GREECE, the southernmost country on the European mainland, covers an area of approximately 132,000 square kilometers, and has a very long coastline. More than 2,000 Greek islands are scattered about the Eastern Mediterranean. Within its relatively small area, Greece contains an astonishing variety of ecosystems. Wetlands, forests, fertile shallows, and thousands of islands contribute to its biodiversity. It shares land borders with Albania, the former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria and Turkey.
The climate is mostly dry and temperate, though it snows in the mountains and in the north. The mild weather and sheltered valleys of the region, along with the early development of seafaring, contributed to the rise of the ancient Greek civilization. Athens, the most powerful of the ancient Greek city-states, was also the world’ s first democracy, and today forms the capital of modern Greece. Nearly 40 percent of the country’s population live in Athens, the country’ s largest city and its most important business and commercial center.
Greece has a population of 10,9 million with a life expectancy of 78,4 years, of which 65,7 percent live in cities — population density is 80 people per sq. km. But Greeks have been settling abroad since Classical times, because the country is predominantly rocky, which in the past made agriculture arduous, and because its long coastline means it is easy to set off to sea from almost everywhere. Europe, Asia, Africa, and more recently, North America and Australia have thus acquired large Greek communities. Most Greeks living abroad, even after several generations, maintain close ties with the motherland.
Greece has a long and eventful history. Following the great ancient Greek civilization, it has been part of each of the great empires — the Roman, the Byzantine and the Ottoman — that ruled the region. It therefore has strong historical ties with southeastern and western Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa. At the crossroads of many civilizations, Greece is gifted with a rich and fascinating cultural heritage. Yet the country’s turbulent history has had remarkably little effect on the Greek language, whose ties with the past can be easily traced.
Today, the Hellenic Republic — the official name for Greece — is a Parliamentary democracy with a 300-member Parliament, headed by the prime minister. Parliamentary elections usually take place every four years. The head of the Greek state is the president, who is elected by the Parliament. He has limited executive powers and may hold office for a maximum of two five-year terms.
Greece has been a member of the European Union since 1981. The elements that most clearly define contemporary Greece are political stability, sound economic progress as an increasingly significant partner in the European Union, and an international role with particular influence in southeastern Europe.
