Category: Greece (Page 2 of 2)

A nation’s economy dictates its ability to compete on an international stage, over time government overspending and overborrowing has led Greece to financial crisis. Greece has repeatedly faced bankruptcy; its consolidated gross debt has surpassed 200% of GDP1 (Petrakos et al., 2022). Greece surpassed its gross debt making borrowing money impossible and higher debt, the Euro has traded higher than the USD, and through the course of 2 years trades at the same rate (1.07). The single currency plummeted 12 per capita against the US dollar (Paul 2022). The Eurozone in its attempts to rescue Greece implemented debt relief packages, where the eurozone finance ministers implied that Greece would need much more help. Greece had to implement various reforms and maintain primary budgets to prevent debt from taking over (Economic Swot 2023). This shows the pressure on Greece to be aware of their spending to be able to meet quotas, not taken into account will result in unwieldy debt.

Greece in its attempt to recover its economy brought the ideas of international growth, developing an economic slump. The year 2023 brought the largest contribution (15.5%) towards the GDP, with national funds and EU funds being invested in public investment eventually transforming Greece into an attractive investment (Pelagidis & Kostika, 2023). In regards to fashion, attracting investors was easy since the fashion industry has been a growing market, and with technology being on the rise, Greek designers are gaining recognition globally. The Greek fashion e-commerce market has been predicted to reach $1,648.9 million by 2023 (Apparel eCommerce Market in Greece, 2022). A Strong performance increase of 40% as well as the gross fixed capital investment increase of 8.2% both contributed to an economic growth of 8.3% (Loannidis et al., 2023). Particularly, it was unexpected for the Greek economy to recover, but currently going through stages where it increases and evolves, with the help of technology and investing in e-commerce it has exceeded all expectations.

There are many valuable resources that each country provides that make it unique, Greece is rich in natural resources. Southern Europe has a vast amount of natural resources such as iron which can be found in the northern part of Greece, in the Thrace region (Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, 2018). The Southern European countries consist of Albania, Andorra, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Gibraltar, Greece, Holy See, Italy, Macedonia, Malta, Portugal, San Marino, Slovenia, Spain, and Yugoslavia, and they all contribute to natural resources throughout the region. Iron ore contributes to Greece’s mining industry due to the country’s geographic location, and countries such as Albania rely on Greece for iron imports. Natural resources found in Greece are lignite, petroleum, bauxite, lead, zinc, nickel, magnesite, marble, salt, and hydropower potential (Central Intelligence Agency, 2023). Lignite can be used to produce electricity, making the electricity system offer affordable energy, ultimately promoting economic growth in the country (Lignite in the Greek energy system, 2020).  Natural resources within the region promote the growth of the GDP, creating positive revenue for the Greek economy.

Forest management contributes to the ecosystems, and is crucial in the battle against climate change and global warming. The trees in the forest form canopy function as thermal insulators and buffer microclimatic conditions affecting biological and ecological processes (Haesan et al., 2021). Forest management in South Europe differs by country, but they all focus on the commitment that they have to ensure the health of their forests (Schelhaas et al., 2018). Management and regulations differ by country based on their specific environmental conditions and regulations. Still, all have the same goal of preserving their forest regions and the life that may live within. The Ministry of Environment and Energy controls the conservation and manages biodiversity, forests, and climate change (Papaspyropoulos et al., 2023). Agencies such as The Ministry of Environment addresses environmental concerns, implement policies to preserve forest and come together with local communities to raise awareness to contribute to the well being of the environment.

Greek has many dishes, two would be Baklava and Pastitsio, Baklava contains nuts and butter with sugar, and after baking sweet syrup is poured over it so that it can be absorbed by the layers of phyllo, which is a very thin dough without a rising agent such as yeast. Pastitsio is a baked pasta dish that includes ground beef and bechamel sauce usually eaten with mixed greens, wine vinegar, and extra virgin olive oil (White, 2023). These foods are just a small example of the many delicious dishes Grecians create.

Figure 5: Baklava

Figure 6: Pastitsio

Greece has a mixture of cultures with various ethnicities and religions. Ethnic groups in Greece include Albanians, Romans, Aromanians, Macedonians, and Turks (Chepkemoi, 2019). Greek is the main language spoken in Greece but other languages are spoken as well as Armenian, Albanian, Macedonian Slavic, Romani, Turkish, and Bulgarian. Foreign languages are also spoken, mainly English with 48%, but also German, French, and Italian (Sawe, 2019). In Greece, 98% of Greeks are Christian Orthodox, and the rest of the population are Muslims, Roman Catholics, and Jewish (Greek Culture). There is a mixture of different cultures with multiple ethnic groups, languages, and religions happening in Greece.  

Dress in Greece is known for draped clothing in ancient times. The two most common garments that were worn by women were the Peplos and the Chiton. Both garments are long tunics, and the Chiton is a lighter outfit made of linen or lighter wool that was a folded large rectangle and was half draped in the front and back (Ancient Greek and Roman Clothing). Even though Greeks wore draped clothing it was made of light material due to the hot summers since Greece is part of the Mediterranean. Greeks wear modern-style clothing daily but wear traditional regional costumes for festivals and national holidays (Jaracz). Greeks have progressed with their clothing like any other country and now wear modern clothing, but they wear draped clothing to festivals to express their culture. From marble sculptures, the public assumes Greeks wore mainly white garments, but their clothing used many colors such as yellow, red, light green, gray, and violet, and the fabric of their tunics was held with girdles, pins, and buttons (Polyzoidou, 2021). Ancient Greek clothing is known for having drapes and being only white but the clothing is worn with several colors.

Figure: 8 Peplos and Chiton Garments

Welcome to Greece

καλως ηρθες στην ΕΛΛΑΔΑ

Figure 9: Greek Flag