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- Greek is an official language of the European Community and is rated internationally as a major world language.
- Greek is the third most widely spoken community language in Australia with close to 320 000 Australians speaking Greek.
- Over 34 000 Australians travelled to Greece in 1996 and over 18 000 Greek tourists visited Australia in 1996.
- In 1996 Greek was the fifth most widely taught language in Australia with courses being offered to 56 000 students in 750 Australian educational establishments.
- Greek is one of the strong bases of the English language particularly in the fields of literature, philosophy, medicine and science. Words such as democracy and xenophobia stem from the Greek language.
- The fundamental texts of western civilisation and Christian scriptures were formulated, written and transmitted in Greek.
- Greeks have made an important cultural and economic contribution to Australia.
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