Flag of Greece
- Officially » Ελληνική Δημοκρατία
- The Hellenic Republic (English)
- Capital » Athens
Facts
- Population » 11.4 million
- Language » Greek
- Religion » Christianity
- Life expectancy » 78 years (men), 83 years
- Greece is a member of the E.U.
- Currency » Euro
- Emergency Numbers:
- Police 100
- Fire 199
- Ambulance 166
- Hospital / Pharmacy 1434
- Breakdown Assistance 104
Geography
- Area » 131,957 sq km (50,949 sq miles)
- Located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa
- Southern European country
- A predominantly mountainous country (80% of the land)
- Coastline of some 8500 miles
- 1400 islands of which 227 are inhabited
- Land Borders»
- Albania to the northwest
- North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north
- Turkey to the northeast
Tourism
- Greece signed the Schengen area agreement on 6 November 1992 and started its implementation on 1 January 2000,
- None of its neighbours has joined the Schengen area agreement.
- Greece has a unique cultural heritage, beautiful islands, and beaches
- A favourite destination for many travellers
Overlanding
- Ionian Sea border to the southwest and the Aegean Sea is to the south and southeast.
- Regular ferry services run between the Greek mainland and the islands and between the Greek ports of Igoumenista and Patras and the Italian ports of Venice, Ancona, Bari and Brindisi. These routes are operated by a number of ferry operators including Grimaldi Lines, Anek Lines, Minoan Lines, Superfast Ferries, and Blue Star Ferries.
- The wearing of seat belts is compulsory
- Hand held use of a mobile phone is forbidden
Notes
- The cradle of Western civilization
- Considered as the birthplace of democracy, western literature, historiography, political science, Olympic games, etc.
- Greece was badly affected by the 2010 debt crisis which lead to IMF backed loans and stringent austerity measures.