HELLENIC REPUBLIC (GREECE)

By Trevor Hewins

Home of Mount Olympus

Greece is very mountainous and its highest point is Mount Olympus at 9,570 feet high. Ancient Greeks believed that Mount Olympus was the home of their gods.

Greece is located far east on the continent of Europe It is 50,942 square miles (which makes it just a bit smaller than

Alabama) One of its most interesting qualities is that Greece is made up of

more than 2,000 islands! The largest of them is Crete The climate during the winter is mild and wet while the climate

during the summer is hot and dry There is not much diversity of natural resources, they have

minerals such as bauxite and their forests aren’t big

Focus Point

Because the larger part of Greece is a peninsula, most of the people live near rivers or harbors. Fishing is a big part of their daily lives. Some jobs are fisherman and there are also charter boats to take tourists fishing. The mild climate makes Greece a great place for tourism. Only 1/3 of the land is suitable for farming. Some important crops they grow are olives, grapes, melons and peaches. They are important because these are big exports to other countries.

Greek-onomy

Greece’s unemployment rate is 24.4% The poverty rate is 20% The GDP growth rate is -6%, the GDP per capita is $25,100 The inflation rate is 1.1% Top industries are tourism, food & tobacco processing &

textiles Exports: food & beverages, manufactured goods &

petroleum products. Some export partners are Italy, Turkey & Germany

Imports: machinery, transport equipment & fuels. Some import partners are Germany, Russia & Italy

Budget deficit: -7.6% Recently changed currency to the Euro

Focus Point

It might not be as developed as the US but Greece is a developed country. They have a set government and developed technology. Unfortunately, they are now in an economic crisis which makes them have a high poverty rate & unemployment rate. Some families have put their kids in charitable institutions because they didn’t have enough money to support them. Tourism is still a big part of their economy even though it is lower than it has been in the past.

Greece: An Oldie

But a Goodie! Greece originated in 3000 BC. Their capital Athens was

founded in 1300 BC. The first Olympics was held in 776 BC. Ancient Greeks believed in gods like Zeus & Poseidon.

Most Greek people today are a part of the Greek Orthodox Church

There population is nearly 11,000,000 and growing at an annual 0.6%

Most Greeks wear modern clothes today. Greece’s Presidential Guard & some people in rural areas still wear traditional clothes like the foustanella (a pleated white kilt)

A traditional musical instrument from Greece is the bouzouki, which resembles a mandolin

Parthenon

Focus Point

Greece’s culture is unique because it is one of the oldest in Europe. Some people still wear the traditional clothing. Ancient Greece has influenced western civilization through its architecture and mythology. One example would be a building like the Lincoln Memorial. It is modeled after the Parthenon. There are examples of ancient Greece in main-stream media as well. Movies like Clash of the Titans & Percy Jackson are two examples.

Parthenon

Lincoln Memorial

What’s Up Greece?

One of the most talked about current events in

Greece is the state of the country’s economy. Greece’s economic crisis started before they even changed their currency to the Euro. The government was spending more money than they were taking in. In 2009, Greece admitted that their budget deficit was 12.9% of the GDP. Measures have been taken to help Greece but they are still in serious debt today. US needs Europe to help Greece recover and to keep the economic crisis from spreading because Europe is our biggest trading partner and if they are weak, it will affect our jobs and businesses here.