since 1981, won presidential elections in
1992 and 1996, but was constitutionally prevented from running for a
third term in 2000. He was succeeded by John KUFUOR.

Gibraltar:
Strategically important, Gibraltar was ceded to Great
Britain by Spain in the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht; the British garrison
was formally declared a colony in 1830. In a 1967 referendum,
Gibraltarians ignored Spanish pressure and voted overwhelmingly to
remain a British dependency.

Glorioso Islands:
A French possession since 1892, the Glorioso
Islands are composed of two lushly vegetated islands (Ile Glorieuse
and Ile du Lys) and three rock islets. A military garrison operates
a weather and radio station on Ile Glorieuse.

Greece:
Greece achieved its independence from the Ottoman Empire in
1829. During the second half of the 19th century and the first half
of the 20th century, it gradually added neighboring islands and
territories with Greek-speaking populations. Following the defeat of
communist rebels in 1949, Greece joined NATO in 1952. A military
dictatorship, which in 1967 suspended many political liberties and
forced the king to flee the country, lasted seven years. Democratic
elections in 1974 and a referendum created a parliamentary republic
and abolished the monarchy; Greece joined the European Community or
EC in 1981 (which became the EU in 1992).

Greenland:
The world's largest island, about 84% ice-capped,
Greenland was granted self-government in 1978 by the Danish
parliament. The law went into effect the following year. Denmark
continues to exercise control of Greenland's foreign affairs.

Grenada:
One of the smallest independent countries in the western
hemisphere, Grenada was seized by a Marxist military council on 19
October 1983. Six days later the island was invaded by US forces and
those of six other Caribbean nations, which quickly captured the
ringleaders and their hundreds of Cuban advisers. Free elections
were reinstituted the following year.

Guadeloupe:
Guadeloupe has been a French possession since 1635. The
island of Saint-Martin is divided with the Netherlands (whose
southern portion is named Sint Maarten and is part of the
Netherlands Antilles).

Guam:
Guam was ceded to the US by Spain in 1898. Captured by the
Japanese in 1941, it was retaken by the US three years later. The
military installation on the island is one of the most st