Greece The southern European country between the Adriatic and Aegean Seas, and extending into the Mediterranean. The city-states of classical Greece (Athens, Sparta, and others) had already lost their independence by the time the Romans conquered the country in 146 BCE, and it is christians living in part of the Roman Empire that Paul addresses in the epistles to Corinth, Philippi, and Thessalonica.

Greece

Country statistics

area:	131,990sq km (50,961sq mi) 10,939,771
capital (population):	Athens (757,400)
government:	Multi-party republic
ethnic groups:	Greek 96%, Macedonian 2%, Turkish 1%, Albanian, Slav
languages:	Greek (official)
religions:	Greek Orthodox 97%, Muslim 2%
currency:	Euro = 100 cents

Republic in se Europe. The mountainous, maritime Hellenic Republic can be divided into four geographical regions: Northern Greece includes the historic regions of Thrace and Macedonia, and its second-largest city Thessaloníki. Central Greece, n of the Gulf of Corinth, includes the capital and largest city, Athens, and its highest peak, Mount Olympus at 2917m (9570ft). Southern Greece is the Peloponnisos peninsula, and includes the city of Corinth. The fourth region is the Greek islands, which constitute c.20% of Greece. The largest island, Crete, lies in the Mediterranean Sea. In the Aegean Sea lie the Sporades archipelago (including Euboea), the Dodecanese (including Rhodes), the Cyclades group, and the ne island of Lesbos.

Climate and Vegetation

Low-lying areas have mild, moist winters and hot, dry summers. The e coast has c.50% of the rainfall of the w. The mountains have a much more severe climate. Much of Greece's original vegetation has been destroyed. Some areas are covered by maquis (scrub).

History and Politics

Crete was the centre of Minoan civilization, between c.3000 and 1450 bc. The Mycenaean civilization followed the Minoan and prospered until the Dorians settled in c.1200 bc. Powerful city-states emerged, such as Sparta and Athens. Solon established democracy in Athens (5th century bc). The revolt of the Ionians started the Persian Wars (499–479 bc). See Greece

Corinth and Thebes gained control after Athens' defeat in the Peloponnesian War (431–404 bc). In 338 bc, Macedon, led by Philip II, became the dominant power. His son, Alexander the Great, ushered in the Hellenistic Age. Greece became a Roman province in 146 bc. Greece formed part of the Byzantine Empire from ad 330 to 1453. In 1456, the Ottomans conquered Greece.

The European powers supported the Greek War of Independence (1821–27), and an independent monarchy emerged in 1832. As King of the Hellenes (1863–1913), George I recovered much Greek territory. In 1913, Greece gained Crete. Greece finally entered World War I on the Allied side in 1917. In 1923, 1.5 million Greeks from Asia Minor resettled in Greece. In 1936, Joannis Metaxas became premier. His dictatorial regime remained neutral at the start of World War II. By May 1941, Germany occupied Greece. Resistance movements recaptured most territory by 1944, and the Germans withdrew.

From 1946–49, a civil war raged between communist and royalist forces. In 1951, Greece joined NATO. In 1955, Karamanlis became prime minister. The economy slowly improved, but tension surfaced with Turkey about the status of Cyprus. In 1964 a republican, George Papandreou, became prime minister. In 1967, a military dictatorship seized power. The ‘Colonels’ imposed harsh controls on dissent. In 1973, they abolished the monarchy, and Greece became a presidential republic. In 1974 civil unrest led to the restoration of civilian government, headed by Karamanlis. In 1981, Greece joined the European Community and Andreas Papandreou became Greece's first socialist prime minister. In 1990, Karamanlis returned as president. In 1995, Constantine Stephanopoulos succeeded Karamanlis. The Panhellenic Socialist Party (PASOK), led by Kostas Simitis, won the 1996 election. Pledging to take Greece into the European single currency, Simitis was re-elected in 2000. In 2004, Costas Karamanlis' New Democracy (ND) party was elected.

Economy

Greece is one of the poorest members of the European Union (2000 GDP per capita, US$17,200). Manufacturing is important. Products: textiles, cement, chemicals. Minerals: lignite, bauxite, chromite. Farmland covers c.33% of Greece; grazing land covers 40%. Major crops: tobacco, fruit (olives, grapes), cotton, wheat. Shipping and tourism are major sectors.

Political map

Physical map

Websites

http://www.greekembassy.org; http://www.greece.gr/

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.

Capital:	Athens
Area:	131,957 sq km (50,949 sq miles)
Population:	10,543,000 (1998 est)
Currency:	1 drachma = 100 lepta
Religions:	Greek Orthodox 97.6%; Roman Catholic 0.4%; Protestant 0.1%; Muslim 1.5%
Ethnic Groups:	Greek 95.5%; Macedonian 1.5%; Turkish 0.9%; Albanian 0.6%
Languages:	Greek (official); minority languages
International Organizations:	UN; EU; NATO; OECD; Council of Europe; CSCE