GreeceWendy DerbortGeography 120

Location• Greece is located in Southern Europe, bordering the Aegean Sea,

Ionian Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea. Part of the Balkan Peninsula, its geographic coordinates are 39.00 N, 22.00 E. Greece’s terrain is mostly of mountain ranges that extend into the sea.

• There are 6,000 islands that are part of Greece, of those only 227 are inhabited.

• The temperatures are of a Mediterranean climate so the summers are hot and dry, and winters are mild and wet.

• Annual rainfall is about 14.6 inches.

A Brief History of Greece• In 1830 Greece won its independence from the Ottoman Empire.

Greece started to claim more territory as the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries came around.

• During WWII Greece was first invaded by the Italians and then occupied by the Germans, and Greece joined NATO in 1952.

• In 1967 a military dictatorship was established by a group of officers which was overthrown and created the parliamentary republic.

• Greece joined the EU in 1981. In 2010 Greece was on the road to defaulting on its loan and is currently fighting to stay in the EU and release the money that was set aside for them.

Greek Food• Greek food mostly uses fresh meats (fish, poultry and rabbit), fresh

vegetables, yogurts, wine, bread, cheese, olive oil, and grains.

• Lemons, thyme, basil, garlic, oregano and olives are common in most dishes.

The People of Greece• The estimated population of Greece in July of 2014 was 10,775,557.

98% of those people in Greece are Greek citizens, the 2% are classified as other.

• The major religion is Greek Orthodox with 98% of the population, Muslim is 1% and other religion is the other 1%.

Government of Greece• Greece is a parliamentary republic, their legal system is a civil legal

system based on Roman law.

• On January 26, 2015 Alexis Tsipras was sworn in as the Prime Minster of Greece. And on February 18 2015, Prokopiοs Pavlopoulos was elected President of Greece.

• The Greek Government is a Parliamentary Government. The President is the Head of State and is elected every five years by Parliament, as is the Prime Minster who is the Head of Government.

Economy of Greece• Greece has a capitalist economy, during the recession that hit the

world in 2007 Greece has not recovered from losses that they sustained.

• Greece has received numerous bailouts over the last eight years, but are still not able to pay back their creditors or pay their people.

• They are not able to produce as much as before and negotiates with the EU are not going as planned.

• Prime Minster is currently trying to unlock the 7.2 billion Euros that are currently in lockdown from one of their bailouts.

What make Greece special• The history of Greece makes it special to me.

• So many famous philosophers, scientist, and mathematicians came from Greece.

• The very first Olympics were held in Athens. Every year that the Olympics are held the journey of the flame being lit begins in Greece.

• So much history in one place.

Famous Places in Greece

Why I choose Greece• The pictures I have seen are so beautiful, and I love Greek food.

• The history of Greece is interesting to me as well as the culture.

• I hope that one day I will be able to go there and see it for myself.

Sources• “Country Review: Greece.” CountryWatch.com, 2015. Web. 09 Mar. 2015.

• "Culture." Greek Customs. Hellenic Republic, 2015. Web. 09 Mar. 2015.

• "Europe: Greece." The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency, 22 June 2014. Web. 9 Mar. 2015.

• “Food and Cooking.” greekcare. Federal Government's Department of Health and Ageing, n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2015.

• “General Info.” visitgreece. Greek National Tourism Organization, 2014.Web. 09 Mar. 2015.

• “Geography.” visitgreece. Greek National Tourism Organization, 2014.Web. 09 Mar. 2015

• “Government and Politics.” Government and Politics. Hellenic Republic, 2015. Web. 25 Mar. 2015.

• “Greek Islands.” visitgreece. Greek National Tourism Organization, 2014.Web. 25 Mar. 2015.