Greece is south of the Balkan Peninsula, and its neighbouring countries are Albania, Turkey, the Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) and Bulgaria. The country borders on: Albania 282 km, Bulgaria 494 km, Turkey 206 km and the Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) 246 km. There is 13,676 km of coastline, and the country includes 3,054 islands. The autonomous Church Republic Athos (Agio Oros), with 1,536 inhabitants, is also considered to be part of the country. Greece has 51 prefectures (nomoi): Achaia, Etoloakarnania, Argolida, Arkadia, Arta, Attiki, Chalkidiki, Chania, Chios, Dodekanisos, Drama, Evros, Evrytania, Evvoia, Florina, Fokida, Fthiotida, Grevena, Ilia, Imathia, Ioannina, Iraklio, Karditsa, Kastoria, Kavala, Kefallinia, Kerkyra, Kilkis, Korinthia, Kozani, Kyklades, Lakonia, Larisa, Lasithi, Lefkas, Lesvos, Magnisia, Messinia, Pella, Pieria, Preveza, Rethimno, Rodopi, Samos, Serres, Thesprotia, Thessalonica, Trikala, Viotia, Xanthi, and Zakynthos. After fighting a war with Turkey between 1821 and 1829, Greece became a kingdom. The king by heredity was Otto, son of the King of Bavaria. Although the country proclaimed independence on 13 January 1822, it was in reality granted on 3 February 1830 (with the London Documents). The Greek state was formed with 800,000 inhabitants, and consisted of the Peloponnese, Central Greece and the Cyclades. In 1864, the Ionian islands became a part of Greece. With the Constitution of 1864 the regime of a Constitutional Monarchy was established. The new king was George I, a scion of the Danish dynasty. In 1881 sections of Epirus and Thessaly became part of Greece. The island of Crete, islands of the Eastern Aegean and Macedonia were added in 1913. The military takeover of 1909 was a total success. It exiled political parties and in August 1910 handed over power to a politician from Crete, Eleftherios Venizelos. From 1910 to 1935, the Greek political scene was dominated by the personality of Venizelos. Western Thrace became a part of the country in 1919. Between 1924 and 1935, the country was considered a republic, but became again a kingdom under George II in 1935. After World War II the Dodecanese islands became a part of Greece. Also after World War II, a plebiscite restored Greece’s monarchy. Between 1947-1949, the war of communist partisans took place against the government. Greece became a member of NATO in 1952. From 1952 to1963, Greece was ruled by the Greek Rally of Marshal Alexandros Papagos and the National Radical Union (ERE) of Konstantin (Constantine) Karamanlis. An era of reconstruction took place after the civil war under Konstantin Karamanlis. In 1963, the Center Union Party of Jorgos (George) Papandreou was elected, and it was re-elected in 1964. Papandreou governed until July 1965. King Konstantin (Constantine) who acceded in 1964, forced Papandreou to resign. In 1967 a military junta suppressed civil liberties, established special military courts, and dissolved political parties - King Constantine fled to Italy. The country had a military dictatorship until 1974, lead by Jorgos Papadopoulos. In 1973, following student protests at the Athens Polytechnic University, General Dimitrios Ioannides replaced Papadopoulos and tried to continue the dictatorship on his own. Karamanlis returned from exile in France and his newly organised New Democracy (ND) party won elections held in November 1974, after which he became prime minister. The Parliament approved a new constitution and elected Constantine Tsatsos to be president of the republic. The monarchy was put to an end. In 1977, the New Democracy party again won a majority of seats. In May 1980, Prime Minister Karamanlis was elected to succeed Tsatsos as president. George Rallis was then chosen party leader and succeeded Karamanlis as Prime Minister. In elections held in October 1981, Greece elected its first socialist government under Andreas Papandreou and his Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK). Greece joined the European Union (EU) in 1981. Papandreou was re-elected prime minister in 1985. In the meantime there was a New Democracy government, which lost its place in the September 1993 elections, bumped out by Andreas Papandreou's PASOK party. Papandreou was replaced by Costas Simitis on 18 January 1996, who led the Socialists to an election victory on 22 September 1996. The Socialists held power in the 2000 elections. Since 2004 Nea Dimokratia has been in power, after years of PASOK government. Konstantinos Karamanlis, relative of the former prime minister, became prime minister. In February 2005 the Greek Parliament elected Karolos Papoulias to the post of Hellenic Republic President. The 76-year-old former foreign minister was the sole nominee for the post and became the 6th elected president of the III Hellenic Republic with a record number of votes from the ruling New Democracy and the main opposition Socialist Party of PASOK parliamentary deputies. He gave the oath before the Parliament on 12 March when the term ended for former President Kostis Stephanopoulos (also sometimes written as Konstantinos Stefanopoulos or Stephanopoulos), who had the position between 1995 and 2005. Greece was involved in the Cyprus conflict in 1974, when Greek army officers served in the National Guard of Cyprus. The country still has political conflicts with its neighbour in the north, the Republic of Macedonia, over that country’s name (Macedonia). The name is not acceptable to officials in Athens because  Macedonia is also the name of a northern Greek province (Macedonia, capital Thessalonica). Officials in Athens only use the name FYROM (Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) or “Skopje” when referring to their neighbour. Greece officially continued to recognise only one minority, the “Muslims” of western Thrace, and there was recognition of the Jewish minority.  For that reason, though many Roma were evicted from their homes before the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens in order to make space for new infrastructure for the games, hardly any effective, adequate or timely compensation was given. Turks (who dominate the “Muslim” minority in north-eastern Greece), Macedonians (the Slavic population), Roma and others have not been recognised as minorities and continued to face serious discrimination. Greece has had conflicts in the past with Turkey, mostly over the definition of the continental reef of Aegean islands (pertaining to the expansion of territorial waters to 12 nautical miles, and air space to 10 nautical miles). Greece, along with 11 European Union (EU) members, adopted the Euro as its new common currency in January 2002. In August 2004 Athens hosted the Summer Olympic Games. In January 2005 all lights in Greece fell on Helena Paparizou as she was chosen to represent Greece in Eurovision and in May Europe was dancing to the beat of "My Number One", after Greece earned first place in the Eurovision song contest. In February 2005 the Piraeus Examiner issued an arrest warrant against Archimandrite Iakovos Giosakis for a string of penal charges, as well as his involvement in an extra-judicial clique. At the same time, the Holy Synod decided to suspend Metropolitan Bishop Panteleimonas of Attica due to his involvement in an extra-judicial network. Under the shadow of never-ending disclosures, on 7 February the Holy Synod decided to set up a three-member committee made up of Metropolitan Bishops to carry out a probe into the accusations against top-ranking priests. In March the crisis that afflicted the Greek Church escalated. Part of the Holy Synod accepted the resignation of Metropolitan Bishop Theoklitos of Thessaliotida, who was reportedly implicated in the extra-judicial network. At the same time, Volos Public Prosecutor V. Tsiardakas brought criminal proceedings against Apostolos Vavilis for issuing a fake passport. On 9 March 2005 Archbishop Christodoulos sent a letter to the economy minister asking for an administrative and financial audit on all churches and monasteries of the Church of Greece. Former Metropolitan Bishop Panteleimon of Attica was referred to trial for embezzlement, charged with taking 100 million drachmas (300,000 Euro) in 1996 and 1997 from the Osios Efraim Monastery in Nea Makri. In April 2005 after 13 years of talks, an agreement was reached to build the Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline, transferring oil from the Caspian Sea to the Aegean. The political memorandum for its construction was signed in Sofia by the development ministers of Greece and Bulgaria and the energy minister of Russia. The oil pipeline should carry 35 million tonnes of oil per year, and will stretch 285 km. In November 2005 Greek President Karolos Papoulias cut short a trip to Albania following protests against him. The protestors held placards, chanted mottoes for the liberation of Cameria and spoke of territorial claims against Greece. Papoulias was due to meet Albanian President Alfred Moisiu in the southern Albanian town of Saranda. He decided to return to Greece after some 150 demonstrators gathered outside the hotel where he was due to meet Moisiu. On 1 December 2005 the chairman of the Greek Public Power Corporation (PPC) announced his resignation to the prime minister, and sent it in writing the next day. In December 2005 an appeal hearing for terrorist group 17 November (members of which were arrested by police in 2002) made headline news, as did a bomb that injured three people at Syntagma Square in Athens. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) 2007 report on the Greek economy forecasts that growth rates will remain high, that fiscal deficit will drop (not below the 3% limit set by the eurozone) and that inflation will amount to 3%. Greece is a parliamentary republic; its constitution became law on 11 June 1975, with amendments in 1986 and 2001. The Parliament (Vouli ton Ellinon) has 300 seats. The President of the Republic is elected by members of the Parliament and serves for a five-year term, renewable only once. Parliamentary parties include: Nea Dimokratia (New Democracy - ND) with 165 seats, Panellino Socialistiko Kinima (Pan Hellenic Socialist Movement – PASOK) with 109, Kommounistiko Komma Ellados (Communist Party - KKE) with 12, the Coalition of Radical Left (SYN) with 9, as well as 5 independent seats. Greece is a member of the UN, NATO, the Council of Europe, OSCE and the EU.