======================================================================
@Greece
Introduction Greece
Background:
Greece achieved its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1829.
During the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the
20th century, it gradually added neighboring islands and
territories, most with Greek-speaking populations. Following the
defeat of Communist rebels in 1949, Greece joined NATO in 1952. A
military dictatorship, which in 1967 suspended many political
liberties and forced the king to flee the country, lasted seven
years. Democratic elections in 1974 and a referendum created a
parliamentary republic and abolished the monarchy; Greece joined the
European Community or EC in 1981 (which became the EU in 1992).
Geography Greece
Location:
Southern Europe, bordering the Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, and the
Mediterranean Sea, between Albania and Turkey
Geographic coordinates:
39 00 N, 22 00 E
Map references:
Europe
Area:
total: 131,940 sq km
water: 1,140 sq km
land: 130,800 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Alabama