1990 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1990 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
temperate; mild, wet winters; hot, dry summers
Coastline
13,676 km
Comparative area
slightly smaller than Alabama
Continental shelf
200 meters or to depth of exploitation;
Disputes
complex maritime and air (but not territorial) disputes with Turkey in Aegean Sea; Cyprus question; Macedonia question with Bulgaria and Yugoslavia; Northern Epirus question with Albania
Environment
subject to severe earthquakes; air pollution; archipelago of 2,000 islands
Land boundaries
1,228 km total; Albania 282 km, Bulgaria 494 km, Turkey 206 km, Yugoslavia 246 km
Land use
23% arable land; 8% permanent crops; 40% meadows and pastures; 20% forest and woodland; 9% other; includes 7% irrigated
Natural resources
bauxite, lignite, magnesite, crude oil, marble
Note
strategic location dominating the Aegean Sea and southern approach to Turkish Straits
Terrain
mostly mountains with ranges extending into sea as peninsulas or chains of islands
Territorial sea
6 nm
Total area
131,940 km2; land area: 130,800 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
11 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate
9 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Ethnic divisions
Greek 98%, others 2%; note--the Greek Government states there are no ethnic divisions in Greece
Infant mortality rate
10 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Labor force
3,860,000; 43% services, 27% agriculture, 20% manufacturing and mining, 7% construction (1985)
Language
Greek (official); English and French widely understood
Life expectancy at birth
75 years male, 80 years female (1990)
Literacy
95%
Nationality
noun--Greek(s); adjective--Greek
Net migration rate
0 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Organized labor
10-15% of total labor force, 20-25% of urban labor force
Population
10,028,171 (July 1990), growth rate 0.2% (1990)
Religion
98% Greek Orthodox, 1.3% Muslim, 0.7% other
Total fertility rate
1.5 children born/woman (1990)
Government
Administrative divisions
51 departments (nomoi, singular--nomos); Aitolia kai Akarnania, Akhaia, Argolis, Arkadhia, Arta, Attiki, Dhodhekanisos, Drama, Evritania, Evros, Evvoia, Florina, Fokis, Fthiotis, Grevena, Ilia, Imathia, Ioannina, Iraklion, Kardhitsa, Kastoria, Kavala, Kefallinia, Kerkira, Khalkidhiki, Khania, Khios, Kikladhes, Kilkis, Korinthia, Kozani, Lakonia, Larisa, Lasithi, Lesvos, Levkas, Magnisia, Messinia, Pella, Pieria, Preveza, Rethimni, Rodhopi, Samos, Serrai, Thesprotia, Thessaloniki, Trikala, Voiotia, Xanthi, Zakinthos
Capital
Athens
Communists
an estimated 60,000 members and sympathizers
Constitution
11 June 1975
Diplomatic representation
Ambassador Christos ZACHARAKIS; Chancery at 2221 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 667-3168; there are Greek Consulates General in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco, and a Consulate in New Orleans; US--Ambassador Michael G. SOTIRHOS; Embassy at 91 Vasilissis Sophias Boulevard, 10160 Athens (mailing address is APO New York 09253); telephone [30] (1) 721-2951 or 721-8401; there is a US Consulate General in Thessaloniki
Elections
President--last held 30 March 1985 (next to be held 29 April 1990); results--Christos Sartzetakis was elected by Parliament;
Executive branch
president, prime minister, Cabinet
Flag
nine equal horizontal stripes of blue (top and bottom) alternating with white; there is a blue square in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a white cross; the cross symbolizes Christianity, the established religion of the country
Independence
1827 (from the Ottoman Empire)
Judicial branch
Supreme Court
Leaders
Chief of State--President Christos SARTZETAKIS (since 30 March 1985); Head of Government--Prime Minister Constantin MITSOTAKIS
Legal system
NA
Legislative branch
unicameral Parliament (Vouli)
Long-form name
Hellenic Republic
Member of
CCC, EC, EIB (associate), FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOOC, ITU, IWC--International Wheat Council, NATO, OECD, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG, WTO
National holiday
Independence Day (proclamation of the war of independence), 25 March (1821)
Parliament
--last held on 8 April 1990 (next to be held April 1994); results--New Democracy 46.89%, Panhellenic Socialist Movement 38.62%, Left Alliance 10.27%, PASOK-Left Alliance Cooperation 1.02%, Ecologist-Alternative 0.77%, Democratic Renewal 0.67%, Muslim 0.5%; seats--(300 total) New Democracy 150, Panhellenic Socialist Movement 123, Left Alliance 19, PASOK-Left Alliance Cooperation 4, Muslim independent 2, Democratic Renewal 1, Ecologist-Alternative 1
Political parties and leaders
New Democracy (ND; conservative), Constantine Mitsotakis; Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK), Andreas Papandreou; Democratic Renewal (DR), Constantine Stefanopoulos; Communist Party (KKE), Grigorios Farakos; Greek Left Party (EAR), Leonidas Kyrkos; KKE and EAR have joined in the Left Alliance, Harilaos Florakis, president
Suffrage
universal and compulsory at age 18
Type
presidential parliamentary government; monarchy rejected by referendum 8 December 1974
Economy
Agriculture
including fishing and forestry, accounts for 14% of GNP and 27% of the labor force; principal products--wheat, corn, barley, sugar beets, olives, tomatoes, wine, tobacco, potatoes, beef, mutton, pork, dairy products; self-sufficient in food; fish catch of 135,000 metric tons in 1987
Aid
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-81), $525 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $1.3 billion
Budget
revenues $15.5 billion; expenditures $23.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $2.5 billion (1988)
Currency
drachma (plural--drachmas); 1 drachma (Dr) = 100 lepta
Electricity
10,500,000 kW capacity; 36,420 million kWh produced, 3,630 kWh per capita (1989)
Exchange rates
drachma (Dr) per US$1--158.03 (January 1990), 162.42 (1989), 141.86 (1988), 135.43 (1987), 139.98 (1986), 138.12 (1985)
Exports
$5.9 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities--manufactured goods, food and live animals, fuels and lubricants, raw materials; partners--FRG 24%, Italy 14%, nonoil developing countries 11.8%, France 9.5%, US 7.1%, UK 6.8%
External debt
$20.0 billion (December 1988)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GDP
$56.3 billion, per capita $5,605; real growth rate 2.3% (1989 est.)
Imports
$13.5 billion (c.i.f., 1988); commodities--machinery and transport equipment, light manufactures, fuels and lubricants, foodstuffs, chemicals; partners--FRG 22%, nonoil developing countries 14%, oil exporting countries 13%, Italy 12%, France 8%, US 3.2%
Industrial production
growth rate 1.6% (1989 est.)
Industries
food and tobacco processing, textiles, chemicals, metal products, tourism, mining, petroleum
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
14.8% (December 1989)
Overview
Greece has a mixed capitalistic economy with the basic entrepreneurial system overlaid in 1981-89 by a socialist-left-government that enlarged the public sector and became the nation's largest employer. Like many other Western economies, Greece suffered severely from the global oil price hikes of the 1970s, annual GDP growth plunging from 8% to 2% in the 1980s, and inflation, unemployment, and budget deficits rising sharply. The fall of the socialist government in 1989 and the inability of the conservative opposition to muster a clear majority have led to business uncertainty and the continued prospects for lackluster economic performance. Once the political situation is sorted out, Greece will have to face the challenges posed by the steadily increasing integration of the European Community, including the progressive lowering of tariff barriers. Tourism continues as a major industry, providing a vital offset to the sizable commodity trade deficit.
Unemployment rate
7.7% (1988)
Communications
Airports
79 total, 77 usable; 60 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 20 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 22 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
39 major transport aircraft
Highways
38,938 km total; 16,090 km paved, 13,676 km crushed stone and gravel, 5,632 km improved earth, 3,540 km unimproved earth
Inland waterways
80 km; system consists of three coastal canals and three unconnected rivers
Merchant marine
954 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 20,544,516 GRT/36,858,545 DWT; includes 15 passenger, 58 short-sea passenger, 2 passenger-cargo, 164 cargo, 18 container, 20 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 27 refrigerated cargo, 182 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 10 chemical tanker, 10 liquefied gas, 20 combination ore/oil, 6 specialized tanker, 407 bulk, 15 specialized bulk; note--ethnic Greeks also own large numbers of ships under the registry of Liberia, Panama, Cyprus, and Lebanon
Pipelines
crude oil, 26 km; refined products, 547 km
Ports
Piraeus, Thessaloniki
Railroads
2,479 km total; 1,565 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, of which 36 km electrified and 100 km double track, 892 km 1.000-meter gauge; 22 km 0.750-meter narrow gauge; all government owned
Telecommunications
adequate, modern networks reach all areas; 4,079,000 telephones; stations--30 AM, 17 (20 repeaters) FM, 39 (560 repeaters) TV; 8 submarine cables; satellite earth stations operating in INTELSAT (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), EUTELSAT, and MARISAT systems
Military and Security
Branches
Hellenic Army, Hellenic Navy, Hellenic Air Force
Defense expenditures
6.0% of GDP, or $3.4 billion (1989 est.)
Military manpower
males 15-49, 2,418,754; 1,861,141 fit for military service; about 73,809 reach military age (21) annually