Greece
GANG INFORMATION
Paphos police hunt teen burglar gang
Famagusta Gazette - Ayia Napa,Famagusta,Cyprus
APR.08 Paphos police are on the hunt for a gang of young burglars who are responsible for a string of break-ins in the district. The gang is thought to be ...
See all stories on this topic
Protection gang suspected in coffee shop blast near Athens
International Herald Tribune - France
AP ATHENS, Greece: Police in Greece say they suspect involvement of a protection racketeering gang in a bomb attack on a coffee shop near Athens that gutted ...
PROFILE
OFFICIAL NAME:
Hellenic Republic
Geography
Area: 131,957 sq. km. (51,146 sq. mi.; roughly the size of Alabama).
Major cities: Capital--Athens. Greater Athens (pop. 3,566,060),
municipality of Athens (772,072), Greater Thessaloniki (pop. 1,057,825),
Thessaloniki (824,633), Piraeus (182,671), Greater Piraeus (880,529),
Patras (170,452), Iraklion (132,117), Larissa (113,090).
Terrain: Mountainous interior with coastal plains; 1,400-plus
islands.
Climate: Mediterranean; mild, wet winter and hot, dry summer.
People
Population (March 2001 est.): 10,964,020 million. (Immigrants
make up approximately 10% of the population.)
Growth rate: 0.21%.
Languages: Greek 98% (official); Turkish, others. Albanian is
spoken by approximately 700,000 Albanian immigrants. English is
the predominant second language.
Religions: Greek Orthodox (approximately 97% of citizens), with
Muslim, Jewish, Catholic, Protestant, and other religious communities.
Education: Years compulsory--9. Literacy--97.5%. All levels are
free.
Health: Infant mortality rate-- 6/1,000. Life expectancy--male
77 years, female 82 years.
Work force: 4.5 million.
Government
Type: Parliamentary republic.
Independence: 1830.
Constitution: June 11, 1975, amended March 1986, April 2001.
Branches: Executive--president (head of state), prime minister
(head of government). Legislative--300-seat unicameral Vouli (parliament).
Judicial--Supreme Court. Council of State.
Political parties: New Democracy (ND), Panhellenic Socialist Movement
(PASOK), Communist Party of Greece (KKE), Coalition of the Left
(SYNASPISMOS), and Popular Orthodox Rally (LAOS).
Suffrage is universal and mandatory at 18.
Administrative subdivisions: 13 peripheries (regional districts),
51 nomi (prefectures).
Economy (2005 est.)
GDP: $225 billion.
Per capita GDP: $20,521
Growth rate: 3.6%.
Inflation rate: 3.5%.
Unemployment rate: 10%.
Natural resources: Bauxite, lignite, magnesite, oil, marble.
Agriculture (8% of GDP): Products--sugar beets, wheat, maize,
tomatoes, olives, olive oil, grapes, raisins, wine, oranges, peaches,
tobacco, cotton, livestock, dairy products.
Manufacturing (22% of GDP): Types--Processed foods, shoes, textiles,
metals, chemicals, electrical equipment, cement, glass, transport
equipment, petroleum products, construction, electrical power.
Services (70% of GDP): Transportation, tourism, communications,
trade, banking, public administration, defense.
Trade: Exports--$15.2 billion: manufactured goods, food and beverages,
petroleum products, cement, chemicals. Major markets--Germany,
Italy, France, U.S., U.K. Imports--$52.6 billion: basic manufactures,
food and animals, crude oil, chemicals, machinery, transport equipment.
Major suppliers--Germany, Italy, France, Japan, Netherlands, U.S.
PEOPLE
Greece was inhabited as early as the Paleolithic period and by
3000 BC had become home, in the Cycladic Islands, to a culture
whose art remains among the most evocative in world history. In
the second millennium BC, the island of Crete nurtured the maritime
empire of the Minoans, whose trade reached from Egypt to Sicily.
The Minoans were supplanted by the Mycenaeans of the Greek mainland,
who spoke a dialect of ancient Greek. During the Roman, Byzantine,
and Ottoman Empires (1st-19th centuries), Greece's ethnic composition
became more diverse. The roots of Greek language and culture date
back at least 3,500 years, and modern Greek preserves many elements
of its classical predecessor.
Eastern Orthodox Christianity is the dominant religion in Greece
and receives state funding. During the centuries of Ottoman domination,
the Greek Orthodox Church preserved the Greek language and cultural
identity and was an important rallying point in the struggle for
independence. There is a centuries-old Muslim religious minority
concentrated in Thrace and an estimated 300,000 Muslim immigrants
living elsewhere in the country. Smaller religious communities
in Greece include Old Calendar Orthodox, Catholics, Protestants,
Jews, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Mormons.
Greek education is free and compulsory for children between the
ages of 6 and 15. Overall responsibility for education rests with
the Ministry of National Education and Religious Affairs. Private
colleges and universities (mostly foreign) do have campuses in
Greece despite the fact that their degrees are not recognized
by the Greek state. Entrance to public universities is determined
by state-administered exams.
HISTORY
The Greek War of Independence began in 1821 and concluded in 1830
when England, France, and Russia forced the Ottoman Empire to
grant Greece its independence under a European monarch, Prince
Otto of Bavaria.
At independence, Greece had an area of 47,515 square kilometers
(18,346 square mi.), and its northern boundary extended from the
Gulf of Volos to the Gulf of Arta. Under the influence of the
"Megali Idea," the expansion of the Greek state to include
all areas of Greek population, Greece acquired the Ionian islands
in 1864; Thessaly and part of Epirus in 1881; Macedonia, Crete,
Epirus, and the Aegean islands in 1913; Western Thrace in 1918;
and the Dodecanese islands in 1947.
Greece entered World War I in 1917 on the side of the Allies.
After the war, Greece took part in the Allied occupation of Turkey,
where many Greeks still lived. In 1921, the Greek army marched
toward Ankara, but was defeated by Turkish forces led by Ataturk
and forced to withdraw. In a forced exchange of populations, more
than 1.3 million refugees from Turkey poured into Greece, creating
enormous challenges for the Greek economy and society.
Greek politics, particularly between the two world wars, involved
a struggle for power between monarchists and republicans. Greece
was proclaimed a republic in 1924, but George II returned to the
throne in 1935. A plebiscite in 1946 upheld the monarchy, which
was finally abolished by referendum on December 8, 1974.
Greece's entry into World War II was precipitated by the Italian
invasion on October 28, 1940. Despite Italian superiority in numbers
and equipment, determined Greek defenders drove the invaders back
into Albania. Hitler was forced to divert German troops to protect
his southern flank and overran Greece in 1941. Following a very
severe German occupation in which many Greeks died (including
over 90% of Greece’s Jewish community) German forces withdrew
in October 1944, and the government-in-exile returned to Athens.
After the German withdrawal, the principal Greek resistance movement,
which was controlled by the communists, refused to disarm. A banned
demonstration by resistance forces in Athens in December 1944
ended in battles with Greek Government and British forces. Continuing
tensions led to the outbreak of full-fledged civil war in 1946.
First the United Kingdom and later the U.S. gave extensive military
and economic aid to the Greek Government. In 1947, Secretary of
State George C. Marshall implemented the Marshall Plan under President
Truman, which focused on the economic recovery and the rebuilding
of Europe. The U.S. contributed hundreds of millions of dollars
to rebuilding Greece in terms of buildings, agriculture, and industry.
In August 1949, the Greek national army forced the remaining
insurgents to surrender or flee to Greece's communist neighbors.
The insurgency resulted in 100,000 killed, 700,000 displaced persons
inside the country, and catastrophic economic disruption. This
civil war left Greek society deeply divided between leftists and
rightists.
Greece became a member of NATO in 1952. From 1952 to late 1963,
Greece was governed by conservative parties--the Greek Rally of
Marshal Alexandros Papagos and its successor, the National Radical
Union (ERE) of the late Constantine Karamanlis. In 1963, the Center
Union Party of George Papandreou was elected and governed until
July 1965. It was followed by a succession of unstable coalition
governments.
On April 21, 1967, just before scheduled elections, a group of
colonels led by Col. George Papadopoulos seized power in a coup
d'etat. The junta suppressed civil liberties, established special
military courts, and dissolved political parties. Several thousand
political opponents were imprisoned or exiled to remote Greek
islands. In November 1973, following an uprising of students at
the Athens Polytechnic University, Gen. Dimitrios Ioannides replaced
Papadopoulos and tried to continue the dictatorship.
Gen. Ioannides' attempt in July 1974 to overthrow Archbishop
Makarios, the President of Cyprus, brought Greece to the brink
of war with Turkey, which invaded Cyprus and occupied part of
the island. Senior Greek military officers then withdrew their
support from the junta, which toppled. Leading citizens persuaded
Karamanlis to return from exile in France to establish a government
of national unity until elections could be held. Karamanlis' newly
organized party, New Democracy (ND), won elections held in November
1974, and he became Prime Minister.
Following the 1974 referendum, the Parliament approved a new
constitution and elected Constantine Tsatsos as president of the
republic. In the parliamentary elections of 1977, New Democracy
again won a majority of seats. In May 1980, the late Prime Minister
Karamanlis was elected to succeed Tsatsos as president. George
Rallis was then chosen party leader and succeeded Karamanlis as
Prime Minister.
On January 1, 1981, Greece became the 10th member of the European
Community (now the European Union). In parliamentary elections
held on October 18, 1981, Greece elected its first socialist government,
the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK), led by Andreas Papandreou.
In 1985, Supreme Court Justice Christos Sartzetakis was elected
president by the Greek parliament. PASOK under Papandreou was
re-elected in 1985.
Greece had two rounds of parliamentary elections in 1989; both
produced weak coalition governments with limited mandates. In
the April 1990 election, ND won 150 seats and subsequently gained
2 others. After Prime Minister Mitsotakis fired Foreign Minister
Andonis Samaras in 1992, the rift led to the collapse of the ND
government and a victory in the September 1993 elections for Andreas
Papandreou's PASOK.
On January 17, 1996, following a protracted illness, Prime Minister
Papandreou resigned and was replaced by former Minister of Industry
Constantine Simitis. In elections held in September 1996, Constantine
Simitis was elected prime minister. In April 2000, Simitis and
PASOK won again, gaining 158 seats to ND's 125. Most recently,
parliamentary elections were held March 8, 2004 and ND won 165
seats to PASOK’s 117; Konstantinos Karamanlis, ND leader
and the nephew of the former prime minister, became prime minister.
Karolos Papoulias was elected President by Parliament in February
2005.
Greece's exemplary success in hosting a safe and secure 2004
Summer Olympics in Athens has enhanced its international prestige.
The 2004 Olympics and Paralympics left an impressive and expensive
legacy of new roads, spectacular stadiums, and modern public transportation
systems, which the PASOK government began in 1997 and the New
Democracy government of Karamanlis completed in 2004.
GOVERNMENT AND POLITICAL CONDITIONS
Greece is a parliamentary republic whose constitution was last
amended in April 2001. There are three branches of government.
The executive includes the president, who is head of state, and
the prime minister, who is head of government. There is a 300-seat
unicameral "Vouli" (legislature). The judicial branch
includes a Supreme Court. Administrative subdivisions include
13 peripheries (regional districts) and 51 nomi (prefectures).
Suffrage is universal at 18.
Principal Government Officials
President-- Karolos Papoulias
Prime Minister--Konstantinos Karamanlis
Foreign Minister--Dora Bakoyannis
Ambassador to the United States--Alexandros Mallias
Ambassador to the United Nations--Adamantios Vassilakis
Greece’s embassy in the United States is located at 2221
Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20008; tel: (202) 939-1300;
fax: (202) 939-1324.
Greece also maintains consulates in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles,
New York, San Francisco, Atlanta, Houston and Tampa.
ECONOMY
Greece adopted the euro as its new common currency in January
2002. The adoption of the euro provided Greece (formerly a high
inflation risk country under the drachma) with access to competitive
loan rates and also to low rates of the Eurobond market. This
led to a dramatic increase in consumer spending which gave a significant
boost to economic growth. This credit also led to a more relaxed
fiscal policy starting in 2002, which, combined with expenditures
associated with the preparations for the Athens 2004 Olympics,
resulted in excessive deficits and debt in 2003 and 2004. The
government deficit in 2004 is now estimated by the Greek Government
to have reached 6.6% of GDP. As a result of lower post-Olympic
spending, the government deficit in 2005 is estimated to have
lowered to 4.3% of GDP, with a debt to GDP ratio of 107.9%. The
new administration has pledged to reduce the government debt to
2.6% of GDP in 2006 and to tighten fiscal finances, under an EC
excessive deficit surveillance program.
The Greek economy is estimated to have grown by 3.6% in 2005
and similar growth rates are projected through 2007. These growth
rates resulted in a drop in unemployment (to 9.8% in second quarter
of 2005 from 10.4% in the same period in 2004), although it is
still significantly higher among women and people under 27. Unfortunately,
foreign direct investment (FDI) inflow has also dropped, and efforts
to revive it have been only partially successful. At the same
time, Greek investment in Southeast Europe has increased, leading
to a net FDI outflow in some years.
Services make up the largest and fastest-growing sector of the
Greek economy. About 14 million tourists are estimated to have
visited Greece in 2005, with net revenues of about 10 billion
euros. Remittances from transport (mainly shipping) are growing,
and actually exceeded tourism receipts in 2004 and 2005. Receipts
from tourism and transport have covered a significant portion
of Greece’s large trade deficit. Industrial activity has
shown a mixed performance, with certain sectors such as the food
industry and high-tech/telecommunications showing healthy increases,
while textiles have declined. Agriculture employs about 12% of
the work force and is still characterized by small farms and low
capital investment, despite significant support from the EU in
structural funds and subsidies. Traditionally a seafaring nation,
the Greek-owned merchant fleet totaled 3,338 ships in March 2005,
8.7% of the world merchant fleet and 16.5% of world tonnage.
European Union (EU) Membership
Greece has realigned its economy as part of its transition to
full EU membership that began in 1981. Greece last held the rotating
EU presidency in the first half of 2003. Greek businesses continue
to adjust to competition from EU firms, and the government has
liberalized its economic and commercial regulations and practices.
Greece has been a major net beneficiary of the EU budget; in
2004, EU transfers accounted for 3.6% of GDP and are estimated
to have been approximately 3.2% of GDP in 2005. From 1994-99,
about $20 billion in EU structural funds and Greek national financing
were spent on projects to modernize and develop Greece's transportation
network in time for the Olympics in 2004. The centerpiece was
the construction of the new international airport near Athens,
which opened in March 2001 soon after the launch of the new Athens
subway system.
EU transfers to Greece continued with approximately $24 billion
in structural funds for the period 2000-2006. Unfortunately, bureaucratic
obstacles have led to significant delays in Greece’s absorbing
these funds, leading to the real possibility that Greece may have
to return a significant portion of them to the EU. The same level
of EU funding, $24 billion, has been allocated for Greece for
2007-2013. These funds contribute significantly to Greece's current
accounts balance and further reduce the state budget deficit.
EU funds will continue to finance major public works and economic
development projects, upgrade competitiveness and human resources,
improve living conditions, and address disparities between poorer
and more developed regions of the country.
U.S.-Greece Trade
In 2004, the U.S. trade surplus with Greece was about $1.5 billion.
There are no significant non-tariff barriers to American exports.
The United States accounted for 4.4% of Greece's imports in 2004,
which reached $52.6 billion. The top U.S. exports remain defense
articles, although American business activity is expected to grow
in the tourism development, medical, construction, food processing,
and packaging and franchising sectors. U.S. companies are involved
in Greece's ongoing privatization efforts; further deregulation
of Greece's energy sector and the country's central location as
a transportation hub for Europe may offer additional opportunities
in electricity, gas, refinery, and related sectors.
FOREIGN RELATIONS
Greece's foreign policy is aligned with that of its EU partners.
Greece gives particular emphasis to its close relations with Cyprus
but also has growing political and economic ties with the Balkan
countries and the Middle East.
Greece maintains full diplomatic, political, and economic relations
with its Southeast European neighbors, except with Macedonia (see
below), and regards itself as a leader of the region’s Euro-Atlantic
integration process. It provides peacekeeping contingents for
Bosnia, Kosovo and Afghanistan. Greece has good relations with
Russia and has embassies in a number of the central Asian republics,
which it sees as potentially important trading partners.
Prominent issues in Greek foreign policy include Greek-Turkish
differences in the Aegean, Turkish accession to the EU, the name
dispute with Macedonia, the reunification of Cyprus, Kosovo final
status arrangements, and Greek-American relations. Starting in
January 2005, Greece assumed a two-year seat on the UN Security
Council.
Macedonia
The Greek dispute with its northern neighbor over its constitutional
name, Republic of Macedonia, has been an important issue in Greek
politics since 1992 and has inhibited the establishment of full
diplomatic relations. Greece was adamantly opposed to the use
of "Macedonia" by the government in Skopje, claiming
that the term is intrinsically Greek and should not be used by
a foreign country. Mediation efforts by the UN and the United
States brokered an interim agreement whereby Greece recognized
the country as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM)
in September 1995. Talks on the name question continue under UN
auspices.
Albania
Greece restored diplomatic relations with Albania in 1971, but
the Greek Government did not formally lift the state of war, declared
during World War II, until 1987. After the fall of the Albanian
communist regime in 1991, relations between Athens and Tirana
became increasingly strained because of allegations of mistreatment
of the Greek ethnic minority by Albanian authorities in southern
Albania. A wave of Albanian illegal economic migrants to Greece
exacerbated tensions. In the past several years, however, cooperation
between Greece and Albania has improved, with efforts focused
on regional issues, such as narcotics trafficking and illegal
immigration. However, tensions hover just below the surface. Greece
remains host to 600,000-800,000 Albanian immigrants, many of them
illegal. Crime in Greece involving Albanians often attracts headlines.
Greece-Turkey-Cyprus Relations
For historical reasons, most Greeks see Turkey as the major potential
threat to their security. Greece and Turkey have unresolved disagreements
regarding the Aegean maritime boundary, the treatment of the Orthodox
Church and Greek minority in Istanbul, and the Muslim (primarily
ethnic Turkish) minority in western Thrace. The largest source
of tension in their relationship since 1974 has been the Cyprus
conflict. Various UN-led efforts over the years to resolve the
issue on a bizonal, bicommunal basis have failed: the latest attempt,
the Annan Plan, was overwhelmingly rejected by Greek Cypriots
in March 2004. Turkish Cypriots voted in favor of the plan, and
both Greece and Turkey expressed their approval. The Republic
of Cyprus entered the EU on May 1, 2004 as a divided island. The
UN is currently assessing whether the political will exists among
the interested parties to restart negotiations.
At times over the past three decades, tensions between Greece
and Turkey have almost reached the point of armed confrontation,
usually caused by one side or the other attempting to clarify
an ambiguous status quo in the Aegean. In 1996, President Clinton
intervened to help avert a possible armed exchange after Greek
and Turkish journalists generated a dispute over ownership of
a tiny, uninhabited islet called Imia (Kardak in Turkish.) A significant
breakthrough in relations took place when major earthquakes hit
Turkey and Greece in 1999. Both countries and peoples responded
generously to the other's need, helping turn around official perceptions
that rapprochement was too risky politically. Since that time,
Greek and Turkish Foreign Ministers have increased the quantity
and quality of bilateral exchanges, both official and unofficial.
Greece has endorsed and supported Turkey's bid for candidacy
to the European Union since the Helsinki EU Summit in 1999. Despite
continuing disagreements with Ankara over Cyprus and the Aegean,
Greek opinion leaders across the political spectrum are convinced
that Greece's long-term interests are best served by Turkey's
successfully fulfilling the requirements for membership and joining
the European Union. The EU opened accession talks with Turkey
on October 3, 2005.
The Middle East
Greece claims a special interest in the Middle East because of
its geographic position and its economic and historic ties to
the area. Greece cooperated with allied forces during the 1990-91
Persian Gulf War. Since 1994, Greece has signed defense cooperation
agreements with Israel and Egypt. In recent years, Greek leaders
have hosted several meetings of Israeli and Palestinian politicians
to contribute to the peace process. Greece has been traditionally
supportive of Palestinian claims. However, beginning in the late
1990s, efforts to strike a more balanced relationship with Israel
received a boost. Greek-Israeli relations have been complicated
by Israel's strategic cooperation with Turkey. Israeli President
Moshe Katsav visited Greece in 2006, the first-ever official visit
by an Israeli head of state.
U.S.-GREECE RELATIONS
The United States and Greece have longstanding historical, political,
and cultural ties based on a common heritage, shared democratic
values, and participation as Allies during World War II, the Korean
conflict, and the Cold War. The Greek Government responded to
the September 11, 2001 attacks with strong political support for
the United States, use of Greek airspace, and the offer of Greek
military assets in support of the counterterrorism campaign. Its
participation in Operation Enduring Freedom included the stationing
of a Greek Navy frigate in the Arabian Sea for almost 2 years--the
most distant deployment for the Greek Navy since WWII.
In the summer of 2002, Greek authorities captured numerous suspected
members of the terrorist group "November 17." In 2003,
15 members of the terrorist organization, which since 1975 had
killed many prominent Greeks and five U.S. mission employees,
were found guilty and convicted of more than 2,500 crimes, including
multiple counts of homicide. In December 2005, a three-judge panel
opened an appeals trial for the November 17 convicts.
There is smooth cooperation between U.S. and Greek counter-terrorism
officials. Greek and American diplomatic, law enforcement, and
intelligence agencies worked closely together in the build-up
to and throughout the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens. In
January 2006, the United States and Greece signed protocols updating
treaties covering extradition and mutual legal assistance, which
further strengthened this cooperation.
An estimated three million Americans resident in the United States
claim Greek descent. This large, well-organized community cultivates
close political and cultural ties with Greece. There are approximately
90,000 to 100,000 American citizens resident in Greece. Greece
has the seventh-largest population of U.S. Social Security beneficiaries
in the world.
The United States has provided Greece with more than $11.1 billion
in economic and security assistance since 1946. Economic programs
were phased out by 1962, but military financial assistance continued
until the early 1990s.
In 1953, the first defense cooperation agreement between Greece
and the United States was signed, providing for the establishment
and operation of American military installations on Greek territory.
The United States closed three of its four main bases in the 1990s.
The current mutual defense cooperation agreement (MDCA) provides
for the operation by the United States of a naval support facility
that exploits the strategically located deep-water port and airfield
at Souda Bay in Crete.
Principal U.S. Embassy Officials
Ambassador--Charles Ries
Deputy Chief of Mission--Tom Countryman
Management Counselor--Jeff Olesen
Regional Security Officer--Michael Darmiento
Political Counselor--Karen Decker
Economic Counselor--W. Clark Price
Public Affairs Counselor--Barry Levin
Consul General--Ann Sides
Defense Attache--Col. Thomas Tutt
Commercial Counselor--Stephen Alley
Principal Officer, Thessaloniki--Demitra Pappas
Agricultural Counselor--Geoffrey Wiggin (resident in Rome)
The U.S. Embassy in Greece is located at 91 Vasilissis Sophias
Blvd., 10160 Athens; tel: [30] (210) 721-2951 or 721-8401, after
hours 729-4444; fax: [30] (210) 645-6282. The U.S. Consulate General
for Thessaloniki is located at 43 Tsimiski Street, 546-23 Thessaloniki;
tel: [30] (2310) 242-905 or 721-2951, ext. 2400; fax: [30] (2310)
242-927, 242-924. The email address for the U.S. embassy is usembassy@usembassy.gr.
The embassy's website is http://athens.usembassy.gov/.
Greece's embassy in the United States is located at 2221 Massachusetts
Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20008; tel: (202) 939-1300; fax: (202)
939-1324.
TRAVEL AND BUSINESS INFORMATION
The U.S. Department of State's Consular Information Program provides
Consular Information Sheets, Travel Warnings, and Public Announcements.
Consular Information Sheets exist for all countries and include
information on entry requirements, currency regulations, health
conditions, areas of instability, crime and security, political
disturbances, and the addresses of the U.S. posts in the country.
Travel Warnings are issued when the State Department recommends
that Americans avoid travel to a certain country. Public Announcements
are issued as a means to disseminate information quickly about
terrorist threats and other relatively short-term conditions overseas
that pose significant risks to the security of American travelers.
Free copies of this information are available by calling the Bureau
of Consular Affairs at 202-647-5225 or via the fax-on-demand system:
202-647-3000. Consular Information Sheets and Travel Warnings
also are available on the Consular Affairs Internet home page:
http://travel.state.gov. Consular Affairs Tips for Travelers publication
series, which contain information on obtaining passports and planning
a safe trip abroad, are on the Internet and hard copies can be
purchased from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government
Printing Office, telephone: 202-512-1800; fax 202-512-2250.
Emergency information concerning Americans traveling abroad may
be obtained from the Office of Overseas Citizens Services at (202)
647-5225. For after-hours emergencies, Sundays and holidays, call
202-647-4000.
The National Passport Information Center (NPIC) is the U.S. Department
of State's single, centralized public contact center for U.S.
passport information. Telephone: 1-877-4USA-PPT (1-877-487-2778).
Customer service representatives and operators for TDD/TTY are
available Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Eastern Time,
excluding federal holidays.
Travelers can check the latest health information with the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia.
A hotline at 877-FYI-TRIP (877-394-8747) and a web site at http://www.cdc.gov/travel/index.htm
give the most recent health advisories, immunization recommendations
or requirements, and advice on food and drinking water safety
for regions and countries. A booklet entitled Health Information
for International Travel (HHS publication number CDC-95-8280)
is available from the U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington,
DC 20402, tel. (202) 512-1800.
Information on travel conditions, visa requirements, currency
and customs regulations, legal holidays, and other items of interest
to travelers also may be obtained before your departure from a
country's embassy and/or consulates in the U.S. (for this country,
see "Principal Government Officials" listing in this
publication).
U.S. citizens who are long-term visitors or traveling in dangerous
areas are encouraged to register their travel via the State Department’s
travel registration web site at https://travelregistration.state.gov
or at the Consular section of the U.S. embassy upon arrival in
a country by filling out a short form and sending in a copy of
their passports. This may help family members contact you in case
of an emergency.
Further Electronic Information
Department of State Web Site. Available on the Internet at http://www.state.gov,
the Department of State web site provides timely, global access
to official U.S. foreign policy information, including Background
Notes and daily press briefings along with the directory of key
officers of Foreign Service posts and more.
Export.gov provides a portal to all export-related assistance
and market information offered by the federal government and provides
trade leads, free export counseling, help with the export process,
and more.
STAT-USA/Internet, a service of the U.S. Department of Commerce,
provides authoritative economic, business, and international trade
information from the Federal government. The site includes current
and historical trade-related releases, international market research,
trade opportunities, and country analysis and provides access
to the National Trade Data Bank.
