0 21 O Birth Rate example essay topic

Geographic Themes of Greece LOCATIONo Absolute- Latitude: 3900 North- Longitude: 2200 East of the prime meridian Relative Locationo Spatial: - borders the countries Albania, Bulgaria, Turkey and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia- Borders the Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea Relative Locationo Direction and Distance- 6241 miles NE of Dallas, Texas - 324 miles S of Sofia, Bulgaria- 457 miles SSW of Bucharest, Romania- 646 miles ESE of Rome, Italy Size: Greece = Alabama Mercator Map of Greece ca. 1598 Conic Map of Greeceo Equidistant Conic Projection Planar Map of Southern Europeo Using azimuthal equidistant projectionPLACEPhysical Characteristics Physical Characteristicso LAND USE- 8% permanent crops- 41% permanent pastures- 20% forest and woodlands- 19% arable land- 12% other useVegetationo Olive Treeso Caper so Grape so Grasse so Fig Treeso Lemon Treeso Cypress Treeso Eucalyptus TreesVegetationo Orange Treeso Orange GrovePlantso Palm TreesClimateo Mild, wet winter so Hot, dry summer so Average Temperature 64 degrees Fahrenheit Year-Round Average Temperatures & PrecipitationSoilo Fertile Volcanic A Greek legend claims that God distributed all of the available soil through a sieve and used the stones that remained to build Greece. Bodies of Water The Corinth Canal in Greece joins the Ionian and Aegean Season The Mediterranean Sea borders southern Greece Natural Resources Bauxite o Lignite o Magnesite o Petroleum Hydro Power Pumice o Marble o The Parthenon on the Acropolis was built with solid Greek marbleLandformso Mostly mountainous with ranges extending into the sea as peninsulas or chains of islandsIslandso Over 3000 islands and outcrops surround the Greek mainland, including Crete, Corfu, Rhodes, and MykonosMountainso Mount Olympus is the highest mountain in Greeceo Mount Parnassus near Delphi Earthquakes in Greeceo On February 24, 1981, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake occurred in the Eastern Gulf of Corinth region of Greece, followed a few hours later by a magnitude 6.3 aftershock in the same region. o March 4 another shock of magnitude 6.2 occurred 25 kilometers to the northeast, causing loss of lives and extensive damage to towns on the Perachora Peninsula and along the Sardonic and Gulf of Corinth coasts. Island of The rao This island is often racked by earthquakes Human Characteristics Population Distribution Population Characteristicso 98% Greek, 2% other Population growth rate: 0.21%o Birth rate: 9.82 births/1000 population Death rate: 9.64/1000 population Life expectancy: 78.44 o Official Language: Greek o Literacy: 95%Settlement Total population: 10,601,527 o 5 million live in AthensOccupationso Services 59.2%o Agriculture 19.8%o Industry 21%Occupations More Occupations Island Occupations Fishing, sponge-fishing and handicrafts are important occupations on many Greek islandsRecreationo Greeks enjoy music, dancing, snow skiing, sailing, water sports, eating and smoking. On the Beach and On the Slopes Olympics o The original Olympic Games were first held in Greece in 776 B.C., and they will host the next Olympics in 2004 Beliefs and Ideaso Many ancient cultures created Evil Eye charms to mimic the eyes of the gods, believing that the charms could ward off evil spirits and deflect the Evil Eye, a belief still popular in the Mediterranean today. Worry Beads Many Greek people carry worry beads with them, shifting the beads to soothe the mind and alleviate some of the daily stresses the body experiencesReligiono Greek Orthodox 98%, Muslim 1.3%, other 0.7%Byzantine Church and Icons Freedom of Religion Freedom of religion is guaranteed by the Constitution, and other religious groups such as Catholics, Protestants, Jews and Moslems, have their own places of worship.

Highway Shrines Shrines erected along highways to honor those who died in accident so Often the shrines resemble a particular church Political Belief so Government- Parliamentary Republic- Gained independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1829- Independence Day March 25- Suffrage 18 years of a geo Country Name- Hellenic Republic- Capital Athens Love of Freedom Exhibiting their love of freedom, many Greek residents painted houses a vibrant blue during the Italian occupation to remind the unwelcome residents of the blue and white Greek flag. Evzones Guards The tomb of the unknown soldier is guarded by Evzones, the elite soldiers who also guard the Palace and are chosen for their height and strength. Military Military Branches- Hellenic Army- Hellenic Navy- Hellenic Air Force- National Guard- PoliceENVIRONMENTHuman ImpactWatero Greece faces water shortages due to increased demand, decreasing rainfall and penetration of salt water into supply. This directly affects crop production. o Studies suggest that crop production is likely to slow due to a combination of population growth, land use changes and water problems.

Air and Climate The influx of people into Athens from rural areas has led to congestion. The many automobiles cause pollution that threatens ancient monuments. o Air pollution can reach unhealthy levels during the hot summer months; people with respiratory conditions may experience discomfort. Smog in Athens Acid Rain Many of the monuments on the Acropolis have been removed to an indoor museum and replaced with copies to protect them from deterioration due to acid rain Lando The now bare, rocky Argive Plain was once covered with oak trees. Evidence suggests that the loss and change of vegetation was due to a human role. o By clearing the land for grazing, humans caused severe erosion to once fertile and rich lands.

Human Impact on Plants and AnimalsAnimalso Wild animals indigenous to Greece include boar, bear, wild cat, brown squirrel, jackal, fox, deer, and wolf. A rare white goat is found in Crete. o There are 358 species of birds in Greece, including the golden and imperial eagle, the vulture, several species of falcons, the hawk, owl, pelican, pheasant, partridge, woodcock and nightingale Human Impact on Marine Life The decline or disappearance of endemic marine species has arisen due to the introduction of exotic species, the mixture of fish fauna of different origin, or species isolation by dams or irrigation system so Endangered Fish- Moussakas - Thesalogovios Habitat Destruction A decrease in both nomadic animal breeding and in the populations of herbivorous animals, has led to a reduction in available prey sought by large mammals. o Threatened Mammals- Brown bear- Jackals- Badgers- Deer- Kri-kri Marine Fauna Squid, octopus, red mullet, lobster, prawn, shrimp, crab, oyster, mussel, and cockle are abundant. Dolphins are often seen leaping close to shore. The island of Zakynthos is home to the giant loggerhead turtle car etta-car etta. Cats Cats roam freely throughout Athens Calendars featuring the Cats of Greece are sold in tourist shopsDogso Cramped living quarters mean most Athenians cannot have dogs at hone. They care for, feed, and pet the many strays who call the streets of Athens home.

Movements People, Products and Ideas- Some 5 million Greek people live abroad- The recent influx of immigrants has caused concern for some Greeks, who attribute the rising crimes rates to these new immigrants- These immigrants serve as a readily available low cost labor force, thus in some way helping the Greek economy. People Recent immigrants are changing the demographic makeup of GreeceImmigrantso Father and son immigrants beg on the streets of AthensProductso Exports- $12.4 billion- manufactured goods, food, beverages, fuels- export partners: - Germany- Italy- France- UK- USo Imports- $27.7 billion- manufactured goods, foodstuffs, fuels, chemicals- import partners: - Italy- Germany- France- UK- Netherlands- US Agricultural Products The main agricultural products of Greece are cereals, vegetables, tobacco, currants, olives and olive oil, citrus fruit, grapes, almonds, figs, rice and cotton. Livestock farming is mainly limited to goats and sheep. Ideaso Some of the social and political movements in Greece are as follows: o PASOK (Socialist Movement) o Nea Dimokratia (New Democracy) o DIK KI (Democratic Social Movement) o Communist Party o Synaspismos (Coalition of the Left and Progress) o Paremvassi - Citizens Union Physical Regionso The main geographic divisions of Greece are: - (1) the northern region which includes Epirus, Macedonia and Thrace; - (2) Central Greece and Thessaly; - (3) the Peloponnese which is separated from the mainland by the Corinth Canal; - (4) the islands of the Aegean Sea to the east of the mainland, the Ionian islands to the west, and Crete, the largest Greek island, to the south. Human Regionso The largest city and capital of Greece is Athens, with a population near 5 million. o Thessaloniki is the second largest city, with nearly one million inhabitants. o Other large cities include Piraeus, the main port of Greece, Patras, Volos, Larissa and Iraklion..