Greece

D

Local Government

Greece is governed at departmental level by prefects, elected for the first time in 1994. Mayoralties and local councils are also filled by free elections. Since 1983 the government has tried to devolve local government authority from prefectural to local level.

E

Health and Welfare

Life expectancy in Greece in 2008 was 77 years for men and 82 years for women; infant mortality was 5 deaths per 1,000 live births. Greece has a state social insurance system, and universal pension and sickness benefit entitlement. In 2004 Greece had one doctor for every 227 people. In 2000 there were around 213 people per hospital bed. In 1998 around 7 per cent of government expenditure was spent on health care.

F

Defence

Military service is compulsory for a period of up to 24 months. In 2004 the Greek army had 110,000 members; the navy, 19,250 members; and the air force, 23,000 members. Greece is a member of NATO.

G

International Organizations

Greece is a member of the United Nations (UN), the European Union, NATO, the Western European Union, the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and the Council of Europe. Greece is a signatory of the Schengen Agreement on European border controls. In 1995, following UN mediation, Greece normalized its relations with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, after the republic altered its flag.

VI

History

The Greek peninsula has been culturally linked with the Aegean Islands and the west coast of Asia Minor since the Neolithic Age. The many natural harbours along the coasts of Greece and the multiplicity of close-lying islands led to the development of a homogeneous, maritime civilization. But cultural homogeneity did not induce political unity. Mountain ranges and deep valleys cut the peninsula into small economic and political units, each little larger than a city with its surrounding territory. For a detailed history of the most famous city-states, see Athens; Corinth; Sparta; Thebes.