Greece is a country in Southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula. It borders Albania, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to the east. The Aegean Sea lies to the east and south of mainland Greece, while the Ionian Sea lies to the west. There are 1,400 Greek islands and it has one of the longest coastlines in the world. Much of the country is mountainous with rolling hills. Three climates are known to the country: Temperate, Alpine, and Mediterranean.
Greece is a parliamentary democracy. The head of state is the President of the Republic, who is elected by the Parliament for a five-year term. After the Constitutional amendment of 1986 the President's duties were curtailed to a significant extent, and they are now largely ceremonial. The current Constitution of Greece was drawn up and adopted by the Fifth Revisionary Parliament of the Hellenes and entered into force in 1975 after the fall of the military junta of 1967-1974. The position of Prime Minister, Greece's head of government belongs to the current leader of the political party and legislative power is exercised by a 300-member unicameral Parliament.
Greece has been called the birthplace to democracy, philosophy, western literature, and competition sports. It has been said that "the Greeks invented everything," and many people would probably agree. With a highly influential cultural history, this Mediterranean country still has much to offer to the rest of the world. While one may intend to have a purely educational experience while in Greece, the Greek culture is also one of partying and staying out late with friends and family. It is typically more difficult to navigate in English, as most Greeks are proud and rely primarily on modern Greek language.
While Greece has a growing immigrant migration, many of which are Muslim, 98% of the citizens practice the Greek-Orthodox religion. Family is one of the most important, if not THE most important thing in life. Greeks tend to be very social, with dinners lasting up to three hours every night of the week. The Greeks tend to be proud of their heritage, which is apparent in their traditions, celebrations and political demonstrations. From Greek Mythology, to the Acropolis and Parthenon, to the Olympic Games, to the conquests of Alexander the Great, to the blue rooftops and sparkling seas, Greece is rich with history, seasoned with culture, and bursting with life.
Quick Facts
Population: 10,767,827
Capital: Athens
Per-capita GDP: $ 26600
Size: 131,957 km2
Time Zone: (GMT + 02:00 hours) Kaliningrad
Country information is adapted from public domain resources including the CIA World Fact Book and www.Wikipedia.org.
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