Overview

General Information

Greece: A country that uniquely combines mountains, plains, and an archipelago of approximately 3,000 islands. With a strategic geographic position, it serves as a hub for maritime navigation, trade, and regional security, overlooking the Aegean Sea and providing access to the Dardanelles Strait from the south.

Greek Flag

  • Area: 131,990 square kilometers
  • Border Length: 1,228 kilometers
  • Neighboring Countries:
    • Albania (282 kilometers)
    • Bulgaria (494 kilometers)
    • Turkey (206 kilometers)
    • North Macedonia (246 kilometers)
  • Climate: Temperate, mild and wet winters, hot and dry summers.
  • Terrain: Predominantly mountainous, with areas extending into the sea as peninsulas or chains of islands.
  • Elevation:
    • Lowest point: Mediterranean Sea, 0 meters
    • Highest point: Mount Olympus, 2,917 meters
  • Natural Resources: Lignite, iron ore, bauxite, lead, zinc, nickel, magnesite, marble, salt.

Legal Framework: Based on Roman Law. The judiciary is divided into civil, criminal, and administrative courts.

  • Time Zone: GMT +2
  • Official Language: Greek
  • Currency: Euro (€)
  • Capital: Athens
  • Government: Parliamentary Presidential Republic. Unicameral parliamentary system with 300 seats, whose members are elected by direct popular vote for a four-year term.
  • Head of State: President of the Republic
  • Head of Government: Prime Minister

Member of International Organizations

European Union (EU), NATO, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), European Investment Bank (EIB), International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), International Monetary Fund (IMF), International Maritime Organization (IMO), Interpol, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), United Nations (UN), United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), UNESCO, World Health Organization (WHO), World Trade Organization (WTO), European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN).

Greece: The Economic Hub of Southeastern Europe

Despite the economic crisis that emerged, particularly after 2010, Greece remains an attractive destination for investments. It offers entrepreneurs numerous opportunities driven by its strategic geographic position and unique competitive advantages.

Greece serves as a natural gateway to the markets of Southeastern Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean, regions with a combined population of over 140 million consumers and a GDP approaching 1 trillion euros.

As a hub for various emerging markets, Greece provides access to populations with high demand for consumer goods, infrastructure modernization, technology and innovation networks, energy, tourism development, and light industry. Additionally, Greek companies and banks have established a significant presence in neighboring markets, becoming integral parts of their economies.

Investors increasingly recognize that Greece combines unique features unparalleled in Europe. It is a top global tourist destination, an emerging regional energy hub, and boasts a highly educated, multilingual workforce.

  • Population: 10,482,487 (Permanent population, 2021 Census)
  • Density: 79.4 inhabitants/km²

 

Population by Age Group (2021 Census))
Age Group % of total
0 – 14 13,5%
15 – 69 69.7%
70+ 16.8%

Economically Active Population: 4.75 million (Q3 2024)
Birth Rate: 7.3 births/1,000 inhabitants (2022)

Major Greek Cities

Population (Census 2021)
Athens  ( 3.814.065
Thesslaoniki  1.092.919
Patra 215.923
Heraklion 179.301
Larissa 164.093
Volos 139.672

 

Transportation and Telecommunications

Railway Network

  • Total Length: 2,265 kilometers

Road Network

  • Total Length: 117,000 kilometers
    • Urban Roads: 75,500 kilometers
    • Interurban Roads: 41,500 kilometers

Major Highways

  1. Highway 1 (A1) – PATHE:
    Athens → Lamia → Larissa → Thessaloniki → Evzoni (border with North Macedonia).
  2. Highway 2 (A2) – Egnatia Odos:
    Igoumenitsa → Ioannina → Thessaloniki → Kavala → Alexandroupoli → Kipoi (border with Turkey).
  3. Highway 5 (A5) – Ionia Odos:
    Antirrio → Agrinio → Arta → Ioannina, connecting to Egnatia Odos.
  4. Highway 7 (A7) – Moreas:
    Corinth → Tripoli → Kalamata, with a branch to Sparta.
  5. Highway 8 (A8) – Olympia Odos:
    Elefsina → Corinth → Patras.
  6. Highway 52 (A52) – Aktion-Amvrakia:
    Connecting Ionia Odos with Aktion and Preveza (under construction).
  7. Vertical Axes of Egnatia Odos:
    Connecting Northern Greece with the borders:

    • Komotini – Nymfaia (to Bulgaria)
    • Serres – Promachonas (to Bulgaria)
    • Kilkis – Doirani (to North Macedonia)

Major Ports

Piraeus, Thessaloniki, Volos, Patras, Alexandroupoli, Elefsina, Igoumenitsa, Heraklion, Kavala, Rhodes, Lavrio, Chalkida, Corfu.

 

Major Airports

Greece has an extensive airport network serving both domestic and international flights.

  1. International Airports
  • Athens International Airport “Eleftherios Venizelos” (ATH)
  • Thessaloniki International Airport “Makedonia” (SKG)
  • Heraklion International Airport “Nikos Kazantzakis” (HER)
  • Rhodes International Airport “Diagoras” (RHO)
  • Corfu International Airport “Ioannis Kapodistrias” (CFU)
  • Chania International Airport “Ioannis Daskalogiannis” (CHQ)
  1. National Airports

Primarily serving domestic flights with some international connections during the tourist season:

  • Santorini Airport (JTR)
  • Mykonos Airport (JMK)
  • Kos Airport “Hippocrates” (KGS)
  • Zakynthos Airport “Dionysios Solomos” (ZTH)
  • Skiathos Airport “Alexandros Papadiamantis” (JSI)
  • Alexandroupolis Airport “Dimokritos” (AXD)
  • Kavala Airport “Megas Alexandros” (KVA)
  • Kalamata Airport “Captain Vassilis Constantakopoulos” (KLX)
  1. Upcoming Upgrades and New Airports
  • New International Airport in Crete (Kastelli)

 

Telecommunications

Telephony

  • Fixed Lines in Use: 5,091,488 subscribers (December 2023)*
  • Mobile Telephony: 13,717,676 subscribers (December 2023)*
  • Mobile Penetration Rate: 132% (December 2023)

Internet

  • Internet Penetration Rate: 85% (2023)**
  • Fixed Broadband Coverage: 42.8% (42.8 lines per 100 inhabitants) at the end of 2023.**

Mobile Providers:

Cosmote, Vodafone, Nova

(*Source: EETT)
(**Source: OECD)