Total area
131.957 sq. km
Population
10.741.165 (2018)
Conditional reduction of currency
EUR
Climate, average max and min t°
Mediterranean; wet winters; hot, dry summers; avg. maximum temperature (July) +32°C; avg. minimum temperature (January) +10°C
Time difference from Moscow
0 hours
Ethnic groups
Greek 93%, other (foreign citizens) 7%
History
The history of Greece history stems from the ancient times and is fully described in the Greek myths. Not only does it encompass the history of the territory of the modern state of Greece, but also that of the Greek people and the areas they ruled historically. The scope of Greek habitation and rule has varied much through the ages. History of today’s Greece begins in 1829 when independence from the Ottoman Empire was achieved.
During the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, it gradually expanded its territory to the neighboring islands, most with Greek-speaking populations. In World War II, Greece was first invaded by Italy (1940) and subsequently occupied by Germany (1941-44).
In 1952 Greece joined NATO. In 1967, a group of military officers seized power, establishing a military dictatorship that suspended many political liberties and forced the king to flee the country. In 1974, democratic elections and a referendum created a parliamentary republic and abolished the monarchy. In 1981, Greece joined the EC (now the EU); it became the 12th member of the European Economic and Monetary Union in 2001.
Government type
Parliamentary republic
Executive branch
Governmeny headed by Prime Minister
Legislative branch
unicameral Parliament (300 members)
Judicial branch
Areopagus (Supreme Court), ephetaes (courts of appeal), first courts (courts of first instance) and magistrate courts (courts below)
Unemployment
16,4% (2020)
GDP per capita rank
56 (2020)
Corruption perceptions index rank
49 (2021)
