2. GREECE: The Quick Facts n INTRODUCTION n THIS SHORT PRESENTATION IS INTENDED TO GIVE A FEW FACTS ABOUT THE COUNTRY WHERE CAPTAIN CORELLI’S MANDOLIN TAKES PLACE. I HOPE IT SERVES YOU WELL, AND GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR RESEARCH!

3. GEOGRAPHY n Area: 131.990 sq.km n Neighbours: Albania, the ex -Yugoslavia and Bulgaria to the north; Turkey to the East n Land use: 23% arable land; 40% meadows & pastures; 20% forests; 9% other n Terrain: Mostly mountainous n Climate: Mediterranean (rainy season is winter) n Main mountain range: Pindos (highest peak: Mount Olympus 2,917m) n Islands: 9,841 islands (only 114 are inhabited; Cephalonia is one of them) n Largest river: Aliacmon (297 km) n Regions: Ten (Macedonia is the largest 34,117 sq.km) n Main port: Piraeus n Capital: Athens (largest city, as well: 3million people) n Time: 2 hours ahead of GMT

4. FLORA & FAUNA n Flora: Olive trees, chestnut, fir, pine trees; lots of cultivated and wild flowers like tulips, chamomile, evosmon & peonies n Fauna: Bears, jackals, foxes, wolves, brown squirrel, boars in the wild; Rare white goat raised in Crete; 358 bird species, most are migratory. n Marine fauna: About 246 species; many molluscs, dolphins.

5. THE PEOPLE n Population: 10,246,156 (1991 census) n Distribution: Male-49.2%, Female- 50.8%; Urban 57.7%, Rural 42.3% n Density: 77.8 inhabitants/ sq.km n Life expectancy: Male-72.2 years, Female- 76.4 years n Religious affiliations: 97.6% are Greek Orthodox n Language: Greek

6. DEMOCRACY n Government: Parliamentary Democracy headed by a President n n Current President: Mr. C. Stefanopoulos (Mr. K. Simitis is the Prime Minister) n n International memberships: Member of the UN, IMF, NATO, EU and many others n n Education: 4.5% of GDP on education; (compulsory & free for nine years) n n Welfare: IKA (for labourers); OGA (for farmers) cover more than 80% of people

7. ECONOMY n Per capita GDP: $7,155 n n Real GDP growth: 1% n n Unemployment: 10% n n Current Deficit: About 400 million dollars n n National Currency: Drachma n n Exchange rate: 250 drs for 1 dollar