EMBASSY
OF GREECE IN BAKU
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EMBASSY OF GREECE IN BAKU |
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Hellenic Republic in Brief
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GREECE Member of EU-Euro zone participant-Member of NATO Country name: Hellenic Republic Country name in Greek: Elliniki Demokratia (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία) Conventional form in English: Greece Conventional form in Greek: Ellada (Ελλάδα) or Hellas (Ελλάς) State Symbols: The Flag, The National Emblem, The National Anthem
Form of Government: Parliamentary Republic Legal system: Based on the constitution of 11 June, 1975 (amended March 1986 and April 2001) Electoral system: Universal direct suffrage from the age of 18 President of the Republic: Karolos Papoulias (since March 2005) Prime Minister: George A. Panandreou (since October 2009) The Government: Ministries’ Websites Ministers’ Biographies Major political parties: Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK), New Democracy (ND), Communist Party of Greece (KKE), Coalition of the Left and Progress (“Synaspismos”) Area: 131,944 sq km (51,458 sq mi) Coastline: 15,021 km Population: 10,93 million (2001 census) Main cities: Athens (3.7 million), Thessaloniki (1 million), Patras (200.000), Heraklion (140.000), Larissa (130.000), Volos (90.000) Language: Modern Greek (Alphabet: Greek) Religion: Predominant Greek Orthodox
GDP per capita: US$32,400, 2/3 of the leading Euro-zone economies Annual GDP growth: 2.9% (2008) Inflation: 4.1% (2008) Major products/industries: Tourism, Shipping, Food industry (Among others: Wines, Olive oil, Feta cheese, Yogurt, Fruits & Vegetables, Honey, Mastic, Saffron, Organic Farming) Building materials, Cement, Tobacco, Apparel & Furs, Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals, Mining products, Oil derivatives, Financial services Major trading partners: Germany, Italy, France, UK, USA, Spain, Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Egypt, Poland HDI Rank (UN Human Development Indicator): 24th out of 177 countries (2003/2005) Average life expectancy: 79,66 years (2008) Adult literacy rate (% age 15 and above): 96 (2008)
Climate: Mediterranean climate; Hot, dry summers and wet, mild winters
Time zone: GTM +2; March 26 - Oct 29 GTM +3 (2010) Telephone Directories: infOTE (Dialing Code: +30)
GeographyGreece has exceptional variety in geographical landscape, scenery, vegetation and fauna, high mountains, very long coastline (has the longest coastline in the Mediterranean, and is 2nd in the world in coastline/area ratio) and a large number of islands (about 6000, of which only 227 are inhabited) in the Aegean and Ionian archipelagos.
Modern Greece Timeline - A Selection of Key Events 1821 - After 400 years of life under the Ottomans, the Greek Revolution begins 1830 - Establishment of the Modern Greek State 1880s - Prime Minister Charilaos Trikoupis starts modernizing efforts 1896 - First modern Olympics in Athens 1912-13 - Balkan wars 1917 - Greece entered the World War I in favour of the Allies 1919-23 - Greco-Turkish War - Asia Minor Catastrophe - Exchange of populations with Turkey 1940-41 - Invasion of the Axis troops 1946-9 - Greek civil war - Defeat of communist forces 1952 - Greece joins NATO 1953-1973 - Greece was second in the world in growth rates after Japan. 1967 - Military coup stops democratic development 1974 - Cyprus invasion - End of dictatorship 1975 - New constitution declares Greece a Republic - Konstantinos Karamanlis forms a National Unity Government 1979 - Greece joins the EU 1981 - Andreas Papandreou's Socialist Party (PASOK) wins elections 2002 - Greece joins the EURO zone 2003 - 4th Greek EU Presidency 2004 - New Democracy (ND) party wins elections 2004 - Athens Olympics and Paralympics 2007 - New Democracy (ND) party wins elections 2009 - OSCE Chairmanship in Office 2009 - Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) wins elections
MAJOR FACTS REGARDING GREECE · About five million Greeks live abroad in more than 140 countries · According to the UN Human Development report released Oct. 2009, Greece ranks 25th out of 182 countries, regarding the standards of living. · The 15% of world's vessel tonnage belongs to Greeks (Sep. 2009) · Greece organized the 2004 Olympic Games · Greece has held the EU presidency four times (in 1983, 1988, 1994, and 2003)
ACCESS ΤΟ GREECE
PortalsHellenic Center for Investment Greek National Tourism OrganisationDiaspora - The Voice of Greece Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation - (ERT)
Greece - Info Packs Stats & Facts on Tourism in Greece
Greece - Briefings & Newsletters Briefings by Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ministry of Economy & Finance News Hellenic Center for Investment e-News
Greece - News sources
Access to Events in Greece
International Events in GreeceThessaloniki Book Fair (May) Posidonia - Shipping Exhibition (June) Acropolis Rally (June) Hellenic Festival (June-July) Thessaloniki International Fair (September) Athens Classic Marathon (November) Thessaloniki International Film Festival (November)
Greece @ International Organizations Greece@World Health Organization
Greece - Think Tanks Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy Hellenic Centre for European Studies Institute of International Relations Institute for International Economic Relations International Center for Black Sea Studies Mediterranean Migration Observatory Centre for European Constitutional Law Centre for International and European Economic Law Marangopoulos Foundation for Human Rights Constantine Karamanlis Institute for Democracy Andreas Papandreou Institute for Strategic and Development Studies Hellenic Observatory - LSE (London, UK) Kokkalis Program on Southeastern and East-Central Europe (Cambridge, MA, USA) Southeast Europe Project@the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (Washington, DC) |
