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TRAVEL AND BUSINESS INFORMATION in Greece
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The origin of drama and history and philisophy, the birthplace of democracy. It is hard to imagine what civilized life would be like today without the influence of ancient Greece... It also is hard to imagine what the world would be like without the geometry of Euclides or Pythagoras, the logic of Aristoteles, the unique architectural style which has influenced architects all over the world, or even the fables of Aesopos known to children around the globe. Let us not forget also the Olympic Games, with their spirit of world-peace and brotherhood, first conceived and organized by the Greeks; or the Greek language which has enriched other languages with so many words and concepts, like philanthropy, harmony, music, techne, sophistication, architecture, ecology and thousands of others.
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The Acropolis in Athens, Greece
The Acropolis, dedicated to Athena, was the religious shrine and high fortress for the Athenian people. Its walls were built on a layer of limestone rock overlooking the city. Within these walls, the people of Athens built temples and buildings, the most famous, of which, being the Parthenon.
Ancient Greeks
The ancient Greeks (mainly the Athenians) were a unique people. They believed that individuals should be free as long as they acted within the laws of Greece. This allowed them the opportunity to excel in any direction they chose. Individuality, as the Greeks viewed it, was the basis of their society. The ability to strive for excellence, no matter what the challenge, was what the Athenians so dearly believed in. This strive for excellence was the method from which they achieved such phenomenal accomplishments. These accomplishments astound us to this day. They also believed in the balance of mind and body. Although many of them strove to become soldiers and athletes, others ventured into philosophy, drama, pottery and the arts. The two most important concepts which the ancient Greeks followed were found inscribed on the great shrine of Delphi, which read "Nothing in excess" and "Know thyself". This philosophy greatly impacted the Greek civilization. Athens was the intellectual center of Greece. It was one of the first city-states of its time, and is still world renowned as one of the most famous cities in the world. It was named after Athena, the goddess of wisdom and the city's patron. In 508 BC, Athens became one of the first societies in ancient times to establish democracy. Democracy came from the Greek words, demos, meaning people, and kratein, meaning to rule. This form of government was used at a meeting place which the Greeks called the Assembly. Here the citizens of Athens met monthly and discussed the affairs of state. There were no decisions made by government without first asking the Assembly
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Ελληνική Δημοκρατία η κυβέρνηση στο
διαδίκτυο, πληροφορία για τον πολίτη.
Σε αυτή τη σελίδα
περιέχονται παραπομπές σε ηλεκτρονικές σελίδες
του δημόσιου
και ευρύτερου δημόσιου τομέα, όπως επίσης και σε
κόμβους διεθνών οργανισμών.
Οι ηλεκτρονικές παραπομπές αφορούν διοικητικές
υπηρεσίες για τον πολίτη,
κόμβους Υπουργείων, Νομαρχιών και Δήμων.
Παρέχονται πληροφορίες κόμβους για
την οικονομία, την φορολογία, την απασχόληση, την
εκπαίδευση, την υγεία, τον
πολιτισμό, τον τουρισμό, τον καταναλωτή, την
άμυνα και ασφάλεια, τις μεταφορές
και συγκοινωνίες, την έρευνα και τεχνολογία, τον
αθλητισμό κλπ.
 Time: 2 hours
ahead of GMT in winter and 3 hours ahead of GMT in summer.ENVIRONMENT, Flora:
Trees include white poplars, spearheaded cypresses, chestnut, pine, fir and olive trees.
Of special beauty are the cultivated and wild flowers of Greece, many of which are
mentioned in classical poetry and mythology, such as evosmon,
anemone, violets, tulips, peonies, narcissus, parthenium, primrose and chamomile. |
| THE PEOPLE Population: 10,264,156 (1991 census-estimate). More than 4 m. Greeks are estimated to live abroad, including over 2 m. in America. Sex distribution: Male 49.2%, female: 50.8%. Urban 57.7%, rural 42.3%. Density 77.8 inhabitants per sq. km.Life expectancy: males 72.2 years (1985) females 76.4 years (1985) Religious affiliations: Of all citizens of the Hellenic Republic 97.6% are Greek Orthodox, 1.3% Muslim, 0.4% Roman Catholic, 0.1% Protestant, 0.6% other, including Jews. The Greek Orthodox Church is autocephalous, with its own Charter but indissolubly united in doctrine with the Great Church of Constantinople, i.e. the Ecumenical Patriarchate. On the peninsula of Chalkidiki, located in southeastern Macedonia, is the famous Mount Athos, where a number of monasteries of the Greek Orthodox Church form, as they have for centuries, an autonomous monastic community. Language: The Greek language with a documented record spanning three and a half millennia is a strong element of national continuity. Modern Greek derives from the same idiom used by Homer. Greek is also the language of the Gospels. The Greek alphabet and the Greek language have contributed much to all western languages. Today's Greeks, however, are the only ones who ensure this linguistic continuity. In this respect Greek is to be distinguished sharply from Latin which generated numerous neo-latin languages from Rumanian to Portuguese before it became itself extinct. |
| GEOGRAPHY - Maps Greece lies at the Southeastern tip of Europe occupying a total area of 131,990 sq. km. The country shares borders to the north with Albania, ex-Yugoslavia, Bulgaria and to the east with Turkey, a total length of 1,228 km. Land use: 23% arable land; 40% meadows and pastures; 20% forests and woodland; 9% other; Terrain: Mostly mountainous with ranges extending into the sea as peninsulas or chains of islands. Climate: Mediterranean. Summers are hot and dry, winters usually mild. Most of the rain falls in autumn and winter. Topography: Greece, the southernmost extremity of the Balkan peninsula, is a mountainous, stony country with a highly indented and crenellated coast. According to a Greek myth, when god created the world he distributed all the available soil through a sieve and when he had provided every country with enough of it he tossed the remaining stones from the sieve over his shoulder - and there was Greece. More than two thirds of the country is classified as hilly and mountainous. The Pindos range traverses the Greek mainland from N.W. to S.E. dividing it in two. The mainland coastline is 4,000 km long while 9,841 islands, 114 of which are inhabited, add another 11,000 km of coastline. Greece is divided into ten regions of which Macedonia is the largest with an area of 34,177 sq. km and a population of 2,263,099. The highest Greek mountain is Mount Olympus (2,917 m.), believed to be the seat of the 12 Gods of ancient Greek mythology. The largest river is Aliacmon (297 km.). The largest city and capital is Athens, with a population of over 3m. Piraeus is the main port. The second largest city, Thessaloniki, capital of Macedonia, with a population of nearly 1m, is an important seaport functioning as the gateway to the Balkans and a major economic and cultural centre for the whole of northern Greece. |
| HISTORY Greece has a History stretching back almost 4.000 years. The people of the mainland, called Hellenes, organised great naval and military expeditions, and explored the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, going as far as the Atlantic Ocean and the Caucasus Mountains. One of those expeditions, the siege of Troy, is narrated in the first great European literary work, Homer's Iliad. Numerous Greek settlements were founded throughout the Mediterranean, Asia Minor and the coast of North Africa as a result of travels in search of new markets. During the Classical period (5th century B.C.), Greece was composed of city-states, the largest being Athens, followed by Sparta and Thebes. A fierce spirit of independence and love of freedom enabled the Greeks to defeat the Persians in battles which are famous in the history of civilization - Marathon, Thermopylae, Salamis and Plataea. In the second half of the 4th century B.C., the Greeks, led by Alexander the Great, conquered most of the then known world and sought to Hellenize it. In 146 BC Greece fell to the Romans. In 330 A.D. Emperor Constantine moved the Capital of the Roman Empire to Constantinople, founding the Eastern Roman Empire which was renamed Byzantine Empire or Byzantium for short, by western historians in the 19th century. Byzantium transformed the linguistic heritage of Ancient Greece into a vehicle for the new Christian civilisation. The Byzantine Empire fell to the Turks in 1453 and the Greeks remained under the Ottoman yoke for nearly 400 years. During this time their language, their religion and their sense of identity remained strong. On March 25, 1821, the Greeks revolted against the Turks, and by 1828 they had won their independence. As the new state comprised only a tiny fraction of the country, the struggle for the liberation of all the lands inhabited by Greeks continued. In 1864, the Ionian islands were added to Greece; in 1881 parts of Epirus and Thessaly. Crete, the islands of the Eastern Aegean and Macedonia were added in 1913 and Western Thrace in 1919. After Word War II the Dodecanese islands were also returned to Greece. |
| DEMOCRACY Greece, also known as Hellas, is the birthplace of politics as an art and democracy as a form of government. Its democratic ideals inspired, among others, the framers of the US constitution. The present Greek Constitution, voted in 1975 and amended in 1986, defines the country's political system as a Parliamentary Democracy headed by a President. Legislative powers are exercised by a single Chamber Parliament (the Vouli) and executive powers are vested in the Government and the President. The Prime Minister, whose Government must enjoy the confidence of the House, has extensive powers. The judiciary is independent. Civil, political and human rights are constitutionally guaranteed. General elections for the 300 parliamentary seats are held every four years. The President of the Republic is elected by MP's and serves for a five year term, renewable only once. Mr. C. Stefanopoulos is the President of the Hellenic Republic and Mr. K. Simitis is the Prime Minister. The Flag: The National Flag of Greece consists of four white and five blue alternating horizontal stripes, with a white cross on the upper inner corner. Blue and white are the national colours of Greece. Greece in the world: Greece is a member of UN, IMF, CSCE, and other major Western and European institutions such as the OECD, NATO, WEU, Council of Europe and the European Community which she joined in 1981. The country's commitment to the European Union enjoys overwhelming political support. Education: Greece spends 4.5% of its GDP on education, which is compulsory for nine years and free of charge at all levels in any state institution. Welfare: Two main social insurance organisations known by their Greek acronyms as IKA (for labourers) and OGA (for farmers) cover more than 80% of the working population. Defence: Defence expenditure was $ 2,512 billions in 1994. |
| THE ECONOMY Per capita GDP is $ 7,155 (1994); Real GDP growth is 1 % (1994); Registered unemployment 10% (Dec 1994); Consumer Price Index 10.9% (Nov. 1994); Current account deficit $ 340 mn (1994 ). Invisible receipts, originating mainly from tourism, shipping (Greek registered and Greek owned ships constitute the largest merchant fleet in the world), and migrant workers' remittances offset to a great extent the balance of trade deficit. The national currency is the drachma which is included in the European Monetary System but is outside the EC Exchange Rate Mechanism. The US dollar was exchangeable in winter 1995 for 240 drs. and the ECU for 296 drs. EC countries absorb nearly 64.3% of Greek exports while Greek imports from EC represent 64.4% of total imports (1990). Weights and Measures: Metric system (since 1959). |
| TRAVEL AND BUSINESS INFORMATION The U.S. Department of State's Information Program provides Travel Warnings and Consular Information Sheets. Travel Warnings are issued when the State Department recommends that Americans avoid travel to a certain country. Consular Information Sheets exist for all countries and include information on immigration practices, currency regulations, health conditions, areas of instability,crime and security, political disturbances, and the addresses of the U.S. posts in the country. Public Announcements are issued as a means to disseminate information quickly about terrorist threats and other relatively short-term conditions overseas which pose significant risks to the security of American travelers. Free copies of this information are available by calling the Bureau of Consular Affairs at 202-647-5225 or via the fax-on-demand system: 202-647-3000. Travel Warnings and Consular Information Sheets also are available on the Consular Affairs Internet home page: http://travel.state.gov and the Consular Affairs Bulletin Board (CABB). To access CABB, dial the modem number: (301-946-4400 (it will accommodate up to 33,600 bps), set terminal communications program to N-8-1 (no parity, 8 bits, 1 stop bit); and terminal emulation to VT100. The login is travel and the password is info (Note: Lower case is required). The CABB also carries international security information from the Overseas Security Advisory Council and Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security. Consular Affairs Trips for Travelers publication series, which contain information on obtaining passports and planning a safe trip abroad, can be purchased from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, P.O. Box 371954, Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7954; telephone: 202-512-1800; fax 202-512-2250. Emergency information concerning Americans traveling abroad may be obtained from the Office of Overseas Citizens Services at (202) 647-5225. For after-hours emergencies, Sundays and holidays, call 202-647-4000. Passport Services information can be obtained by calling the 24-hour, 7-day a week automated system ($.35 per minute) or live operators 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (EST) Monday-Friday ($1.05 per minute). The number is 1-900-225-5674 (TDD:1-900-225-7778).Major credit card users for a flat rate of $4.95, may call 1-888-362-8668 (TDD:1-888-498- 3648) Travelers can check the latest health information with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia. A hotline at (404) 332-4559 gives the most recent health advisories, immunization recommendations or requirements, and advice on food and drinking water safety for regions and countries. A booklet entitled Health Information for International Travel (HHS publication number CDC-95-8280) is available from the U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402, tel. (202) 512-1800. Information on travel conditions, visa requirements, currency and customs regulations, legal holidays, and other items of interest to travelers also may be obtained before your departure from a country's embassy and/or consulates in the U.S. (for this country, see "Principal Government Officials" listing in this publication). U.S. citizens who are long-term visitors or traveling in dangerous areas are encouraged to register at the U.S. embassy upon arrival in a country (see "Principal U.S. Embassy Officials" listing in this publication). This may help family members contact you in case of an emergency. Further Electronic Information: Department of State Foreign Affairs Network. Available on the Internet, DOSFAN provides timely, global access to official U.S. foreign policy information. Updated daily, DOSFAN includes Background Notes; Dispatch, the official magazine of U.S. foreign policy; daily press briefings; Country Commercial Guides; directories of key officers of foreign service posts; etc.DOSFAN's World Wide Web site is at http://www.state.gov. U.S. Foreign Affairs on CD-ROM (USFAC). Published on an annual basis by the U.S. Department of State, USFAC archives information on the Department of State Foreign Affairs Network, and includes an array of official foreign policy information from 1990 to the present. Contact the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, P.O. Box 371954, Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7954. To order, call (202) 512-1800 or fax (202) 512-2250. National Trade Data Bank (NTDB). Operated by the U.S. Department of Commerce, the NTDB contains a wealth of trade-related information. It is available on the Internet (www.stat-usa.gov) and on CD-ROM. Call the NTDB Help-Line at (202) 482-1986 for more information. |
| Historical events that took place in
Greece: 7000 B.C. First
Stone Age settlements in mainland Greece. 300 A.D. Romans rule
Greece. 1685-1715 Venetians occupied
Peloponnese 1936 After a long period of political
chaos, General Metaxas became dictator. |
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ATHENS & PIRAEUS
