Greece Guide

Greece Guide

Greece – country information

Country name Greece
Official name Hellenic Republic
Capital Athens
Continent Europe
Area 131,957 km2
Population 10,815,197 (2011)
Foundation of a state 1/1/1829
The highest mountains Ólimbos (Olympus) 2917 m
Longest rivers Aliakmon 297 km
State system a pluralist republic with a unicameral parliament
The biggest cities Athens (capital) 3,200,000, Thessaloniki 435,000, Piraiévs (Piraeus) 175,000
Official language Greek
Ethnicity/National Composition Greeks 96%, Macedonians 1.5%, Turks 0.7%, Albanians 0.6%, others 1.2%
Religious affiliation orthodox 96%, muslim 1%, other 3%
Currency 1 euro = 100 cents
gross domestic product (GDP) US$24,260 (2012)
Average life expectancy of the population 79.24 years (2006)
Structure of GDP agriculture and fishing 15.5%, mining 1.5%, industry 19.5%, construction 6.5%, services 57%

Greece – neighboring states

State Capital Area Population
Albania Tirana 28,748 km2 2,821,977
Bulgaria Sofia 110,912 km2 7,282,041
Macedonia Skopje 25,713 km2 2,062,294
Turkey Ankara 783,562 km2 76,667,864

Country overview

According to Abbreviationfinder, the tremendous flowering of art, literature and thought that took place in the city-states of Greece between the 8th and 5th centuries. BC, had a great influence on the development of European culture and civilization. Even today, the country lives on from its rich cultural heritage, preserved mainly in the form of architectural monuments and statues, as well as from the unique beauty of the island’s Mediterranean nature.

Country data

Location: Southern Europe

Time zone: CET + 1

Total area: 131,957 km²

Land area: 130,647 km²

Water area: 1,310 km²

Length of the state border: 1,110 km

Bordering countries:
Albania: 212 km
Bulgaria: 472 km
Macedonia: 234 km
Turkey: 192 km

Coastline: 13,676 km

Capital: Athens

Prefectures: 14
Agion Oros, Anatoliki Makedonia kai Thraki, Attiki, Dytiki Ellada, Dytiki Makedonia, Ionia Nisia, Ipeiros, Kentriki Makedonia, Kriti, Notio Aigaio, Peloponnisos, Sterea Ellada, Thessalia, Voreio Aigaio

Electric current: 220 V / 50 Hz

Telephone code: 00 30 (Source: Allcitycodes)

Highest point: Mount Olympus 2,917 m

Population

Population: approx. 10.8 million residents (Countryaah, 2021)

Population growth: 0% per year

Population density (residents per km²): 82

Life expectancy: 78 (male), 83 (female)

Official language: Greek

Religions:

  • 98% Greek Orthodox
  • 2% other

Climate

The Mediterranean climate of Greece has many characteristic features in the northern and western parts of the country.

The long summers from April to October are warm, with temperatures between 28 and 35 ° C in the shade. There is very little rain.

The winters in central and southern Greece are short and rainy.

Winter temperatures drop to as low as -20 ° C in the northern and eastern regions.

Greece

Currency / finance

Currency unit: € / Euro (EUR)

Division: 1 € = 100 cents

ATMs: Available in major cities.

International credit cards: These are only accepted by larger hotels and shops. Outside of the larger cities, payments are usually made in cash.

Regulations: Foreign and national currencies can be imported and exported in unlimited amounts.

If you are carrying amounts of money with a total value of more than 10,000 euros, you must declare them upon entry.

There are currently strict exchange controls by the Greek Central Bank.

Many ATMs are out of order because they are not filled or they only pay out small amounts of money.

Customs regulations

The following may be carried duty-free:

  • 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 250 g of tobacco
  • 2 liters of alcoholic beverages
  • small amounts of perfume

(Information applies to people aged 18 and over)

Tourists and people in transit can bring items of personal use with them duty-free.

The export of antiques from Greece is only allowed with a permit from the appropriate Athens Archeology Society. If this cannot be presented when leaving the country, there is a risk of very high fines.

Travel advice

When traveling to Greece, you should bring the required amounts of money with you in cash, as the capital controls of the government repeatedly restrict the supply of cash.

Economy

About 25% of the country’s residents work in agriculture. However, since there are many small businesses and family businesses here, effective commercial cultivation is not possible.

The service sector is the largest and most important economic sector in Greece, which generates around two thirds of the Greek economic output.

Industries: mining, chemistry, tobacco, textiles, tourism

Natural resources: bauxite, brown coal, petroleum, magnesium

Land use:

  • Usable land: 19%
  • Grain cultivation: 8%
  • Pasture area: 41%
  • Forests: 20%
  • other: 12%

Plants

The mainland is very mountainous. Some regions are barren and others are very heavily forested. There are many different Mediterranean landscapes on the islands.

Most plants and grass species grow below 1,000 meters.

Animals

The flora and fauna were placed under protection in ten national parks and two other marine national parks.

The lagoon and wetlands in particular have produced a particularly high wealth of bird and small animal species.

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