What is Central Europe? Does it really exist?

[Peter Nirsch]

what are estonia , latvia , lithuania ?

eastern europe ? northern europe ?

Estonia is North, it's culturally linked to Finland, the other ones are East.

[FeederOfRavens]

the western borders of Central Europe define the western borders of the Poland and Czech rep.

I would extend that border west to the Elbe. If there's such thing as central europe then Poland and Czech-land is most definitely a part of it.

[Raikaswinþs]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Europe

Cultural divisions.

That map should include Most of the Spanish and Northern Portuguese Atlantic coast as Western Europe.

Also I would Argue that the Spanish Interior (Castile, Leon, Extremadura, La Mancha and Aragon) ; a region the size of old Yugoslavia Region of Spain is Neither Western nor Southern Region but something unique that could be described as Continental South-West.7

Catalonia I would describe as South-Western Europe, whereas the genuinely Southern European regions of Iberia would be Andalusia, Valencia, Murcia and the Balearic Islands as well as Portugal south of Lisbon.

The Canary Islands I will argue as well they form their own unique cultural region (or subregion) which I would describe as mid-atlantic mediterraneans or middle-worlders; I would ask fellow Portuguese if they think the other regions of Macaronesia (Azores, Madeira) would also fit in that description; Canary Islands have a population that is mostly of Mediterranean European origin but with a strong ancient north-african componet in lineages, culturally almost exclusively Latin and mediterranean (with their own particularities, some probably due to Guanche heritage but mostly due to the geography of their land) but historically organized as a settled overseas territory.

[EL_BARBARO]

I believe this map is really made up with the tip of a penis, being honest.

[Brasileiro]

That map should include Most of the Spanish and Northern Portuguese Atlantic coast as Western Europe.

For me not. Spain, Portugal are clearly Southern Europe.

[Neon Knight]

We must include all of European Russia . . .



. . . and when we do, we can see that Central Europe is Poland and its neighbours. But it is merely a geographical concept nowadays.

[Raikaswinþs]

For me not. Spain, Portugal are clearly Southern Europe.

Iberia is divided into several cultural subregions, the Northern Atlantic coast fits definitely better in Western Europe than in Southern (Weather, diet, schedule etc is closer to The rest of the bay of biscay than to lets say the Plateau, or the Guadalquivir valley, let alone the Canary Islands)

Quintessentially Southern European (As in Mediterranean weather + diet + outdoorsy culture + landscapes & architecture etc) you have also Andalusia (Bigger than Serbia) Murcia (Bigger than Kosovo) Valencia (about the size of Albania) and Southern Portugal too, Specially Algarve. Catalans are mostly Southern European too, but they have an idiosyncrasy that is closer to Milano or Marseille than let's say, to Athens or Seville. Therefore I would classify them as South-Western.

The Canary Islands are Southern European in culture and lineages, but climate, diet, lifestyle etc, are closer to Puerto Rico than they are to Asturias or Cantabria.

They are all Iberian in lineages and core culture (Romance Speakers+Christian+ Latin Law and Customes), but due to the geographical distances and diversity of econosistems and neighbourhoods in which each Spanish prople inhabit, each has their own particularities.

[Sandman]

Poland is located in the East, from a geographical and cultural point of view it hasnot much to spare with Central Europe.

I hope this will answer your doubts.

[XvThomas_LysergicV]

According to Google:

This is what I consider Central Europe. Poland is an Eastern European country to me, I've always seen the bottom half of Germany as part of Central Europe and rest of it as Western Europe.

[mikhail]

There's no such thing.

Central Europe = something made up so that insecure Eastern Europeans could feel more Western.