Most of Russias land mass, however, is part of Asia, not Europe, as Russia is a transcontinental country, and has territory in both Europe and Asia. Few people have cause to worry about finding themselves living on the street or having crippling medical bills. Central Europe also contains countries that were on different sides of the east-west divide during the Cold War. When examining the culture and society of the countries of Eastern Europe, a clear difference can be seen in family structures. Mediterranean Europe is an area that includes Eastern Spain, Southern France, Italy, Croatia, Greece, Montenegro, and Albania. For example, in the Netherlands, 96% of adults say speaking Dutch is important for being truly Dutch. People often describe a decreasing population as a problem or a demographic crisis. However, a forever-increasing population is a doomed Ponzi scheme. This includes Armenia and Georgia where the balance of opinion favors government support for religious values and beliefs as well as Russia, where 42% of adults say the government should promote religion. Your email address will not be published. Life in Western Europe is different from Eastern Europe. All these countries are part of different subregions of Europe as defined by the UN Geoscheme. Also, the people in Romania speak a language with romance roots, which is called the Romanian language. In Western Europe, there are a variety of reasons why many adults who were raised Christian have become unaffiliated. But not everyone across Western Europe feels this way. People speak languages with Slavic roots. Majorities in all European nations polled in 2011 said guaranteeing that nobody is in need is more important. (+1) 202-419-4300 | Main The most common facial features that Russians have are a strong jawline, high cheekbones, and light-colored eyes. Western Europe refers to the western part of Europe. Compared to North American whites, the nose was much broader in East Asians and sub-Saharan Africans, the nose was longer and more prominent in Middle Eastern and Southern European populations (Greeks), the eyes were spaced farther apart in East Asians and some Middle Eastern populations, and the face was broader in East Asians. Europes six biggest squares are all in Eastern Europe. By the way, the economy in some eastern European countries (Poland, Romania and Hungary) is relatively close to the Italian, Spanish and Portuguese or Scandinavian countries economy. Once there, you'll discover friendly and welcoming cultures, with a heavy Russian influence. Catholic-majority countries are prevalent in the central and southwestern parts of Europe, cutting a swath from Lithuania through Poland, Slovakia and Hungary, and then extending westward across Croatia, Austria, Italy and France to the Iberian Peninsula. That brings us to their greatest trait: resilience. Germany is the most populous country in Western Europe, with a population of approximately 83 million, while France has a population of about 63 million. And still others simply lean toward the East on most issues, as Poland does on views of national identity and Muslims, as well as same-sex marriage and abortion. To summarize an entire way of life in a whole continent, much less one that contains around 50 countries, is no easy task. Amongst 269 samples of Savonians (Eastern Finns), 92.2% of them belong to Haplogroup N. In Portugal, for example, the vast majority of adults say that being born in Portugal (81%) and having a Portuguese family background (80%) are very or somewhat important to being truly Portuguese. These sentiments also are widespread among adults in Italy and Spain. Latin American Culture & Traditions | What is Latin America? Lithuania (33% flat tax) and Latvia (25%) followed. That said, on balance, Central and Eastern Europeans are more likely than Western Europeans to say that religion is very important in their lives, that they attend religious services at least monthly, and that they pray every day. Westerners aim for a fierce and confident look, while Asians are more geared towards a 'light' and more natural look. In The Hidden Europe, I also examine 17 negative traits that Eastern Europeans have in common. The GDP of Romania in year 2017 is $467 billion and PPP is approximately $25000. Just over half in the U.S. (53%) say religion is very important in their life,nearly double the share who hold this view in Poland, which registered the highest percentage among EU nations polled in 2015. Belief in the evil eye is also common in Central and Eastern Europe. 1615 L St. NW, Suite 800Washington, DC 20036USA Though the Cold War has long past, there is still a struggle for influence in Eastern Europe. Life in European cities is different from the country. 3. What is the Physical Geography of Europe? All the countries of Northern Europe, except the UK, Iceland, and Norway, are now part of the EU. Life in this part of Europe is even more laid-back and relaxed than further north. Its a pity we dont copy Eastern Europe and seal off vast areas in our city center for walkers. Meanwhile, far fewer Western Europeans say they are currently Christian than say they were raised Christian. The surveys included interviews with Muslims, Jews and other religious minorities. The subregion is home to two of Europes biggest political and economic powers, France and Germany. Along with the inventions of the industrial revolution, countries have been able to gain a high economic development rate. The rest of this report will look at more cross-regional comparisons, including: Christianity has long been the prevailing religion in Europe, and it remains the majority religious affiliation in 27 of the 34 countries surveyed. Get counterintuitive, surprising, and impactful stories delivered to your inbox every Thursday. People drive faster, talk to the neighbors less, and work longer hours. Try refreshing the page, or contact customer support. While large majorities across the continent say they were baptized Christian, and most European countries still have solid Christian majorities, the survey responses indicate a significant decline in Christian affiliation throughout Western Europe. succeed. A similar divide emerges between Central/Eastern Europe and Western Europe with regard to accepting Jews into ones family. In some other cases, Central European countries fall between the East and the West. For example, 83% of adults in Hungary and 82% of adults in Poland say it is very or somewhat important to have been born in their country to be truly Hungarian or truly Polish. And 72% of Russians say it is important to have Russian family background to be truly Russian.. Orthodoxy is the dominant faith in the East, including in Greece, Russia, the former Soviet republics of Moldova, Armenia, Georgia, Ukraine and Belarus, and other former Eastern bloc countries such as Serbia, Romania and Bulgaria. Western Europeans also are less likely to say they are certain of their belief in God. The breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s resulted in much bloodshed. These differences emerge from a series of surveys conducted by Pew Research Center between 2015 and 2017 among nearly 56,000 adults (ages 18 and older) in 34 Western, Central and Eastern European countries, and they continue to divide the continent more than a decade after the European Union began to expand well beyond its Western European roots to include, among others, the Central European countries of Poland and Hungary, and the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. People speak romance languages and those with Germanic roots as well. People in Central and Eastern Europe also are more likely than Western Europeans to say being born in their country and having family background there are important to truly share the national identity (e.g., to be truly Romanian; see here.). Although Eastern Europeans havent learned how to market their declining populations as a positive attribute, they can show the world the vast benefits of everyone getting more elbowroom. Poland, Hungary, Croatia, Greece, and Slovenia are considering flat taxes. How abortion is regulated around the world. The Iron Curtain that once divided Europe may be long gone, but the continent today is split by stark differences in public attitudes toward religion, minorities and social issues such as gay marriage and legal abortion. (See Religion in Latin America: Widespread Change in a Historically Catholic Region and Tolerance and Tension: Islam and Christianity in Sub-Saharan Africa.) In Western Europe, on the other hand, in no country does a majority express belief in the evil eye. In seven Central and Eastern European countries, however, the view that church and state should be separate falls short of a majority position. But Southern Europe is more than just the ruins of ancient civilizations. Another common eastern European facial feature is a wide nose. Research shows that spending more time on social media is associated with body image issues in boys and young men. Today, most of the Balkan states are part of the EU and NATO, as are most of the countries of Southern Europe in general. Theres one characteristic that all Eastern Europeans share, from Finland to Macedonia, from Slovenia to Ukraineits toughness. Religious attendance in Western Europe is poor. And in Ukraine, politicians have expressed plans to apply for membership in the future. Crime is low, even in cities, making Western Europe very safe. And although the divide is less stark, Western Europeans are more likely to express acceptance toward Jews in their neighborhoods as well. Life in Eastern Europe has more and more in common with the West every day, especially in cities, where fast food chains are now common. The Baltic States, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, are Northern Europes newest countries, having regained their independence upon the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. For more on how the European Court of Justice has handled these issues, see Ferraro, Francesca, and Jess Carmona. The U.N. Geoscheme does not necessarily reflect the former or current geopolitical divisions of Europe. Not only is religious affiliation on the decline in Western Europe, religious commitment also is generally lower there than in Central and Eastern Europe. Compared with Western Europeans, fewer Central and Eastern Europeans would welcome Muslims or Jews into their families or neighborhoods, extend the right of marriage to gay or lesbian couples or broaden the definition of national identity to include people born outside their country. Compared with the rest of the world, the entire European continent has relatively low levels of traditional religious practice (e.g., church attendance, prayer), but they are slightly higher in Central and Eastern Europe than in the West. This pattern holds across the region; young adults in nearly every Central and Eastern European country are much more conservative on this issue compared with both younger and older Western Europeans. Taken together, these and other questions about national identity, religious minorities and cultural superiority would seem to indicate a European divide, with high levels of religious nationalism in the East and more openness toward multiculturalism in the West. In many of these countries, the surveys show that people are less receptive to religious and cultural pluralism than they are in Western Europe challenging the notion of universal assent to a set of European values. 4Religion is significantly less important to Europeans than to Americans. In fact, the opposite is true: In Western Europe, young adults (ages 18 to 34) are less likely than their elders to regard birthplace and ancestry as crucial to national identity, while in Central and Eastern Europe, young adults and older people are about equally likely to feel this way. One final eastern European facial feature worth mentioning is a fair . The Western European region is very much advanced in its economy. Although there is no longer a physical east-west barrier in Europe, there still exists a faint, but measurable, cultural and economic divide. Life satisfaction differs all over Europe depending on social and economic factors which aid or contribute positively or negatively to the landscape. The region, which includes the Balkan and the Baltic states, still has a rich culture and historical significance, and its people are famous for their hospitality. Concerning the importance of family background to national identity, there is a bigger gap between young adults in Western Europe and young adults in Central and Eastern Europe than between the adult populations as a whole. 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