Greece (Greek Hellas) A maritime, largely mountainous country in the south-east of Europe, bounded by Albania, Macedonia, and Bulgaria to the north, and by Turkey to the east. The many islands round its long coastline include Corfu, Crete, the Cyclades, and the Sporades. The peninsula is bounded by the Ionian, Mediterranean, and Aegean Seas.

Physical

Thrace in the north-east is mainly low-lying, as are the river deltas of Macedonia. Most of the mainland, however, is a peninsula of mountains, the highest being Olympus. These continue southward beyond the Gulf of Corinth and its isthmus and on to the high Peloponnese peninsula. In winter the northern plateaux are cold and suitable only for sheep grazing. One-third of the country can be cultivated; in areas where the climate is truly Mediterranean, crops include tobacco, tomatoes, and vines.

Economy

Both agriculture and industry are important to the Greek economy, and the manufacturing sector experienced large growth in the 1980s. Important exports include fruit and vegetables, clothing, petroleum products, textiles, and yarns. In addition, shipping and tourism are substantial earners of foreign exchange.

History

Greek history begins c.2000–1700 BC with the arrival in the mainland of Greek-speaking peoples from the north. There followed the MYCENAEAN CIVILIZATION which flourished until overthrown by the DORIANS at the end of the 12th century BC. After an obscure period of history (the Greek ‘Dark Ages’) the city-state (polis) emerged.

In the early 5th century the Greeks repulsed Persian attempts to annex their land. ATHENS and SPARTA were now the major sea and land powers respectively, and after a prolonged struggle it was Sparta who by 404 had crushed Athens and destroyed the Athenian empire in the PELOPONNESIAN WAR. In the 4th century Thebes toppled Sparta, but Greece as a whole was soon forced to bow before an outside conqueror - PHILIP II of Macedonia. After the death of his son, ALEXANDER III (the Great), the Greek world was dominated by the Hellenistic kingdoms with the cities of Greece playing comparatively minor parts in the power struggle. Then Rome intervened in the MACEDONIAN WARS, until the year 146 BC saw the defeat of the ACHAEAN LEAGUE, the sacking of Corinth, and the final incorporation of Greece into the Roman empire. Later it was part of the BYZANTINE EMPIRE, but fell under the control of the Ottoman Turks in 1460. It remained under Turkish jurisdiction, apart from a brief period in the late 17th and early 18th centuries when Venice controlled parts of the country, until independence in the early 19th century.

The GREEK WAR OF INDEPENDENCE (1821–33) resulted in the establishment of an independent Greece, with Duke Otto of Bavaria as king. Otto was deposed in 1862 and a Danish prince, William, installed, taking the title George I of the Hellenes (1863–1913). A military coup established a republic (1924–35). GEORGE II was restored in 1935 but fled into exile in 1941. After repulsing an attempted invasion by Italian forces in 1940, Greece was occupied by the Germans in World War II, and the country suffered bitter fighting between rival factions of communists and royalists. The monarchy was restored by the British in 1946, and civil war broke out, lasting until 1949, when the communists were defeated. With the help of aid from the USA, recovery and reconstruction began. Field-Marshal Alexandros Papagos became civilian Prime Minister (1952–55). In 1967 a military coup took place. King Constantine II fled to Rome and government by a military junta (the ‘Colonels’) lasted for seven years, the monarchy being abolished in 1973. A civilian republic was established in 1974 and in the 1981 general election Andreas Papandreou became the first socialist Prime Minister, remaining in office until 1989. Greece had joined the European Community in 1981, whose agricultural policies boosted its economy; but as tariff barriers were reduced, a balance-of-payments crisis developed. During 1992 strong opposition emerged against the name of the proposed republic of Macedonia, since Greece regards its own northern province as having sole right to the name. This issue and that of the ailing economy led ultimately to the fall of the right-wing government of Constantine Mitsotakis in June 1993. Andreas Papandreou was subsequently returned to power; his government officially opposed the recognition of Macedonia by other EUROPEAN UNION countries. A dispute over territorial waters in the Aegean threatened war with Turkey in late 1994, while Greece rejected a Serbian proposal for a confederation between Greece, Macedonia, and Serbia. Relations between Greece and Turkey further deteriorated in June 1995. In 1996, Costas Simitis became Prime Minister, replacing Papandreou, who had resigned due to ill-health; shortly afterwards, Papandreou died.

Constantine Mitsotakis 1918-, Greek political leader. Active in the Cretan resistance against the Nazi occupation, he became a member of parliament for Khaniá (1946-67, 1977-90). He was arrested (1967) by the military junta but managed to escape and live in exile until his return in 1974. He became the leader of the New Democratic party in 1984 and was prime minister from 1990 to 1993.