Facts
Short name: GREECE Official name: Hellenic Republic
Local short form: Ellas or Ellada Local long form: Elliniki
Dhimokratia
Area: 131,940 sq km
Capital: Athens
Independence: 1829 (from the Ottoman Empire)
National Holiday: Independence Day, 25 March (1821)
Constitution: 11 June 1975; amended March 1986
Population: 10,623,835 (July 2001 est.)
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Ethnicity: Greek 98%, other 2%
Languages: Greek 99% (official), English, French
Religions: Greek Orthodox 98%, Muslim 1.3%, other 0.7%
Geography
Location: Southern Europe, bordering the Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea, between Albania and Turkey
Geographic coordinates: 39 00 N, 22 00 E
Area: total: 131,940 sq km land: 130,800 sq km water: 1,140 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Alabama
Land boundaries: total: 1,210 km border countries: Albania 282 km, Bulgaria 494 km, Turkey 206 km, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 228 km
Coastline: 13,676 km
Maritime claims: continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation territorial sea: 6 NM
Climate: temperate; mild, wet winters; hot, dry summers
Terrain: mostly mountains with ranges extending into the sea as peninsulas or chains of islands
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Olympus 2,917 m
Natural resources: bauxite, lignite, magnesite, petroleum, marble, hydropower potential
Political System
Greece is a parliamentary republic based on the separation and balancing
of legislative, executive and judicial powers. The Constitution
is the highest law in the Republic of Greece.
The President
The President of the Republic regulates the functions of the powers of
the State. He is elected by Parliament for a term of five years and his office
is incompatible with any other office, position, or function. To be elected
President the person should receive a two-thirds majority of the total number of
members of Parliament. He appoints the Prime Minister and, at the recommendation
of the latter, he also appoints the rest of the members of the Government and
the Deputy Ministers. Also the president represent the State in its relations to
other States, declare war, conclude treaties of peace, alliance, economic
cooperation and participation in international organizations or unions and
proclaims referendums. He has the right of veto for the laws passed by
Parliament.
President: Karolos Papoulias
Executive
The Government consists of
the Cabinet which comprises the Prime Minister and Ministers. The Government
determines and directs the general policy of the State, in accordance with the
provisions of the Constitution and the laws. The Prime Minister shall safeguard
the unity of the Government and direct the activity thereof and that of public
services in general with a view to implementing Government policy within the
framework of the law. The Government must enjoy the confidence of Parliament.
The members of the Cabinet and the Deputy Ministers shall be jointly responsible
for the general policies of the Government.
Prime minister: Papandreou, George (since 6 October 2009)
Legislative
The Constitution of 1975, as revised in 1986, defines the political
system of Greece as a Parliamentary Democracy with a President as head of state.
In other words, the system is centred around the Parliament, one of the two
legislative authorities of the country. The other is the President of the
Republic.
Judiciary
Justice is administered by the courts, which consists of regular judges
who enjoy personal and functional independence. There is a Supreme Court, Appeal
Courts and First Instance Courts. A Special Supreme Tribunal deals with the
remedy of conflicts between the courts and administrative authorities, or
between the Council of State, which is the highest instance, and the regular
administrative courts of the one part and of the other part the civil or penal
courts, or, finally, between the Council of Comptrollers and the rest of the
courts.
