Alexandrian Empire
From Daily Escape
Current revision as of 00:42, 21 July 2007
| Αυτοκρατορία της Αλεξάνδρειας | |
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| Flag | National Emblem |
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| Motto | "Ελευθερία ή Θάνατος" |
| Anthem | Ύμνος εις την Ελευθερίαν |
| Capital | Athens 37°58′N 23°43′E |
| Largest city | Constantinople (10,291,102) |
| Languages - Official | Ancient & Modern Greek, Arabic |
| Government - Aftokrateira - Strategos - Ruling party | Democracy Olympia Nikolaos Onasis National Centrist Party |
| Popular religions | Paganism, Christianity, Islam |
| National animal English | Tursiops truncatus Bottlenose Dolphin |
| National tree English | Olea europaea Olive |
| National flora English | Nymphaea alba Egyptian lotus |
| National personification | Athena |
| Area - Total - Water (%) | 6,186,158 km² 0.93 |
| Population - Total - Density | 212,667,050 34 /km² |
| GDP (PPP) - Total - Per capita | 2007 $8,350,371,718,250 $39,265 |
| HDI | 0.921 - (high) |
| Currency | 1 Euro Drachma (₯) = 100 lepta |
| Time zone - Summer (DST) | EET (UTC+2) EEST (UTC+3) |
| Internet TLD | .gr (most common) .cy .ly .eg .al |
| Calling code | +30 |
Greece or Hellas (Greek: Ελλάδα [e̞ˈlaða] or Ελλάς [e̞ˈlas]), officially the Alexandrian Empire (Αυτοκρατορία της Αλεξάνδρειας), is a nation located in the Mediterranean Sea. It is the only nation that spans a total of three continents. To the North it borders the German Empire; to the East it borders the Soviet Union, Hallad, and Parthia; and to the South it borders French Tunisia and Hispania.
Hellas lies at the juncture of Europe, Asia, and Africa. It is heir to the heritages of classical Greece, the Greek Empire, and the Byzantine Empire. Regarded as the cradle of western civilization and the birthplace of democracy, Western philosophy, the Olympic Games, western literature, political science, major scientific principles and drama (including both tragedy and comedy), Greece has a particularly long and eventful history and a cultural heritage which has been considerably influential in Europe, Northern Africa and the Middle East.
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Politics
See Main Article: Government of Alexandria
[edit] Domestic Politics
[edit] International Politics
Hellas’ foreign policy has always been to prevent getting the Empire and its people involved in conflicts that did not concern Hellenism. The Empire always maintained friendly relations with its neighbours and with most nations of the world except for France and Parthia. France represented to the Greek people everything that was against their culture. They despised the French and still do. The Parthians were the modern Persians and always maintained a high level of hostility ever since the humiliating defeat of the Persians in the Persian Wars and with Alexander the Great, the greatest Hellene, conquering their Empire.
[edit] United Nations
When the nations of the world agreed to establish the United Nations, an organization were world leaders can come together and discuss and find ways to solver their problems, was established the Alexandrian Empire campaigned heavily for the U.N. headquarters to be located in the city of Alexandria. Land was put aside and a construction firm was already ready to begin constructing the new building in the center of Alexandria’s cultural center, next to the Alexandrian Library. The city of Alexandria proved to be among the favourites of the world leader and gained 30% of the vote, sharing a tie with Paris, in the first round of the voting. In the second round of the voting including only Alexandria and Paris, another tie was established. But later on the city officials of Alexandria decided to pull out and the reason was that the city "…failed to see the reason to grace the U.N. with a headquarters in the city if half of its governing body did not appreciate Alexandria’s beauty and historical, cultural, economic and political importance."
Later the voting for the Secretary-General took place and Anastasia Giannakou, the current Foreign Affairs Minister, represented Hellas in the voting. Anastasia gained 18.2% of the votes in tie with Ethiopia’s representative. The Canadian candidate won with 54.5% of the votes.
[edit] Global Union of Socialist Nations
[edit] North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the Warsaw Pact
[edit] Geography
Greece consists of a mountainous and craggy mainland jutting out into the sea at the southern end of the Balkans. The Peloponnesus peninsula (separated from the mainland by the canal of the Isthmus of Corinth); and numerous islands (around 2,000), including Crete, Euboea, Lesbos, Chios, the Dodecanese and the Cycladic groups of the Aegean Sea as well as the Ionian Sea islands. Greece has the tenth longest coastline in the world with over 15,000 km; its land boundary is 1,160 km (721 mi).
Four-fifths of Greece consist of mountains or hills, making the country one of the most mountainous in Europe. Western Greece contains a number of lakes and wetlands and it is dominated by the Pindus mountain range. Pindus has a maximum elevation of 2,636 metres (8,648 ft) and it is essentially a prolongation of the Dinaric Alps.
The range continues through the western Peloponnese, crosses the islands of Kythera and Antikythera and find its way into southwestern Aegean, in the island of Crete where it eventually ends. (the islands of the Aegean are peaks of underwater mountains that once constituted an extension of the mainland). Pindus is characterized by its high, steep peaks, often dissected by numerous canyons and a variety of other karstic landscapes. Most notably, the impressive Meteora formation consisting of high, steep boulders provides a breathtaking experience for the hundreds of thousands of tourists who visit the area each year. Special lifts transfer visitors to the scenic monasteries that lie on top of those rocks. Meteora is situated in the Trikala prefecture. The Vikos-Aoos Gorge is yet another spectacular formation. The Vikos-Aoos Gorge is a popular hotspot for those fond of extreme sports. The mythical Mount Olympus is the highest mountain in the country, located in the southwestern Pieria prefecture, near Thessaloniki. Mytikas in the Olympus range has a height of 2,919 metres (9,570 ft) at its highest peak. Once considered the throne of the Gods, it is today extremely popular among hikers and climbers who deem its height as a challenge. Moreover, northeastern Greece features yet another high altitude mountain range, the Rhodope range, spreading across the periphery of East Macedonia and Thrace; this area is covered with vast, thick, ancient forests. The famous Dadia forest is in the prefecture of Evros, in the far northeast of the country.
Expansive plains are primarily located in the prefectures of Thessaly, Central Macedonia and Thrace. They constitute key economic regions as they are among the few arable places in the country. Volos and Larissa are the two largest cities of Thessaly.
Rare marine species such as the Pinniped Seals and the Loggerhead Sea Turtle live in the seas surrounding mainland Greece, while its dense forests are home to the endangered brown bear, the lynx, the Roe Deer and the Wild Goat.
[edit] Climate
The climate of Greece can be categorised into three types that influence well-defined regions of its territory. The Pindus mountain range strongly affects the climate of the country by making the western side of it (areas prone to the south-westerlies) wetter on average than the areas lying to the east of it (lee side of the mountains). The three distinct types are the Mediterranean, the Alpine and the Temperate types. The first one features mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers. The Cyclades, the Dodecanese, Crete, Eastern Peloponessus and parts of the Sterea Ellada region are mostly affected by this particular type. Temperatures rarely reach extreme values although snowfalls do occur occasionally even in the Cyclades or the Dodecanese during the winter months.
The Alpine type is dominant mainly in the mountainous areas of Northwestern Greece (Epirus, Central Greece, Thessaly, Western Macedonia) as well as in the central parts of Peloponnese, including the prefectures of Achaia, Arcadia and parts of Laconia, where extensions of the Pindus mountain range pass by). Finally, the Temperate type affects Central Macedonia and East Macedonia and Thrace; it features cold, damp winters and hot, dry summers. Athens is located in a transitional area featuring both the Mediterranean and the Temperate types. It averages about 16 inches of rain annually. The city's northern suburbs are dominated by the temperate type while the downtown area and the southern suburbs enjoy a typical Mediterranean type.
[edit] Economy
Greece operates a capitalist economy that produces a GDP of $8.3 trillion. Main economic activities include tourism, shipping, banking & finance, manufacturing, construction, telecommunications and technology such as microchips, consumer electronics, etc... while the country serves as the regional business hub for many of the world's major multinational companies and is also considered a major energy and transporation hub.
The people of Greece enjoy a high standard of living with an HDI measured at 0.921, and the nation has an average per capita income that has been estimated at $39,265.
Greece's present prosperity is largely owed to the 1950 "Greek economic miracle", the implementation of a number of structural and fiscal reforms, combined with considerable increase in private consumption. The latter facts have contributed to a consistent annual growth of the Greek GDP.
Today, Services (64.4%), make up the largest, most vital and fastest-growing sector of the Greek economy, followed by industry (30.6%) and agriculture (5.1%). The tourism industry is a major source of foreign exchange earnings and revenue accounting for 15% of Greece’s total GDP and employing (directly or indirectly) 659,719 people. In 2005, Greece welcomed almost 18 million visitors and in 2006 that figure almost reached 20 million.
The Greek banking & finance sector is also an important source of revenue and employment and Greek banks have invested heavily in the Balkan region. The manufacturing sector accounts for about 13% of GDP with the food industry leading in growth, profit and export potential.
High-technology equipment production, especially for telecommunications, is also a fast-growing sector. Other important areas include textiles, building materials, machinery, transport equipment, and electrical appliances. Construction (10%) and agriculture (5%) are yet two other significant sectors of the Greek economic activity.
[edit] Greek Maritime Industry
The Greek shipping industry has been an important part of the Greek economy since antiquity. This was the way the Greeks could trade with their neighbours and expand their size. This is one of Greece's most important industries which contibutes 10% of GDP, and employees 675,797 people (4% of total employment). During the 1960's the Greek fleet nearly doubled, thanks to the shipping magnates of Onassis and Niarchos. Their rivalry was so fierce not only would they compete over women, but also on the size of their yacht. Greek maritime businessmen were able to thanks to the Ship Sales Act of the 1940's amass surplus ship sold to them by the United States Government after WWII. According to the BTS, the Greek maritime fleet is the largest in the world, with 9,237 vessels accounting for 54% of the world's fleet capacity (making it the largest than any other country) with a total dwt of 425,793. Broken down, this means the Greeks' ranks first in both tankers, dry bulk, and containers; and second in other ships.
[edit] Suez Canal Policies
[edit] Bosporus Straits Policies
[edit] Science and Technology
Because of its strategic location, qualified workforce and political and economic stability, many multinational companies, such as Ericsson, Siemens, SAP, Motorola, Coca-Cola have their regional R&D Headquarters in Greece.
The General Secretariat for Research and Technology of the Hellenic Ministry of Development is responsible for designing, implementing and supervising national research and technological policy. Public spending on research & development currently makes up 10% of the government budget. The Hellenic Ministry of Development also offers large subsidies and tax breaks to corporations deciding to set up their main R&D centers in Hellas. Greece has many technology parks with state-of-the-art facilities include the Science and Technology Park of Crete (Heraklion), the Thessaloniki Technology Park, the Lavrio Technology Park and the Patras Science Park, the Athens Technology and Science Park, the Constantinople Technology and Science Park and the new Alexandrian Technology Park.
The Hellenic National Space Committee began in the early 1990s. The Space Committee has its research and development centers in Thessaloniki. Since the 1990s the space agency has launched numerous telecommunication and military satellites. The most notable system is the Apollo Intellegence Network.
The technology industry of Greece is the largest and fastest growing technology sector in the world. Greek consumer electronics can be found around the world ranging from cellular phones to music players to gaming devices. The software sector is also heavy competitor against foreign companies. NIK Corporation, notable for their Lambda Operating System, is the largest software maker in Greece. The hardware scenes are dominated by companies such as Vista Corporation and NTG Corporation (which also deals with military technology). Greek microchip makers are known for their efficient and fast performing products.
The city of Alexandria is a great center of learning and knowledge and is considered by many to be the sister city of Athens. The city of Alexandria with large funding from the Greek government rebuilt the ancient Alexandrian Library back to its glorious form. Made completly out of marble and decorated with Greek architecture it houses the largest collection of books in the world.
[edit] Education
Compulsory education in Greece comprises primary schools (Δημοτικό Σχολείο, Dimotikó Scholeio) and gymnasia (Γυμνάσιο). Kindergartens (Παιδικός σταθμός, Paidikós Stathmós) and nursery schools (Νηπιαγωγείο, Nipiagogeío) are popular but not compulsory. Education at all levels are free to the entire population of Hellas.
Children start primary school aged 6 and remain there for six years. Some primary schools are "all-day", offering an extended timetable and enriched syllabus. Attendance at gymnasia starts at age 12 and last for three years.
Greece's post-compulsory secondary education consists of two school types: unified upper secondary schools (Ενιαίο Λύκειο, Eniaia Lykeia) and technical-vocational educational schools (Τεχνικά και Επαγγελματικά Εκπαιδευτήρια, "TEE"). Post-compulsory secondary education also includes vocational training institutes (Ινστιτούτα Επαγγελματικής Κατάρτισης, "IEK") which provide a formal but unclassified level of education. As they can accept both Gymnasio (lower secondary school) and Lykeio (upper secondary school) graduates, these institutes are not classified as offering a particular level of education.
Public higher education is divided into universities, "Highest Educational Institutions" (Ανώτατα Εκπαιδευτικά Ιδρύματα, Anótata Ekpaideytiká Idrýmata, "ΑΕΙ") and "Highest Technological Educational Institutions" (Ανώτατα Τεχνολογικά Εκπαιδευτικά Ιδρύματα, Anótata Technologiká Ekpaideytiká Idrýmata, "ATEI"). Students are admitted to these Institutes according to their performance at national level examinations taking place after completion of the third grade of Lykeio. Additionally, students over twenty-two years old may be admitted to the Hellenic Open University through a form of lottery.
The Greek education system also provides special kindergartens, primary and secondary schools for people with special needs or difficulties in learning. Specialist gymnasia and high schools offering musical, theological, and physical education also exist.
