Byron Kotzamanis

University of Thessaly | UTH · Department of Planning and Regional Development

Η δημογραφική εικόνα στην Ελλάδα διαφέρει σήμερα σημαντικά από αυτήν των πρώτων μεταπολεμικών δεκαετιών, ενώ έντονες διαφοροποιήσεις καταγράφονται σε περιφερειακό και ενδοπεριφερειακό επίπεδο. Η εικόνα διαφέρει όχι μόνον από Περιφέρεια σε Περιφέρεια αλλά και στο εσωτερικό κάθε μιας από αυτές, ανάμεσα στις Περιφερειακές Ενότητες και τους Δήμους, συχ...

In this paper, we use the joinpoint regression analysis to examine the fertility transition in Greece from 1960 to 2020 after constructing period fertility rates, such as the total annual fertility rates, age-specific fertility rates and mean age of mothers at childbearing for the overall number of births and by birth order. The sources of the empi...

[Η επισκόπηση της δημογραφικής μας ιστορίας καθίσταται δυσχερής εξαιτίας, κυρίως, της ένδειας πηγών και δεδομένων ως και της περιορισμένης αξιοπιστίας και ασυνέχειάς τους μέχρι και τα μέσα της δεκαετίας του 1950. Η περίοδος αυτή σημαδεύτηκε από τις συνεχείς αλλαγές των συνόρων, την εγκατάσταση πληθυσμών στη μητέρα-πατρίδα, την έξοδο μειονοτικών πλη...

This article provides an overview of fertility trends during the last decade; a period marked first by the economic and then by the “refugee crisis” affecting both the intensity of migratory flows and foreigners’ profile settled in Greece. The analysis employs datasets on births by age and parity of Greek (“nationals”) and foreigner nationals (“for...

A comprehensive analysis of historical economic recessions in developed nations confirms the significant impact of social and economic crises on fertility rates. Across different countries, these effects exhibit common characteristics, such as a modest influence on overall fertility rates, delays in the timing of first childbirth linked to later ma...

The demographic profile of Greece at the end of the 2010s differs significantly from that of the post-WWII period. The population has increased by over three million, and Greece’s residents are exceptionally unequally distributed in space, live longer, are aging, have fewer children and contract fewer marriages, they divorce easily, the structure o...

[Οι πρόσφατες δημογραφικές εξελίξεις έχουν οδηγήσει στην Ελλάδα στην ευαισθητοποίηση των πολιτικών και στη λήψη -ή ακόμη σε εξαγγελίες/προτάσεις λήψης- μέτρων, όπως για παράδειγμα η πρόσφατη κυβερνητική εξαγγελία για ένα «Εθνικό Σχέδιο για το Δημογραφικό». Το «Σχέδιο» αυτό δε θα πρέπει να λαμβάνει υπόψη όμως μόνον το σύνολο των συνιστωσών του «δημο...

The public debate regarding the demographic problem in Greece is increasingly focused on “underfertility”, and so the yearly vital statistics are awaited with particular interest. The recently-released 2022 data were quite surprising, given the 10% decrease in birth rates compared to 2021 due to the pandemic, which, combined with the increased of d...

The COVID-19 pandemic led to a significant increase in deaths and to a decrease in life expectancy, both in Greece and in all EU member states. Whether Greece was more or less affected than other European countries is a recurring question in the public debate and the media. To answer to this question, the indicator “deaths by COVID-19 per 1 million...

ΠΕΡΙΛΗΨΗ Ο πληθυσμός του πλανήτη μας αυξάνεται και θα συνεχίσει να αυξάνεται φθάνοντας τα 10 περίπου δισεκατομμύρια πριν το τέλος του 21ου αιώνα σύμφωνα με το ενδιάμεσο σενάριο των προβολών των Ηνωμένων Εθνών. O πληθυσμός όμως της Ευρώπης, με βάση το ίδιο σενάριο, όχι μόνον δεν θα αυξηθεί, αλλά αντιθέτως θα μειωθεί τις επόμενες δεκαετίες. Ποιες εί...

Declining fertility and increasing life expectancy in Greece have led to an increase in the elderly population, which is unlikely to be reversed in the coming decades, as the number of people over 65 will increase while the overall population declines. Attention is mainly focused on the changing relationship between the working and non-working age...

The world population has been growing rapidly raising fears of overpopulation. At the same time, the recent United Nations' demographic projections (2022) suggest that it will continue to grow for several decades to come. More specifically, having increased eightfold between 1800 and 2022, the world population has already exceeded 8 billion and wil...

A comparison between the de jure population resulting from the consecutive censuses of 2011 and 2021 in Greece shows a decrease in Greek citizens by 187 thousand. This decrease is smaller than expected, given that during this period the natural balance of the Greek citizens is negative by 407 thousand, while their net migration balance is also nega...

Discussions regarding the demographic problem in Greece are increasingly focused on the limited number of births and on the decades-long low Total Fertility Rates (<1.5 children per woman), both of which are significantly different to those of the first post-war decades. The decline of births comes as a result of the significant post-war changes in...

A long-neglected issue, population ageing is at the forefront of public discussion in Greece today. The debate is focused mainly on the economic effects of the increased percentage and number of people aged 65 and over at the national level, while often economic indicators are inaccurately associated with demographic ones. At the same time, there i...

The recently communicated provisional results of the 2021 census in Greece confirm the expected population decline during the last decade which was marked by three separate crises: the economic, the "refugee" and the epidemiological. This decrease (-384 thousand or -3.55%) is lower than expected (-485 thousand) by an estimation based on the natural...

This article examines mortality trends in Greece from 1980 to 2019, a period characterized by extremely rapid economic growth at first and a deep recession after that. During these years, increases in life expectancies are recorded. These indicators can still mask marked differences in the transition from general mortality to specific causes of dea...

The overall natural balance in Greece after 2010 is consistently negative -for the first time after the end of the Second World War, contributing to the reduction of its population. Given that during the three last decades foreigners increased significantly (from 200 thousand in 1991 to about 900 thousand today), the question arises as to the exten...

The evolution of living patterns of elderly population aged 80 years and over: a first approach This article focuses on the main changes of aging and "great aging" in Greece. Especially, the changes in living arrangements of people aged 80 and over between 1991 and 2011 are examined at national and sub-national levels. The analysis is based on the...

This issue examines the contribution of the natural balance to the decrease of the population of Greece between 1/1/2011 and 1/1/2021 at national and regional levels. The analysis shows that this demographic "atony" characterizes the whole country and not only some parts. Thus, few Regional Units (12 only out of 74) had more births than deaths, whi...

This issue examines the contribution of the natural balance to the decrease of the population of Greece between 1/1/2011 and 1/1/2021 at national and regional levels. The analysis shows that this demographic "atony" characterizes the whole country and not only some parts. Thus, few Regional Units (12 only out of 74) had more births than deaths, whi...

This issue examines the contribution of the natural balance to the decrease of the population of Greece between 1/1/2011 and 1/1/2021 at national and regional levels. The analysis shows that this demographic "atony" characterizes the whole country and not only some parts. Thus, few Regional Units (12 only out of 74) had more births than deaths, whi...

This article provides an overview of trends in fertility of foreign and national women in Greece, Spain, and Italy during the last decade and before the Covid pandemic. It focuses on the fertility of foreigners and compares this with that of ‘nationals’. The main analysis focuses on a period marked, firstly, by the economic recession and stagnation...

The population of Greece has been constantly declining after 2010, and the next census will confirm it as the resident population at the end of 2021 will be, if the coverage of the population in these two censuses will not differ significantly, 450.-500.00 less than in 2011. Waiting for the results of the 2021 census, and limiting to a nine-year p...

The population of Greece has been constantly declining after 2010, and the next census will confirm it as the resident population at the end of 2021 will be, if the coverage of the population in these two censuses will not differ significantly, 450.-500.00 less than in 2011. Waiting for the results of the 2021 census, and limiting to a nine-year p...

Demographic developments in Greece and, especially, the decline of the total population and demographic ageing causing great concern. These trends, not expected to change in the next few decades, are more and more reported by the media as well as by the politicians. Thus, the demographic ratios that show the proportions between the different age gr...

Greece, demographic and economic ratios, claim and arguments in view of demographic ageing Demographic developments in Greece and, especially, the decline of the total population and demographic ageing causing great concern. These trends, not expected to change in the next few decades, are more and more reported by the media as well as by the poli...

COVID-19 has affected all developed countries and, so far, particular emphasis has been placed on the effects of the pandemic on mortality. However, the question that arises is whether it will affect only mortality and not the other key demographic components, especially in countries such as Greece, affected significantly by the economic crisis in...

COVID-19 has affected all developed countries and, so far, particular emphasis has been placed on the effects of the pandemic on mortality. However, the question that arises is whether it will affect only mortality and not the other key demographic components, especially in countries such as Greece, affected significantly by the economic crisis in...

In this short text, utilizing the recent data (2019) of the Hellenic Statistical Authority, we focus on the excessive use of caesareans (55% of all births, almost twice the average of the OECD member countries in 2017) that rank Greece in the first position among the 35 member countries of this organization and in the 10 highest positions in the Wo...

In this short text, utilizing the recent data (2019) of the Hellenic Statistical Authority, we focus on the excessive use of caesareans (55% of all births, almost twice the average of the OECD member countries in 2017) that rank Greece in the first position among the 35 member countries of this organization and in the 10 highest positions in the Wo...

COVID-19 has affected all developed countries, and deaths worldwide are likely to reach 3,000,000 by the end of 2021. So far, particular emphasis has been placed on the effects of the pandemic on mortality. However, the question that arises is whether it will affect only mortality and not the other key components of population reproduction (fertili...

The population of Greece increased remarkably after 1950 (+3.1 million). Simultaneously, considerable changes have taken place in the main demographic components (mortality, fertility, migration). These changes resulting in an unequal spatial distribution, more older people than before, living more years, giving birth to fewer children, having less...

Mortality developments in Greece have been detailly analyzed and discussed with the aid of period data. However, any relevant studies from the cohort perspective are absent. Such studies are of great importance because period analysis and analogously the estimation of the relevant life expectancies can give a distorted picture of the real temporal...

During their history, Greece, Italy and Spain, part of the greater Mediterranean area, where migration flows (immigration as well as emigration) are among the most intense in the world, have not ceased to be simultaneously attractive and repulsive. The last decade, however, was a pivotal decade. These three countries have progressively faced massiv...

This paper examines the evolution of mortality in Greece, Spain, and Portugal before and during the recent economic crisis. The analysis is based on the construction of life tables for 1990-2017 and the study of changes in life expectancies and probabilities of death of main age groups, as well as the evolution of cause-specific mortality rates. In...

Recently, the “Development Plan for the Greek Economy – Final Report” was publicized. This plan, which includes a multitude of interesting statistical data, arrives at ascertainment by setting ‘ambitious’ aims (increase in per capita income, enhancing social cohesion, circular economy, green growth, productivity growth, export increase, etc.), the...

Mortality developments in Greece have been analyzed and discussed with the aid of period data. However, any relevant studies from the cohort perspective are absent. Such studies are of great importance because period analysis, and analogously the estimation of the relevant life expectancies, can give a distorted picture of the real temporal trends...

A research ptoject finaced by the Hellenic Foundation for Recearch and Innovation

This work examines the evolution of post-war mortality in Greece, focusing especially on the period 1995-2017. The analysis is based on Eurostat's data, and in particular, on three key indicators (life expectancy at birth and 65 years, as well as, healthy life at 65 years).The main questions are a) what are the gains of life expectancy in Greece af...

In this article, we outline the evolution of demographic aging in Greece as well as the main factors (fertility decline, life expectancy increase) that have led to an increase in the population and a rising of the proportion of the elderly in the general population. We are also looking at the irreversible path of aging in the coming decades (an inc...

Πρόσφατα η κυβέρνηση έλαβε μέτρα για την αντιμετώπιση του δημογραφικού προβλήματος επικεντρωμένα στην στήριξη της οικογένειας και των γεννήσεων. Στο άρθρο αυτό, μετά από μια πρώτη έκθεση των υφιστάμενων τάσεων εξετάζουμε την πιθανή επίδραση στην γονιμότητα των ληφθέντων “ποσοτικών” μέτρων και στη συνέχεια εκθέτουμε πως αναμένεται να εξελιχθούν την...

Το δημογραφικό «πρόβλημα» στην Ελλάδα συζητείται, ως γνωστόν, κατά την τελευταία τριακονταετία. Οιανησυχίες επικεντρώνονται σε μια από τις δημογραφικές συνιστώσες, τη γονιμότητα, η οποία -μαζί με τηνμετανάστευση- επηρεάζει καθοριστικά, την εξέλιξη του πληθυσμού (τόσο το μέγεθος όσο και την κατανομή τουανά ηλικία) και προφανώς και τηδημογραφική γήρα...

Οι δημογραφικές εξελίξεις μας προβληματίζουν την τελευταία τριακονταετία. Η βασική ανησυχία αφορά την πορείαμιας από τις δημογραφικές συνιστώσες (της γονιμότητας) και τα κυριότερα μέτρα μέχρι πρόσφατα αφορούσαν κυρίως στην επιδοματική ενίσχυση των οικογενειών με 4 -και εν συνεχεία με 3- και περισσότερα παιδιά ως και σε κάποιεςδιευκολύνσεις για τις...

Ο πληθυσμός της Ελλάδας στην μεταπολεμική περίοδο αυξήθηκε σημαντικά (από 7,6 εκατομ. το 1951 στα 10,7 το 2017) και παράλληλα έχει γεράσει σημαντικά. Στο άρθρο αυτό παρουσιάζονται συνοπτικά οι αλλαγές του μεγέθους και των ηλικιακών δομών του πληθυσμού ως και: i) η εξέλιξη των φυσικών μεταναστευτικών ισοζυγίων ii) η εξέλιξη των βασικών δημογραφικών...

Η Ελλάδα στα τέλη της δεκαετίας του 2010, δημογραφικά, διαφέρει σημαντικά από αυτήν της πρώτης μεταπολεμικής περίοδού. Είμαστε περισσότεροι απ’ ότι το 1950, αλλά, ταυτόχρονα, ζούμε πολύ περισσότερα χρόνια, είμαστε πιο γερασμένοι, κάνουμε λιγότερα παιδιά και λιγότερους γάμους, χωρίζουμε πιο εύκολα, η δομή των νοικοκυριών και των οικογενειών μας έχει...

Foreword In the decades 1980, 1990 and 2000, south-eastern European countries underwent major politi-cal, economic and social upheavals the demographic effects of which are even today far from being precisely measured. To these effects, that spread tension and crises caused in the past, more ones of dubious character could be brought about in the...

Name to count, count to measure, measure to understand, understand to act. The use of population statistics in Greece The collection of population data is based on some distinct conditions, i.e. inscription of enumerated persons in the civil registers, the place of their presence at census day and the place of their usual residence. These criteria...

The Western Balkans: a Europe demographically different and diverse The Western Balkans did not differ demographically from the zone extending from the Baltic to the Iberian Peninsula, characterized by higher fertility and mortality compared to the western and northern parts of the European continent. Despite the effects of the conflicts and crise...

• Post-war fertility in Greece, trends and ruptures Greece is characterized by a delayed demographic transition (started as late as at the end of XIXth century) taking place without interruption until the'30s. For the three first post-war decades, it was considered as a special and atypical case as TFR seemed to ensure population reproduction unti...

Overview of Greek demographic statistics at national and infranational levels (<1940) This paper provides a overview of the demographic data available in Greece on population and vital statistics at national and sub-national level since 1940. The first objective is to present a detailed overview on the availability of these data (classified accor...

Recent mortality developments in Greece at national and regional level • The aim of this paper is the examination of the mortality developments in the first years of the 21st century in Greece, at national and sub-national level (UTS1 regions according to the European Classification system). The analysis is based on complete and abridged life tab...

International migrations in Greece during the last decades: inversion of tendencies and refugees waves Throughout its history, Greece has not ceased to be simultaneously a land of attraction and repulsion, within a much larger group -the Mediterranean world- where migratory ebbs and flows are among the most intense in the world. The 1980s, howeve...

Greece: a mosaic of voids and demographic overflows In Greece, the combined play of demographic factors has led to shifts and significant inflections and ruptures since the end of World War II. During this period, total population growth took place to the detriment of the countryside and in the interest of urban areas (especially those of Athens...

La crise actuelle en Grèce et ses conséquences sur la population ABSTRACT Depuis la fin des années 2000, la Grèce traverse une crise économique profonde : le déficit budgétaire est passé en 2010 a plus de 15% et la dette publique a plus de 145% du PNB. Au cours des 7 dernières années, les mesures imposées par la communauté internationale ont cond...

Α) Total population The population of Greece increased significantly during the post-war period (7,6 millions in 1951, 10,7 millions in 2017), while, at the same time it has aged significantly. The present paper provides a brief presentation of the changes in population size and age structure during the post-war period as well as:  the evolution o...

Most research on the relationship between economic conditions and fertility has shown that fertility has a procyclical relationship with economic growth. We examine this relationship by investigating the implications of the current economic crisis on fertility in Greece. Given the brief time period since the start of the economic crisis in Greece (...

Η Ελλάδα μετά τα τέλη της δεκαετίας του 80 μεταβάλλεται από χώρα εξόδου σε χώρα εισόδου, και τα δεδομένα των τελευταίων απογραφών το επιβεβαιώνουν: Οι αλλοδαποί ανέρχονται στην απογραφή του 1981 σε 180.000 άτομα (εκ των οποίων 63% από τις πλέον ανεπτυγμένες χώρες αποτελώντας λιγότερο από το 2% του συνολικού πληθυσμού). Μια δεκαετία αργότερα, στην α...

This chapter focuses on four stakes: (i) the huge demographic changes of the Western Balkans, and the mobility issue namely due to a re-bordering process since the end of the Yugoslavian wars ; (ii) the undeniable income rise but also rising social disparities; (iii) an economy which is just recovering with strong geographical fragmentation; (iv) i...

A systematic review of past economic recessions occurred in developed countries confirms that social and economic crises often have serious effects on fertility while, beyond national differentiations, these effects have certain characteristics, e. g. a weak effect on generational fertility;an postponement on the timing of first birth, closely rela...

It is fairly well established that empirical mortality data sets are often characterized by a number of limitations and deficiencies, the most common of which is a pronounced tendency in age declaration to “round-off” to certain preferred digits. Another typical limitation of such data is that they are often provided only in aggregated forms or/and...

During the post-war years, the daily births in the developed countries suggest a systematic decline in Sundays and in a lesser degree in Saturdays too. This fact is related to practices of the medical profession as for obvious reasons, they plan their working hours. Such practices have a significant impact on hospital infrastructure as they cause o...

La récente réforme administrative Kallikratis en Grèce1 a débouché sur un nouveau découpage administratif du pays, désormais constitués de 326 municipalités, 74 unités régionales, 13 régions et 8 administrations décentralisées. Les nouveaux dèmes qui en grande majorité sont le résultat de l’unification des anciens dèmes Kapodistria2, sont nettement...

La récente réforme administrative Kallikratis en Grèce1 a débouché sur un nouveau découpage administratif du pays, désormais constitués de 326 municipalités, 74 unités régionales, 13 régions et 8 administrations décentralisées. Les nouveaux dèmes qui en grande majorité sont le résultat de l’unification des anciens dèmes Kapodistria2, sont nettement...

The analysis of the evolution of the Greek population starts to generate a real interest in the middle of 80’s almost exclusively due to the significant decline of the birth rates, which revealed a sudden and rapid decline of fertility. This absence of major interest in population studies until the early 80’s was mainly due to the fact that the maj...

Η Ελλάδα έχει δεχθεί την τελευταία εικοσαετία πλήθος αλλοδαπών προερχομένων τόσο από ευρωπαϊκές χώρες όσο και από χώρες της Ασίας και της Αφρικής και οι μη έχοντες ελληνική υπηκοότητα και διαμένοντες στην χώρα μας εκτιμάται ότι υπερβαίνουν πλέον το 1 εκατομμύριο (10% του συνολικού πληθυσμού). H συμβολή των αλλοδαπών στη μεταβολή του πληθυσμού της χ...

La grande majorité des pays de l’Europe élargie ont procédé à un re¬censement de population et des logements, autour de l’an 2000. D’un pays à l’autre, de sérieuses divergences peuvent être observées tant au niveau du ca¬dre législatif, des modes d’organisation, qu’au niveau des techniques et instruments utilisés. Dans un tel contexte, on peut réel...

Με τις τελευταίες διοικητικές αλλαγές δημιουργήθηκαν στη χώρα μας 326 δήμοι, 74 περιφερειακές ενότητες, 13 περιφέρειες και 8 αποκεντρωμένες διοικήσεις. Οι νέοι αυτοί δήμοι, οι περισσότεροι από τους οποίους προήλθαν από την συνένωση των παλιών Καποδιστριακών δήμων είναι προφανώς μεγαλυτέρου μεγέθους, ο δε μόνιμος πληθυσμός τους κυμαίνεται, στην απογ...

Πριν από ένα εξάμηνο (10 έως 24 Μαΐου) η Ελληνική Στατιστική Αρχή (ΕΛΣΤΑΤ) διεξήγαγε τη γενική απογραφή πληθυσμού-κατοικιών στη χώρα μας, και λίγο αργότερα (27-7-2011) ανακοίνωσε τα πρώτα προσωρινά αποτελέσματα1 που αφορούν τον συνολικό μόνιμο πληθυσμό των «καλλικρατικών» δήμων ανά φύλο. Τα προσωρινά αυτά δεδομένα, όπως διευκρίνισε η ΕΛΣΤΑΤ, προήλθ...

Ο αριθμός των γεννήσεων στην χώρα μας αυξήθηκε την τελευταία ενδεκαετία, από 100,6 χιλ. το 1999 σε 117,9 χιλ. το 2009 (+17 %). Που οφείλεται όμως η αύξηση αυτή; στην αύξηση του συνολικού πληθυσμού της χώρας που από 10,86 εκατομ. το 1999 έχει φθάσει 11,30 εκατομ. στα τέλη του το 2009 (εκτιμήσεις ΕΛΣΤΑΤ), στη ν αύξηση του αριθμού των γυναικών αναπαρα...

Zbornik "Migracije, krize i ratni sukobi na Balkanu s kraja 20. veka" sadrži izbor prevedenih radova sa međunarodnog naučnog skupa koji je pod naslovom "Migracije, krize i nedavni ratni sukobi na Balkanu / Migrations, crises et conflits récents dans les Balkans / Migrations, Crises and Recent Conflicts in the Balkans" održan u Beogradu od 27. do 29...

The Olympic Village settlement was constructed under the responsibility of Workers Housing Organization during the preparation of the 2004 Olympic Games. It is a new city with 2.292 housing units which was developed in a very short time period (3.5 years) via the system of organized planning. It is situated in an area outside of the urban fabric of...

From the early 1990s, Greece has been experiencing a strong immigration flow consisting of various nationality groups with different demographic profiles and structures. The immigrant population is not uniformly distributed spatially and consists of various nationality groups with different demographic behaviours. Therefore, the examination of the...

Με μέσο όρο 1,34 παιδιά ανά γυναίκα το 2017 (Συνθετικός Δείκτης γονιμότητας), η Ελλάδα έχει όπως οι άλλες χώρες του Ευρωπαϊκού νότου και οι περισσότερες από τις πρώην σοσιαλιστικές χώρες από τους χαμηλότερους δείκτες συγχρονικής γονιμότητάς στην ΕΕ, όπου ο μέσος όρος το ίδιο έτος ανέρχεται σε 1,59 παιδιά/γυναίκα. Οι δείκτες γονιμότητας στην χώρα μα...

The two recent population censuses in Greece clearly show that during the last two decades, Greece is shifting from a traditional emigration country to an immigration one. The considerable alteration of the migration profile of Greece led to a significant amount of literature referring to the social, economic and demographic dimensions of this phen...

The objective of this article gives prominence to the demographic disparities at regional level in Greece for the post war period as well as to the changes through the last decades that tend to decrease them, ending the beginning of 2000 with a relative spatial homogenization. The research is based on the examination of the changes of the populatio...

The objective of this article gives prominence to the demographic disparities at regional level in Greece for the post war period as well as to the changes through the last decades that tend to decrease them, ending at the beginning of 2000 with a relative spatial homogenization. The research is based on the examination of the changes of the popula...

Three basic questions are under consideration in today?s demographic community: a) the European geography of demographic behaviors allows us to consider the geopolitical area of S.E. Europe as uniform and clearly distinguished from the rest of Europe, b) to what extent the observed recent evolutions in the ex "socialist" S.E. European countries are...

Demographic ageing (continuous increase of the percentage of old people of a population) depends on the evolutions of fertility, mortality and migration as well as on the age structure of the population which reflects the changes of the three above mentioned components in the remote past. In this article we examine the consequences of each of the t...

As a geographical space, Greece is characterized by the great length of its coastline (about as long as that of the African continent) and the big number of islands (about 3000 inhabited and uninhabited islands). The physico-geographical split-up and discontinuity of the Greek space is a characteristic with special developmental consequences, since...

La Grèce était, jusqu'au éclatement de l'ex-Yougoslavie, le seul pays des Balkans caractérisé par une forte homogénéité religieuse et linguistique. Toutefois, dans la partie nord-est du pays, en Thrace (carte 1), dans deux parmi les trois Départements de la région (Xanthi et Rhodope), une population chrétienne cohabite depuis des siècles avec une p...