# The World Factbook (1990)/Greece

pages 118–119
​Greece
See regional map V
Geography
Total area: 131,940 km²; land area: 130,800km²
Comparative area: slightly smaller than Alabama
Land boundaries: 1,228 km total; Albania 282 km, Bulgaria 494 km, Turkey 206 km, Yugoslavia 246 km
Coastline: 13,676 km
Maritime claims:
    Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation
    Territorial sea: 6 nm
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
Climate: temperate; mild, wet winters; hot, dry summers
Terrain: mostly mountains with ranges extending into sea as peninsulas or chains of islands
Natural resources: bauxite, lignite, magnesite, crude oil, marble
Land use: 23% arable land; 8% permanent crops; 40% meadows and pastures; 20% forest and woodland; 9% other; includes 7% irrigated
Environment: subject to severe earthquakes; air pollution; archipelago of 2,000 islands
Note: strategic location dominating the Aegean Sea and southern approach to Turkish Straits
People
Population: 10,028,171 (July 1990), growth rate 0.2% (1990)
Birth rate: 11 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 9 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 10 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 75 years male, 80 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 1.5 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Greek(s); adjective—Greek
Ethnic divisions: Greek 98%, others 2%; note—the Greek Government states there are no ethnic divisions in Greece
Religion: 98% Greek Orthodox, 1.3% Muslim, 0.7% other
Language: Greek (official); English and French widely understood
Literacy: 95%
Labor force: 3,860,000; 43% services, 27% agriculture, 20% manufacturing and mining, 7% construction (1985)
Organized labor: 10-15% of total labor force, 20-25% of urban labor force
Government
Long-form name: Hellenic Republic
Type: presidential parliamentary government; monarchy rejected by referendum 8 December 1974
Capital: Athens
Administrative divisions: 51 departments (nomoi, singular—nomós); Aitolía kai Akarnanía, Akhaïa, Argolís, Arkadhía, Arta, Attikí, Dhodhekánisos, Dráma, Evritanía, Evros, Evvoia, Fiórina, Fokís, Fthiótis, Grevená, Ilía, Imathía, Ioánnina, Iráklion, Kardhítsa, Kastoría, Kavála, Kefallinía, Kérkira, Khalkidhikí, Khaniá, Khíos, Kikládhes, Kilkís, Korinthía, Kozáni, Lakonía, Lárisa, Lasíthi, Lésvos, Levkás, Magnisía, Messinía, Pélla, Piería, Préveza, Rethímni, Rodhópi, Sámos, Sérrai, Thesprotía, Thessaloníki, Tríkala, Voiotía, Xánthi, Zákinthos
Independence: 1827 (from the Ottoman Empire)
Constitution: 11 June 1975
Legal system: NA
National holiday: Independence Day (proclamation of the war of independence), 25 March (1821)
Executive branch: president, prime minister, Cabinet
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament (Vouli)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Leaders: Chief of State—President Christos SARTZETAKIS (since 30 March 1985);
Head of Government—Prime Minister Constantin MITSOTAKIS (since 11 April 1990)
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
Elections: President—last held 30 March 1985 (next to be held after 8 April 1990 parliamentary election); results—Christos Sartzetakis was elected by Parliament;
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
Communists: an estimated 60,000 members and sympathizers
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
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, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco, and Consulates in Boston and 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
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
Economy
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.
GDP: $56.3 billion, per capita $5,605; real growth rate 2.3% (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 14.8% (December 1989)
Unemployment rate: 7.7% (1988)
Budget: revenues $15.5 billion; expenditures $23.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $2.5 billion (1988)
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%
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%
External debt: $20.0 billion (December 1988)
Industrial production: growth rate 1.6% (1989 est.)
Electricity: 10,500,000 kW capacity; 36,420 million kWh produced, 3,630 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: food and tobacco processing, textiles, chemicals, metal products, tourism, mining, petroleum
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
Currency: drachma (plural—drachmas); 1 drachma (Dr) = 100 lepta
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)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
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
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
Pipelines: crude oil, 26 km; refined products, 547 km
Ports: Piraeus, Thessaloniki
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
Civil air: 39 major transport aircraft
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
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
Defense Forces
Branches: Hellenic Army, Hellenic Navy, Hellenic Air Force
Military manpower: males 15-49, 2,418,754; 1,861,141 fit for military service; about 73,809 reach military age (21) annually
Defense expenditures: 6.0% of GDP, or $3.4 billion (1989 est.)