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Greece
Official name: Ellinikí Dhimokratía (Hellenic
Republic).
Form of government: unitary multiparty republic
with one legislative house (Hellenic Parliament
[300]).
Head of state: President Prokopis Pavlopoulos.
Head of government: Prime Minister Alexis
Tsipras.
Capital: Athens.
Official language: Greek.
Official religion: 1.
Monetary unit: euro (>); valuation (Sept. 1,
2015) 1 U.S.$ = >0.89; 1 £ = >1.36.
H
aving been elected prime minister of Greece on
Jan. 25, 2015, on an anti-austerity platform, Alexis
Demography
Tsipras, of the left-leaning Syriza party, took his
Population (2015): 10,943,000.
country on a rollercoaster ride through the world of interDensity (2015): persons per sq mi
national finance and diplomacy during the year. When his
214.6, persons per sq km 82.9.
efforts to renegotiate Greece’s standing bailout agreeSex distribution (20132): male
ment with the “troika” (the IMF, the EU, and the
48.93%; female 51.07%.
European Central Bank) failed, Tsipras bent to debtors’
Population projection: (2020)
demands for policy reforms but not before putting those
10,897,000; (2030) 9,795,000.
proposed reforms to a national referendum on July 5. By
Major cities (2011): Athens 655,780
the middle of that month, with the Greek economy sput(urban agglomeration 3,168,036);
tering, Tsipras won a three-year >86 billion (about $95 bilThessaloníki 322,240 (urban
lion) bailout from the troika
and then in September was
Area and population
area
population
area
population
returned to office in snap par2008
2008
liamentary elections.
3
3
sq km
estimate
Regions
sq km
estimate
Regions
Insular
Aegean Islands
Crete
Ionian Islands
Mainland
Central Greece
and Euboea
9,122
8,336
2,307
506,483
606,274
228,572
21,010
772,766
Epirus
Greater Athens
Macedonia
Peloponnese
Thessaly
Thrace
TOTAL
9,203
3,808
34,178
21,379
14,037
8,578
131,9575
351,786
4,061,326
2,469,322
1,114,636
736,079
366,541
11,213,785
ENCYCLOPÆDIA
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agglomeration 806,396);
Pátrai 195,265; Piraeus
(Piraiévs) 163,9104; Irákleio
(Iráklion) 157,452.
Vital statistics
Birth rate per 1,000 population (2013): 8.6
(world avg. 19.5).
Death rate per 1,000
population (2013): 10.2
(world avg. 8.1).
Natural increase rate per
1,000 population
(2013): –1.6 (world avg.
11.4).
Life expectancy at birth
(2013): male 77.7 years;
female 82.5 years.
Age breakdown (2010):
Ethnic composition (2000)6:
Urban-rural (2014):
Religious affiliation (2005)7:
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© 2016 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
National economy
Budget (2010). Revenue: >89,900,000,000 (tax revenue 51.2%, of which
VAT 31.8%, income taxes 19.4%; social contribuStructure of gross domestic product and labour force
tions 33.0%; other revenue 15.8%). Expenditures:
2010
2009
>101,300,000,000 (social benefits 46.8%; wages and
in value
% of total
labour
% of labour
salaries 26.9%; goods and services 13.1%; interest
>’000,000
value
force
force
Agriculture, forestry, fishing
6,297
2.8
520,000
10.5
payments 12.4%).
Mining and quarrying
746
0.3
13,500
0.3
Public debt (consolidated, general; 2011):
Manufacturing
20,012
8.8
529,000
10.7
Construction
10,716
4.7
367,700
7.4
U.S.$355,617,000,000.
Public utilities
6,290
2.8
59,300
1.2
Transp. and commun.
24,945
11.0
293,000
5.9
Production (metric tons except as noted).
Trade, restaurants
38,820
17.1
1,116,900
22.6
Agriculture, forestry, fishing (2013): corn (maize)
Finance, real estate
45,098
19.8
429,100
8.7
Pub. admin., defense
18,381
8.1
372,800
7.5
2,185,000, olives 2,000,000, wheat 1,585,600, tomaServices
29,325
12.9
784,500
15.9
Other
26,6899
11.79
462,30010
9.310
toes 979,6008, grapes 978,2008, seed cotton 860,000,
TOTAL
227,3185
100.0
4,948,100
100.0
potatoes 829,400, oranges 791,6008, peaches and
nectarines 760,2008, sunflower seeds 336,600,
kiwifruit 161,4008, almonds 29,0008; livestock (number of live animals)
Foreign trade11
9,520,000 sheep, 4,250,000 goats, 1,340,000 beehives; roundwood
Imports (2013): U.S.$61,151,000,000 (crude petrole1,742,920 cu m, of which fuelwood 46%; fisheries production (2012)
um 26.3%, chemicals and chemical products
197,594 (from aquaculture 70%). Mining and quarrying (2012): baux11.6%, machinery and apparatus 9.7%, non-crude
ite 1,816,000; nickel (metal content) 18,632; marble 320,000 cu m.
petroleum 7.1%, pharmaceuticals 5.8%).
Manufacturing (value added in U.S.$’000,000; 2007): food products
Major import sources:
and beverages 4,689; cement, bricks, and ceramics 1,732; refined
petroleum products 1,490; chemicals and chemical products 1,431;
wearing apparel 823; textiles 639. Energy production (consumption):
electricity (kW-hr; 2013–14) 52,201,000,000 ([2011] 62,668,000,000), by
source (2012): fossil fuels 82.5%; renewable energy 17.5%, of which
hydroelectric 7.5%, wind 6.7%, solar 2.9%, biomass 0.4%; hard coal
(metric tons; 2011) none (380,000); lignite (metric tons; 2013–14)
52,300,000 ([2011] none); crude petroleum (barrels; 2013–14) 499,000
([2011] 119,000,000); petroleum products (metric tons; 2011)
17,582,000 (13,980,000); natural gas (cu m; 2011) 6,000,000 ([2012]
4,200,000,000).
Exports (2013): U.S.$36,259,000,000 (non-crude
Population economically active (2013): total 4,952,000; participation
petroleum 37.6%, machinery and apparatus 6.2%,
rates (2014): age 15 and over, male 60.1%; female 44.1%; unemployed
textiles 4.6%, aluminum 4.3%, pharmaceuticals
26.5%, of which youth (ages 15–24) 52.4%.
3.8%).
Average household size (2004): 3.1.
Major export destinations:
Gross national income (GNI; 2014): U.S.$242,002,000,000 (U.S.$22,090
per capita); purchasing power parity GNI (U.S.$26,130 per capita).
Land use as % of total land area (2009): in temporary crops or left fallow (2007) 19.8%, in permanent crops 8.9%, in pasture 34.9%, forest
area 30.0%.
Education and health
Literacy (2012): total population age 15 and over literate
97.4%; males literate 98.4%; females literate 96.4%.
Health: physicians (2012) 69,21512 (1 per 159 persons);
hospital beds (2011) 53,77312 (1 per 201 persons); infant
mortality rate per 1,000 live births (2013) 3.7; undernourished population (2006–08) less than 5% of total
population.
Communications
Medium
Telephones
Cellular
Landline
date
2014
2014
number
in ’000s
13,00013
5,219
units
per 1,000
persons
1,14913
469
Military
Total active duty personnel (November 2014):
144,950 (army 64.5%, navy 12.7%, air force
14.8%, joint staff 8.0%); reserve 216,650;
Greek troops in Cyprus (November 2014)
950; U.S. troops in Greece (November
2014) 380. Military expenditure as percentage of GDP (2014): 2.3%; per capita expenditure U.S.$523.
ENCYCLOPÆDIA
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Transport and communications
Medium
date
Internet users
Broadband
2009
2014
Transport. Railroads (2009): route length (2012) 1,587
mi, 2,554 km; passenger-km 1,413,000,000; metric
ton-km cargo 538,000,000. Roads
(2005): total length 34,863 km (paved
units
93%); passenger-km (2006)
number
per 1,000
in ’000s
persons
111,800,000,000; metric ton-km cargo
4,971
445
(2012) 20,416,360,000. Vehicles (2013):
28413
3,15613
passenger cars 5,124,208; trucks and
buses 1,342,619.
1The
autocephalous Greek Orthodox Church has special recognition per the constitution. 2January 1.
regions; local administration is based on 13 administrative regions and 1 autonomous selfgoverning monastic region (Mount Athos). 4Within Athens urban agglomeration. 5Detail does not add
to total given because of rounding. 6Unofficial source; government states there are no ethnic divisions
in Greece. 7Including noncitizen residents. 82012. 9Taxes less subsidies. 10Unemployed. 11Imports c.i.f.;
exports f.o.b. 12Public health institutions only. 13Subscribers.
3Traditional
Internet resources for further information:
• Bank of Greece www.bankofgreece.gr/Pages/en
• Hellenic Statistical Authority www.statistics.gr
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© 2016 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.