Greece
| Population | 11.2 m |
| Capital | Athens |
| Surface area | 130,700 km2 |
| Official Language | Greek (‘Demotic’ vernacular – as opposed to standard literary form) |
| Gross domestic product (GDP) (in euros) | 261.4 bn |
| GDP as a % of EU-27, based on 2009 data | 2.2 |
| GDP per capita by purchasing power standards (indexed to EU average of 100) | 93.9 |
| Currency | Euro |
| Human development index (HDI), an index based on life expectancy, education and GDP (max. 1) | 0.942 |
| World rank in HDI | 26/177 |
| Key economic sectors | Services (70.3); industry (22.4); agriculture (7.3 – the highest in the EU) |
| Leading Companies | National Bank of Greece; Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company; EFG Eurobank Ergasias |
| Unemployment in January 2010 | 9.7% (source: http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/tgm/table) |
| Main religious denominations | 91% of the population belong to the Christian Eastern Orthodox Church |
| Political system | A presidential parliamentary democracy The Chamber of Deputies, elected for four-year terms, elects the President for a term of five years |
| Electoral system | Proportional representation for the Chamber, with a 3% threshold |
| Current (March 2010) leaders | President: Karolos Papoulias (b. 1929), since February 2005 Prime minister: Georgios Papandreou (b. 1952), since October 2009 |
| Previous leaders: | Presidents: Kostis Stephanopoulos (1995-2005); Konstantinos Karamanlis (1990-95) Prime ministers: Konstantinos Karamanlis (2004-09); Kostas Simitis (1996-2004) |
| Joined the EU/EC | 1981 |
| Commissioner from country in Barroso II College of Commissioners, and portfolio | Maria Damanaki (Maritime Affairs and Fisheries) |
| Number of MEPs | 22/754 |
| Turnout in 2009 EP elections (%) | 52.6 |
| Member of eurozone | Yes (from 1 January 2001) |
Except where a specific reference is inserted, the sources for this profile are either Neill Nugent’s book itself, or Barry Turner (ed.), The Statesman’s Yearbook Online, Basingstoke and New York: Palgrave Macmillan. If your library subscribes, you can gain access at
http://www.statesmansyearbook.com