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Do not fill this in! {{short description|Country in Southeast Europe}} {{About}} {{Redirect|Hellenic Republic}} {{pp|small=yes}} {{Very long|date=June 2023|words=18,000}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2024}} {{Infobox country | coordinates = {{Coord|37|58|N|23|43|E|type:city}} | languages_type = Official language<br />{{nobold|and national language}} | leader_name2 = [[Kyriakos Mitsotakis]] | leader_name3 = [[Konstantinos Tasoulas]] | conventional_long_name = Hellenic Republic | native_name = {{native name|el|Ελληνική Δημοκρατία|italics=off}}<br />{{small|{{transliteration|el|Ellinikí Dimokratía}}}} | image_flag = Flag of Greece.svg | image_coat = Coat of arms of Greece.svg | coa_size = 90 | common_name = Greece | national_motto = {{lang|el|Ελευθερία ή Θάνατος}}<br />{{transliteration|el|Elefthería í Thánatos}}<br />(English: "[[Eleftheria i thanatos|Freedom or Death]]") | national_anthem = {{lang|el|Ύμνος εις την Ελευθερίαν}}<br />{{transliteration|el|Ímnos is tin Eleftherían}}<br />(English: "[[Hymn to Liberty]]")<br /><div style="display:inline-block;margin-top:0.4em;">{{center|[[File:Greece national anthem.ogg]]}}</div> | image_map = {{switcher|[[File:EU-Greece (orthographic projection).svg|upright=1.15|frameless]]|Show globe|[[File:EU-Greece.svg|upright=1.15|frameless]]|Show map of Europe|default=1}} | map_caption = {{map caption | location_color = dark green | region = Europe | region_color = dark grey | subregion = the [[European Union]] | subregion_color = light green }} | capital = [[Athens]] | largest_city = capital | languages = [[Greek language|Greek]] | religion = {{unbulleted list |{{Tree list}} * 93% [[Christianity]] ** 90% [[Church of Greece|Greek Orthodoxy]] ([[State religion|official]])<sup>a</sup> **3% other [[List of Christian denominations|Christian]] {{Tree list/end}} |4% [[Irreligion|no religion]] |2% [[Islam in Greece|Islam]] |1% other<ref name="Pew2017">{{cite web|url=http://www.pewforum.org/2017/05/10/religious-affiliation/|title=Religious Belief and National Belonging in Central and Eastern Europe|date = 10 May 2017| publisher = Pew Research Center| access-date = 9 September 2017}}</ref>}} | religion_year = 2017 | demonym = {{hlist|[[Greeks|Greek]]|Hellene}} | government_type = [[Unitary parliamentary republic]] | leader_title1 = [[President of Greece|President]] | leader_name1 = <span style=white-space:nowrap;>[[Katerina Sakellaropoulou]]</span> | leader_title2 = [[Prime Minister of Greece|Prime Minister]] | leader_title3 = [[Speaker of the Hellenic Parliament|Parliament Speaker]] | legislature = [[Hellenic Parliament]] | sovereignty_type = [[History of Greece|Establishment history]] | established_event1 = [[Greek War of Independence|Independence declared]] {{nobold|from the [[Ottoman Empire]]}} <!-- PLEASE DO NOT AMEND THE ESTABLISHED EVENTS SECTION WITHOUT OPENING A DISCUSSION ON THE TALK PAGE FIRST --> | established_date1 = {{nowrap|25 March 1821}} (traditional starting date of the [[Greek War of Independence]]), {{nowrap|15 January 1822}} ([[First National Assembly at Epidaurus|official declaration]]) | established_event2 = [[London Protocol (1830)|Recognised]] | established_date2 = {{nowrap|3 February 1830}} | established_event3 = [[Third Hellenic Republic]] | established_date3 = 24 July 1974 | established_event4 = {{nowrap|[[Constitution of Greece|Current constitution]]}} | established_date4 = 11 June 1975 | area_km2 = 131,957 | area_footnote = <ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2147rank.html?countryName=Greece&countryCode=gr®ionCode=eur&rank=97#gr |title= Country Comparison: Area |website= [[The World Factbook]] |publisher= [[Central Intelligence Agency]] |access-date= 7 January 2013 |archive-date= 13 November 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201113204336/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2147rank.html?countryName=Greece&countryCode=gr®ionCode=eur&rank=97#gr |url-status= dead }}</ref> | area_rank = 95th <!-- Should match [[List of countries and dependencies by area]] --> | area_sq_mi = 50,949 <!--Do not remove per [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Dates and numbers]]--> | percent_water = 1.51 (2015)<ref>{{cite web|title=Surface water and surface water change|access-date=11 October 2020|publisher=[[Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development]] (OECD)|url=https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=SURFACE_WATER#}}</ref> | population_estimate = {{decrease}} 10,413,982 (1 January 2023)<ref name="population">{{cite web |title=Estimated Population and Migration Flows, 2023 |url=https://www.statistics.gr/documents/20181/de3e26f6-9b77-d2e5-2ca3-e13bcafe482a |publisher=[[Hellenic Statistical Authority]] |access-date=8 January 2024 |location=Piraeus |date=29 December 2023}}</ref> | population_estimate_year = 2023 | population_estimate_rank = 90th | population_census = {{decrease}} 10,432,481<ref>{{cite web |script-title=el:Αποτελέσματα Απογραφής Πληθυσμού - Κατοικιών 2021 |trans-title=Results of Population-Housing Census 2021 |url=https://www.statistics.gr/news-announcements/-/asset_publisher/oj6VK3PQ0oCe/content/nws_census_results_booklet_19072022_gr |publisher=Hellenic Statistical Authority |access-date=8 January 2024 |location=Piraeus |language=el |date=19 July 2022}}</ref> | population_census_year = 2021 | population_census_rank = | population_density_km2 = 78.9 | population_density_rank = 105th | population_density_sq_mi = 204.4 <!--Do not remove per [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Dates and numbers]]--> | GDP_PPP = {{increase}} $416.969 billion<ref name="IMFWEO.GR">{{cite web |title=World Economic Outlook Database, October 2023 |url=https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2023/October/weo-report?c=174,&s=NGDPD,PPPGDP,NGDPDPC,PPPPC,&sy=2020&ey=2028&ssm=0&scsm=1&scc=0&ssd=1&ssc=0&sic=0&sort=country&ds=.&br=1 |publisher=[[International Monetary Fund]] |access-date=18 October 2023 |location=Washington, D.C. |date=5 October 2023}}</ref> | GDP_PPP_year = 2023 | GDP_PPP_rank = 54th | GDP_PPP_per_capita = {{increase}} $39,864<ref name="IMFWEO.GR" /> | GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 52nd | GDP_nominal = {{increase}} $242.385 billion<ref name="IMFWEO.GR" /> | GDP_nominal_year = 2023 | GDP_nominal_rank = 53rd | GDP_nominal_per_capita = {{increase}} $23,173<ref name="IMFWEO.GR" /> | GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 44th | Gini = 31.8 <!--number only--> | Gini_year = 2023 | Gini_change = increase <!--increase/decrease/steady--> | Gini_ref = <ref>{{cite web |title=Income inequality, 2023 |url=https://www.statistics.gr/documents/20181/262f2183-1930-6ece-a792-e02103dfbe00 |publisher=Hellenic Statistical Authority |access-date=3 April 2024 |location=Piraeus |date=3 April 2024}}</ref> | Gini_rank = | HDI = 0.893 <!--number only--> | HDI_year = 2022 <!-- Please use the year to which the data refers, not the publication year--> | HDI_change = increase <!--increase/decrease/steady--> | HDI_ref = <ref name="UNHDR">{{cite web|url=https://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2023-24reporten.pdf|title=Human Development Report 2023/24|language=en|publisher=[[United Nations Development Programme]]|date=13 March 2024|access-date=13 March 2024}}</ref> | HDI_rank = 33rd | currency = [[Euro]] ([[Euro sign|€]]) | currency_code = EUR | time_zone = [[Eastern European Time|EET]] | utc_offset = +02:00 | utc_offset_DST = +03:00 | time_zone_DST = [[Eastern European Summer Time|EEST]] | date_format = {{abbr|dd|day}}.{{abbr|mm|month}}.{{abbr|yyyy|year}} ([[Anno Domini|AD]])<sup>b</sup> | drives_on = right | calling_code = [[Telephone numbers in Greece|+30]] | cctld = {{hlist|[[.gr]]<sup>c</sup>|[[.gr#Alternative top domain|.ελ]]}} | footnote_a = The [[Church of Greece]] is recognized by the Greek Constitution as the prevailing religion in Greece,<ref name="GreeceConstitution">[http://www.hri.org/docs/syntagma/artcl25.html#A3] The Constitution of Greece: Section II Relations of Church and State: Article 3, [http://www.hri.org/ Hellenic Resources network].</ref> and is the only country in the world where Eastern Orthodoxy is clearly recognized as a state religion.<ref name="EnyediMadeley2004">{{cite book|last1=Enyedi|first1=Zsolt|last2=Madeley|first2=John T.S.|title=Church and State in Contemporary Europe|date=2 August 2004|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781135761417|page=228|quote=Both as a state church and as a national church, the Orthodox Church of Greece has a lot in common with Protestant state churches, and even with Catholicism in some countries.}}</ref> | footnote_b = Other short formats: dd-mm-yyyy, dd/mm/yyyy | footnote_c = The [[.eu]] domain is also used, as in other [[European Union]] member states. }} '''Greece''',{{efn|{{lang-el|Ελλάδα|Elláda}}, {{IPA-el|eˈlaða|}} or {{lang|el|Ελλάς|}}, romanized: ''{{transliteration|el|Ellás}}'', {{IPA-el|eˈlas|}}}} officially the '''Hellenic Republic''',{{efn|{{Lang-el|Ελληνική Δημοκρατία|translit=Ellinikí Dimokratía|links=no|}}, {{IPA-el|eliniˈci ðimokraˈti.a|}}}} is a country in [[Southeast Europe]]. Located on the southern tip of the [[Balkan peninsula]], Greece shares land borders with [[Albania]] to the northwest, [[North Macedonia]] and [[Bulgaria]] to the north, and [[Turkey]] to the east. The [[Aegean Sea]] lies to the east of the [[Geography of Greece|mainland]], the [[Ionian Sea]] to the west, and the [[Sea of Crete]] and the [[Mediterranean Sea]] to the south. Greece has the longest coastline on the [[Mediterranean Basin]], featuring [[List of islands of Greece|thousands of islands]]. The country comprises nine [[Geographic regions of Greece|traditional geographic regions]], and has a population of nearly 10.4 million.<ref name="population" /> [[Athens]] is the nation's capital and [[List of cities and towns in Greece|largest city]], followed by [[Thessaloniki]] and [[Patras]]. Greece is considered the cradle of [[Western culture|Western civilization]], being the birthplace of [[Athenian democracy|democracy]], [[Western philosophy]], [[Western literature]], [[historiography]], [[political science]], major [[History of science in classical antiquity|scientific]] and [[Greek mathematics|mathematical]] principles, [[History of theatre|theatre]], and the [[Olympic Games]]. From the eighth century BC, the [[Greeks]] were organised into various independent [[city-state]]s known as ''poleis'' (singular ''[[polis]]'') that spanned the [[Mediterranean Basin|Mediterranean]] and [[Black Sea|Black]] seas. [[Philip II of Macedon]] [[League of Corinth|united]] most of present-day Greece in the fourth century BC, with his son [[Alexander the Great]] rapidly conquering much of the [[Ancient world map|known ancient world]] from the eastern Mediterranean to northwestern India. The subsequent [[Hellenistic period]] saw the height of [[Greek culture]] and influence in antiquity. Greece was annexed by [[Roman Republic|Rome]] in the second century BC, becoming an integral part of the [[Roman Empire]] and its continuation, the [[Byzantine Empire]], which was predominately Greek in culture and [[Medieval Greek|language]]. The [[Greek Orthodox Church]], which emerged in the first century AD, helped shape modern [[Greek identity]] and transmitted Greek traditions to the wider [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox world]]. After the [[Fourth Crusade]] in 1204, [[Latins (Middle Ages)|Latin]] possessions [[Frankokratia|were established]] in parts of the Greek peninsula, but most of the area fell under [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] rule by the mid-15th century. Following a protracted [[Greek War of Independence|war of independence]], which started in 1821, Greece emerged as a modern [[First Hellenic Republic|nation state]] in 1830. Over the first hundred years, the [[Kingdom of Greece]] sought [[Megali Idea|territorial expansion]], mainly realized in the early 20th century during the [[Balkan Wars]] and up until its [[Asia Minor Campaign]] ended with catastrophic defeat in 1922. The [[Second Hellenic Republic|short-lived republic]] that was established in 1924 was beset by the ramifications of [[National Schism|civil strife]] and the challenge of resettling [[Greek refugees|refugees from Turkey]]. In 1936 a [[4th of August Regime|royalist dictatorship]] inaugurated a long period of authoritarian rule, marked by [[Axis occupation of Greece|military occupation]], [[Greek civil war|civil war]] and [[Greek junta|military dictatorship]]. Democracy was [[Metapolitefsi|restored]] in 1974-5, leading to the current [[Third Hellenic Republic|parliamentary republic]]. Greece is a [[unitary parliamentary republic|democratic]] and, having achieved [[Greek economic miracle|record economic growth from 1950 through the 1970s]], a [[developed country]] with an advanced [[World Bank high-income economy|high-income economy]], the second [[List of sovereign states in Europe by GDP (nominal)|largest]] in the Balkans, where it is an important regional investor. A founding member of the [[United Nations]], Greece was the tenth member to join what is today [[European Union]] and has been part of the [[eurozone]] since 2001. It is also a member of numerous other international institutions, including the [[Council of Europe]], [[NATO]], the [[OECD]], the [[World Trade Organization|WTO]], and the [[Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe|OSCE]]. Greece has a unique cultural heritage, large [[Tourism in Greece|tourism industry]], and [[Greek shipping|prominent shipping sector]]. The country's rich historical legacy is reflected in part by its 19 [[List of World Heritage Sites in Greece|UNESCO World Heritage Sites]]. Greece was the ninth [[World Tourism Rankings|most-visited country]] in the world in 2022.<ref name="May2023">{{Cite web |title=International Tourism – 2023 starts on a strong note with the Middle East recovering 2019 levels in the first quarter |url=https://webunwto.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/2023-05/UNWTO_Barom23_02_May_EXCERPT_final.pdf?VersionId=gGmuSXlwfM1yoemsRrBI9ZJf.Vmc9gYD |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230802171252/https://webunwto.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/2023-05/UNWTO_Barom23_02_May_EXCERPT_final.pdf?VersionId=gGmuSXlwfM1yoemsRrBI9ZJf.Vmc9gYD |archive-date=2 August 2023 |website=webunwto.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com}}</ref> == Name == {{Main|Name of Greece}} The native name of the country in Modern Greek is {{lang|el|Ελλάδα}} (''{{transliteration|el|ISO|{{Audio|Ellada.ogg|Elláda|help=no}}}}'', pronounced {{IPA-el|eˈlaða|}}). The corresponding form in Ancient Greek and conservative formal Modern Greek ([[Katharevousa]]) is {{lang|el|Ἑλλάς}} ({{Lang|grc-Latn|Hellas}}, classical: {{IPA-grc|hel.lás|}}, modern: {{IPA-el|eˈlas|}}). This is the source of the English alternative name ''Hellas'', which is mostly found in archaic or poetic contexts today. The Greek adjectival form {{lang|el|ελληνικός}} ({{Lang|el-Latn|ellinikos}}, {{IPA-el|eliniˈkos|}}) is sometimes also translated as ''Hellenic'' and is often rendered in this way in the formal names of Greek institutions, as in the official name of the Greek state, the ''Hellenic Republic'' ({{lang|el|Ελληνική Δημοκρατία}}, {{IPA-el|eliniˈci ðimokraˈti.a|}}).<ref name=":1">{{cite web|title=Government and Politics|url=https://www.mfa.gr/usa/en/about-greece/government-and-politics/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191227041444/https://www.mfa.gr/usa/en/about-greece/government-and-politics/|archive-date=27 December 2019|access-date=28 April 2020|website=Ministry of Foreign Affairs}}</ref> The English names ''Greece'' and ''Greek'' are derived, via the Latin ''{{lang|la|Graecia}}'' and ''{{lang|la|Graecus}}'', from the name of the [[Graecians|Graeci]] ({{lang|grc|Γραικοί}}, {{Lang|grc-Latn|Graikoí}}; <small>singular</small> {{lang|grc|Γραικός}}, {{Lang|grc-Latn|Graikós}}), who were among the first [[List of ancient Greek tribes|ancient Greek tribes]] to settle [[Magna Graecia]] in [[southern Italy]]. The term is possibly derived from the [[Proto-Indo-European language|Proto-Indo-European]] root ''[[wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/ǵerh₂-|{{PIE|*ǵerh₂-}}]]'', "to grow old",<ref>{{cite book |last=Starostin |first=Sergei |year=1998 |url=http://starling.rinet.ru/main.html |title=The Tower of Babel: An Etymological Database Project}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Watkins |first=Calvert |year=2000 |title=The American Heritage Dictionary of Indo-European Roots |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Company |location=Boston, New York |isbn=0618082506}}</ref> more specifically from [[Graea]] (ancient city), said by [[Aristotle]] to be the oldest in Greece, and the source of colonists for the [[Naples]] area.<ref>Aristotle, ''[[Meteorologica]]'' I.xiv</ref> == History == {{Main|History of Greece}} {{long|section|words=4,800|nosplit=yes|date=April 2024}} === Prehistory and early history === {{Main|Neolithic Greece|Pelasgians|Cycladic culture|Minoan civilization|Mycenaean Greece}} [[File:Entrance to the treasure of Atreus.jpg|thumb|upright=.8|The entrance of the [[Treasury of Atreus]] (13th century BC) in [[Mycenae]]]] The [[Apidima Cave]] in [[Mani Peninsula|Mani]], in southern Greece, has been suggested to contain the oldest remains of [[early modern humans]] outside of Africa, dated to 200,000 years ago.<ref name="NAT-20190710">{{cite journal |last=Harvati |first=Katerina |display-authors=et al. |title=Apidima Cave fossils provide earliest evidence of Homo sapiens in Eurasia |date=10 July 2019 |journal=[[Nature (journal)|Nature]] |volume=571 |issue=7766 |pages=500–504 |doi=10.1038/s41586-019-1376-z |pmid=31292546 |s2cid=195873640 |url=https://zenodo.org/record/6646855 }}</ref> However others suggest the remains represent [[archaic humans]].<ref name=":5">Marie-Antoinette de Lumley, Gaspard Guipert, Henry de Lumley, Natassa Protopapa, Théodoros Pitsios, Apidima 1 and Apidima 2: Two anteneandertal skulls in the Peloponnese, Greece, L'Anthropologie, Volume 124, Issue 1, 2020, 102743, ISSN 0003-5521, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anthro.2019.102743.</ref> All three stages of the Stone Age ([[Paleolithic]], [[Mesolithic]], and [[Neolithic]]) are represented in Greece, for example in the [[Franchthi Cave]].<ref>{{Cite journal | last1 = Douka | first1 = K. | last2 = Perles | first2 = C. | last3 = Valladas | first3 = H. | last4 = Vanhaeren | first4 = M. | last5 = Hedges | first5 = R.E.M. | title = Franchthi Cave revisited: the age of the Aurignacian in south-eastern Europe | page = 1133 | url = https://www.academia.edu/1129937 | journal = Antiquity Magazine | year = 2011}}</ref> [[Neolithic]] settlements in Greece, dating from the 7th millennium BC,<ref name="Borza">{{cite book|author=Eugene N. Borza|title=In the Shadow of Olympus: The Emergence of Macedon|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=614pd07OtfQC&pg=PA58|year=1992|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=978-0-691-00880-6|page=58}}</ref> are the oldest in Europe by several centuries, as Greece lies on the route by which farming spread from the [[Near East]] to Europe.<ref>{{cite book | last = Perlès | first = Catherine | title = The Early Neolithic in Greece: The First Farming Communities in Europe | page = 1 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=LQQ3tx5_t7QC&q=sesklo | publisher = Cambridge University Press | year = 2001| isbn = 9780521000277 }}</ref> Greece is home to the first advanced civilizations in Europe and considered the birthplace of Western civilisation,<ref name="Duchesne2011">{{cite book|author=Ricardo Duchesne|title=The Uniqueness of Western Civilization|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pWmDPzPo0XAC&pg=PA297|date=7 February 2011|publisher=BRILL|isbn=978-90-04-19248-5|page=297|quote=The list of books which have celebrated Greece as the "cradle" of the West is endless; two more examples are Charles Freeman's The Greek Achievement: The Foundation of the Western World (1999) and Bruce Thornton's Greek Ways: How the Greeks Created Western Civilization (2000)|author-link=Ricardo Duchesne}}</ref><ref name="BotticiChalland2013">{{cite book|author1=Chiara Bottici|author2=Benoît Challand|title=The Myth of the Clash of Civilizations|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QW1lrPMXprwC&pg=PA88|date=11 January 2013|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-136-95119-0|page=88|quote=The reason why even such a sophisticated historian as Pagden can do it is that the idea that Greece is the cradle of civilisation is so much rooted in western minds and school curricula as to be taken for granted.}}</ref> beginning with the [[Cycladic civilization]] on the islands of the [[Aegean Sea]] around 3200 BC,<ref>{{Cite book | last = Sansone | first = David | title = Ancient Greek civilization | page = 5 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=YJONdN0dNYQC&q=cycladic%20civilization&pg=PT27 | publisher = Wiley | year = 2011| isbn = 9781444358773 }}</ref> the [[Minoan civilization]] in Crete (2700–1500 BC),<ref name="Frucht2004">{{cite book| first = Richard C | last = Frucht|title=Eastern Europe: An Introduction to the People, Lands, and Culture|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=lVBB1a0rC70C&pg=PA847 |access-date=5 December 2012|date=31 December 2004 | publisher =ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1-57607-800-6|page= 847|quote= People appear to have first entered Greece as hunter-gatherers from southwest Asia about 50,000 years... of Bronze Age culture and technology laid the foundations for the rise of Europe's first civilization, Minoan Crete}}</ref><ref name="World and Its Peoples">{{cite book| title= World and Its Peoples| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b5vHRWp8yqEC&pg=PA1458|access-date=5 December 2012|date=September 2009|publisher=Marshall Cavendish|isbn=978-0-7614-7902-4|page= 1458|quote=Greece was home to the earliest European civilizations, the Minoan civilization of Crete, which developed around 2000 BC, and the Mycenaean civilization on the Greek mainland, which emerged about 400 years later. The ancient Minoan}}</ref> and then the [[Mycenaean Greece|Mycenaean]] civilization on the mainland (1600–1100 BC).<ref name="World and Its Peoples" /> These civilizations possessed writing, the Minoans using an [[Undeciphered writing systems|undeciphered script]] known as [[Linear A]], and the Mycenaeans writing the earliest [[Attested language|attested]] form of [[Greek language|Greek]] in [[Linear B]].<ref>{{Cite book | last = Drews | first = Robert |author-link=Robert Drews | title = The End of the Bronze Age: Changes in Warfare and the Catastrophe Ca. 1200 BC | page = 3 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=bFpK6aXEWN8C&q=greece%20bronze%20age%20collapse | publisher = Princeton University Press | year = 1995| isbn = 0691025916 }}</ref> Contemporary [[Hittites|Hittite]] and Egyptian records suggest the presence of a single state under a "Great King" based in mainland Greece.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Beckman|first1=Gary M.|last2=Bryce|first2=Trevor R.|last3=Cline|first3=Eric H.|title=Writings from the Ancient World: The Ahhiyawa Texts|journal=Writings from the Ancient World|year=2012|location=Atlanta|publisher=Society of Biblical Literature|url=http://www.sbl-site.org/assets/pdfs/pubs/061528P.front.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150409120519/http://www.sbl-site.org/assets/pdfs/pubs/061528P.front.pdf |archive-date=9 April 2015 |url-status=live|issn=1570-7008|page=6}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Kelder|first1=Jorrit M.|title=The Kingdom of Mycenae: A Great Kingdom in the Late Bronze Age Aegean|journal=CDL Press|url=https://www.academia.edu/218696|year=2010|location=Bethesda, MD|access-date=18 March 2015|pages=45, 86, 108}}</ref> ===Ancient Greece=== {{Main|Ancient Greece}} {{see also|Archaic Greece|Classical Greece|Hellenistic Greece}} The collapse of the Mycenean civilization ushered the [[Greek Dark Ages]], from which written records are absent. The end of the Dark Ages is traditionally dated to 776 BC, the year of the first [[Ancient Olympic Games|Olympic Games]].<ref>{{Cite book | first = John R | last = Short | title = An Introduction to Urban Geography | page = 10 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=uGE9AAAAIAAJ&q=greek%20dark%20ages%20776%20BC&pg=PA10 | publisher = Routledge | year = 1987| isbn = 9780710203724 }}</ref> The ''[[Iliad]]'' and the ''[[Odyssey]]'', the foundational texts of [[Western literature]], are believed to have been composed by [[Homer]] in the 7th or 8th centuries BC.<ref>Vidal-Naquet, Pierre. ''Le monde d'Homère'' (The World of Homer), Perrin (2000), p. 19.</ref><ref name="The Odyssey 2003">[[D.C.H. Rieu]]'s introduction to ''The Odyssey'' (Penguin, 2003), p. ''xi''.</ref> With the end of the Dark Ages, there emerged kingdoms and [[city-state]]s across the Greek peninsula, [[Greek colonisation|which spread]] to the shores of the [[Black Sea]], [[Magna Graecia]] in [[southern Italy]] and [[Anatolia|Asia Minor]]. These states and their colonies reached great levels of prosperity that resulted in an unprecedented cultural boom, that of [[classical Greece]], expressed in [[Architecture of ancient Greece|architecture]], [[Theatre of ancient Greece|drama]], [[Ancient Greek science|science]], [[Greek mathematics|mathematics]] and [[Ancient Greek philosophy|philosophy]]. In 508 BC, [[Cleisthenes]] instituted the world's first [[Athenian democracy|democratic]] system of government in [[Athens]].<ref name="BKDunn1992">{{Cite book | first = John | last = Dunn | title = Democracy: the unfinished journey 508 BC – 1993 AD | publisher = Oxford University Press | year = 1994 | isbn = 978-0-19-827934-1}}</ref><ref name="BKRaaflaud2007">{{Cite book | first1 = Kurt A | last1 = Raaflaub | first2 = Josiah | last2 = Ober | first3 = Robert W | last3 = Wallace | title = Origin of Democracy in Ancient Greece | publisher = University of California Press | year = 2007 | isbn = 978-0-520-24562-4 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=6qaSHHMaGVkC}}</ref> [[File:The Parthenon in Athens.jpg|thumb|The [[Parthenon]] on the [[Acropolis of Athens]], icon of classical Greece]] By 500 BC, the [[Achaemenid Empire|Persian Empire]] controlled the Greek city states in Asia Minor and Macedonia.<ref>Joseph Roisman, Ian Worthington. [https://books.google.com/books?id=QsJ183uUDkMC&q=Achaemenid+Persians+ruled+balkans&pg=PA345 "A companion to Ancient Macedonia"] John Wiley & Sons, 2011. {{ISBN|144435163X}} pp 135–138, p 343</ref> Attempts by some Greek city-states of Asia Minor to overthrow Persian rule [[Ionian Revolt|failed]], and Persia [[First Persian invasion of Greece|invaded the states of mainland Greece]] in 492 BC, but was forced to withdraw after defeat at the [[Battle of Marathon]] in 490 BC. In response, the Greek city-states formed the Hellenic League in 481 BC, led by [[Sparta]], which was the first recorded union of Greek states since the mythical union of the [[Trojan War]].<ref name="Waterfield2018">{{cite book|author=Robin Waterfield|title=Creators, Conquerors, and Citizens: A History of Ancient Greece|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lLNSDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA148|date=19 April 2018|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-872788-0|page=148|quote=They formed an alliance, which we call the Hellenic League, and bound themselves not just to repel the Persians, but to help one another whatever particular enemy threatened the freedom of the Greek cities. This was a real acknowledgment of a shared Greekness, and a first attempt to unify the Greek states under such a banner.}}</ref><ref name="Fine1983">{{cite book|author=John Van Antwerp Fine|title=The Ancient Greeks: A Critical History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NjeM0kcp8swC&pg=PA297|year=1983|publisher=Harvard University Press|isbn=978-0-674-03314-6|page=297|quote=This Hellenic League – the first union of Greek states since the mythical times of the Trojan War – was the instrument through which the Greeks organised their successful resistance to Persia. }}</ref> A [[second Persian invasion of Greece]] followed in 480 BC. Following Greek victories in 480-79 BC, the Persians withdrew for a second time, marking their eventual withdrawal from all their European territories. The Greek victories in the [[Greco-Persian Wars]] are considered a pivotal moment in history,<ref name="Strauss2005">{{cite book|author=Barry Strauss|title=The Battle of Salamis: The Naval Encounter That Saved Greece – and Western Civilization|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nQFtMcD5dOsC|date=16 August 2005|publisher=Simon and Schuster|isbn=978-0-7432-7453-1|pages=1–11}}</ref> as the 50 years of peace afterwards are known as the [[Fifth-century Athens|Golden Age of Athens]], the seminal period of development that laid many foundations of Western civilization. Lack of political unity resulted in frequent conflict between Greek states. The most devastating intra-Greek war was the [[Peloponnesian War]] (431–404 BC), won by Sparta and marking the demise of the Athenian Empire. Athens and Sparta were later overshadowed by [[Ancient Thebes (Boeotia)|Thebes]] and eventually Macedon, with the latter uniting most city-states of the Greek hinterland in the [[League of Corinth]] under [[Philip II of Macedon|Philip II]].<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P98aXmGsFxcC&pg=PA79 |title=Global History Volume One: The Ancient World to the Age of Revolution |last1=Willner |first1=Mark |last2=Hero |first2=George |last3=Wiener |first3=Jerry |last4=Hero |first4=George A. |date=2006 |publisher=Barron's Educational Series |isbn=9780764158117 |page=79 |language=en}}</ref> Despite this, the Greek world remained fragmented and would not be united under a single power until the Roman years.<ref name="walbank">{{Cite book |last=Walbank |first=Frank W. |title=Selected Papers: Studies in Greek and Roman History and Historiography |date=26 August 2010 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5z_vUPABapoC&q=League%2520of%2520Corinth&pg=PA1 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |language=en |isbn=9780521136808 |page=1 |access-date=8 September 2018}}</ref> {{multiple images|image1 = Napoli BW 2013-05-16 16-24-01.jpg|image2 = MacedonEmpire.jpg|footer=[[Alexander the Great]], whose conquests led to the [[Hellenistic Age]]|align=right|total_width=400}} After Philip's assassination in 336 BC, his son and [[king of Macedon]], [[Alexander the Great|Alexander]], set himself leader of a [[Panhellenism|Panhellenic]] [[Wars of Alexander the Great|campaign]] against the [[Persian Empire]] and abolished it. Undefeated in battle, he marched, until his untimely death in 323 BC, to the banks of the [[Indus]],<ref>{{harvnb|Walbank|1993|pp=31–2, 34–5, 36–7}}, {{harvnb|Gehrke|1995|pp=10–3, 16–7, 21, 24–5, 28–9}}</ref> creating one of the largest empires in history. Alexander's empire fragmented after his death, inaugurating the [[Hellenistic period]]. After [[Wars of the Diadochi|fierce conflict]] amongst themselves, the [[Diadochi|generals that succeeded Alexander and their successors]] founded large personal kingdoms in the areas he had conquered, such as that of the [[Ptolemies]] in [[Egypt]].<ref>{{harvnb|Walbank|1993|pp=46–8, 59, 74–5}}, {{harvnb|Gehrke|1995|pp=30, 32, 45–8}}</ref> Many Greeks migrated to [[Alexandria]] and the other new Hellenistic cities in Asia and Africa.<ref>{{cite web|author=Ian Morris|url=http://www.princeton.edu/~pswpc/pdfs/morris/120509.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060222022546/http://www.princeton.edu/~pswpc/pdfs/morris/120509.pdf |archive-date=22 February 2006 |url-status=live|title=The growth of Greek cities in the first millennium BC|publisher=[[Princeton University]]|date=December 2005}}</ref> As a result of the settlement of Greeks as members of a ruling minority, during the centuries that followed a vernacular form of [[Ancient Greek language|Greek]], known as ''[[Koine Greek|koine]]'', and Greek culture was [[Hellenization|spread]], while the Greeks [[Hellenistic religion|adopted Eastern deities and cults]].<ref>{{harvnb|Walbank|1993|pp=62–3}}, {{harvnb|Gehrke|1995|pp=63–65, 73, 75–6}}.</ref> Greek science, technology, and mathematics reached their peak during the Hellenistic period.<ref>{{Cite book | first1 = Cynthia | last1 = Kosso | first2 = Anne | last2 = Scott | title = The Nature and Function of Water, Baths, Bathing, and Hygiene from Antiquity Through the Renaissance | publisher =Brill | year = 2009 | page = 51 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=UTkXFLfmLTkC&q=hellenistic%20mathematics%20science%20technology&pg=PA51| isbn = 978-9004173576 }}</ref> The [[Antigonid dynasty]], descended from one of Alexander's generals, established its control over Macedon and most of the Greek city-states by 276 BC.<ref>{{cite book | last = Spielvogel | first = Jackson | title = Western Civilization | volume = I: To 1715 | publisher = Thomson Wadsworth | year = 2005 | pages = 89–90 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=xcNIBlwrjMsC&pg=PA89 | isbn = 978-0-534-64603-5}}</ref> Aspiring to maintain their independence from the [[Ancient Macedonians|Macedonians]], much of Greece united in ''koina'' or ''[[sympoliteia]]i'' i.e. federations.<ref>{{harvnb|Walbank|1993|pp=79–80, 91–2, 141–2, 151–2}}, {{harvnb|Gehrke|1995|pp=68–70}}.</ref> === Roman province (146 BC – 4th century AD) === {{Main|Greece in the Roman era}} {{See also|Roman Empire}} [[File:0142 - Archaeological Museum, Athens - Antikythera mechanism - Photo by Giovanni Dall'Orto, Nov 11 2009.jpg|thumb|The [[Antikythera mechanism]] (c. 100 BC) is considered to be the first known mechanical [[analog computer]] ([[National Archaeological Museum, Athens]]).]] From about 200 BC the [[Ancient Rome|Roman Republic]] became increasingly involved in Greek affairs and engaged in a [[Macedonian Wars|series of wars with Macedon]].<ref name= Flower>{{cite book | title=The Roman Republic | editor-last=Flower | editor-first=Harriet | year=2004 | isbn=978-0-521-00390-2 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/cambridgecompani0000unse_s0h2/page/248 248, 258] | publisher=Cambridge University Press | url=https://archive.org/details/cambridgecompani0000unse_s0h2/page/248 }}</ref> Macedon's defeat at the [[Battle of Pydna]] in 168 BC signalled the end of Antigonid power.<ref>{{Cite book | title = Britannica | contribution = Antigonid dynasty | year = 2008 | edition = online}}</ref> In 146 BC, Macedonia was annexed as a province by Rome, and the rest of Greece became a Roman protectorate.<ref name=Flower /><ref name=Ward>{{cite book |title=A history of the Roman people |last1=Ward |first1=Allen Mason |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-13-038480-5 |page=[https://archive.org/details/historyofromanpe00alle/page/276 276] |publisher=Prentice Hall |display-authors=etal |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofromanpe00alle/page/276 }}</ref> The process was completed in 27 BC when emperor [[Augustus]] annexed the rest of Greece and constituted it as the [[senatorial province]] of [[Achaea (Roman province)|Achaea]].<ref name=Ward /> Despite their military superiority, the Romans admired and became [[Greco-Roman world|heavily influenced]] by Greek culture, hence [[Horace]]'s famous statement: "Greece, although captured, took its wild conqueror captive".<ref>{{cite book |title=Ancient Rome: An Introductory History |last=Zoch |first=Paul | year= 2000 | isbn = 978-0-8061-3287-7 |page=136 |publisher=University of Oklahoma Press | url= https://books.google.com/books?id=95bu0O3LLlsC&q=Graecia%20capta%20ferum%20victorem%20cepit&pg=PA136 |access-date=29 April 2012}}</ref> The epics of [[Homer]] inspired the [[Aeneid]] of [[Virgil]], and authors such as [[Seneca the Younger]] wrote using Greek styles. Roman heroes such as [[Scipio Africanus]], studied philosophy and regarded Greek culture and science as an example to be followed. Similarly, most [[Roman emperor]]s admired things Greek in nature. Emperor [[Nero]] visited Greece in AD 66, and performed at the [[Ancient Olympic Games]], while [[Hadrian]]<ref>{{cite book |first=Anthony |last=R. Birley |title=Hadrian: The Restless Emperor |location=Abingdon |publisher=Routledge |year=2013 |isbn=978-0-415-16544-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VV8hBcCnYaIC&pg=PA16 |pages=16–17}}</ref> served as an [[eponymous archon]] of Athens, before becoming emperor.<ref>{{cite AV media |last=Kouremenos|first=Anna |year=2022 |section=The City of Hadrian and not of Theseus: A cultural history of Hadrian's Arch |title=The Province of Achaea in the 2nd Century CE: The Past Present |location=London |publisher=Routledge |url=https://www.academia.edu/43746490/_Forthcoming_The_City_of_Hadrian_and_not_of_Theseus_A_Cultural_History_of_Hadrians_Arch}}</ref> [[File:Athen Odeon Herodes Atticus BW 2017-10-09 13-12-44.jpg|thumb|The [[Odeon of Herodes Atticus]] in Athens, built in 161 AD]] Greek-speaking communities of the Hellenised East were instrumental in the spread of Christianity in the 2nd and 3rd centuries,<ref>{{cite book | title= Backgrounds of Early Christianity | last = Ferguson | first = Everett | year = 2003 |isbn= 978-0-8028-2221-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3tuKkxU4-ncC&pg=PA617 |pages= 617–18| publisher = Wm. B. Eerdmans }}</ref> and Christianity's early leaders and writers were mostly Greek-speaking, though not from Greece itself.<ref>{{cite book | title= Ancient Rome | last = Dunstan | first = William | year=2011 |isbn=978-0-7425-6834-1 |page=500 | publisher = Rowman & Littlefield Publishers | url= https://books.google.com/books?id=xkOhwFzz1AkC&q=early%20christian%20leaders%20speak%20greek&pg=PA500 |access-date=29 April 2012}}</ref> The [[New Testament]] was written in Greek, and some sections attest to the importance of churches in Greece in [[early Christianity]]. Nevertheless, much of Greece clung to paganism, and ancient Greek religious practices were still in vogue in the late 4th century AD,<ref>{{cite book |title=Early Christian Art and Architecture |last = Milburn |first=Robert |year=1992 |page=158 |publisher = University of California Press |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=OcRTwsDq_Z4C&q=early%20christianity%20greece&pg=PA158 |access-date=29 April 2012|isbn = 9780520074125 }}</ref> when they were outlawed by the Roman emperor [[Theodosius I]] in 391–392.<ref name="FriellWilliams2005">{{cite book|author1=Gerard Friell|author2=Peabody Professor of North American Archaeology and Ethnography Emeritus Stephen Williams|author3=Stephen Williams|title=Theodosius: The Empire at Bay|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I8KRAgAAQBAJ|date=8 August 2005|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-135-78262-7|page=105}}</ref> The last recorded Olympic games were held in 393,<ref name="Perrottet2004">{{cite book|author=Tony Perrottet|title=The Naked Olympics: The True Story of the Ancient Games|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B2VPMUBAxUUC&pg=PA190|access-date=1 April 2013|date=8 June 2004|publisher=Random House Digital, Inc.|isbn=978-1-58836-382-4|pages=190–}}</ref> and many temples were destroyed or damaged in the century that followed.<ref name="Evans2005" /><ref name="Evans2005">{{cite book|author=James Allan Stewart Evans|title=The Emperor Justinian and the Byzantine Empire|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xDNv6qZ_I-IC|date=January 2005|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-313-32582-3|pages=65–70}}</ref><ref name="Haldon1990">{{cite book|author=J. F. Haldon|title=Byzantium in the Seventh Century: The Transformation of a Culture|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pSHmT1G_5T0C|year=1990|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-31917-1|page=329}}</ref> The closure of the [[Neoplatonism|Neoplatonic]] Academy of Athens by Emperor Justinian in 529 is considered the end of antiquity, although there is evidence that the academy continued.<ref name="Evans2005" /><ref>{{cite book |title= Hellenic Temples and Christian Churches: A Concise History of the Religious Cultures of Greece from Antiquity to the Present |last=Makrides |first=Nikolaos |year=2009 |publisher=NYU Press |isbn=978-0-8147-9568-2 |page=206 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=kKOY5NsekfkC&q=10th%20century&pg=PA17 |access-date=29 April 2012}}</ref> === Medieval period (4th–15th century) === {{Main|Byzantine Greece|Frankokratia}} [[File:Hagia Sophia Dome.png|alt=|thumb|Dome of [[Hagia Sophia, Thessaloniki]] (8th century), one of the 15 [[UNESCO]]'s [[Paleochristian and Byzantine monuments of Thessaloniki|Paleochristian and Byzantine monuments of the city]]]] The Roman Empire in the east, following the [[fall of the Western Roman Empire]] in the 5th century, is known as the [[Byzantine Empire]] (but was called "Kingdom of the Romans" in its own time) and lasted until 1453. With its capital in [[Constantinople]], its language and culture were Greek and its religion was predominantly [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox Christian]].<ref>{{cite book|title=The Oxford Handbook of Byzantine Studies |editor-last=Jeffreys |editor-first=Elizabeth |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-19-925246-6 |page=4 |publisher=Oxford University Press |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=liFKua_cWL8C&pg=PA4}}</ref> From the 4th century the Empire's Balkan territories, including Greece, suffered from the dislocation of [[Migration Period|barbarian invasions]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Halsall |first=Guy |title=Barbarian Migrations and the Roman West |pages=376–568 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2007}}</ref> The raids by [[Goths]] and [[Huns]] in the 4th and 5th centuries and the [[South Slavs|Slavic]] invasion in the 7th century resulted in a dramatic collapse in imperial authority in the Greek [[peninsula]].{{Sfn | Fine | 1991 | pp = 35–6}} Following the Slavic invasion, the imperial government retained formal control of only the islands and coastal areas, particularly the densely populated walled cities such as Athens, Corinth and Thessalonica, while some mountainous areas in the interior held out on their own and continued to recognise imperial authority.{{Sfn | Fine | 1991 | pp = 35–6}} Outside these, a limited amount of Slavic settlement is thought to have occurred.{{Sfn | Fine | 1991 | pp = 63–6}}<ref>{{Cite book | first = TE | last = Gregory | title = A History of Byzantium | publisher = Wiley-Blackwell | year = 2010 | page = 169 | quote = It is now generally agreed that the people who lived in the Balkans after the Slavic "invasions" were probably for the most part the same as those who had lived there earlier, although the creation of new political groups and arrival of small immigrants caused people to look at themselves as distinct from their neighbors, including the Byzantines.}}</ref> However, the view that Greece in late antiquity underwent a crisis of decline, fragmentation and depopulation is now considered outdated, as Greek cities show institutional continuity and prosperity between the 4th and 6th centuries AD. In the early 6th century, Greece had approximately 80 cities according to the [[Synecdemus]] chronicle, and the period from the 4th to the 7th century is considered one of high prosperity not just in Greece but in the entire Eastern Mediterranean.<ref name="Rothaus2000">{{cite book|author=Richard M. Rothaus|title=Corinth, the First City of Greece: An Urban History of Late Antique Cult and Religion|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dbAhrDO1XQIC|year=2000|publisher=BRILL|isbn=978-90-04-10922-3|page=10}}</ref> [[File:Map Byzantine Empire 1025-en.svg|thumb|upright=1.5|The Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire after the death of [[Basil II]] in 1025]] Until the 8th century almost all of modern Greece was under the jurisdiction of the [[Holy See]] of [[Rome]] according to the system of [[Pentarchy]]. Byzantine [[Emperor Leo III]] moved the border of the [[Patriarchate of Constantinople]] westward and northward in the 8th century.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2rayUr0j28wC&pg=PA203|title=Byzantium: Church, Society, and Civilization Seen Through Contemporary Eyes|first=Deno John|last=Geanakoplos|date=1984|publisher=University of Chicago Press|isbn=978-0226284606}}</ref> The Byzantine recovery of lost provinces during the [[Arab–Byzantine wars]] began toward the end of the 8th century and most of the Greek peninsula came under imperial control again, during the 9th century.<ref name= EB2>{{cite web | url = https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/244154/Greece/26387/Byzantine-recovery |title=Greece During the Byzantine Period: Byzantine recovery | publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica | website = Online |access-date=28 April 2012}}</ref>{{Sfn | Fine | 1991 | pp =79–83}} This process was facilitated by a large influx of Greeks from Sicily and Asia Minor to the Greek peninsula, while at the same time many Slavs were captured and re-settled in Asia Minor.{{Sfn | Fine | 1991 | pp = 63–6}} During the 11th and 12th centuries the return of stability resulted in the Greek peninsula benefiting from strong economic growth.<ref name=EB2 /> The [[Greek Orthodox Church]] was instrumental in the spread of Greek ideas to the wider [[Orthodoxy|Orthodox world]].<ref name=BritIdent>{{cite encyclopedia |year=2008 |title =Greece during the Byzantine period (c. AD 300 – c. 1453), Population and languages, Emerging Greek identity |encyclopedia= Encyclopædia Britannica |id=Online Edition}}</ref>{{Full citation needed|date=September 2018 |reason=Where does it say that in the text?}} [[File:Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes (9451928431).jpg|alt=|thumb|The [[Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes]], originally built in the late 7th century as a Byzantine citadel and beginning from 1309 used by the [[Knights Hospitaller]] as an administrative centre]] Following the [[Fourth Crusade]] and fall of Constantinople to the "[[Latin Empire|Latins]]" in 1204, mainland Greece was split between the Greek [[Despotate of Epirus#Foundation|Despotate of Epirus]] and [[Kingdom of France|French]] rule<ref name = EB3>{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/244154/Greece/26389/Results-of-the-Fourth-Crusade|title=Greece During the Byzantine Period: Results of the Fourth Crusade|publisher=Online Encyclopædia Britannica|access-date=28 April 2012}}</ref> (the ''[[Frankokratia]]'').<ref name= EB3A>{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/244154/Greece/26395/The-islands|title=Greece During the Byzantine Period: The islands|publisher=Online Encyclopædia Britannica|access-date=14 May 2012}}</ref> The re-establishment of the Byzantine imperial capital in Constantinople in 1261 was accompanied by the empire's recovery of much of the Greek peninsula, although the Frankish [[Principality of Achaea]] in the Peloponnese and the rival Greek [[Despotate of Epirus]] in the north both remained regional powers into the 14th century, while the islands remained largely under Genoese and Venetian control.<ref name = EB3 /> During the [[Byzantine Empire under the Palaiologos dynasty|Paleologi dynasty]] (1261–1453) a new era of Greek patriotism emerged accompanied by a turning back to ancient Greece.<ref name=Vasiliev/><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Moles |first1=Ian |title=Nationalism and Byzantine Greece |journal=Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies |date=1969 |page=102 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HJhOAAAAIAAJ |language=en|quote=Greek nationalism, in other words, was articulated as the boundaries of Byzantium shrank... the Palaeologian restoration that the two words are brought into definite and cognate relationship with 'nation' (Έθνος).}}</ref><ref name="RuncimanRunciman1985">{{cite book|author1=Steven Runciman|author2=Sir Steven Runciman|title=The Great Church in Captivity: A Study of the Patriarchate of Constantinople from the Eve of the Turkish Conquest to the Greek War of Independence|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Vm5OGIBgoHMC&pg=PA120|date=24 October 1985|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-31310-0|page=120|quote=By the fifteenth century most Byzantine intellectuals alluded to themselves as Hellenes. John Argyropoulus even calls the Emperor 'Emperor of the Hellenes' and describes the last wars of Byzantium as a struggle for the freedom of Hellas.}}</ref><ref name=Vasiliev>{{cite book |last1=Vasiliev |first1=Alexander A. |title=History of the Byzantine Empire, 324–1453 |date=1964 |publisher=University of Wisconsin Press |isbn=978-0299809256 |page=582 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RtM0qClcIX4C |language=en}}</ref><ref name="RuncimanRunciman1985"/><ref name="CareyCarey1968">{{cite book|author1=Jane Perry Clark Carey|author2=Andrew Galbraith Carey|title=The Web of Modern Greek Politics|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ltw7AAAAMAAJ|year=1968|publisher=Columbia University Press|page =33|isbn=978-0231031707|quote = By the end of the fourteenth century the Byzantine emperor was often called "Emperor of the Hellenes"}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Hilsdale |first1=Cecily J. |title=Byzantine Art and Diplomacy in an Age of Decline |date=2014 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1107729384 |pages=82–83 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t7GkAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA8 |language=en}}</ref> In the 14th century much of the Greek peninsula was lost by the Byzantine Empire to the [[Serbs]] and then to the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]].<ref name = EB4>{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/244154/Greece/26391/Thessaly-and-surrounding-regions|title=Greece During the Byzantine Period: Serbian and Ottoman advances|publisher=Online Encyclopædia Britannica|access-date=28 April 2012}}</ref> By the beginning of the 15th century, the Ottoman advance meant Byzantine territory in Greece was limited mainly to its then-largest city, Thessaloniki, and the Peloponnese.<ref name=EB4 /> Constantinople fell to the Ottomans in 1453 and by 1460, Ottoman conquest of mainland Greece was complete.<ref name= EB5>{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/244154/Greece/26391/Thessaly-and-surrounding-regions|title=Greece During the Byzantine Period: The Peloponnese advances|publisher=Online Encyclopædia Britannica|access-date=28 April 2012}}</ref> With the Turkish conquest, many Byzantine Greek scholars, who up until then were largely responsible for preserving [[Classical Greece|Classical Greek]] knowledge, fled to the West, taking with them a large body of literature and thereby significantly [[Greek scholars in the Renaissance|contributing to the Renaissance]].<ref name= JJN>{{cite book |title= A Short History of Byzantium |last= Norwich |first= John Julius|year=1997 |publisher= Vintage Books |isbn=978-0-679-77269-9 |page = xxi}}</ref> === Venetian possessions and Ottoman rule (15th century – 1821) === {{Main|Ottoman Greece|Stato da Màr}} {{Further|Phanariotes|Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople}} {{See also|Kingdom of Candia|Ionian Islands under Venetian rule}} [[File:Angelokastro (Corfu).jpg|thumb|The [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] castle of [[Angelokastro (Corfu)|Angelokastro]] successfully repulsed the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]] during the [[Siege of Corfu (1537)|first great siege of Corfu in 1537]], the siege of 1571, and the [[Siege of Corfu (1716)|second great siege of Corfu in 1716]], causing them to abandon their plans to conquer [[Corfu]].<ref name="Stamatopoulos1993">{{cite book|author=Nondas Stamatopoulos|title=Old Corfu: history and culture|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6m0-AQAAIAAJ|access-date=6 April 2013|year=1993|publisher=N. Stamatopoulos|pages=164–165|isbn=9789608403000|quote=Again, during the first great siege of Corfu by the Turks in 1537, Angelocastro ... and After a siege lasting a year the invaders were finally driven away by the defenders of the fortress who were helped by the inhabitants of the neighbouring villages. In 1571, when they once more invaded Corfu, the Turks again unsuccessfully attacked, Angelocastro, where 4,000 people had taken refuge. During the second great siege of the city by the Turks in 1716, Angelokastro once again served}}</ref>]] While most of mainland Greece and the Aegean islands was under Ottoman control by the end of the 15th century, [[Cyprus]] and [[Crete]] remained [[Republic of Venice|Venetian]] and did not fall to the Ottomans until 1571 and 1670 respectively.{{sfn|Clogg|1992|p=10}} While some Greeks in the [[Ionian Islands]] and [[Constantinople]] lived in prosperity, and Greeks of Constantinople ([[Phanariotes]]) achieved power within the Ottoman administration,{{sfn|Clogg|1992|p=23}} much of Greece suffered the economic consequences of Ottoman conquest. Heavy taxes were enforced, and in later years the Ottoman Empire enacted a policy of creation of hereditary estates, effectively turning the rural Greek populations into [[serfdom|serfs]].<ref>{{Cite book | last1 = Kourvetaris | first1 = George | last2 = Dobratz | first2 = Betty | title = A profile of modern Greece: in search of identity | page = 33 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=ePwcAAAAYAAJ&q=Greece+chiflik+serfs | publisher = Clarendon Press | year = 1987| isbn = 9780198275510 }}</ref> The [[Greek Orthodox Church]] and the [[Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople]] were considered by the Ottoman governments as the ruling authorities of the entire [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox Christian]] population of the Ottoman Empire, whether ethnically Greek or not. Although the Ottoman state did not force non-Muslims to convert to [[Islam]], Christians faced discrimination intended to highlight their inferior status in the Empire. Discrimination, particularly when combined with harsh treatment by local Ottoman authorities, led to conversions to Islam, if only superficially. In the 19th century, many "crypto-Christians" returned to their old religious allegiance.{{sfn|Clogg|1992|p=14}} [[File:White Tower and Beach front.jpg|thumb|The [[White Tower of Thessaloniki]], one of the best-known Ottoman structures remaining in Greece]] The nature of Ottoman administration of Greece varied, though it was invariably arbitrary and often harsh.{{Sfn|Clogg|1992|p=14}} Some cities had governors appointed by the [[Ottoman Sultan|Sultan]], while others, like Athens, were self-governed municipalities. Mountainous regions in the interior and many islands remained effectively autonomous from the central Ottoman state for many centuries.{{sfn|Clogg|1992}}{{page needed| date = March 2013}} Prior to the Greek Revolution of 1821, there had been a number of wars which saw Greeks fight against the Ottomans, such as the Greek participation in the [[Battle of Lepanto]] in 1571, the Epirus peasants' revolts of 1600–1601, the [[Morean War]] of 1684–1699, and the [[Russian Empire|Russian]]-instigated [[Orlov Revolt]] in 1770, which aimed at breaking up the Ottoman Empire in favour of Russian interests.{{sfn|Clogg|1992}}{{page needed| date = March 2013}} These uprisings were put down by the Ottomans with great bloodshed.<ref>{{Cite book | first = Lyn | last = Harrington | title = Greece and the Greeks | page = 124 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=d7BAAAAAIAAJ&q=greece+revolts+ottoman+rule+bloodshed | publisher = T Nelson | year = 1968}}, 221 pp.</ref><ref>{{Cite book | first1 = Jamie | last1 = Stokes | first2 = Anthony | last2 = Gorman | title = Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Africa and the Middle East | page = 256 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=stl97FdyRswC&q=greece%20ottoman%20rule%20revolts%20orlov&pg=PA256 | publisher = Infobase | year = 2010 | isbn = 978-1-4381-2676-0}}</ref> On the other side, many Greeks were conscripted as Ottoman citizens to serve in the Ottoman army and especially the navy, while also the [[Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople]], responsible for the Orthodox, remained in general loyal to the Empire. The 16th and 17th centuries are regarded as something of a "dark age" in Greek history, with the prospect of overthrowing Ottoman rule appearing remote with only the Ionian islands remaining free of Turkish domination. [[Corfu]] withstood three major sieges all of which resulted in the repulsion of the Ottomans. However, in the 18th century, due to their mastery of shipping and commerce, a wealthy and dispersed Greek merchant class arose. These merchants came to dominate trade within the Ottoman Empire, establishing communities throughout the Mediterranean, the Balkans, and Western Europe. Though the Ottoman conquest had cut Greece off from significant European intellectual movements such as the [[Reformation]] and the [[Age of Enlightenment|Enlightenment]], these ideas together with the ideals of the [[French Revolution]] and [[romantic nationalism]] began to penetrate the Greek world via the mercantile diaspora.{{Sfn | Clogg | 1992|page=27}} In the late 18th century, [[Rigas Feraios]], the first revolutionary to envision an independent Greek state, published documents relating to Greek independence, in [[Vienna]]. Feraios was murdered by Ottoman agents in 1798.{{Sfn | Clogg | 1992|page=31}}<ref>{{Cite book | first = Olga | last = Katsiaridi-Hering | chapter = La famiglia nell'economia europea, secc. XIII-XVIII | title = Atti della "quarantesima Settimana di studi," 6–10 Aprile 2008 | publisher = Istituto internazionale di storia economica F. Datini. Simonetta Cavaciocchi. Firenze University Press | year = 2009 | isbn = 978-88-8453-910-6 | page = 410 | chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=WsyHfHzeP_8C&q=rigas%20feraios%20murdered&pg=PA410}}</ref> ===Modern nation-state=== {{Main|History of modern Greece}} ==== Greek War of Independence (1821–1832) ==== {{Main|Greek War of Independence}} {{See also|Modern Greek Enlightenment|Wikisource:Greek_Declaration_of_Independence|label 2=Greek Declaration of Independence|First Hellenic Republic}} [[File:The sortie of Messologhi by Theodore Vryzakis.jpg|thumb|''The sortie (exodus) of [[Messolonghi]]'', depicting the [[third siege of Missolonghi]], painted by [[Theodoros Vryzakis]]]] In the late eighteenth century, an increase in secular learning during the [[Modern Greek Enlightenment]] led to the emergence among [[Westernization|Westernized]] Greek-speaking [[elite]]s of the diaspora of the [[Greek nationalism|notion of a Greek nation]] tracing its existence to [[ancient Greece]], distinct from the other Orthodox peoples, and having a right to [[political autonomy]]. One of the organizations formed in this intellectual milieu was the [[Filiki Eteria]], a secret organization formed by merchants in [[Odesa]] in 1814.<ref>{{harvnb|Hatzopoulos|2009|pp=81–3}}.</ref> Appropriating a long-standing tradition of [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox]] messianic prophecy aspiring to the resurrection of the [[eastern Roman empire]] and creating the impression they had the backing of [[Russian Empire|Tsarist Russia]], they managed amidst a crisis of Ottoman trade, from 1815 onwards, to engage the Greek Orthodox world in their [[liberal nationalism|liberal nationalist]] cause.<ref>{{harvnb|Hatzopoulos|2009}}. For the crisis of maritime trade from 1815 onwards, see {{harvnb|Kremmydas|1977}} and {{harvnb|Kremmydas|2002}}.</ref> The Filiki Eteria planned to launch revolution in the [[Peloponnese]], the [[Danubian Principalities]] and [[Constantinople]]. The first revolts began on 6 March 1821 in the Danubian Principalities, but it was soon put down by the Ottomans. The events in the north spurred the Greeks of the Peloponnese into action and on 17 March 1821 the [[Maniots]] declared war on the Ottomans.<ref name="Brewer, D. 2001, pp. 235">Brewer, D. ''The Greek War of Independence: The Struggle for Freedom from Ottoman Oppression and the Birth of the Modern Greek Nation.'' Overlook Press, 2001, {{ISBN|1-58567-172-X}}, pp. 235–36.</ref> By the end of the month, the Peloponnese was in open revolt and by October 1821 the Greeks under [[Theodoros Kolokotronis]] had captured [[Tripoli, Greece|Tripolitsa]]. The Peloponnesian revolt was quickly followed by revolts in Crete, [[Macedonia (Greece)|Macedonia]] and [[Central Greece]], which would soon be suppressed. Meanwhile, the makeshift Greek navy was achieving success against the Ottomans. In 1822 and 1824 the Turks and Egyptians ravaged the islands, committing wholesale [[Massacres during the Greek Revolution|massacres]] of the population.<ref name="Brewer, D. 2001, pp. 235" /><ref>{{cite book |last1=Tucker |first1=Spencer C. |title=A Global Chronology of Conflict: From the Ancient World to the Modern Middle East |date=2009 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=9781851096725 | page=1140 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h5_tSnygvbIC&pg=PA1140}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.qgazette.com/news/2007-11-28/features/016.html|title=The Chios Massacre Of 1822|work=Queens Gazette|access-date=11 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181111173817/http://www.qgazette.com/news/2007-11-28/features/016.html|archive-date=11 November 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> This galvanized opinion in western Europe in favour of the Greek rebels.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Klose|first1=Fabian|title=The Emergence of Humanitarian Intervention: Ideas and Practice...|date=2016|publisher=Clays|isbn=9781107075511|page=175|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cMvZCgAAQBAJ&q=castlereagh+chios&pg=PA175|access-date=6 August 2017}}</ref> Tensions developed among Greek factions, leading to two consecutive civil wars. Meanwhile, the [[Ottoman Sultan]] [[Mahmud II]] negotiated with [[Mehmet Ali of Egypt]], who agreed to send his son [[Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt|Ibrahim Pasha]] with an army to suppress the revolt in return for territorial gain.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Willert|first=Trine Stauning|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gB1tDwAAQBAJ&q=The+New+Ottoman+Greece+in+History+and+Fiction|title=The New Ottoman Greece in History and Fiction|date=4 September 2018|publisher=Springer|isbn=978-3-319-93849-3|pages=71–100|language=en}}</ref> Ibrahim landed in the Peloponnese in February 1825 and by the end of 1825, most of the Peloponnese was under Egyptian control. Although Ibrahim was defeated in [[Mani Peninsula|Mani]], he succeeded in suppressing most of the revolt in the Peloponnese, and Athens had been retaken.<ref>{{EB1911 |wstitle=Ibrahim Pasha |volume=14 |pages=223–224 |inline=1}}</ref> After years of negotiation, three [[great powers]], [[Bourbon Restoration in France|France]], [[Russian Empire]], and the UK, intervened in the conflict and each sent a navy.<ref>{{cite book |last=Woodhouse |first=Christopher Montague |year=1965 |title=The Battle of Navarino |pages=117–18, 137, 139}}</ref> Following news that combined Ottoman–Egyptian fleets were going to attack the Greek island of [[Hydra, Saronic Islands|Hydra]], the allied fleet intercepted the Ottoman–Egyptian fleet and destroyed it at the [[Battle of Navarino]]. The Greeks proceeded to the captured part of Central Greece by 1828. The [[First Hellenic Republic|nascent Greek state]] was finally recognised under the [[London Protocol (1830)|London Protocol]] in 1830.<ref>{{cite book |title=Η αντιπολίτευση κατά του κυβερνήτη Ιωάννη Καποδίστρια |first=Χρήστος |last=Λούκος |publisher=Θεμέλιο |year=1988 |location=Αθήνα, Ελλάδα |page=187 |language=el}}</ref> ====Kingdom of Greece==== {{Main|Kingdom of Greece}} [[File:Peter von Hess - The Entry of King Othon of Greece in Athens - WGA11387.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|''The Entry of [[Otto of Greece|King Otto]] in Athens'', painted by [[Peter von Hess]] in 1839]] In 1827, [[Ioannis Kapodistrias]], was chosen by the [[Third National Assembly at Troezen]] as the first governor of the [[First Hellenic Republic]]. Kapodistrias established state, economic and military institutions. Soon tensions appeared between him and local interests. Following his assassination in 1831 and the [[London Conference of 1832|London conference]] a year later, the [[Great Power]]s of Britain, France and Russia installed Bavarian Prince [[Otto of Greece|Otto von Wittelsbach]] as [[Kingdom of Greece (Wittelsbach)|monarch]].<ref name="britannica otto">{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Otto |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Otto-king-of-Greece |language=en |access-date=1 September 2018}}</ref> Otto's reign was [[despotism|despotic]], and in its first 11 years of independence Greece was ruled by a Bavarian oligarchy led by [[Joseph Ludwig von Armansperg]] and, later, by Otto himself, as King and Premier.<ref name="britannica otto" /> Greece remained under the influence of its three protecting great powers, [[July Monarchy|France]], Russia, and the United Kingdom, as well as [[Kingdom of Bavaria|Bavaria]].<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fXfatJ1aQq0C&q=king%2520otto%2520german%2520language%2520administration%2520greece&pg=PA71 |title=The Theory and Practice of Institutional Transplantation: Experiences with the Transfer of Policy Institutions |last1=Jong |first1=M. de |last2=Lalenis |first2=K. |last3=Mamadouh |first3=V. D. |date=31 December 2002 |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media |isbn=9781402011085 |page=71 |language=en}}</ref> In 1843 an uprising forced Otto to grant a constitution and representative assembly. Despite the [[absolute monarchy|absolutism]] of Otto's reign, the early years proved instrumental in developing institutions which are still the bedrock of Greek administration and education.<ref name="encyclopedia imperialism">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y5zTkGKy4wEC&q=king%2520otto%2520german%2520language%2520administration%2520greece&pg=PA291 |title=Encyclopedia of the Age of Imperialism, 1800–1914 |last=Hodge |first=Carl Cavanagh |date=2008 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |page=291 |language=en |access-date=9 September 2018|isbn=9780313043413 }}</ref> Important steps were taken in the education system, maritime and postal communications, effective civil administration and, most importantly, the [[legal code]].{{sfn|Great Greek Encyclopedia|page=50–51}} [[Historical revisionism]] took the form of de-[[Byzantine Empire|Byzantinification]] and de-[[Ottoman Empire|Ottomanisation]], in favour of promoting Ancient Greek heritage.<ref name="roudometof">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I9p_m7oXQ00C&q=king%2520otto%2520german%2520language%2520administration%2520greece&pg=PA102 |title=Nationalism, Globalization, and Orthodoxy: The Social Origins of Ethnic Conflict in the Balkans |last=Roudometof |first=Victor |date=2001 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |isbn=9780313319495 |pages=101–113 |language=en}}</ref> In this spirit, the capital was moved from [[Nafplio]], where it had been since 1829, to [[Athens]], then a smaller town.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vb2xAAAAIAAJ&q=otto+move+capital+athens |title=Planning and Urban Growth in Southern Europe |last=Wynn |first=Martin |date=1984 |publisher=Mansell |isbn=9780720116083 |page=6 |language=en}}</ref> Religious reform took place, and the [[Church of Greece]] was established as Greece's [[national church]]. 25 March, the day of [[Annunciation]], was chosen as the anniversary of the [[Greek War of Independence]] to reinforce the link between Greek identity and [[Orthodoxy]].<ref name="roudometof" /> [[Pavlos Karolidis]] called the Bavarian efforts to create a modern state in Greece as "not only appropriate for the peoples' needs, but also based on excellent administrative principles of the era".{{sfn|Great Greek Encyclopedia|page=50–51}} Otto was deposed in the [[23 October 1862 Revolution]]. Multiple causes led to his deposition and exile, including the Bavarian-dominated government, heavy taxation, and a failed attempt to annex [[Crete]] from the [[Ottoman Empire]].<ref name="britannica otto" /><ref name="encyclopedia imperialism" /> A year later, he was replaced by Prince Wilhelm of Denmark, who took the name [[George I of Greece|George I]] and brought with him the Ionian Islands as a coronation gift from Britain. A [[Greek Constitution of 1864|new Constitution in 1864]] changed Greece's form of government from [[constitutional monarchy]] to the more democratic [[crowned republic]].{{sfn|Great Greek Encyclopedia|page=239|loc="Διὰ τοῦ Συντάγματος τοῦ 1864 καθιερώθει ὡς πολίτευμα διὰ τὴν Ἑλλάδα ἡ κοινοβουλευτικὴ μοναρχία, ἣ, ὅπως ἄλλως ἐχαρακτηρίσθη, ἡ «βασιλευομένη δημοκρατία» ἣ «δημοκρατικὴ βασιλεία»" [Through the Constitution of 1864, constitutional monarchy, or, as it had been described, "crowned democracy", or "democratic monarchy", was consolidated as the form of government in Greece]}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hellenicparliament.gr/en/Vouli-ton-Ellinon/To-Politevma/Syntagmatiki-Istoria/ |title=Constitutional History |publisher=Hellenic Parliament |website=hellenicparliament.gr |access-date=4 September 2018 |quote=The revolt marked the end of constitutional monarchy and the beginning of a crowned democracy with George-Christian-Wilhelm of the Schleswig-Holstein-Sønderburg-Glücksburg dynasty as monarch.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RekVT4GnyYIC&q=crowned%2520republic%2520greece&pg=PA132 |title=Greece Country Study Guide: Strategic Information and Developments |publisher=International Business Publications, US |date=3 March 2012 |isbn=978-1-4387-7447-3 |page=131 |quote=In 1862, however, a revolt brought about important changes in the political system that led to the so-called "crowned democracy", i.e. a kingdom with a democratic government. }}{{Dead link|date=June 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> In 1875 the concept of [[parliamentary majority]] as a requirement for the formation of a government was introduced by [[Charilaos Trikoupis]],<ref name="constitutional history">{{cite web |url=https://www.hellenicparliament.gr/en/Vouli-ton-Ellinon/To-Politevma/Syntagmatiki-Istoria/ |title=Constitutional History |publisher=Hellenic Parliament |website=hellenicparliament.gr |access-date=4 September 2018 }}</ref> curbing the power of the monarchy to appoint [[minority government]]s of its preference. [[File:Map Greece expansion 1832-1947-en.svg|thumb|upright=1.2|The territorial evolution of the [[Kingdom of Greece]] from 1832 to 1947]] Corruption, coupled with Trikoupis' increased spending to fund infrastructure like the [[Corinth Canal]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aedik.gr/frontend/articles.php?cid=44&scid=51 |title=The Countdown |access-date=18 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120328044804/http://www.aedik.gr/frontend/articles.php?cid=44&scid=51 |archive-date=28 March 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> overtaxed the weak economy and forced the declaration of [[Sovereign default|public insolvency]] in 1893. Greece accepted the imposition of an [[International Financial Commission]] to enforce the repayment of the country's debtors. Greeks were united, however, in their determination to liberate the [[regions of ancient Greece|Hellenic lands]] under Ottoman rule. Especially in Crete, a [[Cretan Revolt (1866–1869)|prolonged revolt in 1866–1869]] had raised nationalist fervour. When war broke out between [[Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878)|Russia and the Ottomans in 1877]], Greek popular sentiment rallied to Russia's side, but Greece was too poor and concerned about British intervention, to officially enter the war. Nevertheless, in 1881, [[Thessaly]] and small parts of [[Epirus (region)|Epirus]] were ceded to Greece as part of the [[Treaty of Berlin, 1878|Treaty of Berlin]], while frustrating Greek hopes of receiving Crete.<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1080/13602000903411408 |title=The "New" Muslim Minorities in Greece: Between Emigration and Political Participation, 1881–1886 |first=Nicole |last=Immig |journal=Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs |year=2009 |volume=29 |issue=4 |pages=511–522|s2cid=143664377}}</ref> Greeks in Crete continued to stage revolts, and in 1897, the Greek government, bowing to popular pressure, declared war on the Ottomans. In the ensuing [[Greco-Turkish War (1897)|Greco-Turkish War of 1897]], the badly trained and equipped Greek army was defeated. Through the intervention of the Great Powers, however, Greece lost only a little territory, while Crete was established as an [[Cretan State|autonomous state]] under [[Prince George of Greece]]. With state coffers empty, fiscal policy came under [[International Financial Control]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lemonde.fr/economie/article/2015/07/16/quand-la-france-et-l-allemagne-mirent-la-grece-sous-tutelle-en-1898_4685561_3234.html |website=Lemonde.fr |title=Quand la France et l'Allemagne mirent la Grèce sous tutelle… en 1898 |date=16 July 2015 |access-date=17 May 2022}}</ref> Alarmed by the abortive [[Ilinden uprising]] of the [[Autonomism (political doctrine)|autonomist]] [[Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization]] (IMRO) in 1903, the Greek government, aiming to quell [[Komitadjis]] (IMRO bands) and detach the [[Slavic speakers in Ottoman Macedonia|Slavophone peasants of the region]] from [[Bulgarian Macedonians|Bulgarian]] influence, sponsored a [[guerrilla warfare|guerrilla]] campaign in Ottoman-ruled [[Macedonia (region)|Macedonia]], led by Greek officers and known as the [[Macedonian Struggle]], which ended with the [[Young Turk Revolution]] in 1908.<ref>{{harvnb|Livanios|1999|pp=195–6}}, {{harvnb|Koliopoulos|Veremis|2002|pp=280–1}}, {{harvnb|Kostopoulos|2011}}.</ref> ==== Expansion, disaster, and reconstruction ==== {{See also|Greece in the Balkan Wars|Greece in World War I|National Schism|Second Hellenic Republic}} [[File:Greek Parade Paris 1919.jpg|thumb|left|Hellenic Army formation in the [[World War I]] Victory Parade in [[Arc de Triomphe]], Paris, July 1919]] Amidst general dissatisfaction with the seeming inertia and unattainability of [[Megali Idea|national aspirations]] under the premiership of the cautious reformist [[Georgios Theotokis|Theotokis]], military officers organised a [[Goudi coup|coup]] in 1909 and shortly thereafter called on Athens [[Cretan State|Cretan]] politician [[Eleftherios Venizelos]], who conveyed a vision of national regeneration. After winning [[Greek legislative election, August 1910|two]] [[Greek legislative election, November 1910|elections]] and becoming prime minister in 1910,<ref>{{harvnb|Mazower|1992|pp=886, 890–3, 895–900, 904}}</ref> Venizelos initiated wide-ranging fiscal, social, and [[Greek Constitution of 1911|constitutional reforms]], reorganised the military, made Greece a member of the [[Balkan League]], and led the country through the [[Balkan Wars]]. By 1913, Greece's territory and population had almost doubled, annexing [[Crete]], [[Epirus (region)|Epirus]], and [[Macedonia (Greece)|Macedonia]]. In the following years, the struggle between [[Constantine I of Greece|King Constantine I]] and charismatic Venizelos over the country's foreign policy on the eve of First World War dominated the country's political scene and divided the country into [[National Schism|two opposing groups]]. During parts of WW1, Greece had two governments: A royalist [[Central Powers|pro-German]] one in [[Athens]] and a [[Venizelism|Venizelist]] pro-[[Triple Entente|Entente]] one in [[Thessaloniki]]. The two governments united in 1917, when Greece officially entered the war on the side of the Entente. [[File:Map of Great Greece (Megali Hellas) Venizelos c1920.jpg|thumb|Map of Greater Greece after the [[Treaty of Sèvres]], when the ''[[Megali Idea]]'' seemed close to fulfillment, featuring [[Eleftherios Venizelos]] as its supervising genius]] In the aftermath of World War I, Greece attempted further expansion into [[Asia Minor]], a region with a large native Greek population at the time, but was defeated in the [[Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922)]], contributing to a massive flight of [[Ottoman Greeks|Asia Minor Greeks]].<ref name=Gibney>{{cite book |author=Matthew J. Gibney, [[Randall Hansen]]. |title=Immigration and Asylum: from 1900 to the Present, Volume 3 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |year=2005 |page=[https://archive.org/details/immigrationasylu00matt/page/377 377] |isbn=978-1-57607-796-2 |quote=The total number of Christians who fled to Greece was probably in the region of I.2 million with the main wave occurring in 1922 before the signing of the convention. According to the official records of the Mixed Commission set up to monitor the movements, the Greeks who were transferred after 1923 numbered 189,916 and the number of Muslims expelled to Turkey was 355,635 (Ladas I932, 438–439), but using the same source Eddy 1931, 201 states that the post-1923 exchange involved 192,356 Greeks from Turkey and 354,647 Muslims from Greece. |url=https://archive.org/details/immigrationasylu00matt/page/377 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Sofos |first1=Spyros A. |last2=Özkirimli |first2=Umut |author2-link=Umut Özkirimli |title=Tormented by History: Nationalism in Greece and Turkey |publisher=C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd |year=2008 |pages=116–117 |isbn=978-1-85065-899-3 }}</ref> These events overlapped, with both happening during the [[Greek genocide]] (1914–1922),<ref>{{Cite journal | doi = 10.1080/14623520801950820 | last1 = Schaller | first1 = Dominik J | last2 = Zimmerer | first2 = Jürgen | year = 2008 | title = Late Ottoman genocides: the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire and Young Turkish population and extermination policies – introduction | journal = Journal of Genocide Research | volume = 10 | issue = 1| pages = 7–14| s2cid = 71515470 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | url = http://news.am/eng/news/16644.html | title = Genocide Resolution approved by Swedish Parliament | publisher = News.AM}}, containing both the IAGS and the Swedish resolutions.</ref><ref>Gaunt, David. ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20140102130735/http://books.google.com/books?id=4mug9LrpLKcC Massacres, Resistance, Protectors: Muslim-Christian Relations in Eastern Anatolia during World War I]''. Piscataway, [[New Jersey|NJ]]: Gorgias Press, 2006.</ref><ref>{{cite news | author-link = Chris Hedges| last = Hedges | first = Chris | date = 17 September 2000 | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2000/09/17/nyregion/a-few-words-in-greek-tell-of-a-homeland-lost.html | title = A Few Words in Greek Tell of a Homeland Lost | newspaper = [[The New York Times]]}}</ref> a period during which, according to various sources,<ref>{{Cite journal | first = RJ | last = Rummel | author-link = R. J. Rummel | year = 1998 | title = The Holocaust in Comparative and Historical Perspective | journal = Idea Journal of Social Issues | volume = 3 | number = 2}}</ref> Ottoman and Turkish officials contributed to the death of several hundred thousand Asia Minor Greeks, along with similar numbers of [[Assyrian genocide|Assyrians]] and a rather larger number of [[Armenian genocide|Armenians]]. The resultant Greek exodus from Asia Minor was made permanent, and expanded, in an official [[population exchange between Greece and Turkey]]. The exchange was part of the terms of the [[Treaty of Lausanne]] which ended the war.<ref>{{cite magazine|author=Annette Grossbongardt|url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/christians-in-turkey-the-diaspora-welcomes-the-pope-a-451140.html|title=Christians in Turkey: The Diaspora Welcomes the Pope|magazine=[[Der Spiegel]]|date=28 November 2006}}</ref> The following era was marked by instability, as over 1.5 million propertyless Greek refugees from Turkey had to be integrated into Greek society. Some refugees could not speak the language and were from unfamiliar environments to mainland Greeks. The refugees made a dramatic post-war population boost, as the refugees were more than a quarter of Greece's prior population.<ref>Howland, Charles P. [http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/68710/charles-p-howland/greece-and-her-refugees "Greece and Her Refugees"], ''Foreign Affairs'', [[The Council on Foreign Relations]]. July 1926.</ref> Following the catastrophic events in Asia Minor, the monarchy was abolished [[Greek republic referendum, 1924|via a referendum]] in 1924 and the [[Second Hellenic Republic]] was declared.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.et.gr/idocs-nph/search/pdfViewerForm.html?args=5C7QrtC22wFDWqVnkvhsTndtvSoClrL8BI7vRxXKg8ztIl9LGdkF53UIxsx942CdyqxSQYNuqAGCF0IfB9HI6hq6ZkZV96FIfmAIHno4xZaiebsKTXkZGFzZyd4dunA0LfOa-Yg4kaY. |title=Newspaper of the Government – Issue 64 |date=25 March 1924 |work=Government Newspaper of the Hellenic State |access-date=18 May 2022}}</ref> In 1935, a royalist general-turned-politician [[Georgios Kondylis]] took power after a coup and abolished the republic, holding [[Greek monarchy referendum, 1935|a rigged referendum]], after which [[George II of Greece|King George II]] returned to Greece and was restored to the throne. ==== Dictatorship, World War II, and reconstruction ==== {{See also|4th of August Regime|Balkans campaign (World War II){{!}}Balkans campaign|Axis occupation of Greece|Hellenic State (1941–1944){{!}}Hellenic State|Greek Civil War}} An agreement between Prime Minister [[Ioannis Metaxas]] and the head of state [[George II of Greece|George II]] followed in 1936, which installed Metaxas as the head of a dictatorial regime known as the [[4th of August Regime]], that would last, with short breaks, until 1974.<ref>{{cite book|last=Hagen|first=Fleischer|title=Totalitarian and Authoritarian Regimes in Europe: Legacies and Lessons from the Twentieth Century|chapter=Authoritarian Rule in Greece (1936–1974) and Its Heritage|year=2006|location=New York/Oxford|publisher=Berghahn|page=237}}</ref> Although a dictatorship, Greece remained on good terms with Britain and was not allied with the [[Axis powers|Axis]]. [[File:Triple Occupation of Greece.png|thumb|upright=1.2|The [[Axis occupation of Greece]].<br/>{{legend-inline|#d09313|[[Kingdom of Italy|Italian]]}} {{legend-inline|#e4001f|[[Nazi Germany|German]]}} {{legend-inline|#32c714|[[History of Independent Bulgaria|Bulgarian]]}}<br />{{legend-inline|#8a500f|Dodecanese, [[Italian Islands of the Aegean|Italian possession]] since 1912}}]] On 28 October 1940, [[Kingdom of Italy|Fascist Italy]] demanded the surrender of Greece, but it [[Ohi Day|refused]], and, in the [[Greco-Italian War]], Greece repelled Italian forces into Albania, giving the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]] their first victory over Axis forces on land. The Greek victory against the Italians received exuberant praise.<ref name="Fafalios and Hadjipateras, p. 157">Fafalios and Hadjipateras, p. 157</ref>{{cnf}} French general [[Charles de Gaulle]] praised the fierceness of the Greek resistance. In an official notice released to coincide with the Greek national celebration of the Day of Independence, De Gaulle expressed his admiration:<blockquote>In the name of the captured yet still alive French people, France wants to send her greetings to the Greek people who are fighting for their freedom. The 25 March 1941 finds Greece in the peak of their heroic struggle and in the top of their glory. Since the Battle of Salamis, Greece had not achieved the greatness and the glory which today holds.<ref name="Fafalios and Hadjipateras, p. 157" /></blockquote> The country would eventually fall to urgently dispatched [[Nazi Germany|German]] forces during the [[Battle of Greece]]. [[File:Αθηναίοι γιορτάζουν την απελευθέρωση της πόλης τους, Οκτώβριος 1944.jpg|thumb|upright=.8|left|People in [[Athens]] celebrate the liberation from the Axis powers, October 1944. Postwar Greece would soon experience a [[Greek civil war|civil war]] and political polarization.]] The Nazis proceeded to administer Athens and Thessaloniki, while other regions of the country were given to Nazi Germany's partners, Fascist Italy and Bulgaria. The occupation brought terrible hardships for the civilian population. Over 100,000 civilians died of starvation during the winter of 1941–42, tens of thousands more died because of reprisals by Nazis and [[Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy#Greece|collaborators]], the economy was ruined, and most [[History of the Jews in Greece|Greek Jews]] (tens of thousands) were deported and murdered in Nazi concentration camps.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia | url = https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/244154/Greece/26430/Greek-history-since-World-War-IGreece | title = Greek history since World War I | encyclopedia = [[Encyclopædia Britannica]]| date = 14 June 2023 }}</ref><ref name="Mazower 2001, p. 155">Mazower (2001), p. 155</ref> The [[Greek Resistance]], one of the most effective resistance movements, fought vehemently against the Nazis and their collaborators. The German occupiers committed [[German war crimes#Greece|atrocities, mass executions, and wholesale slaughter of civilians and destruction of towns and villages]] in reprisals. Hundreds of villages were systematically torched and almost 1 million Greeks left homeless.<ref name="Mazower 2001, p. 155" /> The Germans executed around 21,000 Greeks, the Bulgarians executed 40,000, and the Italians executed 9,000.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/423851310 |title=Die Wehrmacht eine Bilanz |date=2009 |others=Guido Knopp, Mario Sporn |isbn=978-3-442-15561-3 |edition=Taschenbuchausg., 1. Aufl |location=München |oclc=423851310}}</ref><!-- Does this include the 60,000-70,000 Jews mentioned at [[History_of_the_Jews_in_Greece#World_War_II,_Resistance_and_the_Holocaust]] ?--> Following liberation, Greece annexed the [[Dodecanese Islands]] from Italy and regained [[Western Thrace]] from Bulgaria. The country almost immediately descended into [[Greek Civil War|a bloody civil war]] between [[Communism|communist]] forces and the anti-communist Greek government, which lasted until 1949, with the latter's victory. The conflict, one of the earliest struggles of the [[Cold War]],<ref name= Noam&Chomsky>{{cite book|last= Chomsky|first= Noam|title= ''World Orders, Old And New''|publisher= Pluto Press London|year= 1994}}</ref> resulted in further economic devastation, mass population displacement and political polarisation for the next thirty years.<ref>[[Mark Mazower|Mazower, Mark]]. ''After the War was Over''.</ref> Although the post-war decades were characterised by social strife and widespread marginalisation of the left in political and social spheres, Greece nonetheless experienced [[Greek economic miracle|rapid economic growth]] and recovery, propelled in part by the U.S.-administered [[Marshall Plan]].<ref>{{cite book|title=A History of the Global Economy. From 1500 to the Present|date=2016|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1-107-50718-0|page=51, Figure 2.3 "Numeracy in selected Balkan and Caucasus countries", based on data from Crayen and Baten (2010)|author=Baten, Jörg}}</ref> In 1952, Greece joined [[NATO]], reinforcing its membership in the [[Western Bloc]] of the Cold War.<ref name="Chourchoulis Kourkouvelas 2012 pp. 497–514">{{cite journal | last1=Chourchoulis | first1=Dionysios | last2=Kourkouvelas | first2=Lykourgos | title=Greek perceptions of NATO during the Cold War | journal=Southeast European and Black Sea Studies | publisher=Informa UK Limited | volume=12 | issue=4 | date=26 November 2012 | issn=1468-3857 | doi=10.1080/14683857.2012.741848 | pages=497–514| s2cid=153476225 }}</ref> [[Constantine II of Greece|King Constantine II]]'s [[Apostasia of 1965|dismissal]] of [[George Papandreou (senior)|George Papandreou]]'s centrist government in July 1965 prompted political turbulence, which culminated in a coup in April 1967 by the [[Greek military junta of 1967–1974|Regime of the Colonels]]. Under the junta, civil rights were suspended, political repression was intensified, and human rights abuses, including state-sanctioned torture, were rampant. Economic growth remained rapid before plateauing in 1972. The brutal suppression of the [[Athens Polytechnic uprising]] in November 1973 set in motion the fall of the Papadopoulos regime, resulting in a counter-coup which overthrew [[Georgios Papadopoulos]] and established brigadier [[Dimitrios Ioannidis]] as the new junta strongman. On 20 July 1974, [[Turkish invasion of Cyprus|Turkey invaded the island of Cyprus]] in response to a Greek-backed Cypriot coup, triggering a political crisis in Greece that led to the regime's collapse and the restoration of democracy through [[Metapolitefsi]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=34. Cyprus (1960–present) |url=https://uca.edu/politicalscience/dadm-project/europerussiacentral-asia-region/cyprus-1960-present/ |access-date=2 June 2023 |website=uca.edu |language=en-US}}</ref> ==== Third Hellenic Republic ==== {{Main|Third Hellenic Republic}} [[File:Accession of Greece to the European Union.png|thumb|Signing at [[Zappeion]] by [[Constantine Karamanlis]] of the documents for the accession of Greece to the [[European Union|European Communities]] in 1979]] The former prime minister [[Konstantinos Karamanlis]] was invited back from Paris where he had lived in self-exile since 1963. The [[Greek legislative election, 1974|first multiparty elections]] since 1964 were held on the first anniversary of the Polytechnic uprising. A democratic and republican [[Constitution of Greece|constitution]] was promulgated in 1975 following a [[Greek republic referendum, 1974|referendum]] which chose to not restore the monarchy. Meanwhile, [[Andreas Papandreou]], George Papandreou's son, founded the [[Panhellenic Socialist Movement]] (PASOK) in response to Karamanlis's conservative [[New Democracy (Greece)|New Democracy]] party, with the two political formations dominating government over the next four decades. Greece rejoined NATO in 1980.{{Refn | group = lower-alpha | name="integrated1974" | On 14 August 1974 Greek forces withdrew from the integrated military structure of [[NATO]] in protest at the Turkish occupation of northern Cyprus; Greece rejoined NATO in 1980.}}<ref name="AdamHartDavis">History, Editorial Consultant: Adam Hart-Davis. [[Dorling Kindersley]]. {{ISBN|978-1-85613-062-2}}.</ref> Greece became the tenth member of the [[European Communities]] in 1981, ushering in sustained growth. Widespread investments in industrial enterprises and heavy infrastructure, as well as funds from the [[European Union]] and growing revenue from tourism, shipping, and a fast-growing service sector raised the [[standard of living]] to unprecedented levels. In 1981, the election of [[Andreas Papandreou]] resulted in reforms over the 1980s. He recognised the national resistance during WW2, civil marriage, the dowry was abolished, while education and foreign policy doctrines changed. However, Papandreou's tenure has been associated with corruption, high inflation, stagnation and budget deficits that later caused problems.<ref>{{Cite web |date=5 February 2019 |title=The ideal Greek everyman: Andreas Papandreou at 100 |url=https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/2019/02/05/the-ideal-greek-everyman-andreas-papandreou-at-100/ |access-date=9 May 2023 |website=EUROPP}}</ref> The country adopted the euro in 2001 and successfully hosted the [[2004 Summer Olympics|2004 Summer Olympic Games]] in Athens.<ref name="europa.eu">{{cite web|url=http://europa.eu/about-eu/countries/member-countries/greece/index_en.htm|publisher=European Union|access-date=7 April 2007|title=Greece}}</ref> Beginning in 2010, Greece suffered from the [[Great Recession]] and related [[European sovereign debt crisis]]. Due to the adoption of the euro, Greece could no longer [[Devaluation|devalue]] its currency to regain competitiveness. [[Youth unemployment]] was especially high.<ref>{{cite book|title=A History of the Global Economy. From 1500 to the Present|date=2016|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1-107-50718-0|page=66|author=Baten, Jörg}}</ref> In the elections of May and June 2012, there was a major political change, with new parties emerging from the collapse of the two main parties, PASOK and New Democracy.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Konstantinidou |first=Diana |date=28 June 2012 |title=Elections 2012: the Greek political system in flux? |url=https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/greeceatlse/2012/06/28/elections-2012-the-greek-political-system-in-flux/ |access-date=9 May 2023 |website=Greece@LSE}}</ref> In 2015, [[Alexis Tsipras]] was elected as prime minister, the first outside the two main parties.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Syriza's historic win puts Greece on collision course with Europe {{!}} Greece {{!}} The Guardian |url=https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/25/syriza-historic-win-greece-european-union-austerity |access-date=9 May 2023 |website=amp.theguardian.com}}</ref> The [[Greek government-debt crisis]], and subsequent austerity policies, resulted in social strife. The crisis ended around 2018, with the end of the bailout mechanisms and return of growth.<ref name="Bailout exit Reuters" /> Simultaneously, Tsipras, and the leader of North Macedonia, [[Zoran Zaev]], signed the [[Prespa Agreement]], solving the [[Macedonia naming dispute|naming dispute]] that had strained the relations and eased the latter's way to become a member of the EU and NATO.<ref>{{Cite web |title=After the Prespa Agreement: Why North Macedonia's Accession to EU won't happen in the near future {{!}} Ústav mezinárodních vztahů – Expertise to impact |url=https://www.iir.cz/after-the-prespa-agreement-why-north-macedonia-s-accession-to-eu-won-t-happen-in-the-near-future |access-date=9 May 2023 |website=www.iir.cz |language=cs}}</ref> In 2019, [[Kyriakos Mitsotakis]] became Greece's new prime minister, after his centre-right New Democracy won the [[2019 Greek legislative election|election]] over ruling leftist Syriza.<ref>{{cite news |title=New era as Mitsotakis is sworn in as Greece's new PM |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/7/8/kyriakos-mitsotakis-sworn-in-as-greeces-new-prime-minister |work=www.aljazeera.com |language=en}}</ref> In 2020, Greece's parliament elected a non-partisan candidate, [[Katerina Sakellaropoulou]], as the first female [[President of Greece]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/3/13/greeces-first-female-president-sworn-in|title=Greece swears in first female president|website=www.aljazeera.com}}</ref> During the 2020s, the Greek economy continues to rebound, as a result of post-Covid recovery, robust investments, and an increase in tourism and consumer spending.<ref>{{Cite news |date=10 January 2023 |title=Greek economy to slow in 2023 as energy costs, Ukraine war hit spending -OECD |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/markets/europe/greek-economy-slow-2023-surging-energy-costs-ukraine-war-hit-spending-oecd-2023-01-10/ |access-date=9 May 2023}}</ref> In February 2024, Greece became the first Orthodox Christian country to recognise same-sex marriage and adoption by same-sex couples.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Smith |first1=Helena |title=Greece becomes first Orthodox Christian country to legalise same-sex marriage |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/15/greece-becomes-first-orthodox-christian-country-to-legalise-same-sex-marriage |work=The Guardian |date=15 February 2024 |access-date=16 February 2024}}</ref> == Geography == {{Main|Geography of Greece}} [[File:Greece topo.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.2|Topographic map of Greece]] [[File:Shipwreck Beach - Western coast of Zakynthos, Greece (12).jpg|thumb|[[Navagio]] (''[[MV Panagiotis|shipwreck]]'') bay, [[Zakynthos]] island]] Located in [[Southern Europe|Southern]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/greece/|title=The World Factbook – Central Intelligence Agency|website=cia.gov|language=en|access-date=10 November 2017}}</ref> and Southeast Europe,<ref>{{cite web|publisher=UN|url=http://unstats.un.org/unsd/geoinfo/ungegn/docs/23-gegn/wp/gegn23wp48.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514112519/http://unstats.un.org/unsd/geoinfo/UNGEGN/docs/23-gegn/wp/gegn23wp48.pdf |archive-date=14 May 2011 |url-status=live|title=UNITED NATIONS GROUP OF EXPERTS ON GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES: Working Paper No. 48|date=2006|access-date=2 September 2015}}</ref> Greece consists of a mountainous, peninsular mainland jutting out into the sea at the southern end of the [[Balkans]], ending at the [[Peloponnese]] peninsula (separated from the mainland by the [[Corinth Canal|canal]] of the [[Isthmus of Corinth]]) and strategically located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa.{{efn|See:<ref name="KolliasGünlük-ŞenesenGülay2003">{{cite book|author1=Chrēstos G. Kollias|author2=Gülay Günlük-Şenesen|author3=Gülden Ayman|title=Greece and Turkey in the 21st Century: Conflict Or Cooperation: a Political Economy Perspective|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E_e4CT57tZYC&pg=PA10|access-date=12 April 2013|year=2003|publisher=Nova Publishers|isbn=978-1-59033-753-0|page=10|quote=Greece's Strategic Position in the Balkans And Eastern Mediterranean Greece is located at the crossroads of three continents (Europe, Asia and Africa). It is an integral part of the Balkans (where it is the only country that is a member of the ...)}}</ref><ref name="PaulstonKiesling2012">{{cite book|author1=Christina Bratt Paulston|author2=Scott F. Kiesling|author3=Elizabeth S. Rangel|title=The Handbook of Intercultural Discourse and Communication|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L2_JtZV7ZIYC&pg=PA292|access-date=12 April 2013|date=13 February 2012|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-1-4051-6272-2|page=292|quote=Introduction Greece and Turkey are situated at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa, and their inhabitants have had a long history of cultural interaction even though their languages are neither genetically nor typologically ...}}</ref><ref name="Focas2004">{{cite book|author=Caralampo Focas|title=Transport Issues And Problems in Southeastern Europe|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MO33_NB5sWcC&pg=PA114|access-date=12 April 2013|year=2004|publisher=Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.|isbn=978-0-7546-1970-3|page=114|quote=Greece itself shows a special geopolitical importance as it is situated at the crossroads of three continents – Europe, Asia and Africa – and can be therefore considered as a natural bridge between Europe and the Middle East}}</ref><ref name="Britain2005">{{cite book|people=Centre for Economic Policy Research (Great Britain)|title=European Migration: What Do We Know?|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0droTivyVUgC&pg=PA337|year=2005|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-925735-5|page=337|quote=Introduction Migration movements from and to, or via Greece, are an age-old phenomenon. Situated at the crossroads of three continents (Europe, Asia, and Africa), Greece has been, at different historical times, both a labour...}}</ref><ref name="PetkovicWilliamson2015">{{cite book|author1=Sladjana Petkovic|author2=Howard Williamson|title=Youth policy in Greece: Council of Europe international review|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4HTpCgAAQBAJ&pg=PT48|date=21 July 2015|publisher=Council of Europe|isbn=978-92-871-8181-7|page=48|quote=As reports from the GSY (2007) show, young people have the opportunity to become acquainted with many diverse civilisations and cultures, through Greece's strategic location at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Accordingly, many ...}}</ref>}} Due to its highly indented coastline and numerous islands, Greece has the [[List of countries by length of coastline|11th longest coastline]] in the world with {{convert|13676|km|mi|0|abbr=on}};<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2060.html?countryName=Greece&countryCode=gr®ionCode=eu&#gr |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090613164558/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2060.html?countryName=Greece&countryCode=GR®ionCode=eu&#gr |url-status=dead |archive-date=13 June 2009 |title=The World Fact Book – Field Listing :: Coastline |access-date=17 March 2011 |publisher=[[Central Intelligence Agency]]}}</ref> its land boundary is {{convert|1160|km|mi|0|abbr=on}}. The country lies approximately between latitudes [[35th parallel north|34°]] and [[42nd parallel north|42° N]], and longitudes [[19th meridian east|19°]] and [[30th meridian east|30° E]], with the extreme points being:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dlib.statistics.gr/Book/GRESYE_01_0002_00061.pdf |title=Statistical Yearbook of Greece 2009 & 2010 |page=27 |publisher=[[Hellenic Statistical Authority]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131213192314/http://dlib.statistics.gr/Book/GRESYE_01_0002_00061.pdf |archive-date=13 December 2013 }}</ref> *North: [[Ormenio]] village *South: [[Gavdos]] island *East: [[Strongyli Megistis|Strongyli]] (Kastelorizo, Megisti) island *West: [[Othonoi]] island Eighty percent of Greece consists of mountains or hills, making the country one of the most mountainous in Europe. [[Mount Olympus]], the mythical abode of the [[Twelve Olympians|Greek Gods]], culminates at Mytikas peak {{convert|2918|m|ft}},<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.olympusfd.gr/us/infos.asp |title=Olympus the First National Park |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=2008 |publisher=Management Agency of Olympus National Park |access-date=5 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170114094456/http://www.olympusfd.gr/us/Infos.asp |archive-date=14 January 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref> the highest in the country. Western Greece contains a number of lakes and wetlands and is dominated by the [[Pindus]] mountain range. The Pindus, a continuation of the [[Dinaric Alps]], reaches a maximum elevation of {{convert|2637|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} at [[Smolikas|Mt. Smolikas]] (the second-highest in Greece) and historically has been a significant barrier to east–west travel. The Pindus range continues through the central Peloponnese, crosses the islands of [[Kythera]] and Antikythera and finds its way into southwestern Aegean, in the island of Crete where it eventually ends. The islands of the Aegean are peaks of underwater mountains that once constituted an extension of the mainland. Pindus is characterised by its high, steep peaks, often dissected by numerous canyons and a variety of other karstic landscapes. The spectacular [[Vikos Gorge]], part of the [[Vikos-Aoos National Park]] in the Pindus range, is listed by the Guinness book of World Records as the deepest gorge in the world.<ref>{{cite book | title=Guinness World Records 2005: Special 50th Anniversary Edition | publisher=Guinness World Records | year=2004 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D4wYAAAAIAAJ | isbn= 978-1-892051-22-6| page = 52}}</ref> Another notable formation are the [[Meteora]] rock pillars, atop which have been built medieval Greek Orthodox monasteries.<ref>Sofianos, D.Z.: "Metéora". Holy Monastery of Great Meteoro, 1991.</ref> Northeastern Greece features another high-altitude mountain range, the [[Rhodope Mountains|Rhodope]] range, spreading across the region of [[East Macedonia and Thrace]]; this area is covered with vast, thick, ancient forests, including the famous [[Dadia Forest]] in the [[Evros (regional unit)|Evros regional unit]], in the far northeast of the country. Extensive plains are primarily located in the regions of [[Thessaly]], [[Central Macedonia]] and [[Western Thrace|Thrace]]. They constitute key economic regions as they are among the few arable places in the country. Rare marine species such as the pinniped seals and the [[loggerhead sea turtle]] live in the seas surrounding mainland Greece, while its dense forests are home to the endangered [[brown bear]], the [[Eurasian lynx]], the [[roe deer]] and the wild goat. === Islands === {{Main|List of islands of Greece}} [[File:Ionian sea islands, pic6.JPG|thumb|The Greek mainland and several small islands seen from [[Nydri]], [[Lefkada]]]] Greece features a [[List of islands of Greece|vast number of islands]]—between 1,200 and 6,000, depending on the definition,<ref>{{cite book |author1=Marker, Sherry |author2=Bowman, John |author3=Kerasiotis, Peter |author4=Sarna, Heidi |title= Frommer's Greek Islands |publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons]]|year=2010 |page=12 |isbn= 978-0-470-52664-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wvlP7D9C_7gC&pg=PA12}}</ref> 227 of which are inhabited—and is considered a [[List of transcontinental countries#Non-contiguous|non-contiguous transcontinental country]]. Crete is the largest and most populous island; [[Euboea]], separated from the mainland by the 60 m-wide [[Euripus Strait]], is the second largest, followed by [[Lesbos]] and [[Rhodes]]. The Greek islands are traditionally grouped into the following clusters: the [[Argo-Saronic Islands]] in the Saronic gulf near Athens; the Cyclades, a large but dense collection occupying the central part of the Aegean Sea; the [[North Aegean islands]], a loose grouping off the west coast of Turkey; the Dodecanese, another loose collection in the southeast between Crete and Turkey; the [[Sporades]], a small tight group off the coast of northeast Euboea; and the Ionian Islands, located to the west of the mainland in the Ionian Sea. === Climate === {{Further|Climate of Greece}} [[File:Greece Köppen.svg|upright=1.1|thumb|Greece's Köppen Climate Types]] The [[climate of Greece]] is primarily [[Mediterranean climate|Mediterranean]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]]: ''Csa''),<ref>{{cite web |title=The Climate of Greece |url=http://www.hnms.gr/emy/en/climatology/climatology |website=Hellenic National Meteorological Service |access-date=3 December 2019}}</ref> featuring mild to cool, wet winters and hot, dry summers.<ref name="Climate Atlas of Greece (Hellenic National Meteorological Service)">{{cite web|title=Climate Atlas of Greece|url=http://www.hnms.gr:80/hnms/greek/pdf/Climate_Atlas_Of_Greece.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170921184739/http://www.hnms.gr/hnms/greek/pdf/Climate_Atlas_Of_Greece.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=21 September 2017|access-date=30 December 2019|publisher=Hellenic National Meteorological Service}}</ref> This climate occurs at most of the coastal locations, including [[Athens]], the [[Cyclades]], the [[Dodecanese]], [[Crete]], the [[Peloponnese]], the [[Ionian Islands]] and parts of [[mainland Greece]]. The [[Pindus]] mountain range strongly affects the climate of the country, as areas to the west of the range are considerably wetter on average (due to greater exposure to south-westerly systems bringing in moisture) than the areas lying to the east of the range (due to a [[rain shadow]] effect),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mountain Weather in Greece : Articles : SummitPost |url=https://www.summitpost.org/mountain-weather-in-greece/1002640 |access-date=19 June 2023 |website=www.summitpost.org}}</ref> resulting to some coastal areas in the south falling to the hot [[semi-arid climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]]: ''BSh'') category, such as parts of the [[Athens Riviera]] and some of the [[Cyclades]], as well as some areas in the north featuring a cold equivalent climate ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]]: ''BSk''), such as the cities of [[Thessaloniki]] and [[Larissa]]. The mountainous areas and the higher elevations of northwestern Greece (parts of [[Epirus (region)|Epirus]], [[Central Greece]], [[Thessaly]], [[Western Macedonia]]) as well as in the mountainous central parts of Peloponnese – including parts of the regional units of [[Achaea]], [[Arcadia (regional unit)|Arcadia]] and [[Laconia]] – feature an [[Alpine climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]]: ''D'', ''E'') with heavy snowfalls during the winter. Most of the inland parts of northern Greece, in [[Central Macedonia]], the lower elevations of [[Western Macedonia]] and [[East Macedonia and Thrace]] feature a [[humid subtropical climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]]: ''Cfa'') with cold, damp winters and hot, moderately dry summers with occasional thunderstorms. Snowfalls occur every year in the mountains and northern areas, and brief periods of snowy weather are possible even in low-lying southern areas, such as [[Athens]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Greece – Climate|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Greece|access-date=21 June 2020|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en}}</ref> === Biodiversity === {{Main|Wildlife of Greece}} [[File:Olympus National Park 30.jpg|thumb|[[Mount Olympus]] is the highest mountain in Greece and mythical abode of the [[Gods of Olympus]].]] [[Phytogeography|Phytogeographically]], Greece belongs to the [[Boreal Kingdom]] and is shared between the East Mediterranean province of the [[Mediterranean Region]] and the Illyrian province of the [[Circumboreal Region]]. According to the [[World Wide Fund for Nature]] and the [[European Environment Agency]], the territory of Greece can be subdivided into six [[ecoregion]]s: the [[Illyrian deciduous forests]], [[Pindus Mountains mixed forests]], [[Balkan mixed forests]], [[Rhodope montane mixed forests]], [[Aegean and Western Turkey sclerophyllous and mixed forests]], and [[Crete Mediterranean forests]].<ref name="DinersteinOlson2017">{{cite journal|last1=Dinerstein|first1=Eric|last2=Olson|first2=David|last3=Joshi|first3=Anup|last4=Vynne|first4=Carly|last5=Burgess|first5=Neil D.|last6=Wikramanayake|first6=Eric|last7=Hahn|first7=Nathan|last8=Palminteri|first8=Suzanne|last9=Hedao|first9=Prashant|last10=Noss|first10=Reed|last11=Hansen|first11=Matt|last12=Locke|first12=Harvey|last13=Ellis|first13=Erle C|last14=Jones|first14=Benjamin|last15=Barber|first15=Charles Victor|last16=Hayes|first16=Randy|last17=Kormos|first17=Cyril|last18=Martin|first18=Vance|last19=Crist|first19=Eileen|last20=Sechrest|first20=Wes|last21=Price|first21=Lori|last22=Baillie|first22=Jonathan E. M.|last23=Weeden|first23=Don|last24=Suckling|first24=Kierán|last25=Davis|first25=Crystal|last26=Sizer|first26=Nigel|last27=Moore|first27=Rebecca|last28=Thau|first28=David|last29=Birch|first29=Tanya|last30=Potapov|first30=Peter|last31=Turubanova|first31=Svetlana|last32=Tyukavina|first32=Alexandra|last33=de Souza|first33=Nadia|last34=Pintea|first34=Lilian|last35=Brito|first35=José C.|last36=Llewellyn|first36=Othman A.|last37=Miller|first37=Anthony G.|last38=Patzelt|first38=Annette|last39=Ghazanfar|first39=Shahina A.|last40=Timberlake|first40=Jonathan|last41=Klöser|first41=Heinz|last42=Shennan-Farpón|first42=Yara|last43=Kindt|first43=Roeland|last44=Lillesø|first44=Jens-Peter Barnekow|last45=van Breugel|first45=Paulo|last46=Graudal|first46=Lars|last47=Voge|first47=Maianna|last48=Al-Shammari|first48=Khalaf F.|last49=Saleem|first49=Muhammad|title=An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm|journal=BioScience|volume=67|issue=6|year=2017|pages=534–545|issn=0006-3568|doi=10.1093/biosci/bix014|pmid=28608869|pmc=5451287}}</ref> It had a 2018 [[Forest Landscape Integrity Index]] mean score of 6.6/10, ranking it 70th globally out of 172 countries.<ref name="FLII-Supplementary">{{cite journal|last1=Grantham|first1=H. S.|last2=Duncan|first2=A.|last3=Evans|first3=T. D.|last4=Jones|first4=K. R.|last5=Beyer|first5=H. L.|last6=Schuster|first6=R.|last7=Walston|first7=J.|last8=Ray|first8=J. C.|last9=Robinson|first9=J. G.|last10=Callow|first10=M.|last11=Clements|first11=T.|last12=Costa|first12=H. M.|last13=DeGemmis|first13=A.|last14=Elsen|first14=P. R.|last15=Ervin|first15=J.|last16=Franco|first16=P.|last17=Goldman|first17=E.|last18=Goetz|first18=S.|last19=Hansen|first19=A.|last20=Hofsvang|first20=E.|last21=Jantz|first21=P.|last22=Jupiter|first22=S.|last23=Kang|first23=A.|last24=Langhammer|first24=P.|last25=Laurance|first25=W. F.|last26=Lieberman|first26=S.|last27=Linkie|first27=M.|last28=Malhi|first28=Y.|last29=Maxwell|first29=S.|last30=Mendez|first30=M.|last31=Mittermeier|first31=R.|last32=Murray|first32=N. J.|last33=Possingham|first33=H.|last34=Radachowsky|first34=J.|last35=Saatchi|first35=S.|last36=Samper|first36=C.|last37=Silverman|first37=J.|last38=Shapiro|first38=A.|last39=Strassburg|first39=B.|last40=Stevens|first40=T.|last41=Stokes|first41=E.|last42=Taylor|first42=R.|last43=Tear|first43=T.|last44=Tizard|first44=R.|last45=Venter|first45=O.|last46=Visconti|first46=P.|last47=Wang|first47=S.|last48=Watson|first48=J. E. M.|title=Anthropogenic modification of forests means only 40% of remaining forests have high ecosystem integrity – Supplementary Material|journal=Nature Communications|volume=11|issue=1|year=2020|page=5978|issn=2041-1723|doi=10.1038/s41467-020-19493-3|pmid=33293507|pmc=7723057|bibcode=2020NatCo..11.5978G }}</ref> == Politics == {{Main|Politics of Greece}} {{multiple image |align = right |total_width = 300 |image1 = President Sakellaropoulou.jpg |caption1 = [[Katerina Sakellaropoulou]]<br>[[President of Greece]] |image2 = Kyriakos Mitsotakis (2021-12-08) 03 (cropped).jpg |caption2 = [[Kyriakos Mitsotakis]]<br>[[Prime Minister of Greece]] }} [[File:Hellenic Parliament from high above.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|The building of the [[Hellenic Parliament]] ([[Old Royal Palace]]) in central [[Athens]]]] [[File:Kapodistrias2.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|Count [[Ioannis Kapodistrias]], first governor, founder of the modern Greek State, and distinguished European diplomat]] Greece is a [[unitary state|unitary]] [[parliamentary republic]].<ref name="con51,53">{{cite web|url=http://www.parliament.gr/english/politeuma/syntagma.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070925181747/http://www.parliament.gr/english/politeuma/syntagma.pdf |archive-date=25 September 2007 |title=Syntagma |language=el |access-date=2 August 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The current [[Constitution of Greece|Constitution]] was drawn up and adopted by the Fifth Revisionary Parliament of the Hellenes and entered into force in 1975 after the fall of the [[Greek military junta of 1967–1974|military junta of 1967–1974]]. It has been revised four times since: in [[Greek constitutional amendment of 1986|1986]], [[Greek Constitutional amendment of 2001|2001]], [[Greek constitutional amendment of 2008|2008]] and 2019. The Constitution, which consists of 120 articles, provides for a [[separation of powers]] into [[executive branch|executive]], [[legislative branch|legislative]], and [[judicial branch]]es, and grants extensive specific guarantees (further reinforced in 2001) of [[civil liberties]] and [[social rights]].{{Sfn | Dagtoglou | 1991 | p = 21}}{{Sfn | Venizelos | 2002 | pp = 131–32, 165–72}} [[Women's suffrage]] was guaranteed with an amendment to the 1952 Constitution. The nominal head of state is the [[President of Greece|President of the Republic]], who is elected by the [[Hellenic Parliament|Parliament]] for a five-year term.<ref name="con51,53" /> According to the Constitution, executive power is exercised by the President and the [[Cabinet of Greece|Government]].<ref name="con51,53" /> However, the [[Greek Constitutional amendment of 1986|Constitutional amendment of 1986]] curtailed the President's duties and powers to a significant extent, rendering the position largely ceremonial; most political power is thus vested in the Prime Minister, Greece's head of government.<ref name="M477-478">{{Harvnb | Mavrias | 2002 | pp = 477–78, 486–87}}</ref> The position is filled by the [[List of Prime Ministers of Greece|current leader]] of the [[List of political parties in Greece|political party]] that can obtain a vote of confidence by the Parliament. The president of the republic formally appoints the prime minister and, on their recommendation, appoints and dismisses the other members of the Cabinet.<ref name="con51,53" /> Legislative powers are exercised by a 300-member elective [[unicameralism|unicameral Parliament]].<ref name="con51,53" /> Statutes passed by the Parliament are promulgated by the President of the Republic.<ref name="con51,53" /> [[Elections in Greece#Election of the legislature|Parliamentary elections]] are held every four years, but the President of the Republic is obliged to dissolve the Parliament earlier on the proposal of the Cabinet, in view of dealing with a national issue of exceptional importance.<ref name="con51,53" /> The President is also obliged to dissolve the Parliament earlier if the opposition manages to pass a [[motion of no confidence]].<ref name="con51,53" /> The [[voting age]] is 17.<ref>{{Citation |url=http://www.et.gr/idocs-nph/search/pdfViewerForm.html?args=5C7QrtC22wFHp_31M9ESQXdtvSoClrL8NXGWS3cU8Kt5MXD0LzQTLWPU9yLzB8V68knBzLCmTXKaO6fpVZ6Lx9hLslJUqeiQT0KQWhles74cYXM24iMng4dV6SZbxmK4oRQd575yNXQ. |script-title=el:Εφημερίδα της Κυβερνήσεως τη Ελληνικής Δημοκρατίας |volume=A |issue=133 |date=27 July 2016 |publisher=National Publishing House |location=Athens |language=el |trans-title=[[Government Gazette (Greece)|Government Gazette of the Hellenic Republic]] |access-date=12 February 2019}}</ref> According to a 2016 report by the OECD, Greeks display a moderate level of civic participation compared to most other developed countries; voter turnout was 64 percent during recent elections, lower than the OECD average of 69 percent.<ref>{{cite web|title=OECD Better Life Index -Greece|url=http://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/countries/greece/|website=w.oecdbetterlifeindex.org|publisher=OECD|access-date=20 February 2018}}</ref> === Political parties === {{Main|List of political parties in Greece}} Since the restoration of democracy, the Greek party system was dominated by the liberal-conservative [[New Democracy (Greece)|New Democracy]] (ND) and the social-democratic [[PASOK|Panhellenic Socialist Movement]] (PASOK).{{Refn | group = lower-alpha | For a diachronic analysis of the Greek party system,<ref>{{Harvnb | Pappas | 2003 | pp = 90–114}}</ref> who distinguishes three distinct types of party system which developed in consecutive order, namely, a predominant-party system (from 1952 to 1963), a system of polarised pluralism (between 1963 and 1981), and a two-party system (since 1981).}} Other parties represented in the [[Hellenic Parliament]] include the [[Syriza|Coalition of the Radical Left]] (SYRIZA), the [[Communist Party of Greece]] (KKE), [[Greek Solution]] and [[MeRA25]]. PASOK and New Democracy largely alternated in power until the outbreak of the [[Greek government-debt crisis|government-debt crisis]] in 2009. From that time, the two major parties, New Democracy and PASOK, experienced a sharp decline in popularity.<ref name="Political Climate and Governance December 2011">{{cite news | place = GR | url = http://www.vprc.gr/uplds/File/teleytaia%20nea/Epikaira/Political%20Climate%20and%20Governance_December2011.pdf | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120425150133/http://www.vprc.gr/uplds/File/teleytaia%20nea/Epikaira/Political%20Climate%20and%20Governance_December2011.pdf | url-status=dead | archive-date = 25 April 2012 | title = Πολιτική Συγκυρία & Διακυβέρνηση |trans-title=Political climate & governance | date= 22 December 2011 | publisher = VPRC |access-date=22 December 2011}}</ref><ref name="Political Climate and Governance January 2012">{{cite news | url = http://www.eklogika.gr/uploads/files/Dimoskopiseis/Political_Conjuncture_and_Governance_Jan2012.pdf | title = Πολιτική Συγκυρία & Διακυβέρνηση | trans-title = Political conjuncture & governance | place = GR | date = 26 January 2012 | work = VPRC | access-date = 26 January 2012 | archive-date = 23 September 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150923235341/http://www.eklogika.gr/uploads/files/Dimoskopiseis/Political_Conjuncture_and_Governance_Jan2012.pdf | url-status = dead }}</ref><ref name="Panhellenic Research for ET3">{{cite news | url = http://www.eklogika.gr/uploads/files/Dimoskopiseis/ToThePoint-Ert3_30-1-12.pdf | title = Πανελλαδικη Ερευνα για την ET3 | date = 29 January 2012 | work = To The Point | access-date = 29 January 2012 | place = GR | archive-date = 24 September 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150924010522/http://www.eklogika.gr/uploads/files/Dimoskopiseis/ToThePoint-Ert3_30-1-12.pdf | url-status = dead }}</ref><ref name="Research from Pulse RC for Pontiki">{{cite news | via = Ek logika | place = GR | url = http://www.eklogika.gr/uploads/files/Dimoskopiseis/PulseRC-ToPontiki_2-2-2012.pdf | title = Ερευνα της Pulse RC για το Ποντικι | date = 2 February 2012 | publisher = Pulse RC | access-date = 2 February 2012 | archive-date = 23 September 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150923235437/http://www.eklogika.gr/uploads/files/Dimoskopiseis/PulseRC-ToPontiki_2-2-2012.pdf | url-status = dead }}</ref><ref name="Varometro Feb 2011">{{cite news |url=http://www.eklogika.gr/uploads/files/Dimoskopiseis/varometro_2_12.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120226224630/http://www.eklogika.gr/uploads/files/Dimoskopiseis/varometro_2_12.pdf |archive-date=26 February 2012 |url-status=live |title = Πολιτικό Βαρόμετρο 99 |trans-title=Political barometer |date=7 February 2012 |work= Public Issue | publisher = Ek logika |access-date=7 February 2011}}</ref> In November 2011, the two major parties joined the smaller [[Popular Orthodox Rally]] in a [[grand coalition]], pledging their parliamentary support for a [[government of national unity]] headed by former [[European Central Bank]] vice-president [[Lucas Papademos]].<ref>{{cite news |title= Lucas Papademos named as new Greek prime minister |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-15671354 |work=BBC News |date=10 November 2011 |access-date=10 November 2011}}</ref> [[Panos Kammenos]] voted against this government and he split off from ND forming the [[Right-wing populism|right-wing populist]] [[Independent Greeks]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Ousted New Democracy MP starts own party |newspaper=Ekathimerini |date=24 February 2012 |url=http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_wsite1_1_24/02/2012_429676}}</ref> The coalition government led the country to the [[Greek legislative election, May 2012|parliamentary elections of May 2012]]. The power of the traditional Greek political parties, [[PASOK]] and [[New Democracy (Greece)|New Democracy]], declined from 43% to 13% and from 33% to 18%, respectively. The left-wing [[SYRIZA]] became the second major party with an increase from 4% to 16%. No party could form a sustainable government, which led to the [[Greek legislative election, June 2012|parliamentary elections of June 2012]]. The result of the second elections was the formation of a coalition government composed of [[New Democracy (Greece)|New Democracy]] (29%), [[PASOK]] (12%) and [[Democratic Left (Greece)|Democratic Left]] (6%) parties.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www1.ypes.gr/UserFiles/f0ff9297-f516-40ff-a70e-eca84e2ec9b9/egk42_19062012.pdf |title=June 2012 Greek legislative election |access-date=19 May 2022 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150628235938/http://www.ypes.gr/UserFiles/f0ff9297-f516-40ff-a70e-eca84e2ec9b9/egk42_19062012.pdf |archive-date=28 June 2015 }}</ref> SYRIZA has since overtaken PASOK as the main party of the centre-left .<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EYQgDQAAQBAJ&q=syriza%2520pasok%2520centre-left&pg=PA94 |title=Radical Left Parties in Government: The Cases of SYRIZA and AKEL |last=Katsourides |first=Yiannos |date=22 September 2016 |publisher=Springer |isbn=9781137588418 |page=94 |language=en}}</ref> [[Alexis Tsipras]] led SYRIZA to victory in the [[Greek legislative election, January 2015|general election]] held on 25 January 2015, falling short of an outright majority in Parliament by just two seats.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-30975437|title=Greece election: Anti-austerity Syriza wins election|work=BBC News|date=26 January 2015}}</ref> The following morning, Tsipras reached an agreement with [[Independent Greeks]] party to form a coalition and was sworn in as Prime Minister of Greece.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2015/jan/26/greece-election-syriza-victory-alexis-tsipras-coalition-talks-live-updates|title=Alexis Tsipras sworn in as new Greek prime minister – as it happened|first1=Graeme Wearden until 4 15 pm|last1=GMT|first2=Mark|last2=Tran (now)|newspaper=The Guardian|date=26 January 2015|via=www.theguardian.com}}</ref> Tsipras called snap elections in August 2015 after resigning from his post, which led to a month-long caretaker administration headed by judge [[Vassiliki Thanou-Christophilou]], Greece's first female prime minister.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.economywatch.gr/vassiliki-thanou-christophilou-became-greeces-first-female-prime-minister/|title=Vassiliki Thanou-Christophilou became Greece's first female Prime Minister | Economy Watch|first=D.|last=K|access-date=12 May 2021|archive-date=19 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220219034341/https://www.economywatch.gr/vassiliki-thanou-christophilou-became-greeces-first-female-prime-minister/|url-status=dead}}</ref> In the [[Greek legislative election, September 2015|September 2015 general election]], Alexis Tsipras led SYRIZA to another victory, winning 145 out of 300 seats<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34307795|title=Greece election: Alexis Tsipras hails 'victory of the people'|work=BBC News|date=21 September 2015}}</ref> and re-forming the coalition with the Independent Greeks.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dw.com/en/greek-finance-minister-tsakalotos-takes-key-role-in-tsipras-new-cabinet/a-18731437|title=Greek Finance Minister Tsakalotos takes key role in Tsipras' new cabinet | DW | 23.09.2015|website=DW.COM}}</ref> However, he was defeated in the [[2019 Greek legislative election|July 2019 general election]] by [[Kyriakos Mitsotakis]] who leads New Democracy.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/07/greeks-choose-between-beach-and-ballot-in-first-post-debt-bailout-poll|title=Greek elections: landslide victory for centre-right New Democracy party|date=7 July 2019|website=the Guardian}}</ref> On 7 July 2019, Kyriakos Mitsotakis was sworn in as the new Prime Minister of Greece. He formed a centre-right government after the landslide victory of his New Democracy party.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/7/8/kyriakos-mitsotakis-sworn-in-as-greeces-new-prime-minister|title=New era as Mitsotakis is sworn in as Greece's new PM|website=www.aljazeera.com}}</ref> === Foreign relations === {{Main|Foreign relations of Greece}} [[File:Foreign relations of Greece.svg|thumb|right|upright=1.5|Representation through:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mfa.gr/www.mfa.gr/el-GR/Services/Directory/GreekAuthoritiesAbroad/#Β |script-title=el:Αρχές του Εξωτερικού |trans-title=Missions Abroad |publisher=Hellenic Republic Ministry of Foreign Affairs |language=el |access-date=2 July 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110521050219/http://www.mfa.gr/www.mfa.gr/el-GR/Services/Directory/GreekAuthoritiesAbroad/ |archive-date=21 May 2011 }}</ref><br />{{Color box|#3771c8|border=darkgray}} embassy<br />{{Color box|#aaccff|border=darkgray}} embassy in another country<br />{{Color box|#37c837|border=darkgray}} general consulate<br />{{Color box|#cccccc|border=darkgray}} no representation<br />{{Color box|black|border=darkgray}} Greece]] Greece's foreign policy is conducted through the [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Greece)|Ministry of Foreign Affairs]] and its head, the [[Minister for Foreign Affairs (Greece)|Minister for Foreign Affairs]], currently [[Nikos Dendias]]. Officially, the main aims of the Ministry are to represent Greece before other states and international organizations;<ref name="MFA mission">{{cite web |url= http://www.mfa.gr/en/the-ministry/structure/mission-and-competences.html |title=Mission and Competences |publisher= [[Ministry for Foreign Affairs (Greece)|Ministry for Foreign Affairs]] |access-date=23 February 2012}}</ref> safeguard the interests of the Greek state and of its citizens abroad;<ref name="MFA mission" /> promote Greek culture;<ref name="MFA mission" /> foster closer relations with the [[Greek diaspora]];<ref name="MFA mission" /> and encourage international cooperation.<ref name="MFA mission" /> Greece is described as having a [[Special relationship (international relations)|special relationship]] with [[Cyprus]], [[Italy]], [[France]], [[Armenia]], [[Australia]], the [[State of Israel]], the [[United States]] and the [[United Kingdom]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.france24.com/en/20151022-greece-hails-special-relationship-france-hollande-visit|title=france 24 – Greece hails 'special relationship' with France on Hollande visit – France 24|work=France 24|date=22 October 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Pavlopoulos and Mattarella confirm the longstanding Greek-Italian friendship (Παυλόπουλος και Ματαρέλα επιβεβαίωσαν τη μακρόχρονη ελληνοϊταλική φιλία) |url=http://www.documentonews.gr/article/paylopoylos-kai-matarela-epibebaiwsan-th-makroxronh-ellhnoitalikh-filia |publisher=documentonews.gr |access-date=5 March 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Pavlopoulos – Mattarella: Strong friendship and a common vision between Greece and Italy (Παυλόπουλος – Ματαρέλα: Δυνατή φιλία και κοινή οπτική μεταξύ Ελλάδας και Ιταλίας) |date=17 January 2017 |url=http://news247.gr/eidiseis/politiki/paylopoylos-matarela-dynath-filia-kai-koinh-optikh-metaksu-elladas-kai-italias.4482614.html |publisher=news247.gr |access-date=2 January 2023 |archive-date=6 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170306131743/http://news247.gr/eidiseis/politiki/paylopoylos-matarela-dynath-filia-kai-koinh-optikh-metaksu-elladas-kai-italias.4482614.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Greece-Italy alliance (Ελλάδα-Ιταλία συμμαχία) |url=http://makthes.gr/%CE%B5-%CE%B5-%CE%B5%CE%BB%CE%BB%CE%AC%CE%B4%CE%B1-%CE%B9%CF%84%CE%B1%CE%BB%CE%AF%CE%B1-%CF%83%CF%85%CE%BC%CE%BC%CE%B1%CF%87%CE%AF%CE%B1/ |publisher=makthes.gr |access-date=2 January 2023|archive-date=6 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170306134643/http://makthes.gr/%CE%B5-%CE%B5-%CE%B5%CE%BB%CE%BB%CE%AC%CE%B4%CE%B1-%CE%B9%CF%84%CE%B1%CE%BB%CE%AF%CE%B1-%CF%83%CF%85%CE%BC%CE%BC%CE%B1%CF%87%CE%AF%CE%B1/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=A medal of honor for the Greek-Italian relations (Ενα παράσημο για τις ελληνοϊταλικές σχέσεις) |url=http://www.enet.gr/?i=news.el.article&id=400223 |publisher=enet.gr |access-date=2 January 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title= How Greece Became One of America's—and Israel's—Closest Allies |date= 18 June 2019 |url= https://washingtonmonthly.com/2019/06/18/how-greece-became-one-of-americas-and-israels-closest-allies/ |publisher= washingtonmonthly.com |access-date=2 January 2023}}</ref> Following the resolution of the [[Macedonia naming dispute]] with the [[Prespa agreement]] in 2018, the Ministry identifies two remaining issues of particular importance to the Greek state: [[Aegean dispute|Turkish challenges to Greek sovereignty rights]] in the Aegean Sea and corresponding airspace and the [[Cyprus dispute]] involving the [[Turkish military forces in Northern Cyprus|Turkish occupation]] of [[Northern Cyprus]].<ref name="MFA issues">{{cite web|url=http://www.mfa.gr/en/foreign-policy-issues/|title=Foreign Policy Issues|publisher=[[Ministry for Foreign Affairs (Greece)|Ministry for Foreign Affairs]]|access-date=23 February 2012}}</ref> There is a long-standing conflict between Turkey and Greece over natural resources in the eastern Mediterranean. Turkey does not recognize a legal [[continental shelf]] and [[exclusive economic zone]] around the Greek islands.<ref>{{cite news |title=Turkey threatens Greece over disputed Mediterranean territorial claims |url=https://www.dw.com/en/turkey-threatens-greece-over-disputed-mediterranean-territorial-claims/a-54828554 |work=Deutsche Welle |date=5 September 2020}}</ref> Additionally, due to its political and geographical proximity to Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa, Greece is a country of significant geostrategic importance, which it has leveraged to develop a regional policy to help promote peace and stability in the [[Balkans]], the [[Mediterranean]], and the Middle East.<ref name="MFA regional policy">{{cite web |url= http://www.mfa.gr/en/foreign-policy/regional-policy/ | title= Regional Policy | publisher= [[Ministry for Foreign Affairs (Greece)|Ministry for Foreign Affairs]] |access-date=23 February 2012}}</ref> This has accorded the country [[middle power]] status in global affairs.<ref name="Thanos-Veremēs">Thanos Veremēs (1997)[https://books.google.com/books?id=sn-yAAAAIAAJ The Military in Greek Politics] "Black Rose Books"</ref> Greece is a member of numerous international organizations, including the [[Council of Europe]], the [[European Union]], the [[Union for the Mediterranean]], the [[North Atlantic Treaty Organization]], the {{Lang|fr|[[Organisation internationale de la francophonie]]|italic=no}} and the United Nations, of which it is a founding member. === Military === {{Main|Hellenic Armed Forces}} {{multiple image | width1 = 195 | width2 = 185 | image1 = HAF F-16D Falcon.jpg | caption1 = An [[F-16 Fighting Falcon]], the main combat aircraft of the [[Hellenic Air Force]], during an airshow | image2 = Hellenic Army - LEO2A6HEL - 7231.jpg | caption2 = A [[Leopard 2]]A6 HEL of the [[Hellenic Army]] on parade in Athens }} The Hellenic Armed Forces are overseen by the [[Hellenic National Defense General Staff]] (Greek: Γενικό Επιτελείο Εθνικής Άμυνας – ΓΕΕΘΑ), with civilian authority vested in the [[Ministry of National Defence (Greece)|Ministry of National Defence]]. It consists of three branches:<ref name="Agency 2013 p. 991">{{cite book | last=Agency | first=C.I. | title=The CIA World Factbook 2014 | publisher=Skyhorse | year=2013 | isbn=978-1-62873-451-5 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aFuCDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT991 | access-date=14 February 2023 | page=991}}</ref> * [[Hellenic Army]] (Ellinikos Stratos, ES) * [[Hellenic Navy]] (Elliniko Polemiko Navtiko, EPN) * [[Hellenic Air Force]] (Elliniki Polemiki Aeroporia, EPA) Moreover, Greece maintains the [[Hellenic Coast Guard]] for law enforcement at sea, search and rescue, and port operations. Though it can support the navy during wartime, it resides under the authority of the [[Ministry of Shipping (Greece)|Ministry of Shipping]]. Greek military personnel total 364,050, of whom 142,700 are active and 221,350 are reserve. Greece [[List of countries by number of military and paramilitary personnel|ranks 28th in the world]] in the number of citizens serving in the armed forces. [[Conscription in Greece|Mandatory military service]] is generally one year for 19 to 45 year olds.<ref>{{cite web|title=The World Factbook – Greece|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/greece/ |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency|access-date=19 July 2017}}</ref> Additionally, Greek males between the ages of 18 and 60 who live in strategically sensitive areas may be required to serve part-time in the National Guard. As a member of [[NATO]], the Greek military participates in exercises and deployments under the auspices of the alliance, although its involvement in NATO missions is minimal.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Dempsey|first1=Judy|title=EU and NATO Look on at Greece's Pampered Armed Forces|url=http://carnegieeurope.eu/strategiceurope/49185 |publisher=Carnegie Europe|access-date=19 July 2017}}</ref> Greece spends over US$7 billion annually on its military, or 2.3 percent of GDP, the [[List of countries by military expenditures|24th-highest in the world]] in absolute terms, the [[List of countries by military expenditure per capita|seventh-highest]] on a per capita basis, and the second-highest in NATO after the United States. Moreover, Greece is one of only five NATO countries to meet or surpass the minimum defence spending target of 2 percent of GDP. === Law and justice === {{Main|Judicial system of Greece|Law enforcement in Greece}} The [[Judicial system of Greece|judiciary]] is independent of the executive and the legislature and comprises three Supreme Courts: the [[Court of Cassation (Greece)|Court of Cassation]] (Άρειος Πάγος), the [[Council of State (Greece)|Council of State]] (Συμβούλιο της Επικρατείας) and the [[Chamber of Accounts (Greece)|Court of Auditors]] (Ελεγκτικό Συνέδριο). The Judiciary system is also composed of civil courts, which judge civil and penal cases and administrative courts, which judge disputes between the citizens and the Greek administrative authorities. The [[Hellenic Police]] ({{lang-el|Ελληνική Αστυνομία}}) is the national police force of Greece. It is a very large agency with its responsibilities ranging from [[road traffic control]] to [[counter-terrorism]]. It was established in 1984 under Law 1481/1-10-1984 (Government Gazette 152 A) as the result of the fusion of the [[Hellenic Gendarmerie|Gendarmerie]] (Χωροφυλακή, ''Chorofylaki'') and the [[Cities Police]] (Αστυνομία Πόλεων, ''Astynomia Poleon'') forces.<ref>Law 1481/1 October 1984, ''Official Journal of the Hellenic Republic'', A-152</ref> === Administrative divisions === {{Main|Administrative divisions of Greece}} Since the [[Kallikratis programme]] reform entered into effect on 1 January 2011, Greece has consisted of 13 [[modern regions of Greece|regions]] subdivided into a total of 325, from 2019 332 ([[Kleisthenis I Programme]]), [[Municipalities of Greece|municipalities]]. The 54 old [[Prefectures of Greece|prefectures and prefecture-level administrations]] have been largely retained as ''[[regional units of Greece|sub-units]]'' of the regions. Seven [[Decentralized administrations of Greece|decentralised administrations]] group one to three regions for administrative purposes on a regional basis. There is also one [[autonomous area]], [[Mount Athos]] ({{lang-el|Agio Oros}}, "Holy Mountain"),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hellenicparliament.gr/UserFiles/f3c70a23-7696-49db-9148-f24dce6a27c8/syn15.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110705000112/http://www.hellenicparliament.gr/UserFiles/f3c70a23-7696-49db-9148-f24dce6a27c8/syn15.pdf |archive-date=5 July 2011 |url-status=live |title=Σύνταγμα της Ελληνικής Δημοκρατίας |year=1927 |website=Hellenicparliament.gr |access-date= 21 May 2022}}</ref> which borders the region of [[Central Macedonia]].<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Robert |last=Draper |url=http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/12/athos/draper-text |title=Mount Athos |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811023226/http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/12/athos/draper-text |archive-date=11 August 2011 |magazine=[[National Geographic]] |date=December 2009 |access-date=21 May 2022}}</ref> {| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:left;" |- style="font-size:100%; text-align:center;" !Map !!No.!! [[modern regions of Greece|Region]]!! Capital!! Area (km<sup>2</sup>)!! Area (sq mi)!!Population<ref name="2021CensusGRC">{{cite press release |title=Census 2021 GR|url=https://elstat-outsourcers.statistics.gr/Census2022_GR.pdf|publisher=[[Hellenic Statistical Authority]]|date=19 July 2022|access-date=12 September 2022}}</ref> !! GDP ([[1000000000 (number)|bn]])<ref name="Eurostat Regional GDP 2016">{{cite web | url = https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/8700651/1-28022018-BP-EN/15f5fd90-ce8b-4927-9a3b-07dc255dc42a | title = Regional GDP per capita ranged from 29% to 611% of the EU average in 2016 | year = 2016 | publisher = [[Eurostat]] |access-date=5 October 2018}}</ref> |- |rowspan="14"|[[File:Peripheries of Greece numbered.svg|400px|center]] || style="text-align:center;"| 1 || [[Attica (region)|Attica]] || [[Athens]] || style="text-align:right"|3,808.10|| style="text-align:right"|1,470.32|| style="text-align:right"|3,814,064 || style="text-align:right" |€83.469 |- | style="text-align:center;"| 2 || [[Central Greece (region)|Central Greece]] || [[Lamia (city)|Lamia]] ||style="text-align:right"|15,549.31|| style="text-align:right"|6,003.62||style="text-align:right"|508,254 || style="text-align:right" |€7.926 |- | style="text-align:center;"| 3 || [[Central Macedonia]] || [[Thessaloniki]] ||style="text-align:right"|18,810.52|| style="text-align:right"|7,262.78|| style="text-align:right"|1,795,669 || style="text-align:right" |€23.850 |- | style="text-align:center;"| 4 || [[Crete]] || [[Heraklion]] || style="text-align:right"|8,259||style="text-align:right"|3,189|| style="text-align:right"|624,408 || style="text-align:right" |€8.654 |- | style="text-align:center;"| 5 || [[East Macedonia and Thrace]] || [[Komotini]] || style="text-align:right"|14,157.76||style="text-align:right"|5,466.34|| style="text-align:right"|562,201 || style="text-align:right" |€6.709 |- | style="text-align:center;"| 6 || [[Epirus (region)|Epirus]] || [[Ioannina]] ||style="text-align:right"|9,203.22||style="text-align:right"|3,553.38|| style="text-align:right"|319,991 || style="text-align:right" |€3.843 |- | style="text-align:center;"| 7 || [[Ionian Islands (region)|Ionian Islands]] || [[Corfu (city)|Corfu]] ||style="text-align:right"|2,306.94|| style="text-align:right"|890.71||style="text-align:right"|204,532 || style="text-align:right" |€3.064 |- | style="text-align:center;"| 8 || [[North Aegean]] || [[Mytilene]] || style="text-align:right"|3,835.91||style="text-align:right"|1,481.05|| style="text-align:right"|194,943 || style="text-align:right" |€2.412 |- | style="text-align:center;"| 9 || [[Peloponnese (region)|Peloponnese]] || [[Tripoli, Greece|Tripoli]] ||style="text-align:right"|15,489.96|| style="text-align:right"|5,980.71||style="text-align:right"|539,535 || style="text-align:right" |€7.683 |- | style="text-align:center;"| 10 || [[South Aegean]] || [[Ermoupoli]] || style="text-align:right"|5,285.99||style="text-align:right"|2,040.93|| style="text-align:right"|327,820 || style="text-align:right" |€5.888 |- | style="text-align:center;"| 11 || [[Thessaly]] || [[Larissa]] || style="text-align:right"|14,036.64||style="text-align:right"|5,419.58|| style="text-align:right"|688,255 || style="text-align:right" |€9.006 |- | style="text-align:center;"| 12 || [[West Greece]] || [[Patras]] || style="text-align:right"|11,350.18||style="text-align:right"|4,382.33|| style="text-align:right"|648,220 || style="text-align:right" |€7.847 |- | style="text-align:center;"| 13 || [[West Macedonia]] || [[Kozani]] || style="text-align:right"|9,451||style="text-align:right"|3,649|| style="text-align:right"|254,595 || style="text-align:right" |€3.849 |- | style="text-align:center;"| (14) || [[Mount Athos]] || [[Karyes (Athos)|Karyes]] || style="text-align:right"|390||style="text-align:right"|151|| style="text-align:right"|1,746 || {{NA}} |} == Economy == {{Main|Economy of Greece |List of Greek subdivisions by GDP}} [[File:GDP per capita development of Greece.svg|thumb|upright=1.3|GDP per capita development]] [[File:Greece Product Exports (2019).svg|upright=1.3|thumb|alt=Graphical depiction of Greece's product exports in percent for 2019.|A proportional representation of Greek exports, 2019]] {{As of|2023}}, the economy was the [[List of countries by GDP (PPP)|54th]] largest by [[purchasing power parity]] (PPP) at $417 billion.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2023/October/weo-report|title=Report for Selected Countries and Subjects|website=IMF}}</ref><ref name="World Bank GDP (PPP)">{{cite web |title=Gross domestic product 2013, PPP|url= http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.MKTP.PP.CD/countries/order%3Dwbapi_data_value_2013%20wbapi_data_value%20wbapi_data_value-last?order=wbapi_data_value_2012%20wbapi_data_value%20wbapi_data_value-last&sort=desc&display=default| publisher=World Bank |access-date=14 February 2015|date=14 February 2015}}</ref> Greece is the 15th largest economy in the 27-member [[European Union]].<ref name="Eurostat GDP">{{cite web|title=Gross domestic product at market prices (tec00001) |url=http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/national_accounts/data/main_tables |publisher=[[Eurostat]] |access-date=22 February 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120814000208/http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/national_accounts/data/main_tables |archive-date=14 August 2012 }}</ref> In per person income, Greece is [[List of countries by GDP (PPP) per capita|51st]] in the world at $40,000. The economy is advanced<ref name="Advanced economies">{{cite web| title= World Economic Outlook |url=http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2011/02/pdf/text.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111018203844/http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2011/02/pdf/text.pdf |archive-date=18 October 2011 |url-status=live |publisher = [[International Monetary Fund]] |access-date=23 February 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2013/01/weodata/groups.htm#ae|website=World Economic Outlook Database|date=April 2013|title=Groups and Aggregates Information|publisher=[[International Monetary Fund]]|access-date=10 September 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/appendix/appendix-b.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070613023714/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/appendix/appendix-b.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 June 2007|title=Appendix B: International Organizations and Groups|website=[[The World Factbook]]|publisher=[[Central Intelligence Agency]]|access-date=10 September 2013}}</ref><ref name="High income economies">{{cite web |url=http://data.worldbank.org/about/country-classifications/country-and-lending-groups|title=Country and Lending Groups – Data |publisher=World Bank |access-date=3 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110318125456/http://data.worldbank.org/about/country-classifications/country-and-lending-groups |archive-date=18 March 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=WEO Groups and Aggregates Information|url=http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2014/01/weodata/groups.htm#ae|website=[[World Economic Outlook]] Database|publisher=[[International Monetary Fund]]|access-date=2 August 2014|location=Washington, D.C.|date=8 April 2014}}</ref> and [[high income economy|high-income]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Country and Lending Groups|url=http://data.worldbank.org/about/country-and-lending-groups#OECD_members|publisher=[[World Bank]]|access-date=2 August 2014|location=Washington, D.C.}}</ref><ref name="High income economies"/> Greece is a [[developed country]] with a high [[standard of living]] and high ranking in the [[Human Development Index]].<ref>[http://www.newsweek.com/2010/08/15/interactive-infographic-of-the-worlds-best-countries.html The world's best countries: 2010 index] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728092003/http://www.newsweek.com/2010/08/15/interactive-infographic-of-the-worlds-best-countries.html |date=28 July 2011 }}, ''Newsweek''. Accessed on line 15 August 2010.</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=The lottery of life|url=https://www.economist.com/news/21566430-where-be-born-2013-lottery-life|newspaper=The Economist|access-date=2 August 2014|location=London|date=21 November 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Table 1: Human Development Index and its components|url=http://hdr.undp.org/en/content/table-1-human-development-index-and-its-components|website=Human Development Report 2014|publisher=[[United Nations Development Programme]]|access-date=2 August 2014|location=New York|date=24 July 2014|archive-date=20 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151120074644/http://hdr.undp.org/en/content/table-1-human-development-index-and-its-components|url-status=dead}}</ref> Its economy mainly comprises the [[service sector]] (85%) and [[industrial sector|industry]] (12%), while agriculture makes up 3%.<ref name="GDP by sector">{{cite web|title=Gross Added Value by Industry (A17; Years 2000–2011) |url=http://www.statistics.gr/portal/page/portal/ESYE/PAGE-themes?p_param=A0702&r_param=SEL12&y_param=2011_00&mytabs=0 |publisher=Hellenic Statistical Authority |access-date=22 March 2012 |location=Piraeus |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121113221602/http://www.statistics.gr/portal/page/portal/ESYE/PAGE-themes?p_param=A0702&r_param=SEL12&y_param=2011_00&mytabs=0 |archive-date=13 November 2012 }}</ref> Important Greek industries include [[Tourism in Greece|tourism]] (with 28 million<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20230802171252/https://webunwto.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/2023-05/UNWTO_Barom23_02_May_EXCERPT_final.pdf?VersionId=gGmuSXlwfM1yoemsRrBI9ZJf.Vmc9gYD</ref> international tourists in 2022, it is ranked as the [[World_Tourism_rankings|9th most visited country in the world]] by the [[United Nations World Tourism Organization]]) and [[Greek Merchant Navy|merchant shipping]] (at 18%<ref name="auto">https://unctad.org/system/files/official-document/tdstat47_FS14_en.pdf#:~:text=URL%3A%20https%3A%2F%2Functad.org%2Fsystem%2Ffiles%2Fofficial</ref> of the world's total capacity, the Greek merchant marine is the largest in the world), while the country is a considerable agricultural producer (including fisheries) within the union. In October 2021 unemployment stood at 13% and [[youth unemployment]] at 33%, compared with respectively 7% and 16% in the EU and eurozone.<ref>{{cite web|title=Euro area unemployment at 7.3%|url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/11563391/3-02122021-AP-EN.pdf/6ebfe4d6-d2e1-372b-1556-3bf4174422dc |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211202110106/https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/11563391/3-02122021-AP-EN.pdf/6ebfe4d6-d2e1-372b-1556-3bf4174422dc |archive-date=2 December 2021 |url-status=live|publisher=[[Eurostat]]}}</ref> Greece has the largest economy in the Balkans,<ref name = BalkanInsight>{{Cite news | url = http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/albania-businesses-seek-new-markets-as-greek-crisis-hits-home | newspaper = Balkan Insight | date = 11 July 2012 | first1 = Besar | last1 = Likmeta | last2 = BIRN | first2 = Gjirokastra | title = Albania Eyes New Markets as Greek Crisis Hits Home Businesses affected by the economic downturn in Greece are seeking new markets in the West, hoping that a cheap and qualified labour force will draw fresh clients | quote = Greece is the Balkan region's largest economy and has been an important investor in Southeast Europe over the past decade |access-date=18 April 2014}}</ref><ref name= Keridis>{{cite web | title = Greece and the Balkans: From Stabilization to Growth | first = Dimitris | last = Keridis | url=http://users.uom.gr/~keridis/files/article/article10.doc| quote = Greece has a larger economy than all the Balkan countries combined. Greece is also an important regional investor | type = lecture | publisher = Hellenic Studies Unit at Concordia University | place = Montreal, QC, Canada | date = 3 March 2006}}</ref><ref name="Nicholas Economides">{{cite web|title=The Greek and EU Crisis for non-economists|url=http://www.stern.nyu.edu/networks/Economides_Greek_and_EU_Crisis_Sacramento_04262013.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130619151639/http://www.stern.nyu.edu/networks/Economides_Greek_and_EU_Crisis_Sacramento_04262013.pdf |archive-date=19 June 2013 |url-status=live|author=Nicholas Economides |quote=Largest economy than all rest of Balkans combined}}</ref> and an important regional investor.<ref name= BalkanInsight /><ref name=Keridis /> Greece is the number-two foreign investor of capital in Albania, the number-three foreign investor in Bulgaria, at the top-three of foreign investors in Romania and Serbia and the most important trading partner and largest foreign investor of North Macedonia. Greek banks open a new branch somewhere in the Balkans on an almost weekly basis.<ref name="Bell2002" /><ref name="AydinIfantis2004">{{cite book|author1=Mustafa Aydin|author2=Kostas Ifantis|title=Turkish-Greek Relations: The Security Dilemma in the Aegean|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NuyWdJfQf4kC&pg=PA267|access-date=27 May 2013|date=28 February 2004|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-0-203-50191-7|pages=266–267|quote=second largest investor of foreign capital in Albania, and the third largest foreign investor in Bulgaria. Greece is the most important trading partner of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.}}</ref><ref name="Thompson2012">{{cite book|author=Wayne C. Thompson|title=Western Europe 2012|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lKCMvYFQCCMC&pg=PA283|access-date=27 May 2013|date=9 August 2012|isbn=978-1-61048-898-3|page=283|publisher=Stryker Post |quote=Greeks are already among the three largest investors in Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia, and overall Greek investment in the ... Its banking sector represents 16% of banking activities in the region, and Greek banks open a new branch in a Balkan country almost weekly.}}</ref> The Greek telecommunications company [[OTE]] has become a strong investor in other Balkan countries.<ref name="Bell2002">{{cite book|author=Imogen Bell|title=Central and South-Eastern Europe: 2003|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4CrpzRJCbckC&pg=PA282 |access-date=27 May 2013 |year=2002 |publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-85743-136-0|page=282|quote=show that Greece has become the largest investor into Macedonia (FYRM), while Greek companies such as OTE have also developed strong presences in countries of the former Yugoslavia and other Balkan countries.}}</ref> Greece was a founding member of the [[Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development]] (OECD) and the [[Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation]] (BSEC). In 1979 the accession of the country in the [[European Communities]] and the [[Internal Market (European Union)|single market]] was signed, and the process was completed in 1982. Greece was accepted into the [[Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union]] on 19 June 2000, and in January 2001 adopted the euro as its currency, replacing the [[Modern drachma|Greek drachma]] at an exchange rate of 340.75 drachma to the Euro.<ref name="Drachma exchange rate">{{cite web|title=Fixed Euro conversion rates | url =http://www.ecb.int/euro/intro/html/index.en.html|publisher=European Central Bank|access-date=23 February 2012}}</ref> Greece is also a member of the [[International Monetary Fund]] and the [[World Trade Organization]], and is ranked 24th on the KOF [[Globalization Index]] for 2013. === Debt crisis (2010–2018) === {{Main|Greek government-debt crisis}} [[File:Greek debt and EU average since 1977.png|upright=1.4|thumb|Greece's debt percentage since 1977, compared to the average of the [[eurozone]]]] The economy had fared well in much of the 20th century, with high growth.<ref name="Debt Past">{{cite news|title=2010–2018 Greek Debt Crisis and Greece's Past: Myths, Popular Notions and Implications |url =https://www.academia.edu/37583185 |publisher=Academia.edu |access-date=14 October 2018}}</ref> However, leading up to the [[2007–2008 financial crisis]], it had high structural [[Government budget balance|deficit]]s, and maintained a public [[debt-to-GDP ratio]] of about 100%.<ref name="Debt Past"/> In 2009, it was revealed deficits had for years been considerably higher than official figures.<ref name=":3" /> Banks had developed products which enabled the governments of Greece and other countries to hide their borrowing levels.<ref name="Europe derivatives 2">{{Cite news |date=19 February 2010 |title=Greece is far from the EU's only joker |work=Newsweek |url=http://www.newsweek.com/blogs/wealth-of-nations/2010/02/19/greece-is-far-from-the-eu-s-only-joker.html |access-date=16 May 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=September 2005 |title=How Europe's governments have enronized their debts |work=Euromoney |url=http://www.euromoney.com/Article/1000384/BackIssue/50007/How-Europes-governments-have-enronized-their-debts.html |access-date=1 January 2014}}</ref><ref name="Goldman">{{cite web |title=Greece Paid Goldman $300 Million To Help It Hide Its Ballooning Debts |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/henry-blodget-greece-paid-goldman-300-million-to-help-it-hide-its-ballooning-debts-2010-2 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100420053023/http://www.businessinsider.com/henry-blodget-greece-paid-goldman-300-million-to-help-it-hide-its-ballooning-debts-2010-2 |archive-date=20 April 2010 |access-date=6 May 2010 |website=[[Business Insider]]}}</ref> Banks supplied cash in exchange for future payments by the governments; in turn the liabilities of the countries were "kept off the books".<ref>{{cite news |author=LOUISE STORY |author2=LANDON THOMAS Jr |author3=NELSON D. SCHWARTZ |date=13 February 2010 |title=Global Business: Wall St. Helped to Mask Debt Fueling Europe's Crisis |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/14/business/global/14debt.html |quote=In dozens of deals across the Continent, banks provided cash upfront in return for government payments in the future, with those liabilities then left off the books. Greece, for example, traded away the rights to airport fees and lottery proceeds in years to come.}}</ref><ref name="Bloomberg">{{cite news |author1=Nicholas Dunbar |author2=Elisa Martinuzzi |date=5 March 2012 |title=Goldman Secret Greece Loan Shows Two Sinners as Client Unravels |publisher=Bloomberg L.P. |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-03-06/goldman-secret-greece-loan-shows-two-sinners-as-client-unravels.html |quote=Greece actually executed the swap transactions to reduce its debt-to-gross-domestic-product ratio because all member states were required by the Maastricht Treaty to show an improvement in their public finances," Laffan said in an e-mail. "The swaps were one of several techniques that many European governments used to meet the terms of the treaty."}}</ref><ref name="The Guardian">{{cite news |author=Elena Moya |date=16 February 2010 |title=Banks that inflated Greek debt should be investigated, EU urges |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2010/feb/16/greek-debt-goldman-sachs |quote="These instruments were not invented by Greece, nor did investment banks discover them just for Greece," said Christophoros Sardelis, who was chief of Greece's debt management agency when the contracts were conducted with Goldman Sachs.Such contracts were also used by other European countries until Eurostat, the EU's statistic agency, stopped accepting them later in the decade. Eurostat has also asked Athens to clarify the contracts.}}</ref> These conditions enabled Greece to spend beyond its means, while technically meeting the deficit target in the [[Maastricht Treaty]].<ref name="Der Spiegel">{{cite news |author=Beat Balzli |date=8 February 2010 |title=Greek Debt Crisis: How Goldman Sachs Helped Greece to Mask its True Debt |newspaper=[[Der Spiegel]] |url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/greek-debt-crisis-how-goldman-sachs-helped-greece-to-mask-its-true-debt-a-676634.html |access-date=29 October 2013 |quote=This credit disguised as a swap didn't show up in the Greek debt statistics. Eurostat's reporting rules don't comprehensively record transactions involving financial derivatives. "The Maastricht rules can be circumvented quite legally through swaps," says a German derivatives dealer. In previous years, Italy used a similar trick to mask its true debt with the help of a different US bank.}}</ref><ref name="Goldman" /><ref>{{cite news |author1=Story, Louise |author2=Thomas Jr, Landon |author3=Schwartz, Nelson D. |date=14 February 2010 |title=Wall St. Helped To Mask Debt Fueling Europe's Crisis |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/14/business/global/14debt.html |access-date=6 May 2010}}</ref> The Greek crisis was triggered by the [[Great Recession]], which caused Greece's [[Gross domestic product|GDP]] to contract 2.5% in 2009.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.oecd.org/gov/budgeting/47840787.pdf |title=Restoring public finances |publisher=[[OECD]] |year=2011 |pages=119 |language=en |chapter=Country notes: Greece}}</ref> Simultaneously, deficits were revealed to have been allowed to reach 10% and 15% in 2008 and 2009. This caused Greece's debt-to-GDP ratio to spike to 127%.<ref name="Debt 2009 2017 Eurostat">{{cite news |url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/tgm/refreshTableAction.do?tab=table&plugin=1&pcode=teina225&language=en|title= Eurostat (Government debt data)|work= Eurostat |access-date=5 September 2018}}</ref> As a eurozone member, Greece had no autonomous [[Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union#Monetary policy inflexibility|monetary policy flexibility]], it could not change interest rates or let its exchange rate absorb the shock. Consequently, Greece's borrowing rates increased, making it impossible for it to finance its debt from early 2010. In May 2010, the deficit was estimated to be 14%<ref>{{cite news|title=Papandreou Faces Bond Rout as Budget Worsens, Workers Strike |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aUi3XLUwIIVA |publisher=Bloomberg L.P. |date=22 April 2010 |access-date=2 May 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110623231800/http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aUi3XLUwIIVA |archive-date=23 June 2011 }}</ref> the second highest in the world.<ref>{{cite news| author=Staff | title = Britain's Deficit Third Worst in the World, Table| url =https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financialcrisis/7269629/Britains-deficit-third-worst-in-the-world-table.html| date = 19 February 2010 |access-date=5 August 2011 |work=The Daily Telegraph |location=London }}</ref> Public debt was forecast to reach up to 120% of GDP in 2010,<ref>{{cite news|author1=Melander, Ingrid |author2=Papchristou, Harry | title = Greek Debt To Reach 120.8 Pct of GDP in '10 – Draft| url =https://www.reuters.com/article/greece-budget-debt-idUSATH00496420091105 |work=Reuters | date = 5 November 2009 |access-date=5 August 2011}}</ref> causing a crisis of confidence in Greece's ability to pay back loans. To avert a [[sovereign default]], Greece, other eurozone members, and the [[International Monetary Fund]] agreed on a rescue package which gave Greece an immediate €{{Nowrap|45 billion}} in loans, with additional funds to follow, totaling €{{Nowrap|110 billion}}.<ref>{{cite news|author1=Thesing, Gabi |author2=Krause-Jackson, Flavia |title= Greece Faces 'Unprecedented' Cuts as $159B Rescue Nears |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-05-02/greece-faces-unprecedented-cuts-as-159b-rescue-nears.html | publisher=Bloomberg |date=3 May 2010 |access-date=6 May 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Kerin Hope |title=EU Puts Positive Spin on Greek Rescue |url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/08a87e4e-55c4-11df-b835-00144feab49a.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210201220/https://www.ft.com/content/08a87e4e-55c4-11df-b835-00144feab49a |archive-date=10 December 2022 |url-access=subscription |work=Financial Times |date=2 May 2010 |access-date=6 May 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref> Greece was required to adopt harsh [[Austerity|austerity measures]] to bring its deficit down.<ref>{{cite news|last=Newman |first=Rick |title=Lessons for Congress From the Chaos in Greece |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/rick-newman/2011/11/03/lessons-for-congress-from-the-chaos-in-greece |access-date=3 November 2011 |newspaper=US News |date=3 November 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111104005053/http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/rick-newman/2011/11/03/lessons-for-congress-from-the-chaos-in-greece |archive-date=4 November 2011 }}</ref> A second bail-out of €{{Nowrap|130 billion}} (${{Nowrap|173 billion}}) was agreed in 2012, subject to strict conditions, including financial reforms and further austerity.<ref name= BBCQ&A>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-13798000 |title= Q&A: Greek debt |work=BBC News Online |access-date=14 May 2012}}</ref> A [[Debt relief|debt haircut]] was agreed.<ref name= BBCQ&A /> Greece achieved a [[balanced budget|budget surplus]] in 2013 and returned to growth in 2014 after years of decline,<ref name="Kathimerini growth">{{cite news|last1=Bensasson|first1=Marcus|title=Greece exited recession in second quarter, says EU Commission|url=http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_wsite2_1_04/11/2014_544283|access-date=4 November 2014|work=[[Kathimerini]]|date=4 November 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Greek growth rates put Germany, eurozone to shame|url=http://www.marketwatch.com/story/greek-growth-rates-put-germany-eurozone-to-shame-2014-11-14|access-date=16 November 2014|work=[[MarketWatch]]|date=14 November 2014}}</ref> A third bailout was agreed in 2015, after a confrontation with the newly elected government of [[Alexis Tsipras]]. Partly due to the imposed austerity measures,<ref name=":3">{{Cite news |title=Is the Greek financial crisis over at last? |language=en |newspaper=The Economist |url=https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2018/08/21/is-the-greek-financial-crisis-over-at-last |access-date=26 December 2022}}</ref> Greece experienced a 25% drop GDP between 2009-15.<ref>{{Cite news |date=10 July 2015 |title=The Greek debt crisis story in numbers |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-33407742 |access-date=26 December 2022}}</ref> This had a critical effect: the debt-to-GDP ratio, jumped from its 2009 level of 127% to about 170%, due to the shrinking economy.<ref name="Debt 2017 Eurostat">{{cite news |url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/8824854/2-24042018-AP-EN.pdf/2e4cce59-7d36-4894-b21e-9f2c14b81630 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180428162026/http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/8824854/2-24042018-AP-EN.pdf/2e4cce59-7d36-4894-b21e-9f2c14b81630 |archive-date=28 April 2018 |url-status=live|title= Eurostat (2017 Government debt data)|work= Eurostat |date=24 April 2018 |access-date=5 September 2018}}</ref> In 2013, the IMF admitted it had underestimated the effects of tax hikes and budget cuts and issued an informal apology.<ref name="IMF Guardian">{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2013/jun/05/imf-admit-mistakes-greek-crisis-austerity |title= IMF 'to admit mistakes' in handling Greek debt crisis and bailout (The Guardian) |date=5 June 2013 |access-date=22 June 2018}}</ref><ref name="IMF Reuters">{{cite news | url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-imf-greece/for-hard-hit-greeks-imf-mea-culpa-comes-too-late-idUSBRE9550M320130606 |title= For hard-hit Greeks, IMF mea culpa comes too late (Reuters) |date=6 June 2013 |access-date=22 June 2018}}</ref><ref name="IMF Telegraph">{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2016/07/28/imf-admits-disastrous-love-affair-with-euro-apologises-for-the-i/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2016/07/28/imf-admits-disastrous-love-affair-with-euro-apologises-for-the-i/ |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title= IMF admits disastrous love affair with the euro and apologises for the immolation of Greece (The Telegraph) |date=29 July 2016 |access-date=22 June 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name="Fiscal adjustment">{{cite news |url=http://bruegel.org/2015/02/should-other-eurozone-programme-countries-worry-about-a-reduced-greek-primary-surplus-target/ |title=Should other Eurozone programme countries worry about a reduced Greek primary surplus target? |date=25 February 2015 |access-date=28 May 2017}}</ref> The policies have been blamed for worsening the crisis,<ref name="IMF Bloomberg">{{cite news |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-06-18/why-three-rescues-didn-t-solve-greece-s-debt-problem-quicktake |title= Why Three Rescues Didn't Solve Greece's Debt Problem (Bloomberg) |date=18 June 2018 |access-date=22 June 2018}}</ref><ref name="IMF WSJ">{{cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/will-the-imf-apologize-to-greece-1402863715 |title= Will the IMF Apologize to Greece ? (WSJ) |date=15 June 2014 |access-date=22 June 2018}}</ref> while Greece's president, [[Prokopis Pavlopoulos]], stressed the creditors' share in responsibility.<ref name="Pavlopoulos Statement">{{cite news |url=http://www.ekathimerini.com/229962/article/ekathimerini/news/debt-deal-exceeded-market-expectations-tsipras-says |title= Debt deal exceeded market expectations, Tsipras says (Kathimerini) |date=22 June 2018 |access-date=22 June 2018}}</ref><ref name="Pavlopoulos Moscovici">{{cite news |url= http://www.kathimerini.gr/972843/gallery/epikairothta/politikh/paylopoylos-se-moskovisi-na-mhn-epanalhf8oyn-la8h-poy-odhghsan-se-odynhres-8ysies-ton-lao |title= Pavlopoulos to Moscovici: the mistakes that led to painful sacrifices for the Greek people should not be repeated (Kathimerini, in Greek)) |date=3 July 2018 |access-date=30 July 2018}}</ref> Tsipras asserted that errors in the design of the programmes led to a loss in the economy.<ref name="Tsipras Bloomberg">{{cite news |date=27 June 2018 |title=Tsipras says Greece won't go back to old spending ways |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2018-06-27/tsipras-says-greece-won-t-go-back-to-old-spending-ways-video |access-date=30 July 2018}}</ref><ref name="Debt 2017 Eurostat"/> Greece's bailouts ended in August 2018.<ref name="Bailout exit Reuters">{{cite news |url= https://www.reuters.com/article/us-eurozone-greece-bailout/greece-exits-final-bailout-successfully-esm-idUSKCN1L40OG |title= Greece exits final bailout successfully: ESM |work= Reuters |date=20 August 2018 |access-date=31 August 2018}}</ref> === Agriculture === {{Main|Agriculture in Greece}} [[File:Zante currant drying in Tsilivi.jpg|thumb|Sun-drying of [[Zante currant]] on [[Zakynthos]]]] In 2010, Greece was the [[European Union]]'s largest producer of cotton (183,800 tons) and [[pistachios]] (8,000 tons)<ref name="eurostat agriculture 1">{{cite web|url=http://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/submitViewTableAction.do |title=Crops products (excluding fruits and vegetables) (annual data) |publisher=[[Eurostat]] |access-date=19 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006122431/http://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/submitViewTableAction.do |archive-date=6 October 2014 }}</ref> and ranked second in the production of rice (229,500 tons)<ref name="eurostat agriculture 1" /> and olives (147,500 tons),<ref name="eurostat agriculture 2" /> third in the production of [[Common fig|figs]] (11,000 tons),<ref name="eurostat agriculture 2" /> [[almond]]s (44,000 tons),<ref name="eurostat agriculture 2">{{cite web |url=http://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/show.do |title=Fruits and vegetables (annual data) |publisher=[[Eurostat]] |access-date=19 October 2011}}</ref> tomatoes (1,400,000 tons),<ref name="eurostat agriculture 2" /> and watermelons (578,400 tons)<ref name="eurostat agriculture 2" /> and fourth in the production of tobacco (22,000 tons).<ref name="eurostat agriculture 1" /> Agriculture contributes 3.8% of the country's GDP and employs 12.4% of the country's labor force.<!--ref name="CIAFactBook"/--> Greece is a major beneficiary of the EU's [[Common Agricultural Policy]]. As a result of the country's entry to the European Community, much of its agricultural infrastructure has been upgraded and agricultural output increased. Between 2000 and 2007, [[organic farming]] in Greece increased by 885%, the highest change percentage in the EU.<!--ref name="Eurostat Sustainable" /--> === Energy === {{Main|Energy in Greece}} [[File:SolarGIS-Solar-map-Greece-en.png|thumb|Solar-power generation potential in Greece]] Electricity production in Greece is dominated by the state-owned [[Public Power Corporation of Greece|Public Power Corporation]] (known mostly by its acronym ΔΕΗ, transliterated as DEI). In 2009 DEI supplied for 85.6% of all electric energy demand in Greece,<ref name="DEI 2010">{{cite web |url=http://www.dei.gr/Images/ENG%20REPORT%202010%20FINAL.pdf |title=Public Power Corporation S.A. Financial Report (January 1, 2010 – December 31, 2010) |year=2010 |publisher=[[Public Power Corporation of Greece]] |access-date=24 October 2011 |archive-date=27 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927180029/http://www.dei.gr/Images/ENG%20REPORT%202010%20FINAL.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> while the number fell to 77.3% in 2010.<ref name="DEI 2010" /> Almost half (48%) of DEI's power output is generated using [[lignite]], a drop from the 51.6% in 2009.<ref name="DEI 2010" /> Twelve percent of Greece's electricity comes from hydroelectric power plants<ref name="Invest in Greece energy">{{cite web |url=http://www.investingreece.gov.gr/default.asp?pid=36§orID=38&la=1 |title=Energy |publisher=Invest in Greece Agency |access-date=26 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110820004239/http://www.investingreece.gov.gr/default.asp?pid=36§orID=38&la=1 |archive-date=20 August 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and another 20% from natural gas.<ref name="Invest in Greece energy" /> Between 2009 and 2010, independent companies' energy production increased by 56%,<ref name="DEI 2010" /> from 2,709 [[Kilowatt hour|gigawatt hour]] in 2009 to 4,232 GWh in 2010.<ref name="DEI 2010" /> In 2012, renewable energy accounted for 13.8% of the country's total energy consumption,<ref name="Eurostat renewable energy">{{cite web |url=http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/tgm/table.do?tab=table&init=1&language=en&pcode=tsdcc110&plugin=0 |title=Share of renewable energy in gross final energy consumption % |year=2008 |publisher=[[Eurostat]] |access-date=24 October 2011}}</ref> a rise from the 10.6% it accounted for in 2011,<ref name="Eurostat renewable energy" /> a figure almost equal to the EU average of 14.1% in 2012.<ref name="Eurostat renewable energy" /> 10% of the country's renewable energy comes from [[solar power]],<ref name="Eurostat Sustainable">{{cite web|url=http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_OFFPUB/KS-78-09-865/EN/KS-78-09-865-EN.PDF |title=Sustainable development in the European Union |year=2009 |publisher=[[Eurostat]] |access-date=24 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110826033757/http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_OFFPUB/KS-78-09-865/EN/KS-78-09-865-EN.PDF |archive-date=26 August 2011 }}</ref> while most comes from [[biomass]] and waste recycling.<ref name="Eurostat Sustainable" /> In line with the [[European Commission]]'s Directive on Renewable Energy, Greece aims to get 18% of its energy from renewable sources by 2020.<ref name="Directive">{{cite web |url=http://ec.europa.eu/energy/en/topics/renewable-energy/renewable-energy-directive/cooperation-mechanisms |title=Renewable energy – Targets by 2020 |publisher=[[Eurostat]] |access-date=24 October 2011}}</ref> In 2013, according to the independent power transmission operator in Greece (ΑΔΜΗΕ) more than 20% of the electricity in Greece has been produced from renewable energy sources and hydroelectric powerplants. This percentage in April reached 42%. Greece currently does not have any [[nuclear power plant]]s in operation; however, in 2009 the [[Academy of Athens (modern)|Academy of Athens]] suggested that research in the possibility of Greek nuclear power plants begin.<ref name="Academy of Athens nuclear power">{{cite web|url=http://www.academyofathens.gr/Documents/christoforou_porismata.pdf |title=Πορίσματα της Ομάδας Εργασίας της Επιτροπής Ενέργειας της Ακαδημίας Αθηνών επί του θέματος "Πυρηνική Ενέργεια και Ενεργειακές Ανάγκες της Ελλάδος" |publisher=[[Academy of Athens (modern)|Academy of Athens]] |access-date=24 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111122125502/http://www.academyofathens.gr/Documents/christoforou_porismata.pdf |archive-date=22 November 2011 }}</ref> === Maritime industry === {{Main|Greek shipping|List of ports in Greece}} {{See also|Economy of Greece#Maritime industry|label 1=Economy of Greece » Maritime industry}} [[File:Greek tanker ship.png|thumb|[[Greek Merchant Navy|Greek companies]] control 21% of the world's total [[merchant fleet]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newmoney.gr/roh/palmos-oikonomias/nautilia/korifea-naftiliaki-chora-ston-kosmo-parameni-i-ellada-to-21-tou-pagkosmiou-stolou-me-5-514-plia/|title=Κορυφαία ναυτιλιακή χώρα στον κόσμο παραμένει η Ελλάδα – Το 21% του παγκόσμιου στόλου με 5.514 πλοία|trans-title=Greece remains the world's leading shipping country – 21% of the world fleet with 5,514 ships|website=NewMoney.gr|date=20 May 2022|access-date=9 April 2023|language=Greek}}</ref> making it the largest in the world. They are ranked in the top 5 for all kinds of ships, including first for tankers and bulk carriers.]] The shipping industry has been a key element of Greek economic activity since ancient times.<ref name="shipping">{{cite web|url=http://www.greece.org/poseidon/work/articles/polemis_one.html |title=The History of Greek Shipping |author=Polemis, Spyros M. |publisher=greece.org |access-date=9 April 2007}}</ref> Shipping remains one of the country's most important industries, accounting for 4.5 percent of GDP, employing about 160,000 people (4 percent of the workforce), and representing a third of the trade deficit.<ref name=nbg>{{cite web|author=Press release |url=http://www.nbg.gr/en/pr_release_resb.asp?P_ID=463 |publisher=[[National Bank of Greece]] |title=Greek Shipping Is Modernized To Remain a Global Leader and Expand Its Contribution to the Greek Economy |date=11 May 2006 |access-date=8 April 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070831114031/http://www.nbg.gr/en/pr_release_resb.asp?P_ID=463 |archive-date=31 August 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> According to the UN the [[Greek Merchant Navy]] is the largest in the world at 18% of global capacity.<ref name="auto"/> The country's merchant fleet ranks first in total tonnage (384 million [[Deadweight tonnage|dwt]]), 2nd in total number of ships (at 4,870),<ref name="auto"/> first in both [[tanker (ship)|tankers]] and dry bulk carriers, fourth in the number of containers, and fifth in other ships.<ref name="BTS">{{cite web|url=http://www.rita.dot.gov/bts/sites/rita.dot.gov.bts/files/publications/maritime_trade_and_transportation/2007/html/table_02_01.html|title=Top 15 Ranking of World Merchant Fleet by Country of Owner, Year-End 2006|publisher=U.S. [[Bureau of Transportation Statistics]]|year=2001|access-date=11 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029205740/http://www.rita.dot.gov/bts/sites/rita.dot.gov.bts/files/publications/maritime_trade_and_transportation/2007/html/table_02_01.html|archive-date=29 October 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> However, today's fleet roster is smaller than an all-time high of 5,000 ships in the late 1970s.<ref name=shipping /> Additionally, the total number of ships flying a Greek flag (includes non-Greek fleets) is 1,517, or 5 percent of the world's dwt (ranked fifth globally). During the 1960s, the size of the Greek fleet nearly doubled, primarily through the investment undertaken by the shipping magnates, [[Aristotle Onassis]] and [[Stavros Niarchos]].<ref name="slate">{{cite magazine |url = http://www.slate.com/?id=2124542& |title= So Many Greek Shipping Magnates... |author= Engber, Daniel |magazine=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]] |date= 17 August 2005 |access-date= 5 August 2011}}</ref> The basis of the modern Greek maritime industry was formed after World War II when Greek shipping businessmen were able to amass surplus ships sold to them by the U.S. government through the Ship Sales Act of the 1940s.<ref name=slate /> Greece has a significant shipbuilding and ship maintenance industry. The six shipyards around the port of Piraeus are among the largest in Europe.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Jill Dubois|author2=Xenia Skoura|author3=Olga Gratsaniti|title=Greece|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DVzthRVC_SMC&pg=PA42|access-date=14 April 2013|year=2003|publisher=Marshall Cavendish|isbn=978-0-7614-1499-5|page=42|quote=Greek ships make up 70 percent of the European Union's total merchant fleet. Greece has a large shipbuilding and ship refitting industry. Its six shipyards near Piraeus are among the biggest in Europe. As Greek ships primarily transport ...}}</ref> In recent years, Greece has also become a leader in the construction and maintenance of luxury yachts.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ekathimerini.com/216308/article/ekathimerini/business/mega-yacht-owners-choose-greece-for-construction-and-maintenance|title=Mega yacht owners choose Greece for construction and maintenance, Ilias Bellos | Kathimerini|website=www.ekathimerini.com}}</ref> === Tourism === {{Main|Tourism in Greece}} [[File:Blue-dome-Santorini.JPG|alt=|thumb|[[Santorini]], a popular tourist destination, is ranked as the world's top island in many travel magazines and sites.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.travelandleisure.com/worldsbest/2011/islands/top-10-islands/237 | work = Travel+Leisure | title = 2011 World's Best Awards | access-date = 16 July 2011 | url-status=dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110712204603/http://www.travelandleisure.com/worldsbest/2011/islands/top-10-islands/237 | archive-date = 12 July 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.bbc.com/travel/slideshow/20111123-worlds-best-islands | publisher = BBC | access-date = 1 December 2011 | title = World's Best Islands }}</ref>]] Tourism has been a key element of the economic activity in the country and one of the country's most important sectors, contributing 20.6% of the gross domestic product as of 2018.<ref>{{cite web |author1=Chloe Wynne |title=Greek tourism sector growing over three times faster than wider economy says new WTTC research |url=https://www.wttc.org/about/media-centre/press-releases/press-releases/2019/greek-tourism-sector-growing-over-three-times-faster-than-wider-economy-says-new-wttc-research/ |website=WTTC |access-date=21 April 2019}}</ref> Greece was the 9th most visited country in the world in 2022, hosting 27.8 million visitors.<ref name="May2023"/> Greece welcomed over 31.3 million visitors in 2019,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://hellasjournal.com/2019/01/entyposiazoyn-ta-stoicheia-toy-ypoyrgeioy-toyrismoy-ta-esoda-xepernoyn-ta-21-dis-eyro/ |title=Tourism Ministry Statistics Impress |date=30 January 2019 |access-date=24 September 2022}}</ref> and around 28 million in 2016,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newsbeast.gr/travel/arthro/2545878/espase-ta-konter-o-ellinikos-tourismos-to-2016|title="Έσπασε τα κοντέρ" ο ελληνικός τουρισμός το 2016|date=20 January 2017|publisher=Newsbeast.gr|access-date=3 August 2017}}</ref> which is an increase from the 26.5 million tourists it welcomed in 2015 and the 19.5 million in 2009,<ref name="Eurostat Tourism table">{{cite web|url=http://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/setupModifyTableLayout.do |title=Nights spent in tourist accommodation establishments – regional – annual data |year=2010|publisher=[[Eurostat]] |access-date=10 August 2011}}</ref> and the 17.7 million tourists in 2007,<ref name="Eurostat Tourism">{{cite web|url=http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_OFFPUB/KS-HA-10-001-11/EN/KS-HA-10-001-11-EN.PDF|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110516161713/http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_OFFPUB/KS-HA-10-001-11/EN/KS-HA-10-001-11-EN.PDF|archive-date=16 May 2011|title=Tourism |year=2010 |publisher=[[Eurostat]] |access-date=10 August 2011}}</ref> making Greece one of the [[World Tourism rankings#Europe|most visited countries]] in Europe in the recent years. The vast majority of visitors in Greece in 2007 came from the European continent, numbering 12.7 million,<ref name="A2001">{{cite web|url=http://www.statistics.gr/portal/page/portal/ESYE/BUCKET/A2001/Other/A2001_STO03_TB_MM_12_2007_02_F_GR.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101114095907/http://www.statistics.gr/portal/page/portal/ESYE/BUCKET/A2001/Other/A2001_STO03_TB_MM_12_2007_02_F_GR.pdf|archive-date=14 November 2010 |script-title=el:02. Αφίξεις αλλοδαπών από το εξωτερικό κατά υπηκοότητα και μέσο ταξιδίου ( Δεκέμβριος 2007 ) |trans-title=02. Arrivals of foreigners from abroad by nationality and means of travel (December 2007) |date=December 2007 |publisher=Hellenic National Statistics Agency|language=el |access-date=10 August 2011}}</ref> while the most visitors from a single nationality were those from the United Kingdom, (2.6 million), followed closely by those from Germany (2.3 million).<ref name="A2001" /> In 2010, the most visited [[modern regions of Greece|region]] of Greece was that of [[Central Macedonia]], with 18% of the country's total tourist flow (amounting to 3.6 million tourists), followed by [[Attica]] with 2.6 million and the [[Peloponnese]] with 1.8 million.<ref name="Eurostat Tourism table" /> [[Northern Greece]] is the country's most-visited geographical region, with 6.5 million tourists, while Central Greece is second with 6.3 million.<ref name="Eurostat Tourism table" /> In 2010, [[Lonely Planet]] ranked Greece's northern and second-largest city of [[Thessaloniki]] as the world's fifth-best party town worldwide, comparable with cities such as [[Dubai]] and [[Montreal]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lonelyplanet.com/canada/travel-tips-and-articles/39339 |title=Ultimate party cities |publisher=[[Lonely Planet]] |access-date=10 August 2011}}</ref> In 2011, [[Santorini]] was voted as "The World's Best Island" in ''[[Travel + Leisure]]''.<ref name="Best Islands">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.travelandleisure.com/worldsbest/2011/islands/europe-islands/242|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110712230838/http://www.travelandleisure.com/worldsbest/2011/islands/europe-islands/242|archive-date=12 July 2011|title=World's Best Awards – Islands |magazine=[[Travel + Leisure]] |access-date=10 August 2011}}</ref> Its neighboring island [[Mykonos]], came in fifth in the European category.<ref name="Best Islands" /> There are [[List of World Heritage sites in Greece|19 UNESCO World Heritage Sites]] in Greece,<ref name="Unesco">{{cite web|title=Greece Properties inscribed on the World Heritage List (17)|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/gr |publisher=Unesco}}</ref> and Greece is ranked 17th in the world in terms of total sites. Thirteen further sites are on the tentative list, awaiting nomination.<ref name="Unesco" /> {{wide image|Corfu Town R02.jpg |1200px| Panoramic view of the old [[Corfu City]], a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]], as seen from the [[Old Fortress, Corfu|Old Fortress]]. The Bay of Garitsa is to the left and the port of [[Corfu]] is just visible on the top right. [[Spianada Square]] is in the foreground.}} === Transport === {{Main|Transport in Greece|Highways in Greece}} [[File:Rio-Antirio bridge.jpg|thumb|The [[Rio–Antirrio bridge]] connects mainland Greece to the [[Peloponnese]]]] [[File:Greekmotorways2017 2.jpg|thumb|Map of Greece's motorway network as of 2022. '''Black'''=Completed routes, '''Blue'''=Under Construction, '''Grey'''=Planned routes]] Since the 1980s, the road and rail network of Greece has been significantly modernised. With a total length of about 2320 km as of 2020, Greece's motorway network is the most extensive in [[Southeastern Europe]] and one of the most advanced in Europe.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ypodomes.com/index.php/alles-ypodomes/endiaferouses-eidiseis/item/35705-aftokinitodromoi-diktyo-2500-xiliometra-mexri-to-2017|title=Αυτοκινητόδρομοι: Δίκτυο 2.500 χιλιόμετρα μέχρι το 2017 - ypodomes.com|access-date=28 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180625185609/https://www.ypodomes.com/index.php/alles-ypodomes/endiaferouses-eidiseis/item/35705-aftokinitodromoi-diktyo-2500-xiliometra-mexri-to-2017|archive-date=25 June 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> Important works include the [[Egnatia Odos (modern road)|A2 (Egnatia Odos)]] east-west motorway, that connects northwestern Greece ([[Igoumenitsa]]) with northern Greece (Thessaloniki) and northeastern Greece ([[Kipoi, Evros|Kipoi]]); the [[Rio–Antirrio bridge]], the longest suspension cable bridge in Europe ({{convert|2250|m|0|abbr=on}} long), connecting the Peloponnese ([[Rio, Greece|Rio]], {{convert|7|km|0|abbr=on}} from [[Patras]]) with Aetolia-Akarnania ([[Antirrio]]) in western Greece; and the [[Aktio-Preveza Undersea Tunnel]] that passes under the mouth of [[Ambracian Gulf]]. Also completed are the [[Ionia Odos|A5 (Ionia Odos)]] motorway that connects northwestern Greece ([[Ioannina]]) with western Greece (Antirrio); the last sections of the [[Motorway 1 (Greece)|A1 motorway]], connecting Athens to [[Thessaloniki]] and [[Evzonoi]] in northern Greece; the [[Motorway 8 (Greece)|A8 motorway]] (part of the [[Olympia Odos]]) in the Peloponnese, connecting Athens to Patras; and the [[Motorway 7 (Greece)|A7 motorway]] connecting Corinth to Kalamata and Sparta. The remaining section of Olympia Odos, connecting Patras with [[Pyrgos, Ilia|Pyrgos]], is under planning. Other important projects that are currently underway, include the construction of the [[Thessaloniki Metro]], and the Northern Crete Motorway.<ref>{{cite web | last=Καραγιάννης | first=Νίκος | title=ΒΟΑΚ: Εντός του 2023 η ανάδειξη αναδόχου για το οδικό τμήμα Χανιά-Ηράκλειο | website=Ypodomes.com | date=4 August 2023 | url=https://ypodomes.com/voak-entos-toy-2023-i-anadeixi-anadochoy-gia-to-odiko-tmima-chania-irakleio/ | language=el | access-date=6 October 2023}}</ref> The Athens Metropolitan Area in particular is served by some of the most modern and efficient transport infrastructure in Europe, such as the [[Athens International Airport]], the privately run [[Attiki Odos|A6 (Attiki Odos)]] motorway network and the expanded [[Athens Metro]] system. Most of the Greek islands and many main cities of Greece are connected by air mainly from the two major Greek airlines, [[Olympic Air]] and [[Aegean Airlines]]. Maritime connections have been improved with modern high-speed craft, including [[hydrofoils]] and [[catamarans]]. Railway connections play a somewhat lesser role in Greece than in many other European countries, but they too have also been expanded, with new suburban/[[commuter rail]] connections, serviced by [[Proastiakos]] around Athens, towards its airport, [[Kiato]] and [[Chalcis|Chalkida]]; around Thessaloniki, towards the cities of [[Larissa]] and [[Edessa, Greece|Edessa]]; and around Patras. A modern intercity rail connection between Athens and Thessaloniki has also been established, while an upgrade to double lines in many parts of the {{convert|2500|km|mi|abbr=on}} network is underway; along with a [[P.A.Th.E./P.|new double track, standard gauge]] railway between [[Athens]] and [[Patras]] (replacing the old [[metre-gauge railway|metre-gauge]] [[Piraeus–Patras railway]]) which is currently under construction and opening in stages.<ref>[http://www.ergose.gr/view.php?&id=19&lang_code=en ERGOSE – Investment Program], 30 March 2016</ref> International railway lines connect Greek cities with the rest of Europe, the Balkans and Turkey. Given Greece's long coastline and large number of islands, maritime transport is particularly important in Greece. All major islands are served by ferries to the mainland. [[Piraeus]], the port of Athens, was the third busiest passenger port in Europe as of 2021. In total, 37 million passengers traveled by boat in Greece in 2019, the second-highest number in Europe.<ref>{{cite web | title=Maritime passenger statistics | website=European Commission | url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Maritime_passenger_statistics#Messina_remained_the_largest_EU_passenger_port_in_2021 | ref={{sfnref | European Commission}} | access-date=6 October 2023}}</ref> Greece has 39 active airports, 15 of which serve international destinations.<ref>{{cite web | title=Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority - Our Airports | website=Υπηρεσία Πολιτικής Αεροπορίας - Αρχική | url=http://www.ypa.gr/en/our-airports | ref={{sfnref | Υπηρεσία Πολιτικής Αεροπορίας - Αρχική}} | access-date=6 October 2023}}</ref> [[Athens International Airport]] served over 28 million passengers in 2023.<ref name=AIA>{{cite web|title=Athens International Airport "El.Venizelos" Facts & Figures|url=https://www.aia.gr/company-and-business/the-company/facts-and-figures/ |website=aia.gr|access-date=12 January 2021}}</ref> Most major islands are served by airports, with direct connections to other airports in Europe. === Telecommunications === {{Main|Telecommunications in Greece}} Modern digital information and communication networks reach all areas. There are over {{convert|35000|km|0|abbr=on}} of fiber optics and an extensive open-wire network. Broadband internet availability is widespread in Greece: there were a total of 2,252,653 broadband connections {{as of|2011|alt=as of early 2011}}, translating to 20% broadband penetration.<ref name="cnbc">{{cite news | date = 2 May 2011 | url=http://news.in.gr/science-technology/article/?aid=1231106170 |script-title=el:''Το 20% του πληθυσμού πλησιάζει η διείσδυση της ευρυζωνικότητας στην Ελλάδα'' |trans-title=20% of the population approaching broadband penetration in Greece |language=el |publisher=in.gr |access-date=18 April 2014}}</ref> According to 2017 data, around 82% of the general population used the internet regularly.<ref name="Kathimerini article">{{cite web |url=http://www.kathimerini.gr/922914/article/texnologia/diadiktyo/to--818-twn-ellhnwn-serfarei-sto-diadiktyo|title=Το 81,8 των Ελληνων σερφαρει στο ιντερνετ|trans-title=81.8% of Greeks surf the Internet|publisher=Kathimerini.gr |access-date=28 October 2016}}</ref> [[Internet café]]s that provide net access, office applications and multiplayer gaming are also a common sight in the country, while mobile internet on [[3G]] and [[4G]]- [[LTE (telecommunication)|LTE]] cellphone networks and [[Wi-Fi]] connections can be found almost everywhere.<ref>{{cite web|title=Finding Free WiFi Internet in the Greek Islands |url=http://www.openjourney.com/blogs/josh/free-wifi-internet-greek-islands-47.html|publisher=Open Journey |access-date=20 August 2011|date=29 June 2011}}</ref> 3G/4G mobile internet usage has been on a sharp increase in recent years. Based on 2016 data 70% of Greek internet users have access via 3G/4G mobile.<ref name="Kathimerini article" /> As of July 2022, 5G service is accessible in most of major Greek cities. The United Nations International Telecommunication Union ranks Greece among the top 30 countries with a highly developed information and communications infrastructure.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.itu.int/net/pressoffice/backgrounders/general/pdf/5.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100216184100/http://www.itu.int/net/pressoffice/backgrounders/general/pdf/5.pdf |archive-date=16 February 2010 |url-status=live |title= ICT Development Index (IDI), 2010 and 2008 |access-date=22 July 2012|publisher=The United Nations Telecommunication Union{{!}}International Telecommunication Union}} p. 15.</ref> === Science and technology === {{Main|List of Greek inventions and discoveries}} [[File:NOESIS.jpg|thumb|upright=.8|[[Thessaloniki Science Center and Technology Museum]]]] The General Secretariat for Research and Technology of the Ministry of Development and Competitiveness is responsible for designing, implementing and supervising national research and technological policy. In 2017, spending on research and development (R&D) reached an all-time high of €2 billion, equal to 1.14 percent of GDP.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.greeknewsagenda.gr/index.php/topics/business-r-d/6889-r-d-spending-2017|title=R&D spending in Greece reached a record high in 2017|website=www.greeknewsagenda.gr|date=26 November 2018 |access-date=3 August 2019}}</ref> [[File:Gnpapanikolaou.jpg|thumb|upright=.9|left|[[Georgios Papanikolaou]], a pioneer in [[cytopathology]] and early cancer detection]] Although lower than the EU average of 1.93 percent, between 1990 and 1998, total R&D expenditure in Greece enjoyed the third-highest increase in Europe, after [[Finland]] and Ireland. Greece was ranked 42nd in the [[Global Innovation Index]] in 2023.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Global Innovation Index 2023 | edition=15th |url=https://www.wipo.int/global_innovation_index/en/2023/index.html |access-date=28 October 2023 |date=4 November 2023 |publisher=World Intellectual Property Organization |doi=10.34667/tind.46596 |isbn=9789280534320 |language=en | last1=Dutta | first1=Soumitra | last2=Lanvin | first2=Bruno | last3=Wunsch-Vincent | first3=Sacha | last4=León | first4=Lorena Rivera | last5=World Intellectual Property Organization }}</ref> Greece has major technology parks with incubator facilities and been a member of the [[European Space Agency]] (ESA) since 2005.<ref name=":2">{{cite web |url=http://www.esa.int/About_Us/Business_with_ESA/Greece_becomes_16th_ESA_Member_State |title=Greece becomes 16th ESA Member State |date=22 March 2005 |publisher=ESA |access-date=15 May 2012}}</ref> Cooperation between ESA and the [[Hellenic National Space Committee]] began in 1994 with the signing of the first cooperation agreement. After applying for full membership in 2003, Greece became the ESA's sixteenth member on 16 March 2005. The country participates in the ESA's telecommunication and technology activities and the [[Global Monitoring for Environment and Security]] Initiative.<ref name=":2" /> The [[National Centre of Scientific Research "Demokritos"]] was founded in 1959 and it is the largest multidisciplinary research center in Greece. Today, its activities cover several fields of science and engineering.<ref>{{Cite web |title=National Center for Scientific Research Demokritos (NCSR Demokritos) |url=https://eurocc-greece.gr/demokritos/ |access-date=10 April 2023 |website=EuroCC@Greece |language=en-US}}</ref> Greece has one of the highest rates of tertiary enrollment in the world,<ref>{{cite web|title=School enrollment, tertiary (% gross) – Country Ranking|url=https://www.indexmundi.com/facts/indicators/SE.TER.ENRR/rankings|website=indexmundi.com|publisher=Index Mundi|access-date=26 February 2018}}</ref> while Greeks are well represented in academia worldwide; numerous leading Western universities employ a disproportionately high number of Greek faculty.<ref>{{cite news |title= University reforms in Greece face student protests |newspaper=The Economist|date=6 July 2006 |access-date=19 December 2008|url= http://www.economist.com/world/europe/displaystory.cfm?story_id=E1_STQTVNJ|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081207061901/http://www.economist.com/world/europe/displaystory.cfm?story_id=E1_STQTVNJ|archive-date= 7 December 2008 }}</ref> Greek scientific publications have grown significantly in terms of [[research impact]], surpassing both the EU and global average from 2012 to 2016.<ref>{{cite web|title=Greek scientific publications increase their impact|url=https://greeknewsagenda.gr/index.php/topics/business-r-d/6869-scientific-publications-increase-impact|website=greeknewsagenda.gr|date=30 October 2018 |access-date=15 May 2020}}</ref> Notable Greek scientists of modern times include [[Georgios Papanikolaou]] (inventor of the [[Pap test]]), mathematician [[Constantin Carathéodory]] (known for the [[Carathéodory theorem (disambiguation)|Carathéodory theorems]] and [[Carathéodory conjecture]]), astronomer [[E. M. Antoniadi]], archaeologists [[Ioannis Svoronos]], [[Valerios Stais]], [[Spyridon Marinatos]], [[Manolis Andronikos]] (discovered the tomb of [[Philip II of Macedon]] in [[Vergina]]), Indologist [[Dimitrios Galanos]], botanist [[Theodoros G. Orphanides]], and scientists such as [[Michael Dertouzos]], [[Nicholas Negroponte]], [[John Argyris]], [[John Iliopoulos]] (2007 [[Dirac Medal (ICTP)|Dirac Prize]] for his contributions on the physics of the [[charm quark]]), [[Joseph Sifakis]] (2007 [[Turing Award]], the "Nobel Prize" of Computer Science), [[Christos Papadimitriou]] (2002 [[Knuth Prize]], 2012 [[Gödel Prize]]), [[Mihalis Yannakakis]] (2005 [[Knuth Prize]]) and physicist [[Dimitri Nanopoulos]]. == Demographics == {{Main|Demographics of Greece|Greeks}} According to the official statistical body of Greece, the [[Hellenic Statistical Authority]] (ELSTAT), the country's total population in 2021 was 10,482,487.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Μόνιμος Πληθυσμός – ELSTAT |url=https://www.statistics.gr/el/2021-census-res-pop-results |access-date=31 March 2023 |website=www.statistics.gr |archive-date=30 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230330170115/https://www.statistics.gr/el/2021-census-res-pop-results |url-status=dead }}</ref> Eurostat places the current population at 10.6 million in 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/demo_pjan/default/table?lang=en |access-date=31 March 2023 |website=Eurostat | title= Population on 1 January by age and sex | date= 2023}}</ref> [[File:Greece Population Density, 2000 (6172438874).jpg|thumb|Greece population density, 2000]] Greek society has changed rapidly over the last several decades, coinciding with the [[Aging of Europe|wider European trend]] of declining fertility and rapid aging. The [[birth rate]] in 2003 stood at 9.5 per 1,000 inhabitants, significantly lower than the rate of 14.5 per 1,000 in 1981. At the same time, the mortality rate increased slightly from 8.9 per 1,000 inhabitants in 1981 to 9.6 per 1,000 inhabitants in 2003. Estimates from 2016 show the birth rate decreasing further still to 8.5 per 1,000 and mortality climbing to 11.2 per 1,000.<ref>{{cite web|title=The World Factbook|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/greece/|publisher=Central Intelligence Agency|access-date=19 July 2017}}</ref> The [[fertility rate]] of 1.41 children per woman is well below the [[Replacement fertility rate|replacement rate of 2.1]], and is one of the lowest in the world, considerably below the high of 5.47 children born per woman in 1900.<ref>{{citation|url=https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/children-born-per-woman?year=1800&country=GRC|title=Total Fertility Rate around the world over the last centuries|author=Max Roser|date=2014|work=[[Our World in Data]], [[Gapminder Foundation]]|access-date=7 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180807155725/https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/children-born-per-woman?year=1800&country=GRC|archive-date=7 August 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> Subsequently, Greece's median age is 44.2 years, the seventh-highest in the world.<ref>{{citation|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/greece/|title=World Factbook EUROPE : GREECE|work=[[The World Factbook]]|date=12 July 2018}}</ref> In 2001, 16.71 percent of the population were 65 years old and older, 68.12 percent between the ages of 15 and 64 years old, and 15.18 percent were 14 years old and younger.<ref name="nssg">{{cite web|url=http://www.statistics.gr/eng_tables/hellas_in_numbers_eng.pdf|title=Greece in Numbers|publisher=[[Hellenic Statistical Authority]]|year=2006|access-date=14 December 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040707190604/http://www.statistics.gr/eng_tables/hellas_in_numbers_eng.pdf|archive-date=7 July 2004}}</ref> By 2016, the proportion of the population age 65 and older had risen to 20.68 percent, while the proportion of those aged 14 and younger declined to slightly below 14 percent. Marriage rates began declining from almost 71 per 1,000 inhabitants in 1981 until 2002, only to increase slightly in 2003 to 61 per 1,000 and then fall again to 51 in 2004.<ref name=nssg /> Divorce rates have seen an increase from 191.2 per 1,000 marriages in 1991 to 239.5 per 1,000 marriages in 2004.<ref name=nssg /> As a result of these trends, the average Greek household is smaller and older than in previous generations. The economic crisis has exacerbated this development, with 350,000–450,000 Greeks, predominantly young adults, emigrating since 2010.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.ft.com/content/24866436-9f9f-11e8-85da-eeb7a9ce36e4 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/https://www.ft.com/content/24866436-9f9f-11e8-85da-eeb7a9ce36e4 |archive-date=10 December 2022 |url-access=subscription|title=Greece brain drain hampers recovery from economic crisis|last=Hope|first=Kerin|date=16 August 2018|website=Financial Times|language=en-GB|access-date=3 August 2019}}</ref> === Cities === {{See also|List of cities and towns in Greece}} Almost two-thirds of the Greek people live in urban areas. Greece's largest and most influential metropolitan centres are those of [[Athens]] (population 3,744,059 according to [[Athens Metropolitan Area, Greece|2021 census]]) and [[Thessaloniki]] (population 1,092,919 in [[Thessaloniki metropolitan area|2021]]) that latter commonly referred to as the {{transliteration|el|symprotévousa}} ({{lang|el|συμ[[wikt:πρωτεύουσα|πρωτεύουσα]]}}, {{literally|co-capital}}).<ref name="Greek Experience">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x9TG0Q0xKJYC&q=Thessaloniki%20co-capital&pg=PA19|title=Regional analysis and policy: the Greek experience|author1=Harry Coccossis |author2=Yannis Psycharis |year=2008|publisher=Springer |access-date=19 August 2011|isbn=9783790820867}}</ref> Other prominent cities with urban populations above 100,000 inhabitants include [[Patras]], [[Heraklion]], [[Larissa]], [[Volos]], [[Rhodes (city)|Rhodes]], [[Ioannina]], [[Agrinio]], [[Chania]], and [[Chalcis]].<ref name="cities">{{cite web|url=http://www.statistics.gr/Athena2001/Athena2001.ASP?wcu=$cmd=0$id=5200712142356520314915 |title=Athena 2001 Census |publisher=[[National Statistical Service of Greece]] |access-date=14 December 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080117231653/http://www.statistics.gr/Athena2001/Athena2001.ASP?wcu=%24cmd%3D0%24id%3D5200712142356520314915 |archive-date=17 January 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The table below lists the largest cities in Greece, by population contained in their respective contiguous built up urban areas, which are either made up of many municipalities, evident in the cases of Athens and Thessaloniki, or are contained within a larger single municipality, case evident in most of the smaller cities of the country. The results come from the preliminary figures of the population census that took place in Greece in May 2011. {{Largest cities of Greece}} === Religion === {{Main|Religion in Greece|Greek Orthodox Church|Church of Greece}} {{See also|Muslim minority of Greece|Hellenismos|Ancient Greek religion|Romaniote Jews}} {{Pie chart | thumb = right | caption = Religiosity in Greece (2017):<ref name="Pew2017"/> | label1 = [[Eastern Orthodoxy]] | value1 = 90 | color1 = Orchid | label2 = Other Christians (exc.[[Catholics]]) | value2 = 3 | color2 = DeepSkyBlue | label3 = [[Irreligion]] | value3 = 4 | color3 = Honeydew | label4 = [[Islam]] | value4 = 2 | color4 = Green | label5 = Other religions (inc.[[Catholics]]) | value5 = 1 | color5 = Yellow }} The Greek Constitution recognises [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodoxy]] as the 'prevailing' faith of the country, while guaranteeing freedom of religious belief for all.<ref name="con51,53" /><ref name=Hri.org>{{cite web|title=The Constitution of Greece|url=http://www.hri.org/docs/syntagma/artcl25.html|publisher=Hellenic Resources Network}}</ref> The Greek government does not keep statistics on religious groups and censuses do not ask for religious affiliation. According to the U.S. State Department, an estimated 97% of Greek citizens identify themselves as [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox]], belonging to the [[Greek Orthodox Church]],<ref name="religion">{{cite web | url = https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2007/90178.htm | website =International Religious Freedom Report 2007 | title = Greece | publisher =[[United States Department of State]], Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor | date=15 September 2006 |access-date=14 April 2007}}</ref> which uses the [[Byzantine rite]] and the [[Greek language]], the original language of the [[New Testament]]. The administration of the Greek territory is shared between the [[Church of Greece]] and the [[Patriarchate of Constantinople]]. In a 2010 [[Eurostat]]–[[Eurobarometer]] poll, 79% of Greek citizens responded that they "believe there is a God".<ref name="eurostat">{{cite web |url=http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_341_en.pdf |title=Special Eurobarometer, biotechnology; Fieldwork: January–February 2010 |page=204 |date=October 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101215001129/http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_341_en.pdf |archive-date=15 December 2010 }}</ref> According to other sources, 15.8% of Greeks describe themselves as "very religious", which is the highest among all European countries. The survey also found that just 3.5% never attend a church, compared to 4.9% in [[Poland]] and 59.1% in the Czech Republic.<ref name="forskning.no">{{cite web|url=http://forskning.no/2008/02/dagens-ess-religiositet-og-kirkebesok|title= Dagens ESS: Religiøsitet og kirkebesøk|trans-title=Today ESS: Religiosity and church visits | publisher= Forskning|language= no|date= 11 October 2005 |access-date=11 September 2010}}</ref> [[File:Meteora's_monastery_2.jpg|thumb|left|[[Meteora]], complex of giant rock pillars with Eastern Orthodox monasteries made on the picks of the sandstone cliffs.]] Estimates of the recognised [[Muslim minority of Greece|Greek Muslim minority]], which is mostly located in [[Thrace]], range around 100,000,<ref name=religion /><ref name=religion2 /> (about 1% of the population). Some of the Albanian immigrants to Greece come from a nominally Muslim background, although most are secular in orientation.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/2006/71383.htm |title=Greece |publisher= [[United States Department of State]] |date=26 August 2005 |access-date=6 January 2009}}</ref> Following the [[Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922)|1919–1922 Greco-Turkish War]] and the 1923 [[Treaty of Lausanne]], Greece and Turkey agreed to a [[Population exchange between Greece and Turkey|population transfer based on cultural and religious identity]]. About 500,000 Muslims from Greece, predominantly those defined as [[Turkish people|Turks]], but also [[Greek Muslims]] like the [[Vallahades]] of western Macedonia, were exchanged with approximately 1.5 million Greeks from Turkey. However, many refugees who settled in former Ottoman Muslim villages in [[Central Macedonia]], and were defined as Christian Orthodox [[Caucasus Greeks]], arrived from the former Russian [[Transcaucasus]] province of [[Kars Oblast]], after it had been retroceded to Turkey prior to the official population exchange.<ref>{{cite web |website= Countrystudies.us |url= http://countrystudies.us/turkey/24.htm |title= Turkey – Population | place = US | publisher = [[Library of Congress]]}}</ref> Judaism has [[History of the Jews in Greece|been present]] in Greece for more than 2,000 years. The ancient community of Greek Jews is called [[Romaniote Jews|Romaniotes]], while the [[Sephardi Jews]] were once a prominent community in the city of [[Thessaloniki]], numbering some 80,000, or more than half of the population, by 1900.<ref>The Guardian, [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/30/thessalonikis-jews-we-cant-let-this-be-forgotten-if-its-forgotten-it-will-die Thessaloniki's Jews: 'We can't let this be forgotten; if it's forgotten, it will die']</ref> However, after the [[German occupation of Greece]] and [[the Holocaust]] during World War II, it is estimated to number around 5,500 people.<ref name=religion /><ref name=religion2 /> The [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] community is estimated to be around 250,000<ref name="religion" /><ref name="religion2" /> of which 50,000 are Greek citizens.<ref name="religion" /> [[Catholic Church in Greece|Their community]] is nominally separate from the smaller [[Greek Byzantine Catholic Church]], which recognises the primacy of the Pope but maintains the [[liturgy]] of the [[Byzantine Rite]].<ref>Leustean, Lucian N. (2014). "Eastern Christianity and Politics in the Twenty-First Century: an Overview" in Lucian N. Leustean (editor), ''Eastern Christianity and Politics in the Twenty-First Century'', pp. 1–20. New York: Routledge. {{ISBN|978-0-415-68490-3}}, pp 8–9.</ref> [[Greek Old Calendarists|Old Calendarists]] account for 500,000 followers.<ref name="religion2">{{cite web|url=http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/fundamental_rights/pdf/aneval/religion_el.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070605013415/http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/fundamental_rights/pdf/aneval/religion_el.pdf |archive-date=5 June 2007 |title=Executive Summary Discrimination on the Grounds of Religion and Belief Greece |publisher=[[European Commission]] |last1=Ktistakis |first1=Ioannis |last2=Sitaropoulos |first2=Nicholas |date=22 June 2004 |access-date=14 April 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Protestants, including the [[Greek Evangelical Church]] and [[Free Evangelical Churches]], stand at about 30,000.<ref name="religion" /><ref name="religion2" /> Other Christian minorities, such as [[Assemblies of God]], [[International Church of the Foursquare Gospel]] and various [[Pentecostalism|Pentecostal]] churches of the [[Greek Synod of Apostolic Church]] total about 12,000 members.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.pentecost.gr/English/history.htm| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20041216225859/http://www.pentecost.gr/English/history%20keim.htm| archive-date= 16 December 2004 | title= Synod of Apostolic Church of Christ | publisher = Pentecost |access-date=22 March 2009}}</ref> The independent [[Free Apostolic Church of Pentecost]] is the biggest Protestant denomination in Greece with 120 churches.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.christianity.gr/church/addresses.php|title=Christianity Ministries|language=el|publisher=christianity.gr|access-date=22 March 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050530005647/http://www.christianity.gr/church/addresses.php|archive-date=30 May 2005}}</ref> There are no official statistics about Free Apostolic Church of Pentecost, but the Orthodox Church estimates the followers as 20,000.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.egolpio.com/PENTECOSTAL/freechurpentecost.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081202062529/http://www.egolpio.com/PENTECOSTAL/freechurpentecost.htm|archive-date=2 December 2008|script-title=el:Ελευθέρα Αποστολική Εκκλησία της Πεντηκοστής|trans-title=Free Apostolic Church of Pentecost|language=el|publisher=egolpio.com|access-date=22 March 2009}}</ref> The [[Jehovah's Witnesses]] report having 28,874 active members.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://download.jw.org/files/media_books/26/yb14_E.pdf|title=2014 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses|publisher=Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc.|date=2014|pages=178–187|access-date=31 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141231060621/http://download.jw.org/files/media_books/26/yb14_E.pdf|archive-date=31 December 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> Since 2017, [[Hellenism (religion)|Hellenic Polytheism]], or Hellenism has been legally recognised as an actively practised religion in Greece,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wildhunt.org/2017/04/greek-paganism-legally-recognized-as-known-religion-in-greece.html |title=Hellenism legally recognized as religion in Greece |publisher=wildhunt.org |access-date=9 April 2017}}</ref> with estimates of 2,000 active practitioners and an additional 100,000 "sympathisers".<ref name="newstatesman.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.newstatesman.com/200703200001|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081202123343/http://www.newstatesman.com/200703200001|url-status=dead|title=Newstatesman – The ancient Gods of Greece are not extinct|archive-date=2 December 2008}}</ref><ref name="telegraph.co.uk">{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/05/08/wgods08.xml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040901020310/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fnews%2F2004%2F05%2F08%2Fwgods08.xml|url-status=dead|archive-date=1 September 2004|title=Modern Athenians fight for the right to worship the ancient Greek gods|website=The Daily Telegraph|access-date=22 December 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/feb/01/religion.uk | location=London | work=The Guardian | title=Helena Smith on why some Greeks are worshipping the ancient gods}}</ref> Hellenism refers to various religious movements that continue, revive, or reconstruct [[Ancient Greek religion|ancient Greek religious practices]]. === Languages === {{Main|Greek language|Languages of Greece|Minorities in Greece}} [[File:Greece linguistic minorities.svg|thumb|upright=1.1|Regions with a traditional presence of languages other than Greek. Today, Greek is the dominant language throughout the country.<ref>{{cite web | publisher = Summer institute of Linguistics |url=http://www.ethnologue.com/country/GR/languages |title=Languages of Greece | website = Ethnologue |access-date=19 December 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Euromosaic – Le [slavo]macédonien / bulgare en Grèce |url=https://www.uoc.edu/euromosaic/web/document/macedoni/fr/i1/i1.html |website=www.uoc.edu |access-date=8 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304044656/http://www.uoc.edu/euromosaic/web/document/macedoni/fr/i1/i1.html |archive-date=4 March 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Euromosaic – L'arvanite / albanais en Grèce |url=https://www.uoc.edu/euromosaic/web/document/albanes/fr/i2/i2.html |website=www.uoc.edu |access-date=8 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190702205628/https://www.uoc.edu/euromosaic/web/document/albanes/fr/i2/i2.html |archive-date=2 July 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Euromosaic – Le valaque (aromoune, aroumane) en Grèce |url=https://www.uoc.edu/euromosaic/web/document/valac/fr/i1/i1.html |website=www.uoc.edu |access-date=8 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303170314/http://www.uoc.edu/euromosaic/web/document/valac/fr/i1/i1.html |archive-date=3 March 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Turkish The Turkish language in Education in Greece |url=https://www.mercator-research.eu/fileadmin/mercator/documents/regional_dossiers/turkish_in_greece.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190209124027/https://www.mercator-research.eu/fileadmin/mercator/documents/regional_dossiers/turkish_in_greece.pdf |archive-date=9 February 2019 |url-status=live |website=mercator-research.eu}}</ref>{{Sfn | Trudgill | 2000}}]] Greece is today relatively homogeneous in linguistic terms, with a large majority of the native population using Greek as their first or only language. Among the Greek-speaking population, speakers of the distinctive [[Pontic Greek|Pontic]] dialect came to Greece from Asia Minor after the [[Greek genocide]] and constitute a sizable group. The [[Cappadocian Greek|Cappadocian]] dialect came to Greece due to the genocide as well, but is endangered and is barely spoken now. Indigenous Greek dialects include the archaic Greek spoken by the [[Sarakatsani]], traditionally transhument mountain shepherds of [[Greek Macedonia]] and other parts of [[Northern Greece]]. The [[Tsakonian language]], a distinct Greek language deriving from [[Doric Greek]] instead of [[Koine Greek]], is still spoken in some villages in the southeastern Peloponnese. The [[Muslim minority of Greece|Muslim minority]] in Thrace, which amounts to approximately 0.95% of the total population, consists of speakers of [[Turkish language|Turkish]], [[Bulgarian language|Bulgarian]] ([[Pomaks]]){{Sfn | Trudgill | 2000}} and [[Romani language|Romani]]. Romani is also spoken by Christian [[Romani people|Roma]] in other parts of the country. Further minority languages have traditionally been spoken by regional population groups in various parts of the country. Their use has decreased radically in the course of the 20th century through assimilation with the Greek-speaking majority. Today they are only maintained by the older generations and are on the verge of extinction. The same goes for the [[Arvanites]], an [[Albanian language|Albanian]]-speaking group mostly located in the rural areas around the capital Athens, and for the [[Aromanians]] and [[Megleno-Romanians]], also known as "[[Vlachs]]", whose language is closely related to [[Romanian language|Romanian]] and who used to live scattered across several areas of mountainous central Greece. Members of these groups usually identify ethnically as Greek<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.cilevics.eu/minelres/reports/greece/greece_NGO.htm | publisher = Greek Helsinki Monitor | title = Minority Rights Group, Greece, Report about Compliance with the Principles of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (along guidelines for state reports according to Article 25.1 of the Convention) | date = 8 September 1999 | access-date = 27 December 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120111161345/http://www.cilevics.eu/minelres/reports/greece/greece_NGO.htm | archive-date = 11 January 2012 | url-status=dead }}</ref> and are today all at least bilingual in Greek. Near the northern Greek borders there are also some [[Slavic speakers of Greek Macedonia|Slavic–speaking groups]], locally known as ''Slavomacedonian''-speaking, most of whose members identify ethnically as Greeks. It is estimated that after the population exchanges of 1923, [[Macedonia (Greece)|Macedonia]] had 200,000 to 400,000 [[Slavic languages|Slavic]] speakers.<ref name="minorities">Roudometof, Victor; Robertson, Roland (2001). [https://books.google.com/books?id=I9p_m7oXQ00C&pg=PA186 ''Nationalism, Globalization, and Orthodoxy – The Social Origins of Ethnic Conflict in the Balkans'']. [[Westport, Connecticut]]: [[Greenwood Publishing Group|Greenwood]]. p. 186. {{ISBN|978-0-313-31949-5}}.</ref> The Jewish community in Greece traditionally spoke [[Ladino language|Ladino]] (Judeo-Spanish), today maintained only by a few thousand speakers. Other notable minority languages include [[Armenian language|Armenian]], [[Georgian language|Georgian]], and the Greco-Turkic dialect spoken by the [[Urums]], a community of [[Caucasus Greeks]] from the [[Tsalka]] region of central Georgia and ethnic Greeks from southeastern [[Greeks in Ukraine|Ukraine]] who arrived in mainly Northern Greece as economic migrants in the 1990s. === Migration === {{Main|Greek diaspora|Immigration to Greece}} [[File:50 largest Greek diaspora.png|thumb|upright=1.7|A map of the fifty countries with the largest [[Greek diaspora]] communities]] Throughout the 20th century, millions of Greeks migrated to the [[Greek Americans|United States]], [[Greeks in the United Kingdom|United Kingdom]], [[Greek Australians|Australia]], [[Greek Canadians|Canada]], and [[Greeks in Germany|Germany]], creating a large [[Greek diaspora]]. Net migration started to show positive numbers from the 1970s, but until the beginning of the 1990s, the main influx was that of returning Greek migrants or of [[Pontic Greeks]] and others from [[Greeks in Russia|Russia]], [[Greeks in Georgia|Georgia]], [[Greeks in Turkey|Turkey]] the [[Greeks in the Czech Republic|Czech Republic]], and elsewhere in the former [[Soviet Bloc]].<ref name=eliamep>Triandafyllidou, Anna. [http://www.idea6fp.uw.edu.pl/pliki/POES_Greece_PB_3.pdf "Migration and Migration Policy in Greece"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130923025433/http://www.idea6fp.uw.edu.pl/pliki/POES_Greece_PB_3.pdf |date=23 September 2013 }}. ''Critical Review and Policy Recommendations''. [[Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy]]. No. 3, April 2009</ref> A study from the Mediterranean Migration Observatory maintains that the 2001 census recorded 762,191 persons residing in Greece without Greek citizenship, constituting around 7% of the total population. Of the non-citizen residents, 48,560 were EU or [[European Free Trade Association]] nationals and 17,426 were Cypriots with privileged status. The majority come from Eastern European countries: Albania (56%), Bulgaria (5%) and Romania (3%), while migrants from the former Soviet Union (Georgia, Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, etc.) comprise 10% of the total.<ref>Kasimis, Charalambos; Kassimi, Chryssa (June 2004). [http://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/greece-history-migration/ "Greece: A History of Migration"]. Migration Information Source.</ref> Some of the immigrants from Albania are from the [[Greeks in Albania|Greek minority in Albania]] centred on the region of [[Northern Epirus]]. In addition, the total Albanian national population which includes temporary migrants and undocumented persons is around 600,000.<ref>Managing Migration: The Promise of Cooperation. By Philip L. Martin, Susan Forbes Martin, Patrick Weil</ref> The [[Greek census 2011|2011 census]] recorded 9,903,268 Greek citizens (91.56%), 480,824 Albanian citizens (4.44%), 75,915 Bulgarian citizens (0.7%), 46,523 Romanian citizenship (0.43%), 34,177 Pakistani citizens (0.32%), 27,400 [[Georgia (country)|Georgian]] citizens (0.25%) and 247,090 people had other or unidentified citizenship (2.3%).<ref name="populationbycitizenship">{{cite press release|url=http://www.statistics.gr/portal/page/portal/ESYE/BUCKET/General/nws_SAM01_EN.PDF |title=Announcement of the demographic and social characteristics of the Resident Population of Greece according to the 2011 Population |publisher=[[Hellenic Statistical Authority|Greek National Statistics Agency]] |page=9 |date=23 August 2013 |access-date=3 June 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131225192921/http://www.statistics.gr/portal/page/portal/ESYE/BUCKET/General/nws_SAM01_EN.PDF |archive-date=25 December 2013 }}</ref> 189,000 people of the total population of Albanian citizens were reported in 2008 as ethnic Greeks from [[Southern Albania]], in the historical region of [[Northern Epirus]].<ref name=eliamep /> The greatest cluster of non-EU immigrant population are the larger urban centers, especially the Municipality of Athens, with 132,000 immigrants comprising 17% of the local population, and then Thessaloniki, with 27,000 immigrants reaching 7% of the local population. There is also a considerable number of co-ethnics that came from the Greek communities of Albania and the former [[Soviet Union]].<ref name=eliamep /> Greece, together with Italy and Spain, is a major entry point for [[European migrant crisis|illegal immigrants trying to enter the EU]]. Illegal immigrants entering Greece mostly do so from the border with [[Turkey]] at the [[Evros River]] and the islands of the eastern Aegean across from Turkey (mainly [[Lesbos]], [[Chios]], [[Kos]], and [[Samos]]). In 2012, the majority of illegal immigrants entering Greece came from [[Afghanistan]], followed by Pakistanis and Bangladeshis.<ref>{{cite news|title=In crisis, Greece rounds up immigrants – Associated Press|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/feedarticle/10403249|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=11 June 2013|date=22 August 2012|location=London}}</ref> In 2015, arrivals of refugees by sea had increased dramatically mainly due to the ongoing [[Syrian civil war]]. There were 856,723 arrivals by sea in Greece, an almost fivefold increase to the same period of 2014, of which the [[Syrians]] represent almost 45%.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://data.unhcr.org/mediterranean/country.php?id=83|title=Refugees/Migrants Emergency Response – Mediterranean, Greece|date=13 February 2016|publisher=[[UNHCR]]|access-date=20 February 2016|archive-date=17 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160217181157/http://data.unhcr.org/mediterranean/country.php?id=83|url-status=dead}}</ref> The majority of refugees and migrants use Greece as a transit country, while their intended destinations are northern European Nations such as [[Austria]], Germany and Sweden.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34131911|title=Migrant crisis: Migration to Europe explained in seven charts|date=4 March 2016|work=[[BBC News]]|access-date=7 June 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-35091772|title=This migrant crisis is different from all others|last=Simpson|first=John|date=24 December 2015|work=[[BBC News]]|access-date=7 June 2017}}</ref> === Education === {{Main|Education in Greece}} {{Update|part=section|date=January 2024|reason=The description of the secondary, post-secondary and tertiary education does not reflect the current situation}} [[File:Akademie von Athen.jpg|alt=|thumb|The [[Academy of Athens (modern)|Academy of Athens]] is Greece's [[national academy]] and the highest research establishment in the country.]] [[File:Ιόνιος Ακαδημία.jpeg|thumb|upright=0.8|The [[Ionian Academy]] in [[Corfu]], the first [[academic institution]] of modern Greece]] [[File:National Library of Greece at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre 12.jpg|thumb|The new National Library of Greece at the [[Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center|Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre]]]] Greeks have a long tradition of valuing and investing in ''[[paideia]]'' (education), which was upheld as one of the highest societal values in the Greek and Hellenistic world. The first European institution described as a university was founded in fifth-century Constantinople and continued operating in various incarnations until the [[Fall of Constantinople|city's fall]] to the Ottomans in 1453.<ref name="texor">{{cite web|url= http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/~bump/OriginUniversities.html|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090220164836/http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/~bump/OriginUniversities.html|archive-date= 20 February 2009 |title=Jerome Bump, University of Constantinople|access-date=19 December 2008|website= The Origin of Universities |publisher= University of Texas at Austin }}</ref> The [[University of Constantinople]] was Christian Europe's first secular institution of higher learning,<ref>{{cite book |last=Tatakes |first=Vasileios N. |author2=Moutafakis, Nicholas J. |title=Byzantine Philosophy |year=2003 |publisher=Hackett Publishing|isbn=978-0-87220-563-5|page=189}}</ref> and by some measures was the world's first university.<ref name="texor" /> Compulsory education in Greece comprises primary schools (Δημοτικό Σχολείο, ''Dimotikó Scholeio'') and [[Gymnasium (school)|gymnasium]] (Γυμνάσιο). Nursery schools (Παιδικός σταθμός, ''Paidikós Stathmós'') are popular but not compulsory. [[Kindergarten]]s (Νηπιαγωγείο, ''Nipiagogeío'') are now compulsory for any child above four years of age. Children start primary school aged six and remain there for six years. Attendance at gymnasia starts at age 12 and lasts for three years. Greece's post-compulsory secondary education consists of two school types: unified upper secondary schools (Γενικό Λύκειο, ''Genikό Lykeiό'') and [[technical school|technical]]–[[vocational school|vocational]] educational schools (Τεχνικά και Επαγγελματικά Εκπαιδευτήρια, "TEE"). Post-compulsory secondary education also includes vocational training institutes (Ινστιτούτα Επαγγελματικής Κατάρτισης, "IEK") which provide a formal but unclassified level of education. As they can accept both ''Gymnasio'' (lower secondary school) and ''Lykeio'' (upper secondary school) graduates, these institutes are not classified as offering a particular level of education. According to the Framework Law (3549/2007), Public higher education "Highest Educational Institutions" (Ανώτατα Εκπαιδευτικά Ιδρύματα, ''Anótata Ekpaideytiká Idrýmata'', "ΑΕΙ") consists of two parallel sectors:the university sector (Universities, Polytechnics, Fine Arts Schools, the Open University) and the Technological sector (Technological Education Institutions (TEI) and the School of Pedagogic and Technological Education). There are also State Non-University Tertiary Institutes offering vocationally oriented courses of shorter duration (2 to 3 years) which operate under the authority of other Ministries. Students are admitted to these Institutes according to their performance at national level examinations taking place after completion of the third grade of ''Lykeio''. Additionally, students over twenty-two years old may be admitted to the [[Hellenic Open University]] through a form of lottery. The [[National and Capodistrian University of Athens|Capodistrian University of Athens]] is the oldest university in the eastern Mediterranean. The Greek education system also provides special kindergartens, primary, and secondary schools for people with special needs or difficulties in learning. There are also specialist gymnasia and high schools offering musical, theological, and physical education. Seventy-two percent of Greek adults aged 25–64 have completed upper secondary education, which is slightly less than the OECD average of 74 percent. The average Greek pupil scored 458 in reading literacy, maths and science in the OECD's 2015 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). This score is lower than the OECD average of 486. On average, girls outperformed boys by 15 points, much more than the average OECD gap of two points.<ref>{{cite web|title=OECD Better Life Index – Greece|url=http://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/countries/greece/|website=oecdbetterlifeindex.org|publisher=OECD|access-date=20 February 2018}}</ref> === Healthcare system === {{Main|Health care in Greece}} Greece has [[universal health care]]. The system is mixed, combining a national health service with [[social health insurance]] (SHI). Per a 2000 [[World Health Organization]] report, its [[health care system]] ranked 14th in overall performance of 191 countries surveyed.<ref name="WHO report">{{cite web |url=https://www.who.int/whr/2000/en/whr00_en.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040917211911/http://www.who.int/whr/2000/en/whr00_en.pdf |archive-date=17 September 2004 |url-status=live | title = Health Systems: Improving Performance |website=[[World Health Report]] | year = 2000 |publisher = [[World Health Organization]] |access-date=22 July 2011}}</ref> In a 2013 [[Save the Children]] report, Greece was ranked the 19th out of 176 countries for the state of mothers and newborn babies.<ref name="Save the Children report">{{cite web|url=http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.8585863/k.9F31/State_of_the_Worlds_Mothers.htm|title=State of the World's Mothers 2013 |year=2013|publisher=[[Save the Children]]|access-date=7 May 2013}}</ref> In 2010, there were 138 hospitals with 31,000 beds, but in 2011, the [[Ministry for Health and Social Solidarity (Greece)|Ministry of Health]] announced plans to decrease the number to 77 hospitals with 36,035 beds to reduce expenses and further enhance healthcare standards.<ref name="Health Reform">{{cite web| url = http://www.ethnos.gr/article.asp?catid=22768&subid=2&pubid=63299225| script-title = el:Προταση Λειτουργικων Αναδιαταξεων Μοναδων Υγειασ Εσυ| language = el| format = PDF| date = 1 July 2011| publisher = Ethnos| trans-title = Proposals for functional rearrangements of the NHS health units| access-date = 23 March 2016| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120521092605/http://www.ethnos.gr/article.asp?catid=22768&subid=2&pubid=63299225| archive-date = 21 May 2012| url-status=dead| df = dmy-all}}</ref> However, as of 2014, there were 124 public hospitals, of which 106 were general hospitals and 18 specialised hospitals, with a total capacity of about 30,000 beds.<ref>Hellenic Statistical Authority, 2018</ref> Greece's healthcare expenditures as a percentage of GDP were 9.6% in 2007, just above the OECD average of 9.5%.<ref name="OECD">{{cite web|url=http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/45/54/38979850.pdf |website=Health Data |year=2011 |title=How Does Greece Compare |publisher=[[Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development]] |access-date=22 July 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090902163839/http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/45/54/38979850.pdf |archive-date=2 September 2009 }}</ref> By 2015, spending declined to 8.4% of GDP (compared with the EU average of 9.5%), a decline of one-fifth since 2010. Nevertheless, the country maintains the highest doctor-to-population ratio of any OECD country<ref name="OECD" /> and the highest doctor-to-patient ratio in the EU.<ref name=":0">Economou C, Kaitelidou D, Karanikolos M, Maresso A. Greece: Health system review. Health Systems in Transition, 2017; 19(5):1–192.</ref> [[Life expectancy]] in Greece is among the highest in the world; a 2011 OECD report placed it at 80.3 years, above the OECD average of 79.5,<ref name="OECD" /> while a more recent 2017 study found life expectancy in 2015 to be 81.1 years, slightly above the EU average of 80.6.<ref name=":0" /> The island of [[Icaria]] has the highest percentage of nonagenarians in the world; approximately 33% of islanders are 90 or older.<ref name="NPR">{{cite news|title=The Island Where People Live Longer|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103744881|access-date=6 April 2013|newspaper=NPR|date=2 May 2009|quote=Buettner and a team of demographers work with census data to identify blue zones around the world. They found Icaria had the highest percentage of 90-year-olds anywhere on the planet — nearly 1 out of 3 people make it to their 90s.}}</ref> Icaria is subsequently classified as a "[[Blue Zone]]", a region where people allegedly live longer than average and have lower rates of cancer, heart disease, or other chronic illnesses.<ref name="NYT">{{cite news|title=The Island Where People Forget to Die|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/28/magazine/the-island-where-people-forget-to-die.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220102/https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/28/magazine/the-island-where-people-forget-to-die.html |archive-date=2 January 2022 |url-access=limited |url-status=live|access-date=6 April 2013|newspaper=The New York Times|date=24 October 2012|author=DAN BUETTNER}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The 2011 OECD report showed that Greece had the largest percentage of adult daily smokers of any of the 34 OECD members.<ref name="OECD" /> The country's obesity rate is 18.1%, which is above the OECD average of 15.1%, but considerably lower than the American rate of 27.7%.<ref name="OECD" /> In 2008, Greece had the highest rate of perceived good health in the OECD, at 98.5%.<ref name="OECD Health Status">{{cite web|url = http://stats.oecd.org/index.aspx?DataSetCode=HEALTH_STAT |title= Perceived Health Status | publisher = [[Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development]] |access-date=22 July 2011}}</ref> Infant mortality, with a rate of 3.6 deaths per 1,000 live births, was below the 2007 OECD average of 4.9.<ref name="OECD" /> == Culture == {{Main|Culture of Greece|Greeks|List of Greeks}} [[File:Epidavros.JPG|thumb|The [[Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus]], still used for theatrical plays]] The culture of Greece has evolved over thousands of years, beginning in [[Mycenaean Greece]] and continuing most notably into [[Classical Greece]], through the influence of the [[Roman Empire]] and its [[Greek East]]ern continuation, the Eastern Roman or [[Byzantine Empire]]. Other cultures and nations, such as the [[Frankokratia|Latin and Frankish states]], the [[Ottoman Empire]], the [[Venetian Republic]], the [[Genoese Republic]], and the [[British Empire]] have also left their influence on modern Greek culture, although historians credit the [[Greek War of Independence]] with revitalising Greece and giving birth to a single, cohesive entity of its multi-faceted culture. In ancient times, Greece was the birthplace of [[Western culture]].<ref>Mazlish, Bruce. [https://books.google.com/books?id=AmacbFXUTEoC&pg=PA3 ''Civilization And Its Contents.''] Stanford University Press, 2004. p. 3. Web. 25 June 2012.</ref><ref name="Broad2007">{{cite book|author=William J. Broad|title=The Oracle: Ancient Delphi and the Science Behind Its Lost Secrets|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8Oi_sVWIXLAC&pg=PA120|year=2007|publisher=Penguin Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-14-303859-7|page=120|quote=In 1979, a friend of de Boer's invited him to join a team of scientists that was going to Greece to assess the suitability of the ... But the idea of learning more about Greece – the cradle of Western civilization, a fresh example of tectonic forces at ...}}</ref> Modern democracies owe a debt to Greek beliefs in government by the people, trial by jury, and equality under the law. The ancient Greeks pioneered in many fields that rely on systematic thought, including [[Logic#History|logic]], [[biology]], [[geometry]], government, [[geography]], medicine, history,<ref>Myres, John. ''Herodotus, Father of History''. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1953. Web. 25 June 2012.</ref> philosophy,<ref>[[Frederick Copleston|Copleston, Frederick]]. ''History of Philosophy, Volume 1''.</ref> [[physics]], and mathematics.<ref name="Heath1981">{{cite book|author=Thomas Heath|title=A History of Greek Mathematics|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=drnY3Vjix3kC&q=ancient%20Greek%20mathematicians|access-date=19 August 2013|year=1981|publisher=Courier Dover Publications|isbn=978-0-486-24073-2|page=1}}</ref> They introduced such important literary forms as epic and lyrical poetry, history, tragedy, comedy and drama. In their pursuit of order and proportion, the Greeks created an ideal of beauty that strongly influenced [[Western art history|Western art]].<ref>{{ citation| mode=cs1| first=Peter |last=Krentz | entry=Greece, Ancient | title=World Book Advanced | publisher=World Book|date=2012<!-- no url: | access-date= 8 July 2012-->}}</ref> === Visual arts === {{See also|Greek art|Byzantine art|Modern Greek art}} [[File:Detail of the Charioteer, Delphi (4691931414).jpg|thumb|Close-up of the ''Charioteer of [[Delphi]]'', a celebrated statue from the 5th century BC]] Artistic production in Greece began in the prehistoric pre-Greek [[Cycladic civilization|Cycladic]] and the [[Minoan civilization|Minoan]] civilizations, both of which were influenced by local traditions and the [[art of ancient Egypt]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.digital.library.upenn.edu/women/edwards/pharaohs/pharaohs-5.html|title=Egypt the Birthplace of Greek Decorative Art|website=digital.library.upenn.edu|access-date=10 August 2017|archive-date=15 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180915055454/http://www.digital.library.upenn.edu/women/edwards/pharaohs/pharaohs-5.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> There were several interconnected traditions of painting in ancient Greece. Due to their technical differences, they underwent somewhat differentiated developments. Not all painting techniques are equally well represented in the archaeological record. The most respected form of art, according to authors like [[Pliny the Elder|Pliny]] or [[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]], were individual, mobile paintings on wooden boards, technically described as [[panel painting]]s. Also, the tradition of wall painting in Greece goes back at least to the [[Minoan civilization|Minoan]] and [[Mycenaean Greece|Mycenaean]] [[Bronze Age]], with the lavish fresco decoration of sites like [[Knossos]], [[Tiryns]] and [[Mycenae]]. Much of the figural or architectural sculpture of ancient Greece was painted colourfully. This aspect of Greek stonework is described as [[polychrome]].<ref>{{cite AV media |last=Harris |first=Cyril M. |title=Illustrated Dictionary of Historic Architecture |publisher=[[Dover Publications]] |location=New York |year=1977 |edition=1983}}</ref> [[Ancient Greek sculpture]] was composed almost entirely of [[marble]] or [[bronze]]; with cast bronze becoming the favoured medium for major works by the early 5th century. Both marble and bronze are easy to form and very durable. [[Chryselephantine]] sculptures, used for temple [[cult image]]s and luxury works, used gold, most often in [[gold leaf|leaf form]] and [[ivory]] for all or parts (faces and hands) of the figure, and probably gems and other materials, but were much less common, and only fragments have survived. By the early 19th century, the systematic excavation of ancient Greek sites had brought forth a plethora of sculptures with traces of notably multicolored surfaces. It was not until published findings by German archaeologist [[Vinzenz Brinkmann]] in the late 20th century, that the painting of ancient Greek sculptures became an established fact.<ref name=Gurewitsch>{{cite journal|last=Gurewitsch |first= Matthew |date=July 2008 |title= True Colors |journal= Smithsonian |pages= 66–71 |url=http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/true-colors.html}}</ref> The art production continued also during the Byzantine era. The most salient feature of this new aesthetic was its "abstract", or anti-naturalistic character. If classical art was marked by the attempt to create representations that mimicked reality as closely as possible, Byzantine art seems to have abandoned this attempt in favour of a more symbolic approach. The Byzantine painting concentrated mainly on [[icon]]s and [[hagiography|hagiographies]]. The [[Macedonian art (Byzantine)]] was the artistic expression of [[Macedonian Renaissance]], a label sometimes used to describe the period of the Macedonian dynasty of the Byzantine Empire (867–1056), especially the 10th century, which some scholars have seen as a time of increased interest in classical scholarship and the assimilation of classical motifs into [[Christian art]]work. Post Byzantine art schools include the [[Cretan School]] and [[Heptanese School (painting)|Heptanese School]]. The first artistic movement in the [[Greek Kingdom]] can be considered the [[Greek academic art of the 19th century]] (''Munich School''). Notable modern Greek painters include [[Nikolaos Gyzis]], [[Georgios Jakobides]], [[Theodoros Vryzakis]], [[Nikiforos Lytras]], [[Konstantinos Volanakis]], [[Nikos Engonopoulos]] and [[Yannis Tsarouchis]], while some notable sculptors are [[Pavlos Prosalentis]], [[Ioannis Kossos]], [[Leonidas Drosis]], [[Georgios Bonanos]] and [[Yannoulis Chalepas]]. === Architecture === {{See also|Ancient Greek architecture|Byzantine architecture|Modern Greek architecture}} [[File:20190509 137 vatheia.jpg|alt=|thumb|Towerhouses of [[Vatheia]] in [[Mani peninsula]]]] The architecture of ancient Greece was produced by the ancient Greeks (''Hellenes''), whose [[Ancient Greece|culture]] flourished on the Greek mainland, the [[Aegean Islands]] and their [[Colonies in antiquity|colonies]], for a period from about 900 BC until the 1st century AD, with the earliest remaining architectural works dating from around 600 BC. The formal vocabulary of ancient Greek architecture, in particular the division of architectural style into three defined orders: the [[Doric Order]], the [[Ionic Order]] and the [[Corinthian Order]], was to have profound effect on [[History of architecture|Western architecture]] of later periods. Byzantine architecture is the architecture promoted by the [[Byzantine Empire]], also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, which dominated Greece and the Greek speaking world during the Middle Ages. The empire endured for more than a [[millennium]], dramatically influencing [[Medieval architecture]] throughout Europe and the Near East, and becoming the primary progenitor of the [[Renaissance architecture|Renaissance]] and [[Ottoman architecture|Ottoman architectural]] traditions that followed its collapse. After the [[Greek War of Independence|Greek Independence]], the modern Greek architects tried to combine traditional Greek and Byzantine elements and motives with the western European movements and styles. [[Patras]] was the first city of the modern Greek state to develop a city plan. In January 1829, [[Stamatis Voulgaris]], a Greek engineer of the French army, presented the plan of the new city to the Governor [[Ioannis Kapodistrias|Kapodistrias]], who approved it. Voulgaris applied the orthogonal rule in the urban complex of Patras.<ref>Παύλος Κυριαζής, «Σταμάτης Βούλγαρης. Ο αγωνιστής, ο πολεοδόμος, ο άνθρωπος», στο: Συλλογικό, Πρώτοι Έλληνες τεχνικοί επιστήμονες περιόδου απελευθέρωσης, εκδ. Τεχνικό Επιμελητήριο Ελλάδος, Αθήνα, 1976, σελ.158</ref> Two special genres can be considered the Cycladic architecture, featuring white-coloured houses, in the [[Cyclades]] and the Epirotic architecture in the region of [[Epirus]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://travelaway.me/cycladic-architecture/|title=23 Best Examples of Cycladic Architecture|date=23 April 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.greeka.com/epirus/architecture/|title=Architecture of Epirus, Greece - Greeka.com|website=Greekacom}}</ref> Important is also the influence of the [[Venetian Gothic architecture|Venetian style]] in the [[Ionian islands]] and the "Mediterranean style" of [[Florestano Di Fausto]] (during the years of the fascist regime) in the [[Dodecanese|Dodecanese islands]].<ref>{{cite journal|last=Anderson|first=Sean|date=2010|title=The Light and the Line: Florestano Di Fausto and the Politics of 'Mediterraneità'|journal=California Italian Studies|doi=10.5070/C311008864|url=https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9hm1p6m5#page-1|doi-access=free}}</ref> After the establishment of the [[Greek Kingdom]], the architecture of Athens and other cities was mostly influenced by the [[Neoclassical architecture]]. For Athens, the first [[King of Greece]], [[Otto of Greece]], commissioned the architects [[Stamatios Kleanthis]] and [[Eduard Schaubert]] to design a modern city plan fit for the capital of a state. As for [[Thessaloniki]], after the [[Great Thessaloniki Fire of 1917|fire of 1917]], the government ordered for a new city plan under the supervision of [[Ernest Hébrard]]. Other modern Greek architects include [[Anastasios Metaxas]], [[Lysandros Kaftanzoglou]], [[Panagis Kalkos]], [[Ernst Ziller]], [[Xenophon Paionidis]], [[Dimitris Pikionis]] and [[Georges Candilis]]. There is an emerging need to secure the long-term preservation of the archaeological sites and monuments of Greece against the growing threats of climate change.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Kountouri| first1 = E. | last2 = Benissi | first2 = C. | last3 = Spyropoulou | first3 = S. | year = 2022 | title = Integrating Climate Change into Protection Policies in Greece | journal = Internet Archaeology | issue = 60 | doi = 10.11141/ia.60.8| doi-access = free }}</ref> === Theatre === {{See also|Theatre of ancient Greece|Modern Greek theatre}} [[File:Corfu Town Hall R01.jpg|thumb|[[Nobile Teatro di San Giacomo di Corfù]], the first theatre and opera house of modern Greece]] Theatre in its western form was born in Greece.<ref>Brockett, Oscar G. (1991) ''History of the Theatre'' (sixth edition). Boston; London: [[Allyn & Bacon]].</ref> The [[Polis|city-state]] of [[Classical Athens]], which became a significant cultural, political, and military power during this period, was its centre, where it was institutionalised as part of a festival called the [[Dionysia]], which honoured the god [[Dionysus]]. [[Greek tragedy|Tragedy]] (late 6th century BC), [[Ancient Greek comedy|comedy]] (486 BC), and the [[satyr play]] were the three dramatic genres to emerge there. During the Byzantine period, theatrical art heavily declined. According to Marios Ploritis, the only form that survived was folk theatre (''Mimos'' and ''Pantomimos''), despite the hostility of the state.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.24grammata.com/?p=32749 |title=Culture e-Magazine – Free eBooks – WebTV " Το Θέατρο στο Βυζάντιο και την Οθωμανική περίοδο |publisher=24grammata.com |date=18 March 2012 |access-date=23 April 2014}}</ref> Later, during the Ottoman period, the main theatrical folk art was the ''[[Karagiozis]]''. The renaissance which led to the modern Greek theatre, took place in the [[Venetian Crete]]. Significal dramatists include [[Vitsentzos Kornaros]] and [[Georgios Chortatzis]]. Modern Greek theatre was born after the [[Greek War of Independence]], in the early 19th century, and initially was influenced by Heptanesean theatre and melodrama, such as the Italian opera. The [[Nobile Teatro di San Giacomo di Corfù]] was the first theatre and opera house of modern Greece and the place where the first Greek opera, [[Spyridon Xyndas]]' ''The Parliamentary Candidate'' (based on an exclusively Greek [[libretto]]) was performed. During the late 19th and early 20th century, the Athenian theatre scene was dominated by [[revues]], [[Musical theatre|musical comedies]], [[operettas]] and [[nocturnes]] and notable playwrights included [[Spyridon Samaras]], [[Dionysios Lavrangas]], [[Theophrastos Sakellaridis]] and others. The [[National Theatre of Greece]] was opened in 1900 as ''Royal Theatre''.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.n-t.gr/el/knowus|title=ΓΝΩΡΙΣΤΕ ΜΑΣ – Εθνικό Θέατρο|website=n-t.gr}}</ref> Notable playwrights of the modern Greek theatre include [[Gregorios Xenopoulos]], [[Nikos Kazantzakis]], [[Pantelis Horn]], [[Alekos Sakellarios]] and [[Iakovos Kambanelis]], while notable actors include [[Cybele Andrianou]], [[Marika Kotopouli]], [[Aimilios Veakis]], [[Orestis Makris]], [[Katina Paxinou]], [[Manos Katrakis]] and [[Dimitris Horn]]. Significant directors include [[Dimitris Rontiris]], [[Alexis Minotis]] and [[Karolos Koun]]. === Literature === {{Main|Greek literature|Byzantine literature|Modern Greek literature}} [[File:Roilos-georgios-poets-parnassos-literary-club.jpg|alt=|thumb|''[[Parnassos Literary Society]]'', painted by [[Georgios Roilos]] ([[Kostis Palamas]] is at the center)]] Greek literature can be divided into three main categories: Ancient, Byzantine and modern Greek literature.<ref name="britannica">Encyclopædia Britannica – "Greek literature: Byzantine literature"</ref> Athens is considered the birthplace of Western literature.<ref name="Strickland2007">{{cite book|author=Carol Strickland|title=The Illustrated Timeline of Western Literature: A Crash Course in Words & Pictures|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Qw_7eINO_NcC&pg=PA2|year=2007|publisher=Sterling Publishing Company, Inc.|isbn=978-1-4027-4860-8|page=2|quote=Although the first writing originates in the cradle of civilization along Middle Eastern rivers – the Tigris, Euphrates, and Nile – the true cradle of Western literature is Athens. As the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley says, "We are all Greeks."}}</ref> At the beginning of Greek literature stand the two monumental works of [[Homer]]: the ''[[Iliad]]'' and the ''[[Odyssey]]''. Though dates of composition vary, these works were fixed around 800 BC or after. In the classical period many of the genres of western literature became more prominent. [[Lyrical poetry]], [[ode]]s, [[pastorals]], [[elegy|elegies]], [[epigrams]]; dramatic presentations of comedy and [[tragedy]]; [[historiography]], [[rhetorical]] treatises, philosophical dialectics, and philosophical treatises all arose in this period. The two major lyrical poets were [[Sappho]] and [[Pindar]]. The Classical era also saw the dawn of drama. Of the hundreds of [[tragedies]] written and performed during the classical age, only a limited number of plays by three authors have survived: those of [[Aeschylus]], [[Sophocles]], and [[Euripides]]. The surviving plays by [[Aristophanes]] are also a treasure trove of comic presentation, while [[Herodotus]] and [[Thucydides]] are two of the most influential historians in this period. The greatest prose achievement of the 4th century was in philosophy with the works of the three great philosophers. [[Byzantine literature]] refers to literature of the Byzantine Empire written in [[Attic Greek|Atticizing]], [[Medieval]] and early [[Modern Greek]], and it is the expression of the intellectual life of the [[Byzantine Greeks]] during the Christian [[Middle Ages]]. Although ''popular'' Byzantine literature and early [[Modern Greek literature]] both began in the 11th century, the two are indistinguishable.<ref>"The Modern Greek language in its relation to Ancient Greek", [[E. M. Geldart]]</ref> {{multiple image | align = right | direction = horizontal | image1 = Konstantinos Kavafis.jpg | width1 = 99 | alt1 = | caption1 = | image2 = Odysseas Elytis 1974.jpg | width2 = 120 | alt2 = | caption2 = | image3 = Giorgos Seferis 1963.jpg | width3 = 100 | alt3 = | caption3 = | footer = [[Constantine P. Cavafy]], whose work was inspired mainly by the [[Hellenistic period|Hellenistic past]], while [[Odysseas Elytis]] (centre) and [[Giorgos Seferis]] (right) were representatives of the Generation of the '30s and [[Nobel Prize in Literature|Nobel laureates in Literature]]. | footer_align = left }} [[Modern Greek literature]] refers to literature written in common Modern Greek, emerging from late Byzantine times in the 11th century. The Cretan Renaissance poem ''[[Erotokritos]]'' is considered the masterpiece of this period of Greek literature. It is a verse [[Romance (heroic literature)|romance]] written around 1600 by [[Vitsentzos Kornaros]] (1553–1613). Later, during the period of Greek enlightenment ([[Diafotismos]]), writers such as [[Adamantios Korais]] and [[Rigas Feraios]] prepared with their works the [[Greek War of Independence|Greek Revolution]] (1821–1830). Leading figures of modern Greek literature include [[Dionysios Solomos]], [[Andreas Kalvos]], [[Angelos Sikelianos]], [[Emmanuel Rhoides]], [[Demetrius Vikelas]], [[Kostis Palamas]], [[Penelope Delta]], [[Yannis Ritsos]], [[Alexandros Papadiamantis]], [[Nikos Kazantzakis]], [[Andreas Embeirikos]], [[Kostas Karyotakis]], [[Gregorios Xenopoulos]], [[Constantine P. Cavafy]], [[Nikos Kavvadias]], [[Kostas Varnalis]] and [[Kiki Dimoula]]. Two Greek authors have been awarded the [[Nobel Prize in Literature]]: [[George Seferis]] in 1963 and [[Odysseas Elytis]] in 1979. === Philosophy === {{Main|Ancient Greek philosophy|Modern Greek Enlightenment}} [[File:Πλάτωνας, Ακαδημία Αθηνών 6619.JPG|thumb|right|upright=.9|A statue of [[Plato]] in Athens]] Most western philosophical traditions began in [[Ancient Greece]] in the 6th century BC. The first philosophers are called "Presocratics", which designates that they came before [[Socrates]], whose contributions mark a turning point in western thought. The Presocratics were from the western or the eastern colonies of Greece and only fragments of their original writings survive, in some cases merely a single sentence. A new period of philosophy started with Socrates. Like the [[Sophists]], he rejected entirely the physical speculations in which his predecessors had indulged, and made the thoughts and opinions of people his starting-point. Aspects of Socrates were first united from [[Plato]], who also combined with them many of the principles established by earlier philosophers, and developed the whole of this material into the unity of a comprehensive system. [[Aristotle]] of [[Stagira (ancient city)|Stagira]], the most important disciple of Plato, shared with his teacher the title of the greatest philosopher of antiquity. But while Plato had sought to elucidate and explain things from the supra-sensual standpoint of the forms, his pupil preferred to start from the facts given to us by experience. Except from these three most significant Greek philosophers other known schools of [[Greek philosophy]] from other founders during ancient times were [[Stoicism]], [[Epicureanism]], [[Skepticism]] and [[Neoplatonism]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.iep.utm.edu/greekphi/|title=Ancient Greek Philosophy |publisher= Internet encyclopedia of philosophy|access-date= 23 March 2016}}</ref> [[Byzantine philosophy]] refers to the distinctive philosophical ideas of the philosophers and scholars of the [[Byzantine Empire]], especially between the 8th and 15th centuries. It was characterised by a Christian world-view, but one which could draw ideas directly from the Greek texts of [[Plato]], [[Aristotle]], and the [[Neoplatonists]]. On the eve of the [[Fall of Constantinople]], [[Gemistus Pletho]] tried to restore the use of the term "Hellene" and advocated the return to the [[Olympian Gods]] of the ancient world. After 1453 a number of [[Greek scholars in the Renaissance|Greek Byzantine scholars]] who fled to western Europe contributed to the [[Renaissance]]. In modern period, [[Modern Greek Enlightenment|Diafotismos]] (Greek: Διαφωτισμός, "enlightenment", "illumination")<ref>Patiniotis M. (2015) "Neo-Hellenic Enlightenment: In Search of a European Identity," in Arabatzis T., Renn J., Simões A. (eds), ''Relocating the History of Science. Boston Studies in the Philosophy and History of Science'', vol 312. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-14553-2_9</ref> was the Greek expression of the [[Age of Enlightenment]] and its philosophical and political ideas. Some notable representatives were [[Adamantios Korais]], [[Rigas Feraios]] and [[Theophilos Kairis]]. Other modern era Greek philosophers or political scientists include [[Cornelius Castoriadis]], [[Nicos Poulantzas]] and [[Christos Yannaras]]. === Music and dances === {{Main|Music of Greece}} {{more citations needed section|date=October 2017}} [[File:Sfakia-dance.jpg|thumb|[[Cretan]] dancers of [[Greek folk music|traditional folk music]]]] [[File:Rembetes Karaiskaki 1933.jpg|thumb|right|[[Rebetiko|Rebetes]] in Karaiskaki, [[Piraeus]] (1933). Left [[Markos Vamvakaris]] with [[bouzouki]].]] Greek vocal music extends far back into ancient times where mixed-gender choruses performed for entertainment, celebration and spiritual reasons. Instruments during that period included the double-reed [[aulos]] and the plucked string instrument, the [[lyre]], especially the special kind called a [[kithara]]. Music played an important role in the education system during ancient times. Boys were taught music from the age of six. Later influences from the [[Roman Empire]], Middle East, and the [[Byzantine Empire]] also had effect on Greek music. While the new technique of polyphony was developing in the West, the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]] resisted any type of change. Therefore, [[Byzantine music]] remained monophonic and without any form of instrumental accompaniment. As a result, and despite certain attempts by certain Greek chanters (such as Manouel Gazis, Ioannis Plousiadinos or the Cypriot Ieronimos o Tragoudistis), Byzantine music was deprived of elements of which in the West encouraged an unimpeded development of art. However, this method which kept music away from polyphony, along with centuries of continuous culture, enabled monophonic music to develop to the greatest heights of perfection. Byzantium presented the monophonic [[Byzantine chant]]; a melodic treasury of inestimable value for its rhythmical variety and expressive power. Along with the Byzantine (Church) chant and music, the Greek people also cultivated the [[Greek folk music|Greek folk song]] (''Demotiko'') which is divided into two cycles, the [[Acritic songs|akritic]] and [[klephtic song|klephtic]]. The akritic was created between the 9th and 10th centuries and expressed the life and struggles of the [[akrites]] (frontier guards) of the Byzantine empire, the most well known being the stories associated with [[Digenis Acritas|Digenes Akritas]]. The klephtic cycle came into being between the late Byzantine period and the start of the [[Greek War of Independence]]. The klephtic cycle, together with historical songs, ''paraloghes'' (narrative song or ballad), love songs, [[mantinada|mantinades]], wedding songs, songs of exile and dirges express the life of the Greeks. There is a unity between the Greek people's struggles for freedom, their joys and sorrow and attitudes towards love and death. [[File:Mikis2004.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.65|[[Mikis Theodorakis]] was one of the most popular and significant Greek composers.]] The [[Heptanese]]an [[Greek folk music#Ionian Islands|kantádhes]] (καντάδες '[[serenade]]s'; sing.: καντάδα) became the forerunners of the Greek modern urban popular song, influencing its development to a considerable degree. For the first part of the next century, several Greek composers continued to borrow elements from the Heptanesean style. The most successful songs during the period 1870–1930 were the so-called Athenian serenades, and the songs performed on stage (επιθεωρησιακά τραγούδια 'theatrical revue songs') in [[revue]]s, [[operetta]]s and [[nocturne]]s that were dominating Athens' theater scene. [[Rebetiko]], initially a music associated with the lower classes, later (and especially after the [[population exchange between Greece and Turkey]]) reached greater general acceptance as the rough edges of its overt subcultural character were softened and polished, sometimes to the point of unrecognizability. It was the base of the later [[laïkó]] (song of the people). The leading performers of the genre include [[Vassilis Tsitsanis]], [[Grigoris Bithikotsis]], [[Stelios Kazantzidis]], [[George Dalaras]], [[Haris Alexiou]] and [[Glykeria]]. Regarding the classical music, it was through the [[Ionian islands]] (which were under western rule and influence) that all the major advances of the western European classical music were introduced to mainland Greeks. The region is notable for the birth of the first school of modern Greek classical music ([[Ionian School (music)|Heptanesean or Ionian School]], Greek: ''Επτανησιακή Σχολή''), established in 1815. Prominent representatives of this genre include [[Nikolaos Mantzaros]], [[Spyridon Xyndas]], [[Spyridon Samaras]] and [[Pavlos Carrer]]. [[Manolis Kalomiris]] is considered the founder of the Greek National School of Music. In the 20th century, Greek composers have had a significant impact on the development of [[avant garde]] and modern classical music, with figures such as [[Iannis Xenakis]], [[Nikos Skalkottas]], and [[Dimitri Mitropoulos]] achieving international prominence. At the same time, composers and musicians such as [[Mikis Theodorakis]], [[Manos Hatzidakis]], [[Eleni Karaindrou]], [[Vangelis]] and [[Demis Roussos]] garnered an international following for their music, which include famous [[film score]]s such as [[Zorba the Greek]], [[Serpico]], [[Never on Sunday]], [[America America]], [[Eternity and a Day]], [[Chariots of Fire]], [[Blade Runner (soundtrack)|Blade Runner]], among others. [[Greek American]] composers known for their film scores include also [[Yanni]] and [[Basil Poledouris]]. Notable Greek opera singers and classical musicians of the 20th and 21st century include [[Maria Callas]], [[Nana Mouskouri]], [[Mario Frangoulis]], [[Leonidas Kavakos]], [[Dimitris Sgouros]] and others. During the [[Greek military junta of 1967–74|dictatorship of the Colonels]], the music of Mikis Theodorakis was banned by the junta and the composer was jailed, internally exiled, and put in a [[concentration camp]],<ref name="Hischak2015">{{cite book|author=Thomas S. Hischak|title=The Encyclopedia of Film Composers|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Xz99CAAAQBAJ&pg=PA664|date=16 April 2015|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers|isbn=978-1-4422-4550-1|page=664}}</ref> before finally being allowed to leave Greece due to international reaction to his detention. Released during the junta years, ''Anthrope Agapa, ti Fotia Stamata'' (Make Love, Stop the Gunfire), by the pop group [[Poll (band)|Poll]] is considered the first anti-war protest song in the history of [[Greek rock]].<ref name=europopmusic.eu>{{cite web|title=Kostas Tournas|url=http://www.europopmusic.eu/Greece_pages/Kostas_Tournas.html#about|publisher=europopmusic.eu|access-date=10 March 2013|archive-date=11 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130311170321/http://www.europopmusic.eu/Greece_pages/Kostas_Tournas.html#about|url-status=dead}}</ref> The song was echoing the hippie slogan "[[make love, not war]]" and was inspired directly by the [[Vietnam War]], becoming a "smash hit" in Greece.<ref name="Kornetis2013">{{cite book|author=Kostis Kornetis|title=Children of the Dictatorship: Student Resistance, Cultural Politics and the 'Long 1960s' in Greece|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g_UcAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA190|date=30 November 2013|publisher=Berghahn Books|isbn=978-1-78238-001-6|page=190}}</ref> Greece participated in the [[Eurovision Song Contest]] 35 times after its debut at the [[Eurovision Song Contest 1974|1974 Contest]]. In [[Eurovision Song Contest 2005|2005]], Greece won with the song "[[My Number One]]", performed by Greek-Swedish singer [[Elena Paparizou]]. The song received 230 points with 10 sets of 12 points from Belgium, Bulgaria, Hungary, the United Kingdom, Turkey, Albania, Cyprus, Serbia & Montenegro, Sweden and Germany and also became a smash hit in different countries and especially in Greece. The [[Eurovision Song Contest 2006|51st Eurovision Song Contest]] was held in [[Athens]] at the [[Olympic Indoor Hall]] of the [[Athens Olympic Sports Complex]] in [[Maroussi]], and hosted by [[Maria Menounos]] and [[Sakis Rouvas]]. === Cuisine === {{Main|Greek cuisine|Greek wine}} [[File:Greek Salad from Thessaloniki.jpg|alt=|thumb|A [[Greek salad]], with [[feta]] and [[olive]]s]] [[Greek cuisine]] is characteristic of the [[Mediterranean diet]], which is epitomised by dishes of [[Cretan diet|Crete]].<ref>{{cite book |first=Sari |last=Edelstein |title=Food, Cuisine, and Cultural Competency for Culinary, Hospitality, and Nutrition Professionals |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=lj0CeaIIETkC&pg=PA147 |access-date=27 December 2011 |date=22 October 2010 |publisher=Jones & Bartlett |isbn= 978-0-7637-5965-0 |pages=147–49}}</ref> Greek cuisine incorporates fresh ingredients into a variety of local dishes such as [[moussaka]], [[pastitsio]], classic [[Greek salad]], [[fasolada]], [[spanakopita]] and [[souvlaki]]. Some dishes can be traced back to ancient Greece like [[skordalia]] (a thick purée of walnuts, almonds, crushed garlic and olive oil), [[lentil]] [[soup]], [[retsina]] (white or rosé wine sealed with pine resin) and [[Sesame seed candy|pasteli]] (candy bar with sesame seeds baked with honey). Throughout Greece people often enjoy eating from small dishes such as [[meze]] with various dips such as [[tzatziki]], grilled octopus and small fish, [[feta cheese]], [[dolmades]] (rice, currants and pine kernels wrapped in vine leaves), various [[Legume|pulses]], [[olive]]s and cheese. [[Olive oil]] is also an incredibly widespread addition.<ref name=":4">{{Cite book |url=https://textbooks.restaurant.org/Textbooks/media/fmrca/FRMCA_GlobalCuisine2_1.pdf |title=Global Cuisine 2: Europe, the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and Asia |publisher=National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation |year=2017 |publication-date=2017 |pages=19 |language=en}}</ref> Some sweet desserts include [[melomakarona]], [[diples]] and [[galaktoboureko]], and drinks such as [[ouzo]], [[metaxa]] and a variety of wines including retsina. Greek cuisine differs widely from different parts of the mainland and from island to island. It uses some flavorings more often than other Mediterranean cuisines: [[oregano]], [[Mentha|mint]], garlic, onion, [[dill]] and [[bay laurel]] leaves. Other common herbs and spices include [[basil]], [[thyme]] and [[fennel]] seed. Many Greek recipes, especially in the northern parts of the country, use "sweet" spices in combination with meat, for example [[cinnamon]] and [[clove]]s in stews.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Greek Food Ingredients |url=https://angelfoods.gr/greek-food/greek-food-ingredients/ |access-date=4 January 2024 |website=Angelfoods |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":4" /> [[Koutoukia]] are an underground restaurant common in Greece.<ref name=":02">{{Cite book|last=Wolfert|first=Paula|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/298538015|title=Mediterranean clay pot cooking : traditional and modern recipes to savor and share|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|year=2009|isbn=978-0-7645-7633-1|location=Hoboken, N.J.|pages=235|oclc=298538015|author-link=Paula Wolfert}}</ref> === Cinema === {{Main|Greek cinema}} Cinema first appeared in Greece in 1896, but the first actual cine-theatre was opened in 1907 in Athens. In 1914, the ''Asty Films Company'' was founded and the production of long films began. ''Golfo'' (Γκόλφω), a well known traditional love story, is considered the first Greek feature film, although there were several minor productions such as newscasts before this. In 1931, [[Orestis Laskos]] directed ''[[Daphnis and Chloe (film)|Daphnis and Chloe]]'' (''Δάφνις και Χλόη''), containing one of the first nude scene in the history of European cinema;<ref>{{cite journal |title=Οι Ιταλοί θαυμάζουν το ''Δάφνις και Χλόη'' |journal=Ελευθεροτυπία |date=3 July 2009 |url=http://www.enet.gr/?i=news.el.article&id=60015 |accessdate=13 May 2022 |language=el}}</ref> it was also the first Greek movie which was played abroad.<ref>{{cite journal |title=''Δάφνις και Χλόη'' στην Μπολόνια |journal=Το Βήμα |date=4 July 2009 |url=http://www.tovima.gr/culture/article/?aid=276816 |accessdate=13 May 2022}}</ref> In 1944, [[Katina Paxinou]] was honoured with the [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress Academy Award]] for ''[[For Whom the Bell Tolls (film)|For Whom the Bell Tolls]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1944 |title=The 16th Academy Awards (1943) Nominees and Winners |access-date=13 May 2022 |work=[[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]]}}</ref> [[File:Theodoros Angelopoulos Athens 26-4-2009-2.jpg|thumb|upright=0.65|[[Theodoros Angelopoulos]], winner of the {{Lang|fr|[[Palme d'Or]]|italic=no}} in [[1998 Cannes Film Festival|1998]], notable director in the history of the [[European cinema]]]] The 1950s and early 1960s are considered by many to be a "golden age" of Greek cinema.<ref>{{cite book |last=Ephraim |first=Katz |section=Greece |title=The Film Encyclopedia |location=New York |publisher=HarperResource |year=2001 |pages=554–555}}</ref> Directors and actors of this era were recognised as important figures in Greece and some gained international acclaim: [[George Tzavellas]], [[Irene Papas]], [[Melina Mercouri]], [[Michael Cacoyannis]], [[Alekos Sakellarios]], [[Nikos Tsiforos]], [[Iakovos Kambanelis]], [[Katina Paxinou]], [[Nikos Koundouros]], [[Ellie Lambeti]] and others. More than sixty films per year were made, with the majority having film noir elements. Some notable films include ''[[The Drunkard (1950 film)|The Drunkard]]'' (1950, directed by [[George Tzavellas]]), ''[[The Counterfeit Coin]]'' (1955, by [[Giorgos Tzavellas]]), ''Πικρό Ψωμί'' (1951, by [[Grigoris Grigoriou]]), ''[[O Drakos]]'' (1956, by [[Nikos Koundouros]]), ''[[Stella (1955 film)|Stella]]'' (1955, directed by Cacoyannis and written by Kampanellis), ''[[Woe to the Young]]'' (1961, by [[Alekos Sakellarios]]), ''[[Glory Sky]]'' (1962, by [[Takis Kanellopoulos]]) and ''[[The Red Lanterns]]'' (1963, by [[Vasilis Georgiadis]]) Cacoyannis also directed ''[[Zorba the Greek (film)|Zorba the Greek]]'' with Anthony Quinn which received Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Film nominations.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/56204/Zorba-the-Greek/awards |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090928030245/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/56204/Zorba-the-Greek/awards |url-status=dead |archive-date=28 September 2009 |department=Movies & TV Dept. |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=2009 |title=NY Times: Zorba the Greek |access-date=13 May 2022}}</ref> [[Finos Film]] also contributed in this period with movies such as ''Λατέρνα, Φτώχεια και Φιλότιμο'', ''[[Madalena (1960 film)|Madalena]]'', ''[[I theia ap' to Chicago]]'', ''Το ξύλο βγήκε από τον Παράδεισο'' and many more. During the 1970s and 1980s, [[Theo Angelopoulos]] directed a series of notable and appreciated movies. His film ''[[Eternity and a Day]]'' won the {{Lang|fr|[[Palme d'Or]]|italic=no}} and the [[Prize of the Ecumenical Jury]] at the [[1998 Cannes Film Festival]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cinema-francais.fr/cannes/cannes_1998.htm |title=51ème Festival International du Film – Cannes |website=Cinema-francais.fr |language=fr |access-date=13 May 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cannes-fest.com/1998/index.html |title=1998 – 51e édition (50th edition) |website=Cannes-fest.com |language=fr |access-date=13 May 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.urbancinefile.com.au/home/view.asp?a=1148&s=Features |title=Cannes 1998: News (2) |website=Urbancinefile.com |access-date=13 May 2022 |archive-date=7 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130907173822/http://urbancinefile.com.au/home/view.asp?a=1148&s=Features |url-status=dead }}</ref> There are also internationally renowned filmmakers in the Greek diaspora, such as the Greek-French [[Costa-Gavras]] and the Greek-Americans [[Elia Kazan]], [[John Cassavetes]] and [[Alexander Payne]]. More recently [[Yorgos Lanthimos]] (film and stage director, producer, and screenwriter) has received four [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] nominations for his work, including [[Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film|Best Foreign Language Film]] for ''[[Dogtooth (film)|Dogtooth]]'' (2009), [[Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay|Best Original Screenplay]] for ''[[The Lobster]]'' (2015), and [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]] and [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]] for ''[[The Favourite]]'' (2018).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2019/film/news/2019-oscars-winners-list-academy-awards-1203145638/|title=Oscar Winners 2019: The Complete List|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=24 February 2019|access-date=13 May 2022|archive-date=15 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115164501/https://variety.com/2019/film/news/2019-oscars-winners-list-academy-awards-1203145638/|url-status=live}}</ref> === Sports === {{Main|Sports in Greece}} [[File:Louis entering Kallimarmaron at the 1896 Athens Olympics.jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|[[Spyridon Louis]] entering the [[Panathenaic Stadium]] at the end of the marathon; [[1896 Summer Olympics]]]] [[File:Charisteas' Siegtreffer im Finale der Euro 2004.jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|[[Angelos Charisteas]] scoring Greece's winning goal in the [[UEFA Euro 2004 Final]]]] Greece is the birthplace of the [[ancient Olympic Games]], first recorded in 776 BC in [[Olympia, Greece|Olympia]], and hosted the modern [[Olympic Games]] twice, the inaugural [[1896 Summer Olympics]] and the [[2004 Summer Olympics]]. During the parade of nations, Greece is always called first, as the founding nation of the ancient precursor of modern Olympics. The nation has competed at every [[Summer Olympic Games]], one of only four countries to have done so. Having won a total of 110 medals (30 gold, 42 silver and 38 bronze), Greece is ranked 32nd by gold medals in the [[All-time Olympic Games medal table|all-time Summer Olympic medal count]]. Their best ever performance was in the 1896 Summer Olympics, when Greece finished second in the [[1896 Summer Olympics medal table|medal table]] with 10 gold medals. The [[Greece national football team]], ranking 12th in the [[FIFA World Rankings|world]] in 2014 (and having reached a high of 8th in the world in 2008 and 2011),<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/ranking/lastranking/gender=m/fullranking.html |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070603154230/http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/ranking/lastranking/gender=m/fullranking.html |url-status= dead |archive-date= 3 June 2007 |title= World Rankings |publisher=[[FIFA]] |access-date=23 July 2009 |date=July 2009}}</ref> were crowned [[UEFA European Championship#Teams reaching the final|European Champions]] in [[UEFA Euro 2004|Euro 2004]] in one of the biggest upsets in the history of the sport.<ref name="Euro2004">{{cite news |last= McNulty |first= Phil |title= Greece Win Euro 2004 | url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/euro_2004/3860105.stm |publisher= BBC | work = News |access-date=7 May 2007 |date= 4 July 2004}}</ref> The [[Superleague Greece|Greek Super League]] is the highest professional football league in the country, comprising fourteen teams. The most successful are [[Olympiacos F.C.|Olympiacos]], [[Panathinaikos F.C.|Panathinaikos]], and [[AEK Athens F.C.|AEK Athens]]. The [[Greece national basketball team|Greek national basketball team]] has a decades-long tradition of excellence in the sport, being considered among the world's top basketball powers. {{As of|2012}}, it ranked 4th in the [[FIBA World Rankings|world]] and 2nd in [[FIBA Europe|Europe]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/even/rank/rankMen.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070607092902/http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/even/rank/rankMen.asp |url-status=dead |archive-date=7 June 2007 | title = Ranking Men after Olympic Games: Tournament Men (2008) |date=August 2008 |access-date=24 August 2008 | publisher= [[International Basketball Federation]]}}</ref> They have won the [[EuroBasket|European Championship]] twice in [[EuroBasket 1987|1987]] and [[EuroBasket 2005|2005]],<ref>{{cite news |last=Wilkinson |first=Simon |url=http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2172612 |title=Greece Tops Germany for Euro Title |access-date=7 May 2007 |date=26 September 2005 |publisher=[[ESPN]]}}</ref> and have reached the final four in two of the last four [[FIBA World Championship]]s, taking the second place in the world in [[2006 FIBA World Championship]], after a 101–95 win against [[United States men's national basketball team|Team US]] in the tournament's semi-final. The domestic top basketball league, [[A1 Ethniki]], is composed of fourteen teams. The most successful Greek teams are [[Panathinaikos BC|Panathinaikos]], [[Olympiacos B.C.|Olympiacos]], [[Aris B.C.|Aris Thessaloniki]], [[AEK Athens B.C.|AEK Athens]] and [[P.A.O.K. B.C.|P.A.O.K]]. Greek basketball teams are the [[Euroleague#Finals|most successful]] in [[Euroleague#Titles|European basketball the last 25 years]], having won 9 [[Euroleague Basketball|Euroleagues]] since the establishment of the modern era [[Euroleague Final Four]] format in 1988, while no other nation has won more than 4 Euroleague championships in this period. Besides the 9 Euroleagues, Greek basketball teams (Panathinaikos, Olympiacos, Aris Thessaloniki, AEK Athens, P.A.O.K, [[Maroussi B.C.|Maroussi]]) have won 3 [[Triple Crown in Basketball|Triple Crowns]], 5 [[FIBA Saporta Cup|Saporta Cups]], 2 [[FIBA Korać Cup|Korać Cups]] and 1 [[FIBA EuroCup Challenge|FIBA Europe Champions Cup]]. After the [[FIBA EuroBasket 2005|2005 European Championship]] triumph of the Greek national basketball team, Greece became the reigning European Champion in both football and basketball. [[File:Griechische Basketballnationalmannschaft juli 08.jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|The [[Greek national basketball team]] in 2008. Twice European champions (1987 and 2005) and second in the world in 2006.]] The [[Greece women's national water polo team]] have emerged as one of the leading powers in the world, becoming [[Water polo at the World Aquatics Championships#Women's tournament|World Champions]] after their gold medal win against the hosts [[China women's national water polo team|China]] at the [[Water polo at the 2011 World Aquatics Championships – Women's tournament|2011 World Championship]]. They also won the silver medal at the [[Water polo at the 2004 Summer Olympics|2004 Summer Olympics]], the gold medal at the [[2005 FINA Women's Water Polo World League|2005 World League]] and the silver medals at the [[2010 Women's European Water Polo Championship|2010]] and [[2012 Women's European Water Polo Championship|2012 European Championships]]. The [[Greece men's national water polo team]] became the third best water polo team in the world in 2005, after their win against [[Croatia men's national water polo team|Croatia]] in the bronze medal game at the [[2005 World Aquatics Championships]] in Canada. The domestic top water polo leagues, [[A1 Ethniki Water Polo|Greek Men's Water Polo League]] and [[A1 Ethniki Women's Water Polo|Greek Women's Water Polo League]] are considered amongst the top national leagues in European water polo, as its clubs have made significant success in European competitions. In men's European competitions, [[Olympiacos Water Polo Club|Olympiacos]] has won the [[LEN Champions League|Champions League]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.onsports.gr/Polo/Afierwmata/item/216317-Otan-i-Eyropi-ypoklithike-ston-Olympiako-%28photos-videos%29|script-title=el:Όταν η Ευρώπη υποκλίθηκε στον Ολυμπιακό|publisher=onsports.gr|language=el|access-date=14 June 2012|title=STORIES – Onsports.gr}}</ref> the European Super Cup and the [[Triple Crown (water polo)|Triple Crown]] in 2002<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.newsnowgr.com/article/105413/san-simerakokkinise-ton-dounavi-protathlitis-evropis-sto-polo-o-thrylos-vinteo.html|script-title=el:Σαν σήμερα κοκκίνησε τον Δούναβη, Πρωταθλητής Ευρώπης στο πόλο ο Θρύλος|publisher=newsnow.gr|language=el|access-date=11 January 2013}}</ref> becoming the first club in water polo history to win every title in which it has competed within a single year ([[A1 Greek water polo|National championship]], [[Greek Water Polo Cup|National cup]], Champions League and European Super Cup),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://archive.sport.gr/news/021229/polo.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131213190337/http://archive.sport.gr/news/021229/polo.asp |archive-date=13 December 2013|script-title=el:Έγραψε ιστορία ο Θρύλος|publisher=sport.gr|language=el|access-date=18 December 2012}}</ref> while [[NC Vouliagmeni]] has won the [[LEN Cup Winners' Cup]] in 1997. In women's European competitions, Greek water polo teams ([[NC Vouliagmeni]], [[ANO Glyfada|Glyfada NSC]], [[Olympiacos Women's Water Polo Team|Olympiacos]], [[Ethnikos Piraeus Water Polo Club|Ethnikos Piraeus]]) are amongst the most successful in European water polο, having won 4 [[LEN Women's Champions' Cup|LEN Champions Cups]], 3 [[Women's LEN Trophy|LEN Trophies]] and 2 European Supercups. The [[Greece men's national volleyball team|Greek men's national volleyball team]] has won two bronze medals, one in the [[Men's European Volleyball Championship|European Volleyball Championship]] and another one in the [[Men's European Volleyball League]], a 5th place in the [[Volleyball at the Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]] and a 6th place in the [[FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship]]. The Greek league, the [[A1 Ethniki Volleyball|A1 Ethniki]], is considered one of the top volleyball leagues in Europe and the Greek clubs have had significant success in European competitions. [[Olympiacos S.C.|Olympiacos]] is the most successful volleyball club in the country having won the most domestic titles and being the only Greek club to have won European titles; they have won two [[CEV Top Teams Cup|CEV Cups]], they have been [[CEV Champions League]] runners-up twice and they have played in 12 Final Fours in the European competitions, making them one of the most traditional volleyball clubs in Europe. [[Iraklis Thessaloniki V.C.|Iraklis]] have also seen significant success in European competitions, having been three times runners-up of the [[CEV Champions League]]. In handball, [[AC Diomidis Argous]] is the only Greek club to have won a [[EHF Challenge Cup|European Cup]]. Apart from these, [[cricket]] is relatively popular in [[Corfu]]. === Mythology === {{Main|Greek mythology}} The numerous gods of the [[ancient Greek religion]] as well as the mythical heroes and events of the ancient Greek [[epic (genre)|epics]] (''[[The Odyssey]]'' and ''[[The Iliad]]'') and other pieces of art and literature from the time make up what is nowadays colloquially referred to as Greek mythology. Apart from serving a religious function, the mythology of the [[ancient Greeks|ancient Greek]] world also served a cosmological role as it was meant to try to explain how the world was formed and operated. The principal gods of the ancient Greek religion were the [[Dodekatheon]], or the ''Twelve Gods'', who lived on the top of Mount Olympus. The most important of all ancient Greek gods was [[Zeus]], the king of the gods, who was married to his sister, [[Hera]]. The other Greek gods that made up the [[Twelve Olympians]] were [[Ares]], [[Poseidon]], [[Athena]], [[Demeter]], [[Dionysus]], [[Apollo]], [[Artemis]], [[Aphrodite]], [[Hephaestus]], and [[Hermes]]. Despite her humble status within the hierarchy of the Olympians, [[Hestia]], the goddess of the hearth and sacred flame, was likely the most prayed to of all gods. It is believed that essentially all home offering ceremonies and most public festival offerings began and ended with an invocation and offering to Hestia. Apart from these 13 gods, the Greek pantheon was filled with dozens of other gods, demigods, and mortal and immortal beings which varied by local and over the evolution of Greek culture. A variety of other mystical beliefs and nature spirits such as [[nymphs]] and other magical creatures were foundational to the ancient Greek understanding of the world around them.{{citation needed|date=November 2022}} === Public holidays and festivals === {{Main|Public holidays in Greece}} [[File:Virgin Mary procession, Chora of Naxos, 118916.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|Procession in honor of the Assumption of [[Mary, mother of Jesus|Virgin Mary]] (15 August)]] According to Greek law, every Sunday of the year is a public holiday. Since the late '70s, Saturday also is a non-school and not working day. In addition, there are four mandatory official public holidays: 25 March (''[[Greek Independence Day]]''), [[Easter Monday]], 15 August (''[[Dormition of the Mother of God|Assumption or Dormition of the Holy Virgin]]''), and 25 December (''Christmas''). 1 May (''Labour Day'') and 28 October (''[[Ohi Day]]'') are regulated by law as being optional but it is customary for employees to be given the day off. There are, however, more public holidays celebrated in Greece than are announced by the Ministry of Labour each year as either obligatory or optional. The list of these non-fixed national holidays rarely changes and has not changed in recent decades, giving a total of eleven national holidays each year. In addition to the national holidays, there are public holidays that are not celebrated nationwide, but only by a specific professional group or a local community. For example, many municipalities have a "Patron Saint" parallel to "[[Name days in Greece|Name Days]]", or a "Liberation Day".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eortologio.gr/index_uk.php |title=Greek Name Days for the Year 2018 |access-date=20 May 2021}}</ref> On such days it is customary for schools to take the day off. Notable festivals, beyond the religious fests, include [[Patras Carnival]], [[Athens Festival]] and various local wine festivals. The city of [[Thessaloniki]] is also home of a number of festivals and events. The [[International Thessaloniki Film Festival|Thessaloniki International Film Festival]] is one of the most important film festivals in Southern Europe.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.filmfestival.gr/default.aspx?lang=el-GR&loc=1&page=586|script-title=el:Διεθνές Φεστιβάλ Κινηματογράφου Θεσσαλονίκης – Προφίλ|trans-title=Thessaloniki International Film Festival – Profile|language=el|access-date=3 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905090357/http://www.filmfestival.gr/default.aspx?lang=el-GR&loc=1&page=586|archive-date=5 September 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> == See also == {{Portal |Greece|Ancient Greece}} * [[Outline of Greece]] ** [[Outline of ancient Greece]] * [[Index of Greece-related articles]]{{Clear}} == Notes == {{reflist|group="lower-alpha"}} == References == === Citations === {{reflist|30em}} === Bibliography === {{Main|Bibliography of Greece}} {{refbegin|30em}} * "Minorities in Greece – Historical Issues and New Perspectives". ''History and Culture of South Eastern Europe''. An Annual Journal. München (Slavica) 2003. *{{cite book | title = The Constitution of Greece | url = http://www.hellenicparliament.gr/UserFiles/f3c70a23-7696-49db-9148-f24dce6a27c8/001-156%20aggliko.pdf |access-date=21 March 2011 |year=2008 | publisher = [[Hellenic Parliament]] |location=Athens|isbn= 978-960-560-073-0| others = Paparrigopoulos, Xenophon; Vassilouni, Stavroula (translators)}} *{{Cite book | last = Clogg | first = Richard | title = A Concise History of Greece | pages = 10–37 | publisher = Cambridge University Press | year = 1992 | edition = 1st | isbn = 978-0-521-37228-2 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=H5pyUIY4THYC&q=richard%20clogg%20greece | access-date = 23 March 2016}}, 257 pp. *{{Cite book | author-link = Richard Clogg| last = Clogg | first = Richard | title= A Concise History of Greece | edition = 2nd |location= Cambridge | publisher= [[Cambridge University Press]]| orig-year = 1992 | year= 2002 | isbn = 978-0-521-00479-4}}. *{{cite book | last =Dagtoglou | first = PD | title = Constitutional Law – Individual Rights | volume = I | year = 1991 |publisher=Ant. N. Sakkoulas |location=Athens-Komotini |language=el |chapter=Protection of Individual Rights}} *{{Cite book | first = John Van Antwerp | last = Fine | title = The Early Medieval Balkans: A Critical Survey from the Sixth to the Late Twelfth Century | publisher = University of Michigan Press | year = 1991 | isbn = 978-0-472-08149-3 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y0NBxG9Id58C | access-date=23 March 2016}}, 376 pp. *{{Cite book | author-link = Hans-Joachim Gehrke |first = Hans-Joachim | last = Gehrke | title = Geschichte des Hellenismus | publisher = Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag | year = 1995 | series = Oldenbourg Grundriss der Geschichte | language =de | location = München}} * {{cite book|last=Hatzopoulos|first=Marios|title=The making of Modern Greece: Nationalism, Romanticism, and the Uses of the Past (1797–1896)|chapter=From resurrection to insurrection: 'sacred' myths, motifs, and symbols in the Greek War of Independence|year=2009|publisher=Ashgate|editor1-first=Roderick|editor1-last=Beaton|editor2-first=David|editor2-last=Ricks|pages=81–93|chapter-url=https://www.academia.edu/985519}} *{{Cite book | last = Kalaitzidis | first = Akis | year = 2010 | title = Europe's Greece: A Giant in the Making | publisher = [[Palgrave Macmillan]]}}, 219 pp. The impact of European Union membership on Greek politics, economics, and society. *{{cite book|last1=Koliopoulos|first1=John S.|last2=Veremis|first2=Thanos M.|title=Greece: The Modern Sequel. From 1831 to the Present|publisher=Hurst & Co.|year=2002|location=London}} *{{cite journal|last=Kostopoulos|first=Tasos|title=La guerre civile macédonienne de 1903–1908 et ses représentations dans l'historiographie nationale grecque|journal=Cahiers Balkaniques|volume=38–39|year=2011|pages=213–226|doi=10.4000/ceb.835|doi-access=free}} *{{cite journal|first=Vassilis|last=Kremmydas |script-title=el:Η οικονομική κρίση στον ελλαδικό χώρο στις αρχές του 19ου αιώνα και οι επιπτώσεις της στην Επανάσταση του 1821|trans-title=The economic crisis in Greek lands in the beginning of 19th century and its effects on the Revolution of 1821|language=el|journal=Μνήμων|volume=6|date=1977|pages=16–33|doi=10.12681/mnimon.171|doi-access=free}} *{{cite journal|first=Vassilis|last=Kremmydas |script-title=el:Προεπαναστατικές πραγματικότητες. Η οικονομική κρίση και η πορεία προς το Εικοσιένα|trans-title=Pre-revolutionary realities. The economic crisis and the course to '21|language=el|journal=Μνήμων|volume=24|date=2002|issue=2 |pages=71–84|doi=10.12681/mnimon.735|doi-access=free}} *{{cite journal|last=Livanios|first=Dimitris|title=Conquering the souls: nationalism and Greek guerrilla warfare in Ottoman Macedonia, 1904-1908|journal=Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies|volume=23|year=1999|pages=195–221|doi=10.1179/byz.1999.23.1.195|s2cid=162410083}} *{{cite book |last= Mavrias | first= Kostas G |title= Constitutional Law |year= 2002| publisher= Ant. N. Sakkoulas | location =Athens |language=el |isbn=978-960-15-0663-0}} *{{cite journal|last=Mazower|first=Mark|year=1992|title=The Messiah and the Bourgeoisie: Venizelos and Politics in Greece, 1909- 1912|journal=The Historical Journal|volume=35|issue=4|pages=885–904|doi=10.1017/S0018246X00026200|s2cid=154495315 }} *{{cite journal | last =Pappas | first = Takis |date=April 2003 | title= The Transformation of the Greek Party System Since 1951 |journal=[[West European Politics (WEP)|West European Politics]]| volume= 26 | issue = 2 | pages = 90–114| doi = 10.1080/01402380512331341121| s2cid = 153514846 }} *{{Cite news | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/14/business/global/14debt.html | title = Wall St. Helped to Mask Debt Fueling Europe's Crisis | newspaper= The New York Times | first1 = Louise | last1 = Story | first2=Landon Jr |last2=Thomas |first3=Nelson D |last3=Schwartz |date= 14 February 2010 |access-date=26 March 2013}}. *{{Cite book | last = Trudgill | first = P | contribution = Greece and European Turkey: From Religious to Linguistic Identity | editor1-first = S | editor1-last = Barbour | editor2-first = C | editor2-last = Carmichael | year = 2000 | title = Language and Nationalism in Europe | place = [[Oxford]] | publisher = [[Oxford University Press]]}}. *{{cite book | author-link = Evangelos Venizelos| last = Venizelos | first = Evangelos | title = The "Acquis" of the Constitutional Revision | year= 2002 | publisher= Ant. N. Sakkoulas |location= Athens | language =el | isbn = 978-960-15-0617-3 |chapter=The Contribution of the Revision of 2001}} *{{cite book | author-link = F. W. Walbank | last = Walbank| first = F. W. | title = The Hellenistic World | year= 1993 | publisher= Harvard University Press |location= Cambridge, Massachusetts | edition= Revised}} *{{Citation |script-title=el:Ἑλλάς - Ἑλληνισμὸς |url=http://anemi.lib.uoc.gr/php/pdf_pager.php?filename=%2Fvar%2Fwww%2Fanemi-portal%2Fmetadata%2Fa%2Ff%2Fb%2Fattached-metadata-01-0002588%2F279838_10.pdf&rec=%2Fmetadata%2Fa%2Ff%2Fb%2Fmetadata-01-0002588.tkl&do=279838_10.pdf&width=662&height=963&pagestart=1&maxpage=1104&lang=en&pageno=1&pagenotop=1&pagenobottom=262 |work=Μεγάλη Ἐλληνικὴ Ἐγκυκλοπαιδεῖα |volume=10 |location=Athens |publisher=Pyrsos Co. Ltd. |date=1934 |trans-title=Greece – Hellenism |language=el |ref = {{harvid|Great Greek Encyclopedia}}|title = PDF pager}} {{refend}} == External links == {{Sister project links|Greece|voy =Greece}} *{{curlie|Regional/Europe/Greece}} *{{Wikiatlas |Greece}} *{{osmrelation-inline |192307}} {{Greece topics}} {{Navboxes |list= {{Countries of Europe}} {{Council of Europe members}} {{Member states of the European Union}} {{Countries and territories bordering the Mediterranean Sea}} {{European Economic Area (EEA)}} {{Founding member states of the United Nations}} }} {{Authority control}} {{coord |39|N|22|E|type:country_region:GR|display =title}} [[Category:Greece| ]] [[Category:1821 establishments in Europe]] [[Category:Balkan countries]] [[Category:Countries in Europe]] [[Category:Member states of NATO]] [[Category:Member states of the European Union]] [[Category:Member states of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie]] [[Category:Member states of the Union for the Mediterranean]] [[Category:Member states of the United Nations]] [[Category:New Testament places]] [[Category:Republics]] [[Category:Countries and territories where Greek is an official language]] [[Category:States and territories established in 1821]] [[Category:Christian states]] [[Category:OECD members]] Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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