+30 is the dialing code for Greece.
Greece is the cradle of European culture and bore the seed of democracy. Athens’ historical heritage, Europe’s longest coast and thousands of islands are among the world’s most popular destinations. Between 2008 and 2017, Greece was in a deep economic crisis that significantly lowered the standard of living for most residents.
- Abbreviationfinder: Brief profiles of Greece, including geography, history, politics, economics as well as common acronyms about this country.
Geography and climate
Greece is located on the southern tip of the Balkan Peninsula in the southeastern corner of Europe. On the surface, the country is just under a third the size of Sweden. Almost one fifth of the land area consists of about 2,000 islands, of which fewer than one in ten are inhabited.
Greece has Europe’s longest coast – over 1,500 miles – and is surrounded in the west by the Ionian Sea, in the east by the Aegean and in the south by the Mediterranean. The coast has many deep bays that cut into the country. This means that most resorts have less than ten kilometers to the sea.
- BeHealthyByTomorrow: General information about Greece, covering geography, climate, travel tips and popular sights.
The long, narrow Corinthian bay almost cuts off the Peloponnese peninsula in the south from the rest of the mainland. Through the narrow headland connecting the peninsula with the mainland, the Corinthian canal runs. The Greek island world is divided into the Ionian Islands in the west, the Cyclades in the southern Aegean Sea, the Tolevans (Dodecanese) in the southeast, the Sporades in the North Aegean Sea and the islands in the Northeast Aegean Sea. Crete with surrounding small islands at the far south forms an area in itself.
Almost all of Greece is mountainous. Most mountain ranges run in a north-south direction. Pindos mountains in the west have peaks over 2,500 meters. The largest plains are along the coast in the regions of Macedonia, Thessaly and Attica.
Country Facts
Geography
| Cultivated land | 63.4 % |
| Land area | 131957 km 2 |
Population and health
| Population development | -0.01 ‰ |
| Urban population (Urbanization) | 78 % |
| Death rate | 11.09 per 1000 residents |
| Life expectancy: Women | 83.2 years |
| Life expectancy: Men | 77.83 years |
| Birth rate | 8.66 births per 1000 residents |
| HDI index | 0.865 |
| Population | 10775643 |
| Infant mortality | 4.7 deaths / 1000 births |
Population Graph Source: Countryaah.com
Energy
| Electricity, production | 57550 million kWh |
| Energy consumption per resident | 2171 kg. oil per resident |
| Natural gas, production | 5 million cubic meters |
| Crude oil, production | million tons |
Infrastructure
| Internet users | 57.9 per 100 residents |
| Mobile subscriptions | 119 per 100 residents |
| Passenger cars | 624 per 1000 residents |
Business and economics
| Unemployment | 25% of the workforce |
| GDP | 26400 per resident |
| Primary occupations | 12.4 % |
| Secondary profession | 22.4 % |
| Tertiary professions | 65.2 % |
Nearly half of Greece consists of grass and bush. Almost a fifth of the country is covered by forest – oak, chestnut and beech, and at higher altitudes spruce and pine. One quarter consists of cultivated land. There are few lakes and rivers.
Earthquakes are relatively common.
Most of Greece has a Mediterranean climate with mild, humid winters and dry, hot summers. The large differences in altitude affect the climate.
In the mountainous areas in the north and northwest, winters can be quite severe with plenty of snow. Most precipitation falls during the winter (October – January), especially in the west. During the high summer, the east coast and islands of the Aegean Sea are often hit by a northern wind, melt emi, which can quickly reach storm strength.
FACTS – GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE
Surface
131 957 km2 (2018)
Time
Swedish +1 hour
Adjacent country (s)
Albania, Northern Macedonia, Bulgaria, Turkey
Capital with number of residents
Athens 3 100,000, including the port city of Piraeus
Other major cities
Thessaloniki 790,000, Patras 215,000, Iraklion (Heraklion) 173,000, Larisa 163,000 (Census 2011)
Highest mountain
Olympos (2 917 m asl)
Important rivers
Evros (Maritsa)
Average Precipitation / year
Aten about 400 mm
Average / day
Athens 27 °C (July), 10 °C (Jan)
2012
December
High-ranking Pasok politicians are excluded
Pasok excludes former Finance Minister Giorgos Papakonstantinou for allegedly stripping relatives from a list of Greek citizens with bank accounts in Switzerland. The list is used in investigations of possible tax evasion by wealthy Greeks.
“Unworthy refugee management”
Amnesty International criticizes Greece’s refugee management as unworthy of the EU Nobel Prize. Refugees are imprisoned under inhumane conditions, and lives are put at risk when refugees are sent back in boats without life jackets, according to the human rights organization.
November
Debt amortization decision
The Eurozone finance ministers and the IMF decide to reduce Greece’s debt by EUR 40 billion by 2020. They also open to a payment of EUR 43.7 billion of the support package of close to EUR 130 billion. The money gives the government the opportunity to pay public salaries and pensions.
The number of suicide attempts is increasing
Official statistics show that suicide attempts in Greece increased by over a third during the economic crisis years 2009–2011.
Parliament approves the budget
A budget for 2013 is adopted, where almost half of the EUR 9.4 billion austerity is paid for with pension reductions and salary reductions. Eurozone finance ministers and international lenders agree to give Greece another two-year deadline, until 2016, to reduce its budget deficit. But Greece may have to wait for eurozone countries’ decisions on the next disbursement of crisis loans.
Another crisis package is approved
The government presents a crisis package with tax increases, reduced wages and pensions, raised retirement age, accrued employment rights and more (see Finance). The goal is to get out € 31.5 billion in crisis loans. Outside Parliament demonstrates close to 100,000 people, and fire bombs are met by police tear gas. The crisis package is approved by Parliament with only 153 out of 300 votes, then several
October
Editor is prosecuted after disclosure of tax evasion
An editor has been arrested and prosecuted for violating the Personal Data Act after publishing a list of just over 2,000 Greeks, including well-known politicians and entrepreneurs, who placed large sums on bank accounts in Switzerland to avoid taxes in Greece. The editor risks imprisonment but is later acquitted in court. The government is accused of failing to attack the tax evasion, as the list was much earlier handed over by current IMF chief Christine Lagarde.
September
Racially motivated attacks are increasing rapidly
According to the UNHCR, racist attacks have increased alarmingly during the year, but no perpetrators have been punished. 87 attacks have been reported between January and September, but the cases are feared to be more as emigrants do not report police for fear of being rejected.
Violent protests against the EU
Nearly 15,000 people protest in Thessaloniki against the government’s planned budget cuts. Protesters are burning the EU flag in protest of the EU and IMF savings requirements for Greece to receive emergency loans. Later, a one-day general strike is held, when tens of thousands of people participate in demonstrations that lead to violence and police action with tear gas.
August
Sky-high youth unemployment
Unemployment exceeds 25 percent and in the 15-24 year age group, 58 percent go without a job.
The border guard is sharply sharpened
Greece triples the surveillance of the border with Turkey to stop refugees from the civil war in Syria. A few thousand undocumented immigrants are arrested in Athens for rejection. The police describe the action as necessary for the nation’s survival and explain that Greece cannot afford hospitality. It is estimated that there are approximately 350,000 paperless immigrants in the country.
New billions will be saved
The government decides on budgetary tightening of EUR 11.5 billion to meet the lenders’ conditions.
June
Greece appeals for deadline
The new government wants the EU, IMF and ECB to give Greece a two-year deadline to meet the savings requirements of EUR 237 billion for the support loans. The government also wants to limit the budgetary tightening and increase the compensation to the unemployed. At the same time, privatizations are planned to generate revenue for the Treasury. The new Finance Minister is appointed economist Giannis Stournaras.
New democracy wins in the second new election
The second new election in just over a month will be a victory for New Democracy, which will receive 30 percent of the vote. Syriza gets 27 percent and Pasok 12 percent. New Democratic leader Antonis Samaras is commissioned to form a new government and is supported by Pasok and the Democratic Left, in addition to his own party. Together, they have 179 seats out of 300 seats. Samaras will take over as prime minister three days after the election.
May
Temporary government and new election
All attempts to form a new government fail and another election must be called for. For now, the country is ruled by an expedition minister led by Judge Panagiotis Pikrammenos.
The big parties back in the new election
Both Pasok and New Democracy are punished by the electorate in the recent parliamentary elections. Their joint results are more than halved compared to the 2009 elections. New democracy receives 19 percent of the vote and Pasok only 13 percent. That together gives 149 of the 300 seats. In second place, the left alliance Syriza comes with 17 percent. The highly xenophobic Golden Dawn is entering Parliament with just under 7 percent of the vote.
April
Suicide evokes strong emotions
An outspoken pensioner takes his life outside the Athens Parliament after writing in a statement that he is no longer on the cusp of looking for something to eat. The tragedy focuses on how the crisis is affecting the Greek people (see also November 2012).
March
Pasok changes party leader
Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos succeeds Giorgos Papandreou as leader of Pasok.
Lowest credit rating
Credit rating agency Moody’s lowers Greece’s credit rating to C, which is the lowest possible for a country. The reason is that lenders will not get back money borrowed to Greece.
February
Large sums leave the country
According to the finance minister, many elected officials have spent large sums of money out of the country, while Greeks are generally urged not to withdraw their money so as not to damage the banking system and aggravate the crisis.
New elections will be held in May
Eurozone finance ministers say yes to new crisis loans of EUR 130 billion following the assurance that the savings decision remains firm even after the new election announced in May and private banks pledged to write off Greece’s debts with over EUR 100 billion. The loans will be used to pay off earlier and more expensive debts.
Greece is approaching the state bankruptcy
The government is forced to decide on reduced minimum wages, reduced pensions, 150,000 fewer public servants over three years, privatization and liberalization of the labor market. Several ministers leave the government in protest of the savings package. The decision is met by strong popular protests.