Economy, Transportation

Greece has 117,000 km (72,700 mi) of roads, of which about 10,000 km (about 6,000 mi) are classified as national highways. Improved roads and growing prosperity among Greeks led to a major increase in car ownership between 1977 and 1998, from 67 vehicles per 1,000 people to 348. Traffic congestion and the accompanying pollution are major problems in Athens, and to a lesser extent in Thessaloniki. The Athens subway, still under construction in the late 1990s, is expected to ease Athens’s notorious traffic problems. As of 1999, public transportation in the capital consisted of an overcrowded bus system and one small commuter rail line.

The state-run railroad system is relatively small, with lines totaling 2,299 km (1,429 mi). The railroad system on the Peloponnisos is narrow gauge, which limits the speed at which trains can travel and the freight that they can carry. Greece’s national airline, Olympic Airways, maintains an extensive domestic network and also flies to numerous international destinations. The airline has experienced frequent financial problems and labor disputes. The two largest international airports are Hellinikon Airport at Athens and Thessaloniki-Macedonia Airport at Thessaloniki. In 1999 a new airport was under construction at Spata, near Athens.

Greece has one of the largest merchant marines in the world. In 2001, 1,529 ships were trading under the Greek flag, totaling (without cargo) 28.7 million gross registered tons. The leading Greek seaports are Piraeus (near Athens), Patrai, Thessaloniki, Iraklion, and Volos. Domestic shipping has declined as the country’s roads have improved. A ship canal cuts through the Isthmus of Corinth, which connects the Peloponnisos to mainland Greece. Completed in 1893 to shorten the sea route from Italy to Athens, the canal’s usefulness is limited because it is relatively shallow and narrow. A network of ferries links Piraeus and other mainland ports with the country’s numerous islands.