Greece: Facts and Figures - Facts and Figures

Official name

Hellenic Republic

Capital

Athens

Area

131,957 sq km

50,949 sq mi

Administrative divisions (population)

Attiki

3,523,407 (1991)

Central Greece

582,280 (1991)

Central Macedonia

1,710,513 (1991)

Crete

540,054 (1991)

Eastern Macedonia and Thrace

570,496 (1991)

Ionian Islands

193,734 (1991)

Epirus

339,728 (1991)

Northern Aegean

199,231 (1991)

Peloponnese

607,428 (1991)

Southern Aegean

257,481 (1991)

Thessalia

734,846 (1991)

Western Greece

707,687 (1991)

Western Macedonia

293,015 (1991)

Largest cities (population)

Athens

3,215,000 (2003 estimate)

Salonica

363,987 (2001)

Pireás

175,697 (2001)

Patras

163,446 (2001)

Iráklion

137,711 (2001)

Peristéra

137,288 (1991)

Lárisa

126,076 (2001)

Kallithéa

114,233 (1991)

Níkaia

87,597 (1991)

Vólos

82,439 (2001)

Kaválla

63,293 (2001)

Sérrai

56,145 (2001)

Khaniá

53,373 (2001)

Tríkkala

48,962 (1991)

Khaïdhárion

47,437 (1991)

Population

10,722,816 (2008 estimate)

Population growth rate

0.15 per cent (2008 estimate)

Population density

82 persons per sq km (2008 estimate)

212 persons per sq mi (2008 estimate)

Urbanization

Per cent urban

61 per cent (2005 estimate)

Per cent rural

39 per cent (2005 estimate)

Life expectancy

Total

79.5 years (2008 estimate)

Female

82.2 years (2008 estimate)

Male

77 years (2008 estimate)

Infant mortality rate

5 deaths per 1,000 live births (2008 estimate)

Literacy rate

Total

97.7 per cent (2005 estimate)

Female

96.8 per cent (2005 estimate)

Male

98.7 per cent (2005 estimate)

Ethnic divisions

Greek

98 per cent

Other

2 per cent

NOTE: The Greek government states that there are no ethnic divisions in Greece

Languages

Greek (official), Romanian, Pontic, Slavic, Arvanitika Albanian, Turkish, Romani, Bulgarian, Tosk Albanian

Religions

Greek Orthodox, Muslim, other

Type of government

Parliamentary republic

Independence

1821 (from the Ottoman Empire)

Constitution

June 11, 1975; amended in 1986 and 2001

Voting rights

Universal and compulsory at age 18

Gross domestic product (GDP) (US$)

308,449 million (2006)

GDP per capita (US$)

27,670.80 (2006)

GDP by economic sector

GDP, agriculture

3.3 per cent (2006)

GDP, industry

20.8 per cent (2006)

GDP, services

75.9 per cent (2006)

National budget (US$)

Total revenue

103,487 million (2006)

Total expenditure

93,854 million (2005)

Monetary unit

1 euro (EUR), consisting of 100 cents

Euro (€) notes and coins replaced the drachma (Dr) as the national currency on January 1, 2002.

Exports

Manufactured goods, foodstuffs, fuels, textiles and cotton

Imports

Manufactured goods, foodstuffs, chemical products, fuels

Major trading partners for exports

Germany, Italy, France, United Kingdom, United States, Japan

Major trading partners for imports

Germany, Italy, France, United Kingdom, United States

Industries

Tourism, food and tobacco processing, textiles, chemicals, metal products, mining, petroleum

Agriculture

Principal products: wheat, maize, barley, sugar beet, olives, tomatoes, wine, tobacco, potatoes

Natural resources

Bauxite, lignite, magnesite, petroleum, marble, natural gas, iron ore, nickel, copper, uranium

Basic Facts and People sections

Area data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Population, population growth rate, and population projections are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International Data Base (IDB) (www.census.gov). Urban and rural population data are from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), FAOSTAT database (www.fao.org). Largest cities population data and political divisions data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Ethnic divisions and religion data are largely from the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook and from various country censuses and reports. Language data are largely from the Ethnologue, Languages of the World, Summer Institute of Linguistics International (www.sil.org).

Health and Education section

Life expectancy and infant mortality data are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International database (IDB) (www.census.gov). Population per physician and population per hospital bed data are from the World Health Organization (WHO) (www.who.int). Education data are from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org).

Government section

Government, independence, legislature, constitution, highest court, and voting qualifications data are largely from various government Web sites, the latest Europa World Yearbook, and the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook. The armed forces data are from Military Balance.

Economy section

Gross domestic product (GDP), GDP per capita, GDP by economic sectors, employment, and national budget data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org). Monetary unit, agriculture, mining, manufacturing, exports, imports, and major trade partner information is from the latest Europa World Yearbook and various International Monetary Fund (IMF) publications.

Energy, Communication, and Transportation section

Electricity information is from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) database (www.eia.doe.gov). Radio, telephone, television, and newspaper information is from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org). Internet hosts, motor vehicles, and road data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org).

Note

Figures may not total 100 per cent due to rounding.