Background:
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| Greece achieved 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 supporters of the king and Communist rebels. Following the latter's defeat in 1949, Greece joined 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. In 1981, Greece joined the EC (now the EU); it became the 12th member of the European Economic and Monetary Union in 2001. |
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Location:
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| Southern Europe, bordering the Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea, between Albania and Turkey
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Geographic coordinates:
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39 00 N, 22 00 E
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Map references:
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Area:
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total: 131,957 sq km
country comparison to the world: 103
land:
130,647 sq km
water:
1,310 sq km
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than Alabama
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Land boundaries:
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total: 1,228 km
border countries:
Albania 282 km, Bulgaria 494 km, Turkey 206 km, Macedonia 246 km
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Coastline:
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13,676 km
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
continental shelf:
200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation
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Climate:
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temperate; mild, wet winters; hot, dry summers
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Terrain:
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mostly mountains with ranges extending into the sea as peninsulas or chains of islands
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point:
Mount Olympus 2,917 m
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Natural resources:
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lignite, petroleum, iron ore, bauxite, lead, zinc, nickel, magnesite, marble, salt, hydropower potential
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Land use:
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arable land: 20.45%
permanent crops:
8.59%
other:
70.96% (2005)
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Irrigated land:
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14,530 sq km (2003)
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Total renewable water resources:
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72 cu km (2005)
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Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
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total: 8.7 cu km/yr (16%/3%/81%)
per capita:
782 cu m/yr (1997)
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Natural hazards:
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severe earthquakes
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Environment - current issues:
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air pollution; water pollution
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: 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
signed, but not ratified:
Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds
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Geography - note:
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strategic location dominating the Aegean Sea and southern approach to Turkish Straits; a peninsular country, possessing an archipelago of about 2,000 islands |
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Population:
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| 10,737,428 (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 75
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 14.3% (male 788,722/female 742,270)
15-64 years:
66.6% (male 3,568,660/female 3,578,344)
65 years and over:
19.2% (male 902,617/female 1,156,815) (2009 est.)
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Median age:
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total: 41.8 years
male:
40.7 years
female:
42.9 years (2009 est.)
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Population growth rate:
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0.127% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 188
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Birth rate:
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9.45 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 207
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Death rate:
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10.51 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 57
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Net migration rate:
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2.33 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 38
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Urbanization:
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urban population: 61% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization:
0.6% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
1 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.78 male(s)/female
total population:
0.96 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 5.16 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 187
male:
5.68 deaths/1,000 live births
female:
4.62 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 79.66 years
country comparison to the world: 26
male:
77.11 years
female:
82.37 years (2009 est.)
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Total fertility rate:
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1.37 children born/woman (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 200
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.2% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 101
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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11,000 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 99
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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fewer than 100 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 146
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Nationality:
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noun: Greek(s)
adjective:
Greek
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Ethnic groups:
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population: Greek 93%, other (foreign citizens) 7% (2001 census)
note:
percents represent citizenship, since Greece does not collect data on ethnicity
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Religions:
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Greek Orthodox 98%, Muslim 1.3%, other 0.7%
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Languages:
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Greek 99% (official), other 1% (includes English and French)
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population:
96%
male:
97.8%
female:
94.2% (2001 census)
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School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
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total: 17 years
male:
17 years
female:
17 years (2006)
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Education expenditures:
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4.4% of GDP (2005)
country comparison to the world: 92
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