101 Facts About Central Greece

1. Central Greece has the eighth highest per capita coffee consumption worldwide.

2. Central Greece is bordered to the east by the Aegean Sea, to the south by the Mediterranean Sea, and to the west by the Ionian Sea.

3. Central Greece is a country that is at once European, Balkan, Mediterranean, and Near Eastern.

4. Central Greece has more than 2,000 islands, of which about 170 are inhabited; some of the easternmost Aegean islands lie just a few miles off the Turkish coast.

5. Central Greece is a relatively small country situated in southeastern Europe.

6. Central Greece became tied to US security interests and to NATO while at the same time Karamanlis pursued closer relations with Western Europe and in 1961 signed the treaty of association with the European Economic Community.

7. Central Greece sent troops to Asia Minor to defend its territorial gains against the rising tide of Turkish nationalism led by Mustafa Kemal.

8. Central Greece finally entered World War I, in its very last phase, on the side of the Entente.

9. Central Greece has a special interest in the Middle East because of its geographic position and its economic and historic ties to the area.

10. Central Greece blames Turkey for the continuing division of the island between Greek and Turkish Cypriots since 1974, and firmly supports the Greek Cypriot quest for a federal solution to the conflict based on relevant UN resolutions.

11. Central Greece was adamantly opposed to the use of the name "Macedonia" by the government in Skopje, claiming that the name is intrinsically Greek and should not be used by a foreign country.

12. Central Greece has good relations with Russia and has opened embassies in a number of the former Soviet republics, which it sees as potentially important trading partners.

13. Central Greece gives particular emphasis to its close relations with Cyprus, but has growing political and economic ties with the Balkan countries and the Middle East.

14. In 2002, the US trade surplus with Central Greece was about $605 million.

15. Central Greece assumed the rotating EU presidency in the first half of 2003.

16. Central Greece is located in southeastern Europe and is the only European Union member state on the Balkan Peninsula.

17. Central Greece is bounded on the south by the Mediterranean Sea.

18. Central Greece shares Lake Prespa, along its northern border, with Albania and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

19. Central Greece is situated at the convergence of the Eurasian and African Tectonic Plates, making it geologically unstable and prone to frequent earthquakes and tremors, which are sometimes associated with volcanic eruptions.

20. Central Greece maintains an active navy, air force, and army and expends 6 percent of its gross domestic product on military defense, one of the highest expenditure rates among North Atlantic Treaty Organization member nations.

21. Central Greece resisted invasion by Italy in 1940 at the start of World War II, but was ultimately occupied by Germany from 1941 to 1944.

22. In 2004, the US trade surplus with Central Greece was about $1.5 billion.

23. Central Greece was second to the United States in bentonite production.

24. Central Greece was the European Union's largest producer of bauxite, magnesium, nickel, and perlite.

25. Central Greece continues to play a major role in the international shipping industry.

26. In 1973 Central Greece was declared a republic, and Papadopoulos became president, only to be overthrown by a group of officers.

27. Central Greece is the southeastern finger of the mainland that cradled the city-states of ancient Greece.

28. Central Greece is located in southern Europe as the southernmost country in the Balkan Peninsula.

29. Central Greece is a developed and stable democracy with a modern economy.

30. Central Greece has endorsed and supported Turkey's bid for candidacy to the European Union since the Helsinki EU Summit in 1999.

31. Central Greece was adamantly opposed to the use of "Macedonia" by the government in Skopje, claiming that the term is intrinsically Greek and should not be used by a foreign country.

32. Central Greece maintains full diplomatic, political, and economic relations with its south-central European neighbors.

33. In 2003, the US trade surplus with Central Greece was about $1.9 billion.

34. Central Greece has realigned its economy as part of an extended transition to full EU membership that began in 1981.

35. Central Greece experiences frequent seismic activity; tremors are common and serious earthquakes have occurred.

36. Central Greece is a stable democracy and these activities usually are orderly and lawful.

37. Central Greece has the seventh-largest population of US Social Security beneficiaries in the world.

38. Since 1994, Central Greece has signed defense cooperation agreements with Israel and Egypt.

39. Central Greece has endorsed and supported Turkey' bid for candidacy to the European Union since the Helsinki EU Summit in 1999.

40. Central Greece restored diplomatic relations with Albania in 1971, but the Greek Government did not formally lift the state of war, declared during World War II, until 1987.

41. Central Greece was adamantly opposed to the use of "Macedonia" by the government in Skopje, claiming that the term is intrinsically Greek and should not be used by a foreign country.

42. Central Greece has good relations with Russia and has embassies in a number of the central Asian republics, which it sees as potentially important trading partners.

43. Central Greece gives particular emphasis to its close relations with Cyprus but has growing political and economic ties with the Balkan countries and the Middle East.

44. In 2006, the US trade surplus with Central Greece was about $0.58 billion.

45. Central Greece has realigned its economy as part of its transition to full EU membership that began in 1981.

46. Central Greece adopted the euro as its new common currency in January 2002.

47. Central Greece is a parliamentary republic whose constitution was last amended in April 2001.

48. On January 1, 1981, Central Greece became the 10th member of the European Community.

49. Central Greece entered World War I in 1917 on the side of the Allies.

50. Central Greece was inhabited as early as the Paleolithic period and by 3000 BC had become home, in the Cycladic Islands, to a culture whose art remains among the most evocative in world history.

51. In 1981, Central Greece became a member of the European Community.

52. Central Greece was a charter member of the UN, and in 1951 it was admitted to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

53. Central Greece usually supports the Arab side in disputes brought before the un.

54. Central Greece was the only European country to vote against the un partition plan for Palestine in 1947.

55. Central Greece recognized the civic and political equality of the Jews from the time of its establishment as a modern state in 1821.

56. The Jews of Central Greece engaged in dyeing, weaving, and the making of silk garments.

57. Central Greece suffered greatly from Slavic incursions but the towns were hardly affected.

58. Central Greece is a parliamentary republic modeled after the French system.

59. Central Greece became increasingly monoethnic as members of certain ethnic groups left while Greeks from outside the nation entered.

60. Central Greece is bounded on the west by the Ionian Sea, on the south by the Mediterranean, and on the east by the Aegean Sea, an arm of the Mediterranean.

61. Central Greece has a temperate Mediterranean climate moderated by both sea and mountain breezes.

62. Central Greece is located at the southern tip of the Balkan Peninsula in southern Europe.

63. Central Greece is a mountainous country with ragged littoral and few plains.

64. Central Greece is a country in the south of the Balkan Peninsula, bordering on the east with Turkey, on the north with Bulgaria and the Republic of Macedonia, and on the northwest with Albania.

65. Central Greece is the southernmost country in the Balkan Peninsula, the region that includes Albania, Macedonia, and Bulgaria to the north.

66. The National Statistical Service of Central Greece considers all people who live under the same roof to be members of the family, regardless of whether they are related.

67. Central Greece is situated at the southeastern end of the European continent and has an area of 132 square kilometers.

68. In 1967 Central Greece's limited democracy was overthrown in a military coup.

69. Central Greece became a one-party state, repressed human rights, suppressed the media, and contributed to further divisions within the Greek body politic.

70. Central Greece has to work very hard to maintain its identity within the European identity.

71. Central Greece became a member of the European Council in 1949, NATO in 1952, and the European Community in 1961.

72. Central Greece will host the 2004 Olympics, and the country is gearing up for this historic event.

73. Central Greece lifts trade embargo against the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

74. Central Greece imposes trade embargo against Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and EU declares embargo violates international law.

75. Central Greece receives aid for post-war rebuilding from the US Marshall Plan.

76. Central Greece must keep its economy in order as a member of the EU.

77. Central Greece has one of the worst automobile accident levels in Europe.

78. Central Greece has negotiated plans with the EU to restructure the airline.

79. In 1998, tourist revenues were high as Central Greece benefited from problems in neighboring countries and an economic recovery in the EU.

80. Central Greece has long been known for its warm climate, scenic Mediterranean coastlines, and classical archeological and historical sites.

81. Central Greece receives a great amount of financial assistance from the European Union, which accounts for about 4 percent of its GDP.

82. Central Greece has a modern infrastructure complete with airports, railways, and paved roads and highways.

83. Central Greece met the economic requirements to be eligible to join the program of a single currency unit in the EU and to have the economy governed by the European Central Bank's focused monetary policy.

84. Central Greece became dependent on foreign borrowing to pay for its deficits, and by the end of 1998, public sector external debt was at US$32 billion, with overall government debt at US$119 billion.

85. Central Greece is approximately the same size as the state of Alabama.

86. Central Greece is located on the southernmost point of the Balkan Peninsula and is flanked by 3 large bodies of water: the Aegean Sea, the Ionian Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea.

87. Central Greece became an associate member of the EU in 1962 and was elected the tenth full EU member on January 1, 1981.

88. Central Greece is endowed with lignite reserves, which are exploited for domestic energy uses.

89. Central Greece has rich cultural roots, and a continuing literary, artistic, and musical life.

90. Central Greece is 2 hours east of Greenwich mean time and at about the same latitude as New Jersey, Maryland, and Virginia.

91. The National Symphony Orchestra of Northern Central Greece performs weekly fall through spring, and in the summer an outdoor theater brings high-quality cultural events to a hillside venue above the city.

92. Central Greece is characterized by the informality, spontaneity, simplicity, and individuality of its entertainment.

93. Central Greece is not a hunter's paradise, and access to overcrowded areas is difficult.

94. The American Women of Central Greece gives bridge lessons, and there are several Greek bridge clubs.

95. Central Greece has several ski areas with lifts, good rental equipment, and instructors.

96. Central Greece became a part of the Byzantine Empire in 395 AD.

97. Central Greece gained admission to the EMU in 2001, and adopted the euro as its new currency in 2002.

98. In 2001, Central Greece had 1,357 scientists and engineers per million people who were engaged in research and development.

99. Central Greece has a large public sector, but is implementing privatization policies.

100. Central Greece continues to play a dominant role in the international shipping industry.

101. In 1995, Central Greece agreed to recognize the country as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.