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| Overview | People | Geography | Economy | Government | Communications | Transport | Military | Map |
| Country | Greece |
| Flag |  |
| Capital | name: Athens geographic coordinates: 37 59 N, 23 44 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October |
| Population | 10,737,428 (July 2009 est.) |
| GMT | +2 |
| Location | Southern Europe, bordering the Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea, between Albania and Turkey see map |
| Area | total: 131,940 sq km land: 130,800 sq km water: 1,140 sq km |
| Ethnic groups | population: Greek 93%, other (foreign citizens) 7% (2001 census) note: percents represent citizenship, since Greece does not collect data on ethnicity |
| Religions | Greek Orthodox 98%, Muslim 1.3%, other 0.7% |
| Languages | Greek 99% (official), other 1% (includes English and French) |
| Government type | parliamentary republic |
| National holiday | Independence Day, 25 March (1821) |
| Constitution | 11 June 1975; amended March 1986 and April 2001 |
| Legal system | based on codified Roman law; judiciary divided into civil, criminal, and administrative courts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations |
| Background | Greece achieved independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1829. During the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, it gradually added neighboring islands and territories, most with Greek-speaking populations. In World War II, Greece was first invaded by Italy (1940) and subsequently occupied by Germany (1941-44); fighting endured in a protracted civil war between supporters of the king and Communist rebels. Following the latter's defeat in 1949, Greece joined NATO in 1952. A military dictatorship, which in 1967 suspended many political liberties and forced the king to flee the country, lasted seven years. The 1974 democratic elections and a referendum created a parliamentary republic and abolished the monarchy. In 1981, Greece joined the EC (now the EU); it became the 12th member of the European Economic and Monetary Union in 2001. |
| Internet country code | .gr |
