Greece - a Peripheral Country

GREECE

Greece is located in Southern Europe between Turkey and Albania. The country lies within the Aegean, Ionian, and Mediterranean Seas. Greece's area is similar to the size of Alabama.

Greece won its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1829. During the 19th and 20th centuries, it added nearby islands and territories to its population and now has an archipelago with over 2,000 islands.

During World War II Greece was invaded by Italy and Germany, and after their defeat, the country joined NATO in 1952. In 1967, Greece's power was overthrown by military officers. The officers established a military dictatorship and forced the king to flee the country. In 1974, a parliamentary republic was created which ended the monarchy.

Greece's economy is capitalist with the public sector responsible for 40% of their GDP. Tourism provides an additional 15%. Almost 1/5 of Greece's workers are immigrants from nearby countries such as Albania and Turkey. These immigrants work mainly in agriculture and unskilled jobs.

Greece's population is roughly 11 Million and is 75th compared to the world. The population growth rate is 0.106%. 61% of the total population is urban. Greece does not collect data on ethnicity, yet 93% of the population is of Greek citizenship.

The main religion in Greece is Greek Orthodox. Greek is the country's official language. Only 1% of the population speaks English and French.

Life expectancy in Greece is approximately 80 years. 0.2% of the country's population is living with HIV/AIDS, with less than 100 deaths due to this disease.

Greece has a GDP of $329.924 Billion and an external debt of $532.9 Billion. 4% of their GDP is spent on education and 4.3% is spent on military forces. Greece has an Army, Navy and an Air Force.

The labor force in Greece has 3 main sections: