Greece By Ellie Persellin

Here's Greece.

Landforms in Greece.... Overall mountainous landscape  Mt. Parnassus (Pindus Mountains)  Mt. Olympus (Kamvounia Mountains)   Narrow peninsulas Peloponnese Peninsula   

Landforms (cont.) Gulf of Corinth Islands Crete Corfu Ionian islands   

Greece's Climate is.... Continental in the north; hot summers (100°F) & mild winters (40°-60°F) Mediterranean in the south; hot & dry summers, mild & rainy winters Ionian coast & islands receive the most rain (52 inches); the rest of Greece receives less than 20 inches   

Natural Resources of Greece....     Bauxite (used to make aluminum) is the most valuable mineral in Greece.     Magnesite, nickel, perlite, gypsum, anhydrite, gold, lead, silver, zinc, and lignite (brown coal) can also be found there.

Greece's Environment.... Today, Greece's main environmental issues are air & water pollution. Why? Many industries still operate on outdated technology, so much pollution is emitted into the environment. Many vehicles operate without proper pollution control measures.

Environment (cont.) Human waste from rural areas ends up in the sea untreated Tourists strain the fragile ecosystem of beaches & islands Greece fights global      warming with the Kyoto Protocol and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.     

Greece's History....    Before the arrival of the Greeks, the Minoans and  Myceneans inhabited the region. Greek-speaking Ionians and  Dorians arrived around 1000 BC. They established city-states.

History (cont.)     A (failed) attempt to conquer Greece by the Persian Empire during the Persian Wars led to the "Golden Age". There was huge expansion of Attica (Athens), great cultural growth, and development of an early democracy.  

History (cont.) 338 BC- Macedon (Macedonia) gained control of Greece The Roman Empire conquered most of Greece in the middle of the second century BC  The Ottoman Empire ruled Greece until the third decade of the 19th century 1829- Greece became independent

History (cont.)     In the latter 19th century, Greece attempted to regain Greek lands controlled by Turkey. Although an 1897 war was unsuccessful, Greece regained most of its territory after the 1912-1913 Balkan Wars. 

History (cont.) 1914- Nazi Germany controlled the nation 1975- The Greek Constitution was adopted 1981- Panhellenic Socialist Movement (Pasok) took over; Andreas Papandreou became the nation's first socialist premier  1983- Papandreou signed an economic cooperation agreement with the Soviet Union 1996- Papandreou was replaced with Costas Simitis  

History (cont.) June 2000- Simitis signed a treaty with the European Economic and Monetary Union, allowing Greece to use the euro as currency 2004- Athens hosted the Summer Olympic Games   

Greece's Contemporary Issues.... The paying out of pensions Privately funded institutions are marginalized & can confer no acceptable Greek degrees  Students at private colleges in Greece cannot work in the legal, medical, financial, or engineering job fields Police are only allowed to be involved in serious campus crimes, so low-profile criminal activity is common at universities

Contemporary Issues (cont.) Greece has a very high public debt (Over 100% of its GDP) Loans from foreign investment banks made the debt even worse It has been difficult for Greece to fight corruption, since there's a "fine line" between cordial assistance and outright corruption There is a parallel economy where goods are bought & sold illegally Greek rule over Cyprus has caused tension between the nation & its neighbor, Turkey

People in Greece.... Greece is an "ethnically homogeneous" country. For example, over 95% of the nation's population would call themselves ethnic Greeks, & Greek is spoken by almost all of the people who live there. Three much smaller ethnic groups are the Vlachs, Arvanites, & the Slavophones. Some Turkish-speaking Muslims also populate Greece. However, the majority of Greeks are Christian.   

 Greek Food & Holidays.... Food Combines abundant vegetables of the Mediterranean with seafood, lamb, & chicken Seasoned with olive, grape, lemon, oregano, mint & dill Avgolemono- a golden lemon sauce Tzatziki- yogurt sauce Moussaka- eggplant, meat sauce, & a custard topping Fruits like figs, oranges, apples, or melons top off the evening meal Holidays Independence Day- March 25 Apokrias- a traditional period of penance for Christians before Easter Gynaikokratia- January 8; "Rule of Women Festival" Miracles of Tinos- January 30; celebrates the 19th-century discovery of an icon of the Virgin Mary     Other holidays include Anastenaria, Hippokrateia, & Ochi Day.  

Art in Greece....     Grecian art has been very influential in Western civilization and more. Also, Medieval Byzantine art has been influential on modern Greek artistic customs. A medieval artistic tradition that has been preserved is the iconography of the Greek Orthodox Church.     Contemporary Grecian music is centered around three key traditions: the "liturgical and secular" music of Byzantium, the demotiki folk music of the Greek countryside, and the rembetika of the "urban underground".     

Greek Landmarks.... Parthenon on the Athenian Acropolis The Palace of Knossos Olympia Temple of Apollo The Acropolis towers Temple to Athena Delphi Thessalonika The Basilica of Aghios Demetrios   

Grecian Government.... Greece became independent from the Ottoman Empire in 1829. The republic now has a parliamentary system with a primarily ceremonial president, who appoints a prime minister and a cabinet to advise the prime minister. The current president is Karolos Papoulias and George Papandreou is the prime minister. Presidential powers were greatly reduced by 1986 amendments to the 1975 Greek Constitution. This 1975 Constitution states that Parliament contain a minimum of 200 and a maximum 300 members. The independent judiciary is led by a Supreme Court and is divided into civil, administrative, and penal courts.

Greek Traditions & Etiquette.... Arranged marriages are no longer common The marital "dowry" was banned by law in 1983   Bride's often keep their patronymic surname once married Most celebrations are loud, large gatherings of family members from many generations "Name days" continue to be very important celebrations Civility is not a high priority in modern Greek society Greeks are known to pride themselves on being generous hosts   

Costis Stephanopoulos Constantine Stephanopoulos was born in Patras on August 15, 1926. In March of 1995, Costis Stephanopoulos became the president of Greece after narrowly being elected by the Greek Parliament. After winning reelection in 2000 by a landslide, Costis served his second presidential term. Stephanopoulos was also the former founder and leader of the no-disbanded Democratic Renewal. In addition to this, he failed in two efforts to become leader of the New Democracy Party in the 1990s, before becoming Greece's president.   

Facts & Figures of Greece.... Internet Users: 4, 253, 000 people Total Active Armed Forces: 156, 600 people Currency: Euro Population: 10, 749, 943 people Total Government Expenditures: $159, 800, 000, 000  Exported Goods: Food and live animals, clothing and accessories, fruit and vegetables, textiles, petroleum products, tobacco, beverages.  Paved Roads: 67, 043 Crude Oil Consumption: 158, 410, 000 Land Borders: 752 miles

Works Cited Ios Harbor. Image. Corel. (2011). In World Geography: Understanding a Changing World. Retrieved February 1, 2011, from                http://worldgeography.abc-clio.com/ Greece: Landforms & Climate. (2011). In World Geography: Understanding a Changing World. Retrieved February 1, 2011, from                http://worldgeography.abc-clio.com/ Political Map. Map. (2011). In World Geography: Understanding a Changing World. Retrieved February 1, 2011, from                http://worldgeography.abc-clio.com/ Delos. Image. David Pedros. (2011). In World Geography: Understanding a Changing World. Retrieved February 2, 2011, from                http://worldgeography.abc-clio.com/ Church in Santorini. Image. Corel. (2011). In World Geography: Understanding a Changing World. Retrieved February 2, 2011, from                http://worldgeography.abc-clio.com/ Greece: Natural Resources & Agriculture. (2011). In World Geography: Understanding a Changing World. Retrieved February 2, 2011, from               http://worldgeography.abc-clio.com/                                                                                                    

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Grammenos, Dennis. (2011). Greece: People. In World Geography: Understanding a Changing World. Retrieved February 3, 2011, from              http://worldgeography.abc-clio.com/ Street in Crete. Image. Corel. (2011). In World Geography: Understanding a Changing World. Retrieved February 3, 2011, from               http://worldgeography.abc-clio.com/ Greece: Food and Holidays. (2011). In World Geography: Understanding a Changing World. Retrieved February 3, 2011, from               http://worldgeography.abc-clio.com/ Parthenon. Image. Corel. (2011). In World Geography: Understanding a Changing World. Retrieved February 6, 2011, from               http://worldgeography.abc-clio.com/ Grammenos, Dennis. (2011). Greece: Arts and Landmarks. In World Geography: Understanding a Changing World. Retrieved February 6, 2011, from                                                                                        http://worldgeography.abc-clio.com/ http://karenswhimsy.com/public-domain-images/ancient-greek-art/images/ancient-greek-art-3.jpg Greece: Government. (2011). In World Geography: Understanding a Changing World. Retrieved February 6, 2011, from               http://worldgeography.abc-clio.com/

Grammenos, Dennis. (2011). Greece: Traditions & Etiquette. In World Geography: Understanding a Changing World. Retrieved February 6, 2011, from                                                             http://worldgeography.abc-clio.com/ Guard outside Greece's Parliament. Image. Corel. (2011). In World Geography: Understanding a Changing World. Retrieved February 6, 2011, from                       http://worldgeography.abc-clio.com/ Costis Stephanopoulos. Image. Embassy of Greece. (2011). In World Geography: Understanding a Changing World. Retrieved February 6, 2011, from                   http://worldgeography.abc-clio.com/ Costis Stephanopoulos. (2011). In World Geography: Understanding a Changing World. Retrieved February 6, 2011, from               http://worldgeography.abc-clio.com/