The industry of Greece and its characteristics

According to historians, the concept of private property, as well as the origins of modern capitalism, is still in Ancient Greece. For the whole history of the country's economy, its economy has passed a number of tests, which include the Ottoman yoke, fascist occupation and dependence on other states. Whatever it was, the main problem with which the local Ministry of Industry has always faced is a limited supply of natural resources.

Modern History

In the sixties of the twentieth century, Greece was finally transformed into an industrial-agrarian state. Since that time, the share of industry in the economy of the country was 34%, while half of the local GDP, as before, was formed at the expense of the service sector. Whatever it was, during this period the industrial development of the country significantly accelerated. The Ministry of Industry called the main reasons for such a significant jump, above all, attracting significant foreign investment. At the same time, it is necessary to note the stimulus measures carried out by the government at that time, which led to the emergence of large manufacturing companies and the expansion of the geography of foreign trade relations. Plus, in the country there was a centralization and concentration of production. As of today, more than half of the Greek industry is controlled by local and foreign monopolies.

Accession to the European Union

The industry of Greece to the EU, as it is now, focused mainly on the domestic market. Along with this, even his relatively modest requests, she was completely unable to fully satisfy. The country became a member of the European Union in 2001. This event had a double meaning for the entire local economy. At first, it was a strong impetus for the growth of industrial production, which eventually transformed into a sharp and protracted decline. Experts suggest that the main reasons for this are inefficient state legislative policies and corruption. As a result, the country quickly became the most unattractive in the EU in terms of investment.

General characteristics of the Greek industry

The industry of Greece can be briefly described as very disproportionate. This applies both to the distribution of the country's territory and its sectoral structure. This situation develops in many other small European capitalist states. Some directions important for any economy are completely absent here (for example, machine-tool construction and the aviation industry). The country is dominated by the industry, which is related to the light industry. In particular, the most developed in Greece are the food, textile, clothing, shoe and tobacco industries. Over the past decade, petrochemicals, metallurgy, cement production, electrical engineering, and the mining sector have been of great export importance.

The fastest pace of industrial production in Greece is in the metropolitan area, known as Piraeus. Here, more than 65% of the state's production capacity is concentrated. The only city that in industrial development can at least somehow compete with Athens, you can call Thessaloniki. The other relatively large centers are Volos, Patras and Heraklion.

Light industry

As already mentioned above, Greece's light industry as of today plays a key role in the manufacturing sector of the state. This is especially true for the textile industry, since it is the most important export industry. More than 80% of exports of its products are in the UK, Germany and France.

Quite developed is also such a direction as the food industry. Here we should highlight the production of sugar, because it fully meets the domestic needs of the country. The largest factories for the production of this product are located in Xanthi, Larissa, Sere and Plati.

Mining industry

An important for the local economy is the mining industry in Greece. The most important and widespread rocks here can be called bauxite, brown coal, as well as iron and nickel ores. On the territory of the state there are a lot of different deposits, but the majority of them can not boast of abundant reserves. In Greece, many bauxites are mined. Their deposits are located mainly in the central part of the country, as well as near the mountains of Parnassus and Gyon. By their number in the bowels of the earth, the state is considered one of the European leaders.

In addition, since ancient times Greece has been famous for the extraction of copper, lead, silver, and also some other types of metals. One of the oldest mines on the planet is located on the peninsula of Attica, not far from the city of Lavrion. It annually produces about 18 thousand tons of lead, as well as an average of 15.5 tons of silver. Not bad reserves of asbestos and chrome iron ore were found relatively recently in the northern regions of the country. In the eastern part of the Peloponnese and in Thrace, sulphide complex ores are extracted, which contain some metals. Since the time of antiquity, the state was famous for its entire continent with its marble of various colors. Careers that specialize in its production are still functioning today. Most of them are located in the territory of Attica and several other islands. Whatever it was, one can not but note the nuance that this material does not play such a big role for the country's economy today as it used to.

Metallurgy

On the territory of the state there are no more than one dozen companies that work in the field of ferrous metallurgy. Such industrial enterprises of Greece operate in three regions - Greater Athens, Volos and Thessaloniki. The local metallurgical industry is dominated by the smelting of ferronickel and aluminum. Not far from the port of Itea, in the Parnassian bauxite deposit area, there is a factory for the production of alumina and aluminum. Its average annual capacity exceeds the mark of 140 thousand tons of metal. In the central part of the country there is a factory for the production of ferronickel.

Mechanical engineering

Like most other industries, engineering in the state is concentrated mainly in Greater Athens. Here, spare parts for various equipment are produced, as well as equipment for winemaking and agriculture. Whatever the case, the scope does not fully cover the domestic needs for this product. The shipbuilding industry in Greece is represented by a large shipbuilding complex located in the same area. On its territory, not only construction is carried out, but also repairs of various vessels of different class and size, for which small shipyards are provided.

Power Engineering

The country can not boast of large reserves of energy resources. There are practically none at all. The only exception can be called only brown coal-lignite. Its total reserves are quite large and are estimated at 5 billion tons. However, this raw material is not of high quality. The main deposits are located on the Peloponnese Peninsula in the vicinity of Ptolemans. The use of alternative sources is gaining momentum.

Whatever it was, there is every reason to assume that the energy industry in Greece will soon develop more intensively. The matter is that some time ago oil deposits were discovered in the Aegean Sea, near the island of Thasos. Their reserves, according to preliminary estimates, are about 19 million tons. In addition, gas reserves are also nearby.

Chemical industry

The chemical industry in Greece is well developed within the Greater Athens. Local factories specialize in the production of mineral fertilizers, all kinds of acids, ammonia, turpentine oil, artificial fiber, and polyvinyl chloride. Most of them are later exported to many countries in Europe and the world. A very important role for the Greek economy is the production of cement. The fact is that it is almost entirely based on the use of its own raw materials. Eloquent is the fact that in terms of cement export in the world the country is second only to Japan and Spain.