People have lived in Greece for more than 5,000 years. 

Its civilization  started  about  2,500  years ago.

Its  mainland  is  nearly  365  miles  long  and  343  miles wide.    

Long  ago  some  Greeks wrote  plays  that  are  still  being  acted  today.

Location	Southern Europe, bordering the Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea, between Albania and Turkey
Area	131,940 sq km (slightly smaller than Alabama)
Border countries	Albania 282 km, Bulgaria 494 km, Turkey 206 km, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 246 km
Natural resources	bauxite, lignite, magnesite, petroleum, marble, hydropower potential
Population	10,665,989 (July 2003 est.)
Median age	39.8 years
Population growth rate	0.19% (2003 est.)
Capital	Athens
GDP	purchasing power parity - $203.3 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - real grow rate	4% (2002 est.)
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $19,100 (2002 est.)
GDP – composition by sector	agriculture: 8.1% industry: 22.3% services: 69.3% (2002 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	3.6% (2002 est.)
Labor force	4.37 million (2002 est.)
Labor force by occupation	industry 20%, agriculture 20%, services 59% (2000 est.)
Note	10.3% (2002 est.)
Unemployment rate	7% (2000 est.)
Industries	$12.6 billion f.o.b. (2002)
Industrial production growth rate	food and beverages, manufactured goods, petroleum products, chemicals, textiles
Exports	Germany 10.4%, Italy 8.5%, UK 6.3%, Bulgaria 5.4%, US 5.3%, Cyprus 4.7% (2002)
Exports commodities	$31.4 billion f.o.b. (2002)
Export partners	machinery, transport equipment, fuels, chemicals
Imports	Germany 12.2%, Italy 11.5%, Russia 7.4%, South Korea 6%, France 5.7%, Netherlands 5.6%, US 4.7%, Belgium 4.3%, UK 4.1% (2002)