The most complete information guide about Athens, Greece
Greece in the
EU
Area
132.000
kmē
Population
10,9
milion
Capital
Athens
Language
Greek
Currency
Euro
National
holiday
25
March (independence in 1821)
Head
of State
President
Karolos Papoulias
Prime
Minister
Costas
Karamanlis
Minster
of Foreign Affairs
Petros
Molyviatis
Domestic politics
Under the current constitution of 1975, the Hellenic
Republic is a parliamentary democracy with a president
as head of state. It has a unicameral parliament
(Vouli ton Ellion) with 300 members elected by
direct popular vote for a four-year term. The
remaining 12 seats go to ‘state deputies’.
This means extra seats for the largest party.
The president is elected by parliament for a five-year
term. The government is appointed by the president
but can be dismissed by parliament. The present
government, headed by Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis,
was elected in March 2004.
Foreign policy
Greece became a member of the European Union in
1981. It held the presidency of the EU from January
to June 2003. Greece has been a NATO member since
1952 but suspended its joint NATO activities between
1974 and 1979 in protest against the Turkish invasion
of Cyprus. In December 1999, Greece supported
the granting of candidate status to Turkey for
EU membership. Greece continues to search for
a solution to the Cyprus issue at European level
and within the United Nations.
Economy
The main sectors of the Greek economy are tourism,
transport and banking. Industrial manufactured
goods (foodstuffs, chemicals, technology and telecommunication)
account for about 23% of national income. The
agricultural sector still accounts for 8% of GDP.
In recent years, the Greek government has invested
heavily in the Olympic Games which took place
in August 2004.
Administrative division
Greece is divided into 13 administrative divisions,
named "Peripheries" (districts):
The
next level of administrative division is the "Nomos"
(perfecture). In total there are 51 Nomi, and
one self-governed territorial division (Agion
Oros, on Mount Athos).
Local
communities are named either "Dimos"
(city) or "Kinotita" (community). In
total there are 900 dimi and 133 kinotites.