the Hellenistic era, itself brought only partially to a close two centuries later with the establishment of Roman rule over Greek lands in 146 BC.

The subsequent mixture of Roman and Hellenic culture took form in the making of the Byzantine Empire in 330 AD around Constantinople (today Istanbul, Turkey), and remained a major cultural and military force for the next 1,123 years until its fall at the hands of Ottomans in 1453. On the eve of the Ottoman era the Greek intelligentsia migrated to Western Europe, playing a significant role in the Western European Renaissance through the transferring of works of Ancient Greeks to Western Europe. Nevertheless, the Ottoman millet system contributed to the ethnic cohesion of Orthodox Greeks by segregating the various peoples within the Ottoman Empire based on religion as the latter played an integral role in the formation of modern Greek identity.

Through the Greek War of Independence, successfully fought against the Ottoman Empire from 1821 to 1829, the nascent Greek state was finally recognized under the London Protocol. In 1827, Ioannis Kapodistrias, a noble Greek from the Ionian Islands, was chosen as the first governor of the new Republic. However, following his assassination, the Great Powers soon installed a monarchy under Otto, of the Bavarian House of Wittelsbach. In 1843, an uprising forced the King to grant a constitution and a representative assembly. Due to his unimpaired authoritarian rule, he was eventually dethroned in 1863 and replaced by Prince Vilhelm (William) of Denmark, who took the name George I and brought with him the Ionian Islands as a coronation gift from Britain. In 1877, Charilaos Trikoupis, a dominant figure of the Greek political scene who is attributed with the significant improvement of the country's infrastructure, curbed the power of the monarchy to interfere in the assembly by issuing the rule of vote of confidence to any potential prime minister.

As a result of the Balkan Wars, Greece successfully increased the extent of her territory and population, a challenging context both socially and economically. In the following years, the struggle between the new King Constantine I and the charismatic prime minister Eleftherios Venizelos over the country's foreign policy on the eve of World War I dominated the country's political scene, and divided the country into two bitterly hostile factions (see National Schism).

In the aftermath of WW I, Greece fought against Turkish nationalists led by Mustafa Kemal,a war which resulted in a massive population exchange between the two countries under the Treaty of Lausanne. Instability and successive coup d'etats marked the following era, which was coloured by the massive task of incorporating 1.5 million Greek refugees from Asia Minor into Greek society.On 28 October 1940 Fascist Italy demanded the surrender of Greece, but the Greek dictator Ioannis Metaxas famously responded to the Italian ultimatum with the single word "OXI" ("No"). In the following Greco-Italian War, Greece repelled Italian forces into Albania, giving the Allies their first victory over Axis forces on land. The country would eventually fall to urgently dispatched German forces during the Battle of Greece, but the occupiers nevertheless met serious challenges from the Greek Resistance.

After liberation, Greece experienced a civil war between Royalist and Communist forces, which led to economic devastation and severe social tensions between its Rightists and largely Communist Leftists for the next 30 years. The next 20 years were characterized by persecutions of the left in the political and social spheres but also by a significant economic growth, propelled in part by the Marshall Plan. In 1965, a period of political turbulence led to a coup d’etat on April 21 1967 by the US-supported Regime of the Colonels. On November 1973 the Athens Polytechnic Uprising sent shock waves across the regime, and a counter-coup established Brigadier Dimitrios Ioannides as dictator. On July 20 1974, as Turkey invaded the island of Cyprus, the regime collapsed.

Ex-Premier Constantine Karamanlis was invited back from Paris where he had lived in self-exile since 1963, marking the beginning of the Metapolitefsi era; a 1975 democratic republican constitution was activated and the monarchy abolished by a referendum held that same year. Meanwhile, Andreas Papandreou founded the Panhellenic Socialist Party, or PASOK, in response to Constantine Karamanlis' New Democracy party, with the two groupings dominating Greek political affairs in the ensuing decades. Greece became the tenth member of the European Union on January 1 1981 and ever since, the nation has experienced a remarkable and sustained economic growth. Widespread investments in industrial enterprises and heavy infrastructure, as well as funds from the European Union and growing revenues from tourism, shipping and a fast growing service sector have raised the country's standard of living to unprecedented levels. The country adopted the Euro in 2001, and successfully organised the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens

Government and politics

Greece is a parliamentary republic. The head of state is the President of the Republic, who is elected by the Parliament for a five-year term. After the Constitutional amendment of 1986 the President's duties were curtailed to a significant extent, and they are now largely ceremonial.

The current Constitution of Greece was drawn up and adopted by the Fifth Revisionary Parliament of the Hellenes and entered into force in 1975 after the fall of the military junta of 1967-1974. It has been revised twice since, in 1986 and in 2001. The Constitution, which consists of 120 articles, provides for a separation of powers into executive, legislative, and judicial branches, and grants extensive specific guarantees (further reinforced in 2001) of civil liberties and social rights.

According to the Constitution, executive power is exercised by the President of the Republic and the Government; after 1986, however, the role of the President in the executive branch is ceremonial. The position of Prime Minister, Greece's head of government, belongs to the current leader of the political party that can obtain a vote of confidence by the Parliament. The President of the Republic formally appoints the Prime Minister and, on his recommendation, appoints and dismisses the other members of the Cabinet. The Prime Minister exercises vast political power, and the amendment of 1986 further strengthened his position to the detriment of the President of the Republic.

Legislative power is exercised by a 300-member unicameral Parliament. Statutes passed by the Parliament are promulgated by the President of the Republic. Parliamentary elections are held every four years, but the President of the Republic is obliged to dissolve the Parliament earlier on the proposal of the Cabinet, in view of dealing with a national issue of exceptional importance. The President is also obliged to dissolve the Parliament earlier, if the opposition manages to pass a motion of no confidence.

The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature and comprises three Supreme Courts: the Court of Cassation (Άρειος Πάγος), the Council of State (Συμβούλιο της Επικρατείας) and the Court of Auditors (Ελεγκτικό Συνέδριο). The Judiciary system is also composed of civil courts, which judge civil and penal cases and administrative courts, which judge administrative cases, namely disputes between the citizens and the State.

Since the restoration of democracy the party system is dominated by the liberal-conservative New Democracy and the social-democratic Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK). Non-negligible parties include the Communist Party of Greece, the Coalition of the Radical Left and the Popular Orthodox Rally.

On March 7, 2004, Kostas Karamanlis, president of the New Democracy party and nephew of the late Constantine Karamanlis was elected as the new Prime Minister of Greece, thus marking his party's first electoral victory in nearly eleven years. Karamanlis took over government from Kostas Simitis of PASOK, who had been in office since January 1996. Kostas Karamanlis won a second term on September 16, 2007, however his party acquired a slimmer majority in the Greek Parliament gaining only 152 out of 300 seats.

Peripheries and prefectures

Administratively, Greece consists of thirteen peripheries subdivided into a total of fifty-one prefectures ( Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help), singular Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)). There is also one autonomous area, Mount Athos ( Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help), "Holy Mountain"), which borders the periphery of Central Macedonia.

Map	Number	Periphery	Capital	Area	Population
	1	Attica	Athens	3,808 km²	3,761,810
	2	Central Greece	Lamia	15,549 km²	605,329
	3	Central Macedonia	Thessaloniki	18,811 km²	1,871,952
	4	Crete	Iraklio	8,259 km²	601,131
	5	East Macedonia and Thrace	Kavála	14,157 km²	611,067
	6	Epirus	Ioannina	9,203 km²	353,820
	7	Ionian Islands	Corfu	2,307 km²	212,984
	8	North Aegean	Mytilene	3,836 km²	206,121
	9	Peloponnese	Kalamata	15,490 km²	638,942
	10	South Aegean	Ermoupoli	5,286 km²	302,686
	11	Thessaly	Larissa	14.037 km²	753,888
	12	West Greece	Patras	11,350 km²	740,506
	13	West Macedonia	Kozani	9,451 km²	301,522
	-	Mount Athos (Autonomous)	Karyes	390 km²	2,262

Geography

Albania F.Y.R.O.M. Bulgaria ' Turkey GREECE ATHENS Thessaloniki Kavala ---Thasos Alexandroupoli --Samothrace Corfu Igoumenitsa Larissa Volos Ioannina Chalcis Patras Corinth . Nafplion . Sparta . Areopoli . Piraeus Eleusina Laurium Heraklion M a c e d o n i a Thrace Epirus Thessaly Euboea Central Greece Peloponnese M.Olympus (2917 m) Lefkada Kefalonia Zakynthos- Lemnos Lesbos Chios Samos Andros Tinos Mykonos Icaria --Patmos Naxos Milos Santorini--- Kos Rhodes Karpathos Kassos Kythira Gavdos Aegean Sea Sea of Crete Myrtoan Sea Ionian Sea Mediterranean Sea Crete Aegean Islands Cyclades Dodecanese Ionian Islands

Greece consists of a mountainous mainland jutting out into the sea at the southern end of the Balkans, the Peloponnesus peninsula (separated from the mainland by the canal of the Isthmus of Corinth), and numerous islands (around 2,000), including Crete, Euboea, Lesbos, Chios, the Dodecanese and the Cycladic groups of the Aegean Sea as well as the Ionian Sea islands. Greece has the tenth longest coastline in the world with 14,880 kilometres (9,246 mi); its land boundary is 1,160 kilometres (721 mi).

Four fifths of Greece consist of mountains or hills, making the country one of the most mountainous in Europe. Western Greece contains a number of lakes and wetlands and it is dominated by the Pindus mountain range. Pindus has a maximum elevation of 2,636 m (8,648 ft) and it is essentially a prolongation of the Dinaric Alps.

The range continues through the western Peloponnese, crosses the islands of Kythera and Antikythera and find its way into southwestern Aegean, in the island of Crete where it eventually ends. (the islands of the Aegean are peaks of underwater mountains that once constituted an extension of the mainland). Pindus is characterized by its high, steep peaks, often dissected by numerous canyons and a variety of other karstic landscapes. Most notably, the impressive Meteora formation consisting of high, steep boulders provides a breathtaking experience for the hundreds of thousands of tourists who visit the area each year.

The Vikos-Aoos Gorge is yet another spectacular formation and a popular hotspot for those fond of extreme sports. Mount Olympus,a focal point of Greek culture throughout history is host to the Mytikas peak 2,917 metres (9,570 ft),the highest in the country. Once considered the throne of the Gods, it is today extremely popular among hikers and climbers. Moreover, northeastern Greece features yet another high-altitude mountain range, the Rhodope range, spreading across the periphery of East Macedonia and Thrace; this area is covered with vast, thick, ancient forests. The famous Dadia forest is in the prefecture of Evros, in the far northeast of the country.

Expansive plains are primarily located in the prefectures of Thessaly, Central Macedonia and Thrace. They constitute key economic regions as they are among the few arable places in the country.Rare marine species such as the Pinniped Seals and the Loggerhead Sea Turtle live in the seas surrounding mainland Greece, while its dense forests are home to the endangered brown bear, the lynx, the Roe Deer and the Wild Goat.

Climate

The climate of Greece can be categorised into three types (the Mediterranean, the Alpine and the Temperate) that influence well-defined regions of its territory.The Pindus mountain range strongly affects the climate of the country by making the western side of it (areas prone to the south-westerlies) wetter on average than the areas lying to the east of it (lee side of the mountains).The Mediterranean type of climate features mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers. The Cyclades, the Dodecanese, Crete, Eastern Peloponessus and parts of the Sterea Ellada region are mostly affected by this particular type. Temperatures rarely reach extreme values although snowfalls do occur occasionally even in the Cyclades or the Dodecanese during the winter months.

The Alpine type is dominant mainly in the mountainous areas of Northwestern Greece (Epirus, Central Greece, Thessaly, Western Macedonia) as well as in the central parts of Peloponnese, including the prefectures of Achaia, Arcadia and parts of Laconia, where extensions of the Pindus mountain range pass by). Finally, the Temperate type affects Central Macedonia and East Macedonia and Thrace; it features cold, damp winters and hot, dry summers. Athens is located in a transitional area featuring both the Mediterranean and the Temperate types.The city's northern suburbs are dominated by the temperate type while the downtown area and the southern suburbs enjoy a typical Mediterranean type.

Economy

Greece operates a capitalist economy that produced a GDP of $305.595 billion in 2006. Its principal economic activities include tourism and shipping industries, banking and finance, manufacturing and construction and telecommunications. The country serves as the regional business hub for many of the world's largest multinational companies.

The people of Greece enjoy a high standard of living. Greece ranks 24th in the 2006 HDI, 22nd on The Economist's 2005 world-wide quality-of-life index, and, according to the International Monetary Fund it has an estimated average per capita income of $35,166 for the year 2007, comparable to that of Germany, France and Italy and approximately equal to the EU average.

Greece's present prosperity is largely owed to the post-World War II "Greek economic miracle" (when GDP growth averaged 7% between 1950 and 1973), the implementation of a number of structural and fiscal reforms, combined with considerable European Union funding over the last twenty-five years and increasing private consumption and investments. The latter facts have contributed to a consistent annual growth of the Greek GDP that was surpassing the respective one of most of its other EU partners.

Today, the service industry (74.4%) makes up the largest, most vital and fastest-growing sector of the Greek economy, followed by industry (20.6%) and agriculture (5.1%). The tourism industry is a major source of foreign exchange earnings and revenue accounting for 15% of Greece’s total GDP and employing (directly or indirectly) 659,719 people (or 16.5% of total employment).Additionally Greek banks have invested heavily in the Balkan region most notably the National Bank of Greece in 2006 acquired 46% of the shares of Finansbank in Turkey and 99.44% of Serbia's Vojvođanska Bank.The manufacturing sector accounts for about 13% of GDP with the food industry leading in growth, profit and export potential. High-technology equipment production, especially for telecommunications, is also a fast-growing sector. Other important areas include textiles, building materials, machinery, transport equipment, and electrical appliances. Construction (10%GDP) and agriculture (7%) are yet two other significant sectors of the Greek economic activity.Greece is the leading investor in all of her Balkan neighbors.

Maritime industry

The shipping industry is a key element of Greek economic activity from ancient times. Today, shipping is one of the country's most important industries. It accounts for 4.5% of GDP, employs about 160,000 people (4% of the workforce), and represents 1/3 of the country's trade deficit.

During the 1960s the size of the Greek fleet nearly doubled, primarily through the investment undertaken by the shipping magnates Onassis and Niarchos. The basis of the modern Greek maritime industry was formed after World War II when Greek shipping businessmen were able to amass surplus ships sold to them by the United States Government through the Ship Sales Act of the 1940s. According to the BTS, the Greek-owned maritime fleet is today the largest in the world, with 3,079 vessels accounting for 18% of the world's fleet capacity (making it the largest of any other country) with a total dwt of 141,931 thousand (142 million dwt). In terms of ship categories, Greece ranks first in both tankers and dry bulk carriers, fourth in the number of containers, and fourth in other ships. However, today's fleet roster is smaller than an all-time high of 5,000 ships in the late 70's.

Science and technology

Because of its strategic location, qualified workforce and political and economic stability, many multinational companies, such as Ericsson, Siemens, SAP, Motorola, Coca-Cola have their regional R&D Headquarters in Greece.

The General Secretariat for Research and Technology of the Hellenic Ministry of Development is responsible for designing, implementing and supervising national research and technological policy.

In 2003, public spending on R&D was 456,37 million Euros (12,6% increase from 2002). Total research and development (R&D) spending (both public and private) as a percentage of GDP has increased considerably since the beginning of the past decade, from 0,38% in 1989, to 0,65% in 2001. R&D spending in Greece remains lower than the EU average of 1,93%, but, according to Research DC, based on OECD and Eurostat data, between 1990 and 1998, total R&D expenditure in Greece enjoyed the third highest increase in Europe, after Finland and Ireland.

Greece's technology parks with incubator facilities include the Science and Technology Park of Crete (Heraklion), the Thessaloniki Technology Park,the Lavrio Technology Park and the Patras Science Park.Greece has been a member of the European Space Agency (ESA) since 2005. Cooperation between ESA and the Hellenic National Space Committee began in the early 1990s. In 1994, Greece and ESA signed their first cooperation agreement. Having formally applied for full membership in 2003, Greece became ESA's sixteenth member on March 16 2005. As member of the ESA, Greece participates in the agency's telecommunication and technology activities, and the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security Initiative.

Demographics

The official Statistical body of Greece is the National Statistical Service of Greece (NSSG). According to the NSSG, Greece's total population in 2001 was 10,964,020. That figure is divided into 5,427,682 males and 5,536,338 females. As statistics from 1971, 1981, and 2001 show, the Greek population has been aging the past several decades. The birth rate in 2003 stood 9.5 per 1,000 inhabitants (14.5 per 1,000 in 1981). At the same time the mortality rate increased slightly from 8.9 per 1,000 inhabitants in 1981 to 9.6 per 1,000 inhabitants in 2003. In 2001, 16.71% of the population were 65 years old and older, 68.12% between the ages of 15 and 64 years old, and 15.18% were 14 years old and younger. In 1971 the figures were 10.92%, 63.72%, and 25.36% respectively. Greek society has also rapidly changed with the passage of time. Marriage rates kept falling from almost 71 per 1,000 inhabitants in 1981 until 2002, only to increase slightly in 2003 to 61 per 1,000 and then fall again to 51 in 2004. Divorce rates on the other hand, have seen an increase – from 191.2 per 1,000 marriages in 1991 to 239.5 per 1,000 marriages in 2004. Almost two-thirds of the Greek people live in urban areas. Greece's largest municipalities in 2001 were: Athens (745,514), Thessaloniki (363,987), Piraeus (175,697), Patras (161,114), Iraklio (133,012), Larissa (124,786), and Volos (82,439).

Minorities

The only minority in Greece that has a specially recognized legal status is the Muslim minority (Μουσουλμανική μειονότητα, Mousoulmanikí meionótita) in Thrace, which amounts to approximately 0.95% of the total population. Its members are predominantly of Turkish, Pomak and Roma ethnic origins. Other recognized minorities include approximately 35,000 Armenians and 5,500 Jews. There are also a number of linguistic minority groups, whose members also speak Greek and generally identify ethnically as Greeks. These include the Arvanites, who speak a form of Albanian known as Arvanitika and the Aromanians and Moglenites, also known as Vlachs, whose languages are closely related to Romanian.In 1994, the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights issued a report extremely critical of the Greek states treatment of minorities.

In northern Greece there are also Slavic-speaking groups, whose dialects are variously classified as forms of either Slavic Macedonian or Bulgarian. They are often simply called Slavic by Greeks.

Immigration

Due to the complexity of Greek immigration policy, practices and data collection, truly reliable data on immigrant populations in Greece is difficult to gather and therefore subject to much speculation. A study from the Mediterranean Migration Observatory maintains that the 2001 Census from the NSSG recorded 762,191 persons residing in Greece without Greek citizenship, constituting around 7% of total population and that, of these, 48,560 were EU or EFTA nationals and 17,426 Cypriots with privileged status. At the same time, Albanians constituted some 56% of total immigrants, followed by Bulgarians (5%), Georgians (3%) and Romanians (3%). Americans, Cypriots, British and Germans appeared as sizeable foreign communities at around 2% each of total foreign population. The rest were around 690,000 persons of non-EU or non-homogeneis (of non-Greek heritage) status.

The greatest cluster of non-EU immigrant population is in the Municipality of Athens –some 132,000 immigrants, at 17% of local population. Thessaloniki is the second largest cluster, with 27,000 – but reaching only 7% of local population. After this, the predominant areas of location are the Athens environs.

According to the same study, the foreign population (documented and undocumented) residing in Greece may in reality figure upwards to 8.5% or 10.3%, that is approximately meaning 1.15 million - if immigrants with homogeneis cards are accounted for.

Religion

The constitution of Greece recognizes the Greek Orthodox faith as the "prevailing" religion of the country, while guaranteeing freedom of religious belief for all. The majority of Greek citizens (97%) identify themselves as Greek Orthodox, and most of them celebrate at least the main religious feasts, especially Pascha (Greek Orthodox Easter).

The Greek Government does not keep statistics on religious groups and censuses do not ask for religious affiliation. Judaism has existed in Greece for more than 2,000 years. Sephardi Jews used to have a large presence in the city of Thessaloniki but nowadays the Greek-Jewish community who survived the Holocaust, is estimated to around 5,500 people. Estimates of the recognised Muslim minority, which is mostly located in Thrace, range from 98,000 to 140,000, (between 0.9% and 1.2%) while the immigrant Muslim community numbers between 200,000 and 300,000. In an address to the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of Greece on 10 October 2006 Archbishop Christodoulos stated: "Today more than 500,000 Muslims live in our country."

Greek members of Roman Catholic faith (including both Byzantine Greek Catholics and Latin Catholics) are estimated at 50,000 with the Roman Catholic immigrant community approximating 200,000. Old Calendarists account for 500,000 followers. The Jehovah's Witnesses report having 30,000 active members. Protestants including Evangelicals stand at about 30,000. Free Apostolic Church of Pentecost and other Pentecostals denominations are about 12,000. Mormons can also be found with 420 followers, and Scientologists with 500 followers. The ancient Greek religion has also reappeared, with approximately 2,000 adherents, comprising 0.02% of the general population. Some of these Greek religionists have made claims that they are not reconstructionists but are just people coming out of the closet.

In the Eurostat - Eurobarometer poll of 2005, 81% of Greek citizens responded that they believe there is a God, whereas 16% answered that they believe there is some sort of spirit or life force, and 3% that they do not believe there is a God, spirit, nor life force. Greece's percentage of respondents asserting that they believe there is a God was the third highest among EU members behind Malta and Cyprus.

Education

Compulsory education in Greece comprises primary schools (Δημοτικό Σχολείο, Dimotikó Scholeio) and gymnasium (Γυμνάσιο). Nursery schools (Παιδικός σταθμός, Paidikós Stathmós) are popular but not compulsory. Kindergartens (Νηπιαγωγείο, Nipiagogeío) are now compulsory for any child above 4 years of age. Children start primary school aged 6 and remain there for six years.Attendance at gymnasia starts at age 12 and last for three years. Greece's post-compulsory secondary education consists of two school types: unified upper secondary schools (Ενιαίο Λύκειο, Eniaia Lykeia) and technical-vocational educational schools (Τεχνικά και Επαγγελματικά Εκπαιδευτήρια, "TEE"). Post-compulsory secondary education also includes vocational training institutes (Ινστιτούτα Επαγγελματικής Κατάρτισης, "IEK") which provide a formal but unclassified level of education. As they can accept both Gymnasio (lower secondary school) and Lykeio (upper secondary school) graduates, these institutes are not classified as offering a particular level of education. The Programme for International Student Assessment, coordinated by the OECD, currently ranks the Greek secondary education as the 38th in the world, being significantly below the OECD average.

Public higher education is divided into universities, "Highest Educational Institutions" (Ανώτατα Εκπαιδευτικά Ιδρύματα, Anótata Ekpaideytiká Idrýmata, "ΑΕΙ") and "Highest Technological Educational Institutions" (Ανώτατα Τεχνολογικά Εκπαιδευτικά Ιδρύματα, Anótata Technologiká Ekpaideytiká Idrýmata, "ATEI"). Students are admitted to these Institutes according to their performance at national level examinations taking place after completion of the third grade of Lykeio. Additionally, students over twenty-two years old may be admitted to the Hellenic Open University through a form of lottery. The Capodistrian university of Athens is the oldest university in the eastern Mediterranean

The Greek education system also provides special kindergartens, primary and secondary schools for people with special needs or difficulties in learning. Specialist gymnasia and high schools offering musical, theological and physical education also exist.

Some of the main universities in Greece include:

National and Capodistrian University of Athens • National Technical University of Athens  • University of Piraeus • Agricultural University of Athens  • University of Macedonia (in Thessaloniki)  • University of Crete  • Technical University of Crete  • Athens University of Economics and Business  • Aristotle University of Thessaloniki  • University of the Aegean (across the Aegean Islands)  • Democritus University of Thrace  • University of Ioannina  • University of Thessaly  • Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences  • University of Patras  • Charokopeio University of Athens • Ionian University (across the Ionian Islands)

Culture

A range of domestically and internationally known composers and performers across the musical spectrum have found success in modern Greece, while traditional Greek music is noted as a mixture of influences from indigenous culture with those of west and east. Turkish and Ottoman elements can be most clearly heard in the traditional songs, dhimotiká, as well as the modern bluesy rembétika music. The best-known Greek musical instrument is the bouzouki. "Bouzouki" is a descriptive Turkish name, but the instrument itself is in fact of Greek rather than Turkish origin. It derives from the ancient Greek lute known as the pandoura, a kind of guitar, clearly visible in ancient statues, especially female figurines of the "Tanagraies" playing cord instruments.

Famous present-day Greek musicians include the central figure of 20th century European modernism Iannis Xenakis, a composer, architect and theorist. Maria Callas, Mikis Theodorakis, Dimitris Mitropoulos, Manos Hadjidakis, and Vangelis also lead twentieth-century Greek contributions, alongside Nikos Skalkottas, Demis Roussos, Nana Mouskouri, Rotting Christ and Anna Vissi.

Cuisine

Greek cuisine is often cited as an example of the healthy Mediterranean diet. The cuisine of Greece has influences from Italian, Balkan and Middle Eastern cuisine. Greek cuisine incorporates fresh ingredients into a variety of local dishes such as moussaka, stifado and spanakopita. Throughout Greece people often enjoy eating from small dishes such as meze with various dips such as tzatziki, grilled octopus and small fish, feta cheese, dolmades (rice, currants and pine kernels wrapped in vine leaves), various pulses, olives and cheese. Olive oil is added to almost every dish. Sweet desserts such as galaktoboureko, and drinks such as ouzo, metaxa and a variety of wines including retsina.

It must be noted however, that Greek cuisine difers widely from different parts of the mainland and from Island to Island. Cyprus in particular, has many delicacies that are native to it alone, such as grilled Halloumi and Louvi.

Sports

The Greek national football team is the reigning UEFA European Champions having won the EURO 2004. They are as of February 2008 ranked 10th in the world, and have recently qualified for Euro 2008 to defend their crown. The Greek Super League is the highest professional football league in the country comprising of 16 teams.The most known football clubs are Olympiacos, Panathinaikos, AEK Athens and PAOK. The men's Greek national basketball team has a decades-long tradition of excellence in the sport. Greece is generally considered an important power in international basketball and the national team is regarded as one of the best in the world. They are as of January 2008 ranked 6th in the world. They have won the European Championship twice (1987 & 2005), and have reached the final four in three of the last four FIBA World Championships (1994, 1998, 2006) taking second place in 2006. The domestic Greek basketball league, A1 Ethniki is composed of fourteen teams. The most successful Greek teams are Panathinaikos, Aris Salonica, Olympiacos, AEK Athens and PAOK.

Cricket, Handball, and Volleyball are also practiced in Greece with the first being particularly popular in Corfu due to its long connections with the British.

As the birth place of the Olympic Games, Greece was most recently host of 2004 Summer Olympics and the first modern Olympics in 1896.

Armed forces

The Hellenic Armed Forces are overseen by the Hellenic National Defense General Staff (Γενικό Επιτελείο Εθνικής Άμυνας - ΓΕΕΘΑ) and consists of three branches:

• Hellenic Army
• Hellenic Navy
• Hellenic Air Force

The civilian authority for the Greek military is the Ministry of National Defence.

Greece currently has universal compulsory military service for males while females (who may serve in the military) are exempted from conscription.

As a member of NATO, the Greek military participates in exercises and deployments under the auspices of the alliance.

International Rankings

See also

Template:Topics in Greece

Notes

1. Eurostat
2. National Statistical Service of Greece: Population census of March 18, 2001: Πίνακας 1. Πληθυσμός κατά φύλο και ηλικία
3. "World Factbook - Greece: Government". CIA. www.cia.gov. 2007-03-15. Retrieved 2007-04-07.
4. Sir Steven Runciman, Conclusion, The Fall of Constantinople
5. "Greece." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2006. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 6 Sept. 2006 <http://search.eb.com/eb/article-9106266>.
6. Finley, M. I. Democracy Ancient and Modern. 2d ed., 1985. London: Hogarth.
7. History of Philosophy, Volume 1 by Frederick Copleston
8. Brockett, Oscar G. History of the Theatre. sixth ed., 1991. Boston; London: Allyn and Bacon.
9. "Member States of the EU: Greece". European Union. europa.eu. Retrieved 2007-04-07.
10. "Convention on the OECD". Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. www.oecd.org. Retrieved 2007-04-07.
11. ^ "Greece becomes 16th ESA Member State". European Space Agency. www.esa.int. 2005-03-22. Retrieved 2007-04-07.
12. Mazower, Mark. After the War was Over
13. ^ The Constitution of Greece: Article 1
14. The Constitution of Greece: Article 30
15. ^ K. Mavrias, Constitutional Law, 477-478
16. P.D. Dagtoglou, Individual Rights, I, 21
    * E. Venizelos, The "Acquis" of the Constitutional Revision, 131-132, 165-172
17. The Constitution of Greece: Article 26
18. The Constitution of Greece: Article 37
19. K. Mavrias, Constitutional Law, 477-478, 486-487
20. The Constitution of Greece: Articles 51, 53
21. The Constitution of Greece: Article 42
22. The Constitution of Greece: Article 41
23. The Constitution of Greece: Article 84
24. ^ "Greece".
25. "Country Fact Sheets: Greece". UNDP. hdr.undp.org. Retrieved 2007-04-08.
26. "The Economist Intelligence Unit's quality-of-life index (2005)" (PDF). The Economist. www.economist.com. Retrieved 2007-04-08.
27. "IMF World Economic Outlook, October 2007". International Monetary Fund. www.imf.org. 2007-10. Retrieved 2007-10-18. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
28. ELKE Hellenic Center for Investment - Economic Stability
29. ^ Polemis, Spyros M. "The History of Greek Shipping". www.greece.org. Retrieved 2007-04-09.
30. "Greek shipping is modernized to remain a global leader and expand its contribution to the Greek economy". National Bank of Greece. www.nbg.gr. 2006-05-11. Retrieved 2007-04-08.
31. ^ Engber, Daniel (2005-08-17). "So Many Greek Shipping Magnates..." Slate. Washington Post/slate.msn.com. Retrieved 2007-04-09.
32. ^ "Top 20 Ranking of World Merchant Fleet by Country of Owner as of January 1, 2001a". Bureau of Transportation Statistics. www.bts.gov. 2001. Retrieved 2007-04-08.
33. ^ "Greece in Numbers" (PDF). National Statistical Service of Greece. www.statistis.gr. 2006. Retrieved 2007-12-14.
34. ^ "Athena 2001 Census". National Statistical Service of Greece. www.statistics.gr. Retrieved 2007-12-14.
35. See Ethnologue (); Euromosaic, Le (slavo)macédonien / bulgare en Grèce, L'arvanite / albanais en Grèce, Le valaque/aromoune-aroumane en Grèce, and Mercator-Education: European Network for Regional or Minority Languages and Education, The Turkish language in education in Greece. cf. also P. Trudgill, "Greece and European Turkey: From Religious to Linguistic Identity", in S Barbour, C Carmichael (eds.), Language and nationalism in Europe, Oxford University Press 2000.
36. Ethnologue, Joseph (1999)
37. (see The Guardian May 12) Source : Peter Trudgill / Daniel Schreier, Greece and Cyprus / Griechenlandc und Zypern Ammon, Ulrich(Editor). Sociolinguistics. Berlin, , DEU: Mouton de Gruyter (A Division of Walter de Gruyter & Co. KG Publishers), 2006. p 153. Copyright © 2006. Mouton de Gruyter (A Division of Walter de Gruyter & Co. KG Publishers)
38. P. Trudgill, "Greece and European Turkey: From Religious to Linguistic Identity", in S Barbour, C Carmichael (eds.), Language and nationalism in Europe, Oxford University Press 2000.
39. ^ "International Religious Freedom Report 2006: Greece". US Dept. of State/Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. www.state.gov. 2006-09-15. Retrieved 2007-04-14.
40. ^ "Executive Summary Discrimination on the grounds of religion and belief GREECE" (PDF). Dr Ioannis Ktistakis & Dr Nicholas Sitaropoulos. ec.europa.eu. 2004-06-22. Retrieved 2007-04-14.
41. Εκκλησία, Official Gazette of the Church of Greece, October 2006, page 737
42. Synod of Apostolic Church of Christ
43. CNN, http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/01/21/ancient.gods.ap/index.html
44. US Department of State, http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2006/71383.htm
45. http://www.superfectafilms.com/
46. ^ "Eurobarometer: Social values, science, and technology" (PDF). Eurobarometer. europa.eu.int. 2005-06. Retrieved 2007-04-14. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
47. McNulty, Phil (2004-07-04). "Greece win Euro 2004". BBC News. news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2007-05-07.
48. "FIFA World Rankings". FIFA. www.fifa.com. April 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-07.
49. Greece Fiba Ranking
50. Wilkinson, Simon (2005-09-26). "Greece tops Germany for Euro Title". ESPN. sports.espn.go.com. Retrieved 2007-05-07.
51. "Human Development Report 2006". United Nations Development Program. hdr.undp.org. 2006. Retrieved 2007-04-10.
52. ^ "Greece: Human Development Index Trends". United Nations Development Program. hdr.undp.org. Retrieved 2007-04-28.
53. "Gross domestic product per capita, current prices". International Monetary Fund. Retrieved 2007-05-04.
54. "Worldwide Quality of Life - 2005" (PDF). The Economist. www.economist.com. 2005. Retrieved 2007-04-10.
55. "Index of Economic Freedom". Heritage Foundation & The WSJ. www.heritage.org. 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-10.
56. "North Korea, Turkmenistan, Eritrea the worst violators of press freedom". Reporters Without Borders. www.rsf.org. 2006. Retrieved 2007-04-10.
57. "North Korea, Eritrea and Turkmenistan are the world's "black holes" for news". Reporters without Borders. www.ref.org. 2005. Retrieved 2007-04-28.
58. "East Asia and Middle East have worst press freedom records". Reporters without Borders. www.ref.org. 2004. Retrieved 2007-04-28.
59. "CPI Table". Transparency International. www.transparency.org. 2006. Retrieved 2007-04-10.
60. "Transparency International's Annual Report 2005" (PDF). Transparency International. www.transparency.org. 2005. Retrieved 2007-04-28.
61. "Transparency International's Annual Report 2004" (PDF). 2004. Retrieved 2006-04-28.
62. "Global Competitiveness Report 2006-2007" (PDF). World Economic Forum. www.weforum.org. 2006. Retrieved 2007-04-10.
63. "Environmental Sustainability Index" (PDF). Yale and Columbia University. www.yale.edu. 2005. Retrieved 2007-04-27.
64. "Labor Statistics: Strikes by Country". Nation Master. www.nationmaster.com. Retrieved 2007-04-27.
65. "A.T. Kearney/Foreign Policy Globalization Index 2006" (PDF). A.T. Kearney/FOREIGN POLICY. www.atkearney.com. 2006. Retrieved 2007-04-27.
66. "A.T. Kearney/Foreign Policy Magazine Globalization Index 2005" (PDF). A.T. Kearney/FOREIGN POLICY. www.atkearney.com. 2005. Retrieved 2007-04-27.
67. "A.T. Kearney/Foreign Policy Magazine Globalization Index 2004" (PDF). A.T. Kearney/FOREIGN POLICY. www.atkearney.com. 2004. Retrieved 2007-04-27.

References

• Dagtoglou, P.D. (1991). "Protection of Individual Rights". Constitutional Law — Individual Rights — Volume I (in Greek). Athens-Komotini: Ant. N. Sakkoulas Publishers.
• Mavrias, Kostas G. (2002). Constitutional Law (in Greek). Athens: Ant. N. Sakkoulas Publishers. ISBN 9-60150-663-2.
• The Constitution of Greece (PDF). Athens: Hellenic Parliament. 2004. ISBN 9-605-60073-0. Retrieved 2007-09-20. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
• Venizelos, Evangelos (2002). "The Contribution of the Revision of 2001". The "Acquis" of the Constitutional Revision (in Greek). Athens: Ant. N. Sakkoulas Publishers. ISBN 9-60150-617-9.

Further reading

• Richard Clogg, A Concise History of Greece, Second Edition, Cambridge University Press 2002.
• Minorities in Greece - historical issues and new perspectives. History and Culture of South Eastern Europe. An Annual Journal. München (Slavica) 2003.

External links

Government

• President of the Hellenic Republic
• Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic
• Hellenic Parliament
• Greek News Agenda Newsletter
• Greece — information and links related to Greece from the ministry of foreign affairs
• Greek missions abroad (embassies, consulates, representations)
• Foreign missions in Greece
• Greek National Tourism Organisation
• National Statistical Service of Greece

Other

• National Geographic: Greece
• Encyclopaedia Britannica - Greece's country page
• Hellenic History
• The Greek Heritage
• Open Directory Project: Greece
• Chronology of Greece from the World History Database
• History of Greece: Primary Documents
• Greek Council for Refugees

Template:Ancient Greece

Greece in the European Union
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• Greece
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