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.

Geography
Greece

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

Map references:

Europe

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: 1,228 km
border countries: Albania 282 km, Bulgaria 494 km, Turkey 206 km,
Macedonia 246 km

Coastline:

13,676 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

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:

lignite, petroleum, iron ore, bauxite, lead, zinc, nickel,
magnesite, marble, salt, hydropower potential

Land use:

arable land: 20.45%
permanent crops: 8.59%
other: 70.96% (2005)

Irrigated land:

14,530 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

72 cu km (2005)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 8.7 cu km/yr (16%/3%/81%)
per capita: 782 cu m/yr (1997)

Natural hazards:

severe earthquakes

Environment - current issues:

air pollution; water pollution

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Sulfur 94, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol,
Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes,
Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds

Geography - note:

strategic location dominating the Aegean Sea and southern approach
to Turkish Straits; a peninsular country, possessing an archipelago
of about 2,000 islands

People
Greece

Population:

10,722,816 (July 2008 es