the official language spoken in greece is greek, spoken by 99% of the population and 90% of the population as well as the republic of cyprus. it identifies as christian orthodox. many greeks also understand english, french and german, which are taught in schools. greece was a founding member of the united nations, joined nato in 1952, became a member of the european union in 1981, and adopted the euro in 2001. due to the large tourism industry, powerful shipping sector, and its geostrategic importance, it is sometimes classified as a middle power.