Guam. Ballpoint Pens, Rollerball Pens,Cartridges, Fountain Pens.

England Description Guam Greece achieved 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. In World War II, Greece was first invaded by Italy (1940) and subsequently occupied by Germany (1941-44); fighting endured in a protracted civil war between supporters of the king and Communist rebels. Following the latter's defeat in 1949, Greece joined NATO in 1952. In 1967, a group of military officers seized power, establishing a military dictatorship that suspended many political liberties and forced the king to flee the country. In 1974, democratic elections and a referendum created a parliamentary republic and abolished the monarchy. In 1981, Greece joined the EC (now the EU); it became the 12th member of the European Economic and Monetary Union in 2001. In 2010, the prospect of a Greek default on its euro-denominated debt created severe strains within the EMU and raised the question of whether a member country might voluntarily leave the common currency or be removed. 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 Area - comparative slightly smaller than Alabama Coast line 13,676 km Climate temperate; mild, wet winters; hot, dry summers Terrain Guam mostly mountains with ranges extending into the sea as peninsulas or chains of islands Natural Resources Guam lignite, petroleum, iron ore, bauxite, lead, zinc, nickel, magnesite, marble, salt, hydropower potential Irrigated land 14,530 sq km (2003) Total Renewable Water Resources 72 cu km (2005) Natural Hazards severe earthquakes Environment Currentissues air pollution; water pollution Geography Note strategic location dominating the Aegean Sea and southern approach to Turkish Straits; a peninsular country, possessing an archipelago of about 2,000 islands Population Guam 10,749,943 (July 2010 est.) Population growth rate 0.106% (2010 est.) Birth Rate 9.34 births/1,000 population (2010 est.) Death Rate 10.6 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.) Netmigration Rate 2.33 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.) Total Fertility Rate 1.37 children born/woman (2010 est.) Hiv/Aids Adult Prevalence Rate 0.2% (2007 est.) Hiv/Aids People living with hiv/aids 11,000 (2007 est.) Hiv/Aids Deaths population: Greek 93%, other (foreign citizens) 7% (2001 census) Religions Greek Orthodox 98%, Muslim 1.3%, other 0.7% Languages Greek 99% (official), other 1% (includes English and French) Education Expenditures 4.4% of GDP (2005) Government Type parliamentary republic Administrative Divisions 51 prefectures (nomoi, singular - nomos) and 1 autonomous region*; Achaia, Agion Oros* (Mt. Athos), Aitolia kai Akarnania, Argolis, Arkadia, Arta, Attiki, Chalkidiki, Chanion, Chios, Dodekanisos, Drama, Evros, Evrytania, Evvoia, Florina, Fokidos, Fthiotis, Grevena, Ileia, Imathia, Ioannina, Irakleion, Karditsa, Kastoria, Kavala, Kefallinia, Kerkyra, Kilkis, Korinthia, Kozani, Kyklades, Lakonia, Larisa, Lasithi, Lefkas, Lesvos, Magnisia, Messinia, Pella, Pieria, Preveza, Rethynnis, Rodopi, Samos, Serrai, Thesprotia, Thessaloniki, Trikala, Voiotia, Xanthi, Zakynthos Independence 1829 (from the Ottoman Empire) National Holiday Independence Day, 25 March (1821) Constitution 11 June 1975; amended March 1986 and April 2001 Legal System based on codified Roman law; judiciary divided into civil, criminal, and administrative courts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations Suffrage 18 years of age; universal and compulsory Legislative Branch unicameral Parliament or Vouli ton Ellinon (300 seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms) Political Partie Sand Leaders Supreme Judicial Court; Special Supreme Tribunal; all judges are appointed for life by the president after consultation with a judicial council Political Pressure Group Sand Leaders Civil Servants Confederation or ADEDY [Spyros PAPASPYROS]; Federation of Greek Industries or SEV [Dimitris DASKALOPOULOS]; General Confederation of Greek Workers or GSEE [Ioannis PANAGOPOULOS] International Organization Participation Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, FATF, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIS, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC Flag Description nine equal horizontal stripes of blue alternating with white; a blue square bearing a white cross appears in the upper hoist-side corner; the cross symbolizes Greek Orthodoxy, the established religion of the country; there is no agreed upon meaning for the nine stripes or for the colors; the exact shade of blue has never been set by law and has varied from a light to a dark blue over time Economy Overview Greece has a capitalist economy with the public sector accounting for about 40% of GDP and with per capita GDP about two-thirds that of the leading euro-zone economies. Tourism provides 15% of GDP. Immigrants make up nearly one-fifth of the work force, mainly in agricultural and unskilled jobs. Greece is a major beneficiary of EU aid, equal to about 3.3% of annual GDP. The Greek economy grew by nearly 4.0% per year between 2003 and 2007, due partly to infrastructural spending related to the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, and in part to an increased availability of credit, which has sustained record levels of consumer spending. But growth dropped to 2% in 2008. The economy went into recession in 2009 and contracted by 2%, as a result of the world financial crisis, tightening credit conditions, and Athens' failure to address a growing budget deficit, which was triggered by falling state revenues, and increased government expenditures. Greece violated the EU's Growth and Stability Pact budget deficit criterion of no more than 3% of GDP from 2001 to 2006, but finally met that criterion in 2007-08, before exceeding it again in 2009, with the deficit reaching 10.7% of GDP. Public debt, inflation, and unemployment are above the euro-zone average while per capita income is below; debt and unemployment rose in 2009, while inflation subsided. Eroding public finances, a credibility gap stemming from inaccurate and misreported statistics, and consistent underperformance on following through with reforms prompted major credit rating agencies in late 2009 to downgrade Greece's international debt rating, which has led to increased financial instability. Under intense pressure by the EU and international market participants, the government has adopted a medium-term austerity program that includes cutting government spending, reducing the size of the public sector, decreasing tax evasion, reforming the health care and pension systems, and improving competitiveness through structural reforms to the labor and product markets. Athens, however, faces long-term challenges to push through unpopular reforms in the face of often vocal opposition from the country's powerful labor unions and the general public. Greek labor unions are prepared to strike over new austerity measures and continued widespread unrest could challenge the government's ability to implement reforms and meet budget targets, and could also lead to rioting or violence. In April 2010 a leading credit agency assigned Greek debt its lowest possible credit rating; in response, the International Monetary Fund and Eurozone goverments pledged more than $160 billion in support of Greece over the next three years. GDP (Purchasing Power Parity) $341 billion (2009 est.) GDP (Official Exchange Rate) $342.2 billion (2009 est.) GDP Real Growth Rate -2% (2009 est.) GDP Per Capita (PPP) $32,100 (2009 est.) Labor Force 5 million (2009 est.) Unemployment Rate 9% (2009 est.) Population Below Poverty Line 20% (2009 est.) Distribution Of Family Income 33 (2005) Unvestment Gross Fixed 15.6% of GDP (2009 est.) Inflation Rrate 113.4% of GDP (2009 est.) Central Bank Discount Rate 1.2% (2009 est.) Commercial Bank Prime Lending Rate 3% (31 December 2008) Stock Of Money 8.65% (31 December 2008) Stock Of Quasi Money $NA Stock Of Domestic Credit $NA Market Value Of Publicly Traded Shares $394.6 billion (31 December 2008) Agriculture - Products $NA (31 December 2008) Industries wheat, corn, barley, sugar beets, olives, tomatoes, wine, tobacco, potatoes; beef, dairy products Industrial Production Growth Rate tourism, food and tobacco processing, textiles, chemicals, metal products; mining, petroleum Electricity Production 3.2% (2009 est.) Electricity Consumption 58.79 billion kWh (2007 est.) Electricity Exports 58.28 billion kWh (2007 est.) Electricity Imports 1.962 billion kWh (2008 est.) Oil Production 7.575 billion kWh (2008 est.) Oil Consumption 4,891 bbl/day (2008 est.) Oil Exports 434,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) Oil Imports 151,300 bbl/day (2008 est.) Oil Proved Reserves 553,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) Natural Gas Production 10 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.) Natural Gas Consumption 14 million cu m (2008 est.) Natural Gas Exports 4.206 billion cu m (2008 est.) Natural Gas Imports 0 cu m (2008 est.) Natural Gas Proved Reserves 4.205 billion cu m (2008 est.) Current Account Balance 1.982 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.) Exports -$34.43 billion (2009 est.) Exports Commodities $21.37 billion (2009 est.) Exports Partners food and beverages, manufactured goods, petroleum products, chemicals, textiles Imports Italy 11.5%, Germany 10.5%, Bulgaria 7.1%, Cyprus 6.2%, US 5%, UK 4.7%, Romania 4.4% (2008) Imports Commodities $64.27 billion (2009 est.) Imports Partners machinery, transport equipment, fuels, chemicals Reserves Of Foreign Exchange and Gold Germany 12.1%, Italy 11.7%, Russia 7.4%, China 5.6%, France 5.1%, Netherlands 4.7% (2008) Debt - External $NA (31 December 2009 est.) Radio Broadcast Stations $43.07 billion (31 December 2009 est.) Television Broadcast Stations $29.55 billion (31 December 2009 est.) Internet Country Code euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7338 (2009), 0.6827 (2008), 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005) Airports AM 26, FM 88, shortwave 4 (1998) Military Service Age and Obligation 81 (2009)

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