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GREECE
Map of GREECE
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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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Area:
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total: 131,940 sq km
land: 130,800 sq km
water: 1,140 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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Population:
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10,722,816 (July 2008 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 14.3% (male 789,137/female 742,469)
15-64 years: 66.6% (male 3,568,101/female 3,575,572)
65 years and over: 19.1% (male 898,337/female 1,149,200) (2008 est.) |
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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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Country name:
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conventional long form: Hellenic Republic
conventional short form: Greece
local long form: Elliniki Dhimokratia
local short form: Ellas or Ellada
former: Kingdom of Greece |
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Government type:
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parliamentary republic |
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Capital:
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name: Athens
geographic coordinates: 37 59 N, 23 44 E
time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October |
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Administrative divisions:
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51 prefectures (nomoi, singular - nomos) and 1 autonomous region*; Achaia, Agion Oros* (Mt. Athos), Aitolia kai Akarnania, 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 |
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Independence:
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1829 (from the Ottoman Empire) |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day, 25 March (1821)
Source: http://cia.gov
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