Greece
Hellenic Republic | |
|---|---|
| Motto: Ελευθερία ή Θάνατος (Transliteration: [Eleutheria i thanatos] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)) (Translation: "Freedom or Death") | |
| Anthem: Ύμνος εις την Ελευθερίαν ("Hymn to Freedom") | |
 | |
| Capital | Athens File:Ac.athensarms.jpg |
| Largest city | Athens |
| Official languages | Greek |
| Government | Parliamentary republic1 |
| Independence | |
• Water (%) | 0.86 |
| Population | |
• 2005 estimate | 11,244,118[1] (72nd) |
• 2001 census | 10,964,020 [2] |
| GDP (PPP) | 2005 estimate |
• Total | $242.8 billion (2005 official Eurostat data) (39th) |
• Per capita | $22,800 (2005 official Eurostat data) (30th) |
| HDI (2004) | 0.912 very high (24th) |
| Currency | Euro(€)2 (EUR) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Calling code | 30 |
| ISO 3166 code | GR |
| Internet TLD | .gr |
1 Monarchy rejected by referendum December 8th, 1974.
2 Prior to 2001: Greek Drachma. | |
Greece, (Greek: Ελλάδα, [Elláda] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help) (IPA: [e̞ˈlaða]), or Ελλάς, [Ellás] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help) (IPA: [e̞ˈlas])), officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία, [Ellinikí Dimokratía] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)), is a country in southern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkan peninsula. It is bordered by Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia and Albania to the north and by Turkey to the east. The Aegean Sea lies to the east of mainland Greece while the Ionian Sea lies to the west. Both, parts of the eastern Mediterranean basin, feature a vast number of islands.
Regarded as the cradle of western civilization and being the birthplace of democracy, philosophy, the Olympic Games and of the arts and drama including both tragedy and comedy, Greece has a very long and remarkably rich history during which its culture has proven to be especially influential in Europe, Northern Africa and the Middle East. Today, Greece is a developed nation, member of the European Union since 1981 and a member of the Eurozone since 2001.
Name
The historical name of Greece in Greek is Ἑλλάς [Ellás] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help) /ɛˈlas/. This name is also written as Hellas in English, following the ancient Greek pronunciation /hɛˈl:as/. In Modern Greek, it is more commonly called Ελλάδα [Elládha] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help) /ɛˈlaða/.
In most European languages, however, the name of Greece comes from the ancient root Γραικός [Graikós] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help) (via Latin [Graecus] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)): English Greece, French [Grèce] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help), German [Griechenland] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help), Portuguese [Grécia] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help), Spanish [Grecia] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help), etc. In most Middle Eastern and Eastern languages, it comes from the root Ἰωνία [Iōnía] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help): Turkish [Yunanistan] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help), Arabic يونان (Yunan), Hebrew יוון (Yavan). In only a few languages is the "Hellas" root the basis of the local name: Norwegian [Hellas] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help), Chinese 希臘 (Mandarin: Xīlà, Cantonese: Hei-laap).
Politics
The 1975 constitution includes extensive specific guarantees of civil liberties. The President of the Republic, elected by an increased majority of the Parliament for a term of five years, is nominally the Head of State.
However, it is the Prime Minister and cabinet, as well as the Vouli (parliament) that play the central role in the political process, while the president performs limited governmental functions, in addition to ceremonial duties.
Greeks elect the 300 members of the country's unicameral parliament (the [Vouli ton Ellinon] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)) by secret ballot for a maximum of four years, but elections can occur at more frequent intervals. Greece uses a complex reinforced proportional representation electoral system which discourages splinter parties and ensures that the party which leads in the national vote will win a majority of seats. A party must receive 3% minimum of the total national vote to gain representation. Typically, a 41%+ is sufficient to guarantee the rule by a single party.
Greek parliamentary politics hinge upon the principle of the "[dedilomeni] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)", the "declared confidence" of Parliament to the Prime Minister and his/her administration. This means that the President of the Republic is bound to appoint as Prime Minister a person who will be approved by a majority of the Parilament's members (i.e. 151 votes). With the current electoral system, it is the leader of the party gaining a plurality of the votes in the Parliamentary elections who gets appointed Prime Minister. An administration may, at any time, seek a "vote of confidence"; conversely, a number of Members of Parilament may ask that a "vote of reproach" be taken. Both are rare occurrences with usually predictable outcomes as voting outside the party line happens very seldom.
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 11 years. Karamanlis took over Government from Kostas Simitis, who was in office since January 1996.
Peripheries and prefectures
Peripheries
Greece consists of 13 administrative regions known as peripheries, which subdivide further into the 51 prefectures ([nomoi] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help), singular — [nomos] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)). For more detailed maps of the peripheries and/or prefectures, see the Peripheries of Greece or Prefectures of Greece articles.
Autonomous region
Beyond these one autonomous region exists: Mount Athos ([Agio Oros] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help) — Holy Mountain) in Macedonia, a monastic state under Greek sovereignty.
Prefectures
The 51 [nomoi] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help) subdivide into 147 [eparchies] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help) (singular [eparchia] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)), which contain 1,033 municipalities and communities: 900 urban municipalities ([demoi] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)) and 133 rural communities ([koinotetes] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)). Before 1999, Greece's local government structure featured 5,775 local authorities: 457 [demoi] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help) and 5,318 [koinotetes] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help), subdivided into 12,817 localities ([oikismoi] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)).
Geography
Greece consists of a large mainland 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 3,000), including Crete, Rhodes, Kos, Euboea, the Dodecanese and the Cycladic groups of the Aegean Sea as well as the Ionian Sea islands. Greece has more than 15,000 kilometres (9,300 mi) of coastline and a land boundary of 1,160 kilometres (721 mi). Approximately 27.9% of the nation's territory is covered by forests.[3]
Four fifths of Greece consist of mountains or hills, making the country one of the most montainous 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 metres (8,648 ft) and it is essentially a prolongation of the Dinaric Alps. The range continues through 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. (Actually the islands of the Aegean are peaks of underwater mountains that once consisted 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 hundrends of thousands of tourists who visit the area each year. Special lifts transfer visitors to the scenic monasteries that lye on top of those rocks. Meteora are situated in the Trikala prefecture. The Vikos-Aoos Gorge is yet another spectacular formation. The Vicos-Aoos Gorge is a popular hotspot for those in fond of extreme sports.
Mount Olympus is the tallest mountain in the country, located in the northern Pieria prefecture, near Thessaloniki. Mytikas in Olympus range has a height of 2,919 metres (9,570 ft) at its tallest peak. Once considered the throne of the Gods, it is today extremely popular among hikers and climbers who deem its height as a challenge. Moreover, northeastern Greece features yet another high altitude mountain range, the Rhodope range, spreading across the prefectures of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace; this area is covered with vast, thick, ancient forests including the famous Dadia.
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. Volos and Larissa are the two largest cities of Thessaly.
Greece's climate consists of three types that influence well defined regions of its territory. Those are the Mediterranean, the Alpine and the Temperate types. The first one features mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers. The Cyclades, the Dodecanese, Crete, Eastern Peloponessus and parts of the Sterea Ellada refion are mostly affected by this particular type. Temperatures rarely reach extreme values although snowfalls do occur occasionally even in the Cyclades or Crete during the winter months. The Alpine type is dominant mainly in Western Greece (Epirus, Central Greece, Thessaly, Western Macedonia as well as in the western and central parts of Peloponessus, including the prefectures of Achaea, Arkadia and parts of Lakonia, where the Pindus range passes by). Finally the Temperate type affects both Central and Eastern Macedonia as well as Thrace, mainly affecting the cities of Komotini, Xanthi and the towns of northern Evros; it features cold, damp winters and hot, dry summers. Athens is located in a transitional area featuring both the Mediterranean and the Alpine types. The city's northern suburbs are dominated by the Alpine type while the downtown area and the southern suburbs enjoy a typical Meditteranean type.
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.
Economy
Greece has a mixed capitalist economy with the public sector accounting for about 40% of the GDP. The Greek tourism industry remains thriving and its contribution in the GDP growth is considered important for foreign exchange earnings. Greece is a global leader in shipping (ranking first in terms of ownership of vessels and third by tonnage and flag registration) [4]. Exports of manufactured goods including telecommunications hardware and software, agricultural products and other foodstuff and fuels account for a significant part of Greek income.
The country is the largest investor in southeastern Europe as far as the previous sectors are concerned. After the end of the Greek Civil War in 1949 and for more than two decades Greece achieved the second highest economic growth rate in the world after Japan, resulting in a dramatic improvement of living standards (the "Greek economic miracle"). Since Greece became a full member of the European Union, on January 1, 1981, it has benefited from cohesion funds, along with Portugal, Spain and Ireland. Those funds have proven particularly helpful to the nation's economic development since the 1980s. Starting in 1989, Greece joined the ranks of (22 at that time) "developed countries".
The country enjoys a high standard of living, ranking 24th on the 2005 Human Development Index and 22nd on The Economist's 2005 world-wide quality-of-life index[5]. Average per capita income in 2005 was estimated at $22,800 [6] or 85% of the EU average in PPS (Purchasing Power Standards). Greek Economy has seen uninterrupted strong growth since 1992 and above the EU average continuously since 1994. Part of the Greek economy's impressive growth is attributed to the fact that the previous government tightened fiscal policy regulations in the run-up to the country's entry into the Eurozone, set on January 1, 2001(Greek euro coins). Also liberalisation of domestic markets, a modernised banking system, as well as massive investment ahead of the 2004 Olympic Games, have fueled the economy even further. With the collapse of communism in the early 1990s, Greece has seen a huge influx of foreign labour force, mainly from neighbouring Albania, but also from Pakistan and Eastern Europe.
Today the country is dealing with various challenges, including the reduction of unemployment which currently stands at 9.6%, the reform of the social security system, the partial privatization of the public sector, the overhauling of the tax system and the further reduction of bureaucratic inefficiencies. Forecasts predict that 2006 will be yet another year of substantial economic growth, estimated to reach 2.9%, which is above the European Union's average. The reduction of the fiscal deficit to the Eurozone target of 3% of GDP has also become a key issue. Shortly after its election, the new conservative New Democracy government revealed to the Eurostat agency that the previous figures supplied to it by the PASOK government as the basis of the Greek entry into the Eurozone were not correct (although even according to the "corrected" numbers, when calculated with the methodology still in force at the time of the Greek application for entry, the country had actually met the criteria for entry into the Eurozone). Under a negotiated agreement, the EU gave Greece a two year deadline (budgets of 2005 and 2006) in order to bring the deficit in line with the criteria of the European stability pact. In 2005, the new government managed to reduce the fiscal deficit by almost two percentage points and the goal of reaching the 3% target by the end of 2006 seems realistic.
The Bank of Greece, now a subsidiary of the European Central Bank, functions as the nation's central bank. This bank is not the same as the "National Bank of Greece", the country's largest commercial bank.
The 2006 Economic Agenda of the Greek government includes the privatization of several state owned companies as well as the creation of a new national airline that will replace Olympic Airlines.
Tourism
Greece has traditionally been one of the most popular tourist destinations on a global basis and each year, particularly in the summer months, the nation's numerous cosmopolitan islands get crammed by millions of international visitors. Unparalleled natural beauties, golden beaches, idyllic sunsets, a legendary nightlife and the world famous Greek cuisine combined with a unique hospitality and an impressively developing tourism infrastracture make Greece an irresistible hotspot for many. The spectacular success of the 2004 Olympic Games boosted the country's international prestige even further and reaffirmed its status as one of the safest places to be. In 2004, Greece ranked 12th in terms of international tourist arrivals when more than 14.2 million visitors came to the country, many of which combining both vacations and attendance of Olympic athletic events. In 2005, however, those numbers increased by 14%, surpassing 16.1 million arrivals. In 2006, those figures are only expected to grow bigger.
The New Democracy government, that took power in March 2004, established a brand new Ministry of Tourism headed by Mr. Dimitris Avramopoulos. Mr. Avramopoulos proved to be a particularly competent man, determined to massively promote the nation to new, emerging markets in addition to the traditional ones, through various means of communication. For instance and among other initiatives, Helena Paparizou, the winner of the 2005 Eurovision Song Contest was designated as the official ambassador of the Hellenic Tourism Organization. An interesting fact that is attributed to all those efforts is that according to a survey conducted in China in 2005, Greece was voted as Chinese' people number one choice. On February 14, 2006, Ms Fani Palli- Petralia was appointed as the new minister of Tourism as a result of an extensive cabinet reshufle. Mr. Avramopoulos was appointed as the new Health Minister.
Overall, this year the Greek Ministry of Tourism plans to invest more than 38 million euros in the advertisement of the tourism industry, one of the most essential sectors of the Greek economy. That is 4 times more than the amount spent in 2002 by the previous government. What is more, the government intends to promote winter tourism in Greece, something that could potentially double international arrivals.
Apart from Athens, other top ranking tourist destinations include the islands of Mykonos, Santorini, Rhodes, Crete, Corfu, Paros, Ios, Kos, Kefallonia, Zakynthos and Hydra as well as the northern Halkidiki peninsula.
Demographics
The population of Greece is (officially) 98% Greek[7] note: the Greek Government states there are no ethnic divisions in Greece[8], although Greece has various linguistic and cultural minorities. A non-comprehensive list of these would include Turks, Macedonian Slavs, Pomaks, and various Roma groups. A number of religious minorities exist, including the Muslim minority in western Thrace, which makes up about a third of that region's population.
About 60–65% of Greek immigrants have come from Albania (following the fall of communism) although some 200.000 have been documented as ethnic Greeks or [homogeneis] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help). The other principal nationalities are, according to residence permit data, Bulgarians, Armenians, Romanians, Ukrainians, Pakistanis and Georgians; overall, over 180 different nationalities have been recorded. The legal status of immigrants has been very tenuous since the 1990s (as throughout the European Union), with high levels of illegality. Since 1997 three legalization programmes were enacted by the Greek state [a fourth went through in 2005].
Several prominent Greek sportsmen migrated to Greece as ethnic Greeks from Albania and Georgia in the 1990s, including legendary weightlifters Pyrros Dimas and Kakhi Kakhiashvili.
Religion
The majority of Greek citizens (95–98%) have at least nominal membership in the Greek Orthodox Church. Greek Muslims make up about 1.3% of the population, and live primarily in Thrace. Greece also has some Roman Catholics, mainly in the city of Patras, Corfu, and the Cyclades islands of Syros, Paros, Tinos, and Naxos; some Protestants and some Jews, mainly in Thessaloniki (which had a major Jewish population until the Holocaust). Some groups in Greece have started an attempt to reconstruct Hellenic polytheism, the ancient Greek pagan religion. See also: Greek Orthodox Church.
Prior to Ottoman rule, Greece was part of the Byzantine Empire. The civil and religious capital of the Empire was moved to Constantinople (modern day Istanbul) by Constantine I. Since Constantine’s time the Orthodox Christian faith has flourished and spread throughout Eastern Europe. Even under Turkish rule and repeated attempts at prosyletization — firstly by the Jesuits and then by the Protestants — Orthodox Christianity survived and flourished.
The Greek Constitution reflects this relationship by guaranteeing absolute freedom of religion while still defining the "prevailing religion" of Greece as the Eastern Orthodox Church of Christ. Notwithstanding the constitutional guarantee, in modern day Greece, the ancient beliefs are not given equal rights to other religions and followers are often afraid to show their religion openly. [1]
According to Greek Law No 1363/38, with amendment Law No. 1672/39: "Anyone engaging in proselytism shall be liable to imprisonment and a fine between 1,000 and 50,000 drachmas; he shall, moreover be subject to police supervision for a period of between six months and one year to be fixed by the court when convicting the offender." The second law requires anybody that is not an Orthodox Christian to obtain a "church license" from both the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs and the local Orthodox bishops, but only the Orthodox Church, Judaism and Islam are recognized as "legal persons of public law". According to a press release from The Supreme Council of Gentile Hellenes there have been threats against the life of its members and a bookstore burning [2].
The Greek Society of Attic Friends, who claim 40,000 members, have been unsuccessful when they asked for recognition as a legal religion and were denied the right to build a temple in Athens. [3] In May of 2006, the Courts have finally ruled to reverse the ban on the formerly disallowed religion, and formal recognition through parliament is expected to follow.
In practice, the Orthodox Church and the secular state are intimately involved with one another in certain areas. Joint approval is needed for the building of churches and the Church has even blocked the building of places of worship for other religions in Athens. Priests receive state salaries. The President of the Republic takes an oath on the Bible and Orthodox Christianity is given privileged place in religious studies in primary education. Non Greek Orthodox members of parliament are sworn in accordance to their own faith. The Church has also been allowed to keep its large portfolio of financial assets exempt from taxation and fiscal auditing. The Church has been using its influence into strongarming the Greek state from allowing non-Christian orthodox subjects, such as muslims, from opening their own places of worship within any major metropolitan area.
Starting in January 2005, a series of highly publicised corruption scandals involving high rank church officials have led to many calls by secular Greeks for the complete separation of Church and State and greater control of Church assets.
One small part of Greece, Mount Athos, is recognised by the Greek constitution as an autonomous monastic republic, although foreign relations remain the prerogative of the Greek state.
Spiritually, Mount Athos is under the Patriarchate of Constantinople and is therefore in communion with all the monasteries on Mount Athos and with the Orthodox Church based in various countries. One monastery has recently broken away and has formed a completely independent schism on the Holy Mountain — Esphygmenou Monastery. Esphygmenou is composed of 117 Zealot monks who stubbornly oppose the head of the Church and do not commemorate him any more. They believe that they are the last remaining true Christians in the world and that Orthodoxy has been corrupted by having dialogue with other faiths. They also object to the lifting of the anathemas against the Roman Catholic Church in the 1960s by Patriarch Athenagoras.
Jews have been present in Greece for the last 2,000 years. The earliest reference to a Greek Jew is in an inscription, dated circa 300–250 BC found in Oropos, a small coastal town between Athens and Boeotia, and refers to him as "Moschos, son of Moschion the Jew" who was in all likelihood, a slave. The first Greek Jewish population became known as the Romaniotes and their language became known as Yevanic (from the Hebrew word for Greece: יון/Yavan). From the 16th century onwards, Salonica, a city in northern Greece, had one of the largest (mostly Sephardic by then) Jewish communities in the world and a solid rabbinical tradition. On the island of Crete, the Jews played an important part in the transport trade. During World War II, when Greece was occupied by Nazi Germany, 86% of the Greek Jews were murdered by the invading Axis and only a minority survived and most of them have emigrated to Israel. Greece's Jewish community today is estimated at 4,500.
According to the most recent Eurostat "Eurobarometer" poll, in 2005 [1], 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 only 3% that "they do not believe there is a God, spirit, nor life force". This would make Greece one of the most religious countries in the European Union of 25 members, after Malta and Cyprus.
Culture
Greece has a particularly rich culture and it has produced a vast number of contributions to philosophy, astronomy, science, and the arts.
Notes
See also
- List of cities in Greece
- Classics
- Greek products
- Education in Greece
- List of Greek dances
- List of museums in Greece
- Greek National Holidays
- List of research institutes in Greece
- List of universities in Greece
- Agriculture in Greece
- History of Greece
- Greek products
- Greek Language
- Communications in Greece
- Greek newspapers
- Transportation in Greece
- Foreign relations of Greece
- Military of Greece
- Postage stamps and postal history of Greece
- Conscription in Greece
- Plateia Syntagmatos and Vouli ton Ellinon
- Greeks
- List of Greeks
- Greek American
- List of Greek-Americans
- Greek Canadians
- Greek Australian
- Hellenic National Intelligence Service
- National Statistical Service of Greece
- Soma Hellinon Proskopon
External links
Definitions from Wiktionary
Media from Commons
News from Wikinews
Quotations from Wikiquote
Texts from Wikisource
Textbooks from Wikibooks
Resources from Wikiversity
- Official Greek Tourist Organisation site
- Official Greek Statistics Site
- President of the Hellenic Republic
- Prime Minister of Greece
- Hellenic Parliament
- Open Directory Project: Greece
Member states of the European Union | ||
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