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The term "Greek" refers to people native to or descended from Greece. Historically, ancient Greek civilization, from around 1200 BCE to 323 BCE, was a period of significant achievements in politics, philosophy, art, and science that profoundly influenced Western civilization. The Greek language, a branch of Indo-European languages, has been spoken from prehistoric times to the present.123

Modern Greece's population is ethnically diverse due to historical migrations and invasions, though the government promotes a unified Greek identity. While officially recognizing only a religious minority (Muslims in Thrace), Greece's population includes people identifying as Turks, Macedonians, Albanians, Aromanians, and Roma. Greek communities also exist internationally. The dominant religion is the Greek Orthodox Church.45

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