Population

Population: 10,689,000 (1999)
Ethnic Composition: 95% Greek; 2% Macedonians; .5% Albanians; .5% Turks; 2% other (Pomaks, Israelis, Armenians).
Half of the population lives in the coastal regions, with the strongest concentration in Attica, Thessaloniki, the Ionian islands, and the western Peloponnese. The least populated regions are the Chalcidice peninsula and the mountains of Etolia and Epiros, Phocaea and Acarnania.
Population density: 77.8 inhabitants per square km
Capital: Athens, the largest urban area, is the capital, with 3,072,922 inhabitants.
Principal cities:
Thessaloniki, the capital of Macedonia, is the second largest city in Greece, with almost a million inhabitants. An important port and passageway to the Balkans, it is the principal economic and cultural center in northern Greece.
Heraklion: the biggest city in Crete
Larissa: important city in Thessaly
Principal university cities: Athens, Thessaloniki, Patras
Language: Greek
Number of students: 170,000
Foreign Students: several hundred
Origin of foreign students: Europe, Middle East, Africa.