Country Profile: The Hellenic Republic

Last reviewed: 11 April 2008

Country information

Area: 131,990 sq km
Population: 10.94 million (2001 census estimate)
Capital City: Athens (population approximately 3.7 million)
People: 98% Greek with Muslim minority comprising Turkic people, Pomaks and Muslim Roma. NB: The Greek government states there are no other ethnic minorities in Greece.
Languages: Greek 99% (official)
Religions: Greek Orthodox 98%, Muslim 1.3%, other 0.7%
Currency: euro (EUR)
Major political parties: New Democracy (ND - conservative); party leader Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis. Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK); party leader George Papandreou. Coalition of the Left and Progress (Synaspismos – left-wing); party leader Alexis Tsipras. Communist Party of Greece (KKE); party leader Aleka Papariga. Popular Orthodox Alert (LAOS); party leader George Karatzaferis.
Government: Greece is a parliamentary democracy. Universal direct suffrage for those over the age of 18. Executive power rests in the 300 member Greek Parliament (Vouli). Centre-right New Democracy won office on 7 March 2004 for the first time since 1993 ND was reelected 17 September 2007.
Head of State: President Karolos Papoulias
Prime Minister: Costas Karamanlis
Foreign Minister: Dora Bakoyannis
Membership of international groups/organisations: European Union (joined the EC in 1981; Greece held the Presidency of the EU from January to June 2003), North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) (joined in 1952), United Nations (UN), International Monetary Fund (IMF), Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Greece is currently on the UN Security Council for the period 2005/6. Member of the Council of Europe. Member of The Organisation of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC).