GREECE

Capital:  Athens

Government: Parliamentary Republic

Head of state: President Karolos PAPOULIAS (since 12 March 2005).

Head of government: Prime Minister Antonis Samaras(since June 2012)

Population:  9,903,268 (2011 ELSTAT)

Ethnic Groups:  Greek 94%, Albanian 4%, other 2%

Religion:  Greek Orthodox 98%, Muslim 1.3% other 0.7%

Language:  Greek 99% (official), English, French

Geography:
Area: total, 131,940 sq km
Land: 130,800 sq km
Water: 1,140 sq km

Time:  GMT + 2 hours

Location:  Southern Europe, bordering the Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea, between Albania and Turkey

Border countries: Albania 282 km, Bulgaria 494 km, Turkey 206 km, Macedonia 246 km

Climate:  temperate, mild, wet winters, hot dry summers

Natural resources:  lignite, petroleum, iron ore, bauxite, lead, zinc, nickel, magnetite, marble, salt, and hydropower potential

Divisions:  Greece consists of 13 regions subdivided into a total of 325 municipalities