The mountain areas are much cooler, with considerable rain in the summer and snow in the winter. Greece has few natural resources of economic value. Exceptions include significant petroleum and natural gas deposits, located under the Aegean Sea, near the island of Thasos. Deposits of bauxite and iron ore are rich in metal content. Air pollution is a serious environmental problem in Athens, where the smog has pocked and discolored many of Greece's monuments and statues.
Much poverty exists.
Nearly all of the people are followers of the Orthodox Church of Greece. The great majority of Greeks speak Modern Greek. Demotike, the vernacular Modern Greek and language of popular literature, is the official language. English and French are also widely spoken. Education is free and compulsory for all children between the ages of 6 and 15.