Greece
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Greece
Greece is the state in the south-east of Europe. Its official name is the Hellenic Republic. The capital city is Athens, official language is Greek. Greece is a Parliamentary republic.
Greece was home to some of the first advanced civilizations in Europe. The present country is heir to the heritage of the ancient Greece, the Roman, Byzantine and Ottomans Empires. Ancient Greece is considered to be the birthplace of democracy, Western philosophy, the Olympic Games, literature and drama (both tragedy and comedy) as well as different kinds of sciences (mathematic principles, political science). Greece gained independence from the Ottoman Empire in the Greek War of Independence on 25 March 1821 and it was recognized by London Protocol on February 3, 1830. In 1912 – 1913 Greece increased the extent of its territory and population in Balkan Wars. After World War I Greece fought with Turkey and this led into extensive population exchange between the countries. During the World War II was the country occupied by Germany. After liberation, Greece experienced a civil war between Royalist and Communist forces, which led to economic devastation and severe social tensions between its Rightists and largely Communist Leftists for the next 30 years. The country has been the part of the European Union since January 1, 1981.
The area of Greece is 131,990 square kilometers (50,944 square miles). The country lies on Balkan and Peloponnesus Peninsulas. It borders with Albania, Macedonia, Bulgaria and Turkey. There is the Aegean Sea to the east and south and Ionian Sea to the west of the mainland. Greece has around 2,000 islands and therefore it has the tenth longest coastline in the world. The mainland is mountainous, very famous is Mount Olympus with the highest peak in the country – Mytikas (2,917 metres above sea level). There are number of lakes and wetlands in the west part of the country. Three types of climate can be found in Greece: the Mediterranean, the Alpine and the Temperate. As far as the administrative division is concerned, Greece is divided into 13 peripheries and further subdivided into 51 prefectures. Mount Athos is an autonomous area.
The population is over 11 million with the density 84 inhabitants per square kilometer. Almost two-thirds of the Greek people live in urban areas. There is one minority in Greece with specially recognized legal status – Muslim minority. However, other minorities can be found as well, many of them are linguistic minority groups (besides Greek they speak also their own language). The majority of Greek citizens (97%) identify themselves as Greek Orthodox.
Greece is a developed country, with high standard of living of its inhabitants. The main economic activities are tourism, shipping industry, banking and finance, manufacturing and construction and telecommunications. The currency is Euro that replaced Greek Drachma in 2001. It is a member of many international organizations. Besides European Unions they are NATO, OECD, WEU, ESA and Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union. The largest and capital city is Athens, other big cities are Thessaloniki, Patras, Heraklion, Volos, Ioannina and Larissa.
The Internet domain of Greece is .gr and the international phone code is +30.
Greece was home to some of the first advanced civilizations in Europe. The present country is heir to the heritage of the ancient Greece, the Roman, Byzantine and Ottomans Empires. Ancient Greece is considered to be the birthplace of democracy, Western philosophy, the Olympic Games, literature and drama (both tragedy and comedy) as well as different kinds of sciences (mathematic principles, political science). Greece gained independence from the Ottoman Empire in the Greek War of Independence on 25 March 1821 and it was recognized by London Protocol on February 3, 1830. In 1912 – 1913 Greece increased the extent of its territory and population in Balkan Wars. After World War I Greece fought with Turkey and this led into extensive population exchange between the countries. During the World War II was the country occupied by Germany. After liberation, Greece experienced a civil war between Royalist and Communist forces, which led to economic devastation and severe social tensions between its Rightists and largely Communist Leftists for the next 30 years. The country has been the part of the European Union since January 1, 1981.
The area of Greece is 131,990 square kilometers (50,944 square miles). The country lies on Balkan and Peloponnesus Peninsulas. It borders with Albania, Macedonia, Bulgaria and Turkey. There is the Aegean Sea to the east and south and Ionian Sea to the west of the mainland. Greece has around 2,000 islands and therefore it has the tenth longest coastline in the world. The mainland is mountainous, very famous is Mount Olympus with the highest peak in the country – Mytikas (2,917 metres above sea level). There are number of lakes and wetlands in the west part of the country. Three types of climate can be found in Greece: the Mediterranean, the Alpine and the Temperate. As far as the administrative division is concerned, Greece is divided into 13 peripheries and further subdivided into 51 prefectures. Mount Athos is an autonomous area.
The population is over 11 million with the density 84 inhabitants per square kilometer. Almost two-thirds of the Greek people live in urban areas. There is one minority in Greece with specially recognized legal status – Muslim minority. However, other minorities can be found as well, many of them are linguistic minority groups (besides Greek they speak also their own language). The majority of Greek citizens (97%) identify themselves as Greek Orthodox.
Greece is a developed country, with high standard of living of its inhabitants. The main economic activities are tourism, shipping industry, banking and finance, manufacturing and construction and telecommunications. The currency is Euro that replaced Greek Drachma in 2001. It is a member of many international organizations. Besides European Unions they are NATO, OECD, WEU, ESA and Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union. The largest and capital city is Athens, other big cities are Thessaloniki, Patras, Heraklion, Volos, Ioannina and Larissa.
The Internet domain of Greece is .gr and the international phone code is +30.