47 Facts About Greece

1. At the start of the war, Greece sided with the Allies and refused to give in to Italian demands.

2. In 2001, Greece expresses support for Skopje as it faces an armed conflict with ethnic Albanian rebels.

3. In 1994, Greece imposes an economic embargo on Macedonia and prevents it from using the Greek port at Thessaloniki, Skopje's main trading post.

4. Greece is a relatively small country situated in southeastern Europe.

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

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

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

8. Greece is bounded on the south by the Mediterranean Sea.

9. 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

20. Greece is a parliamentary republic modeled after the French system.

21. 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.

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

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

24. 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.

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

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

27. Greece has two news "infobanks", InNews and the National Communications Network.

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

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

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

31. Greece is approximately the same size as the state of Alabama.

32. 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.

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

34. The National Symphony Orchestra of Northern 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.

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

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

37. Greece is a charter member of the United Nations, having joined on 25 October 1945, and participates in ECE and several nonregional specialized agencies.

38. Greece is located above the convergence of the Eurasian and the African Tectonic Plates, a situation which causes frequent earthquakes and tremors.

39. Greece is the southernmost country in the Balkan Peninsula, with a total area of 131,940 sq km; about a fifth of the area is composed of more than 1,400 islands in the Ionian and Aegean seas.

40. In 1981, Greece joined the EC; it became the 12th member of the European Economic and Monetary Union in 2001.

41. Greece has the longest coastline in Europe and is the southernmost country in Europe.

42. The Jewish community in Greece traditionally spoke Ladino, today maintained only by a few thousand speakers.

43. Greece is a major beneficiary of the Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union.

44. Greece is a member of the International Monetary Fund and the World Trade Organization, and is ranked 24th on the KOF Globalization Index for 2013.

45. Since the Battle of Salamis, Greece had not achieved the greatness and the glory which today holds.

46. 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.

47. Greece is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa.