Greece’s historic and cultural legacy continues to resonate within the trendy Western world – in its literature, artwork, philosophy and politics.
Greece lies within the far south of the Balkan Peninsula and combines the excessive mountains of the mainland with over 1,400 islands, the biggest of which is Crete.
After World Conflict II, Greece skilled fast financial and social change, with tourism and delivery turning into vital financial elements.
The worldwide monetary disaster of the late 2000s had a devastating affect on Greece, as the results of excessive authorities spending and widespread tax evasion, mixed with the credit score crunch and ensuing recession, left the nation with a crippling debt burden.
GREECE REPUBLIC: FACTS
- Capital metropolis: Athens
- Space: 131,957 km²
- Inhabitants: 10.46 million
- Language: Greek
- Life expectancy: 78 years (males) 83 years (girls)
LEADER
President: Katerina Sakellaropoulou
Katerina Sakellaropoulou was elected president by parliament in January 2020 and took workplace in March, turning into Greece’s first feminine head of state.
Earlier than her election, she served as president of the Council of State, the nation’s highest administrative courtroom.
The presidency is essentially a ceremonial workplace, as govt energy rests with the prime minister.
Prime Minister: Kyriakos Mitsotakis
In June 2023, conservative chief Kyriakos Mitsotakis beat his center-left rival in Greece’s second election in a month. He stated the election end result gave him a “robust mandate” to maneuver sooner on the trail to alter.
His New Democracy (ND) get together gained 40.5% of the nationwide vote, virtually 23 factors forward of Alexis Tsipras’ Syriza get together, which bought just below 18%. He defeated Syriza in Might 2023 however known as new elections to achieve a majority.
Mr. Mitsotakis is credited with efficiently returning the Greek financial system to stability and progress after a extreme debt disaster and three worldwide bailouts.
Though many Greeks are battling the price of residing disaster, voters selected to comply with the get together, which guarantees decrease taxes and improved public well being.
Mr Mitsotakis stated he couldn’t promise miracles however that New Democracy had “lofty goals” to rework Greece by way of higher public well being and schooling.
One of many huge tales of the election was the success of a newly shaped far-right Spartans get together, which gained virtually four.7% of the vote, surpassing the three% threshold for entry into parliament.
The Spartans solely emerged as a political drive in June 2023, when the Supreme Courtroom banned one other far-right get together, the Greeks, and its imprisoned founder, Ilias Kasidiaris, threw his full weight behind the Spartans.
Kasidiaris was spokesman for the neo-Nazi Golden Daybreak get together, which was banned as a legal group and whose leaders had been sentenced to lengthy jail phrases.
Along with the nationalist Greek Answer and the ultra-conservative Niki (Victory), the three far-right events gained virtually 13% of the vote and 34 seats.
Tv is Greece’s hottest medium. Established personal broadcasters work alongside the general public broadcaster ERT.
The federal government has tried to control the tv sector and 5 nationwide channels had been licensed in 2018.
In response to media rights group Reporters With out Borders, press freedom in Greece suffered severe setbacks in 2021 and 2022 as journalists had been routinely prevented from reporting on points starting from migration to Covid-19.
TIMELINE
Some key dates in trendy Greek historical past:
1821-1829 – Greek Conflict of Independence from the Ottoman Empire.
1832 – Prince Otto of Bavaria is elected the primary king of impartial Greece.
1913 – Greece wins Epirus, Macedonia, Crete and the North Aegean Islands from the Ottomans within the First Balkan Conflict and Western Thrace from Bulgaria within the Second Balkan Conflict.
1919-22 – Greco-Turkish Conflict – The Greek invasion of Asia Minor, sparked by the collapse of the Ottoman Empire after World Conflict I, is defeated by Turkish forces.
1936 – Common Ioannis Metaxas is appointed Prime Minister and establishes a right-wing dictatorship.
1940 – Italian dictator Benito Mussolini’s troops assault Greece from Italian-occupied Albania, however are repelled.
1941 -Metaxas dies. Greece falls into the arms of German forces. Greater than 100,000 folks die from famine.
1942-1944 – Fierce resistance from each communist and royalist factions towards the occupation.
1944 – British and Greek forces be a part of forces to drive Nazi retreat.
1946-1949 – Royalist events win elections. The following civil conflict ends with the defeat of the communist forces.
1952 – New structure declares Greece a kingdom ruled by a parliamentary democracy. Greece joins NATO.
1967 – A gaggle of military officers seizes energy by way of a army coup. The elections are postponed indefinitely and Colonel George Papadopoulos takes over as Prime Minister.
1973 – Greece declares a republic, the monarchy is abolished and Papadopoulos assumes the presidency.
1974 – A Greek-backed coup towards Cypriot President Makarios is adopted by a Turkish invasion and occupation of the north of the island.
1975 – New structure declares Greece a parliamentary republic with some govt powers delegated to a president.
1991 – The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia declares its independence. Greece objects to the title and flag of the Republic of Macedonia on the grounds that they indicate territorial claims to the Greek province of Macedonia.
1996 – Tensions are rising between Greece and Turkey over the disputed Aegean island.
1999 – Earthquake shakes Athens – dozens useless, hundreds left homeless.
2000 – Senior British diplomat Brigadier Common Stephen Saunders was shot useless by a left-wing guerrilla group in Athens on November 17th.
2002 – Euro replaces drachma. Greek and Turkish governments conform to construct a gasoline pipeline by way of which Turkey will provide gasoline to Greece.
2002-2003 – Suspected chief and members of November 17 terrorist group arrested. Group chief and important killer sentenced to life imprisonment.
2004 – Athens hosts the Olympic Video games.
2007 – Wildfires sweep by way of tinder-dry forests on the mainland and islands, killing dozens of individuals.
2009 – About 10,000 individuals are being evacuated from their houses as wildfires sweep throughout the nation.
2008 – The worldwide credit score crunch is plunging Greece right into a extreme sovereign debt disaster, resulting in strict austerity measures and a dramatic decline in residing requirements.
2010 – Fears over a potential Greek default are prompting euro zone international locations to approve a 110 billion euro rescue package deal.
2011-2012 – Debt disaster worsens. EU leaders agree on a significant rescue package deal for Greece, adopted by 50% debt reduction in return for additional austerity measures. Amid violent protests on the streets of Athens, Parliament approves a brand new package deal of powerful austerity measures as the worth of a €130 billion rescue package deal.
2015 – Greece and its collectors agree on a 3rd bailout value 86 billion euros that features additional spending cuts to keep away from chapter and an exit from the euro zone.
2018 – Macedonia and Greece signal a historic settlement to resolve the 27-year dispute over the official title of the previous Yugoslav Republic, which modified to the Republic of North Macedonia in 2019.