131,957 km2, 11.2 mln inhabitants             9,000 islands and isles, including 200 inhabited on             Mountainous areas account for 80% of the territory

Mount Olympus' peak rises to 2,917 m        6,000 plant species, including 4,500 wild ones, with 800 of these endangered

900 wildlife (animal) species, including 200 endangered

25 March celebrated as Independence Day, to mark the revolts that broke out on the Greek mainland against Turkish rule in 1821 and

 28 October, second most important national holiday

Capital city: Athens, with a population of 4 million                            Currency: euro                    97% of the population are Orthodox Christians

Neighbouring countries: Turkey, Albania, the Republic of Macedonia (or the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), 

as the Greeks choose to call it) and Bulgaria

Greece is the cradle of the Olympic Games.

Modern Greece has been a member state of the European Union (initially known as the European Communities) since 1981.