| Country Information | 
National name: Elliniki Dimokratia
President: Karolos Papoulias (2005)
Prime Minister: Kostas Karamanlis (2004)
Area: 50,942 sq mi (131,940 sq km)
Population (2005 est.): 10,668,354
- growth rate: 0.2%;
- birth rate: 9.7/1000;
- infant mortality rate: 5.5/1000;
- life expectancy: 79.1;
- density per sq mi: 209
Capital (2003 est.): Athens, 3,247,000 (metro. area), 747,300 (city proper)
Other large cities:
- Thessaloníki, 361,200;
- Piraeus, 179,300;
- Patras, 167,000
Monetary unit: Euro (formerly drachma)
Language:
- Greek 99% (official),
- English,
- French
Ethnicity/race:
- Greek 98%,
- other 2%;
note: the Greek government states there are no ethnic divisions in Greece
Religions:
- Greek Orthodox 98%,
- Islam 1.3%,
- other 0.7%
Literacy rate: 98% (2003 est.)
Economic summary:
- GDP/PPP (2004 est.): $226.4 billion; per capita $21,300.
- Real growth rate: 3.7%.
- Inflation: 2.9%.
- Unemployment: 10%.
- Arable land: 21%.
- Agriculture: wheat, corn, barley, sugar beets, olives, tomatoes, wine, tobacco, potatoes; beef, dairy products.
- Labor force: 4.4 million; industry 20%, agriculture 20%, services 59% (2000 est.).
- Industries: tourism; food and tobacco processing, textiles; chemicals, metal products; mining, petroleum.
- Natural resources: bauxite, lignite, magnesite, petroleum, marble, hydropower potential. Exports: $5.899 billion (f.o.b., 2003 est.): food and beverages, manufactured goods, petroleum products, chemicals, textiles.
- Imports: $33.27 billion (f.o.b., 2003 est.): machinery, transport equipment, fuels, chemicals.
- Major trading partners: Germany, Italy, UK, Bulgaria, U.S., Cyprus, Russia, South Korea, France, Netherlands, Belgium.
Communications:
- Telephones: main lines in use: 5.431 million (1997); mobile cellular: 937,700 (1997).
- Radio broadcast stations: AM 26, FM 88, shortwave 4 (1998).
- Radios: 5.02 million (1997).
- Television broadcast stations: 36 (plus 1,341 low-power repeaters); also two stations in the US Armed Forces Radio and Television Service (1995).
- Televisions: 2.54 million (1997).
- Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 27 (2000).
- Internet users: 1.4 million (2002).
Transportation:
- Railways: total: 2,571 km (2002).
- Highways: total: 117,000 km; paved: 107,406 km (including 470 km of expressways); unpaved: 9,594 km (1999 est.).
- Waterways: 80 km; system consists of three coastal canals, including the Corinth Canal (6 km) which crosses the Isthmus of  Corinth connecting the Gulf of Corinth with the Saronic Gulf and shortens the sea voyage from the Adriatic to Peiraiefs (Piraeus) by 325 km, and three unconnected rivers.
- Ports and harbors: Alexandroupolis, Elefsis, Irakleion (Crete), Kavala, Kerkyra, Chalkis, Igoumenitsa, Lavrion, Patrai, Peiraiefs (Piraeus), Thessaloniki, Volos.
- Airports: 79 (note: new Athens airport at Spafa opened in March 2001) (2002).
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