FACTS

Location: Southern Europe, bordering the Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea, between Albania and Turkey

Area (only Total) total: 131,940 sq km

Climate: temperate; mild, wet winters; hot, dry summers

Terrain: mostly mountains with ranges extending into the sea as peninsulas or chains of islands

Population: 10,722,816 (July 2008 est.)

Main Language (only first): Greek

Government type: parliamentary republic

Capital (Name): Athens

Capital (Time Difference): UTC+2

Independence: 1829 (from the Ottoman Empire)

National holiday: Independence Day, 25 March (1821)