During the Middle Ages, Greece was occupied by the Byzantine Empire which was Greek speaking. Modern Greece was formed in 1832 and the Greek state took its present form after the Second World War.

Since 1981, Greece is part of the European Union and lately, the country has adopted the European currency, Euro.

Another part of the Greek heritage are the Olympic games. Greece is the birthplace of this major event as it was held there for the first time in 776 BC. The first modern Olympic Games were also held in Greece in 1896 AD and, after a long period the Games will be held again at their birthplace in 2004.