Re: Eastern Europe Babes / Eastern European Pornstars
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Europe
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Eastern_Europe
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_and_Eastern_Europe
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Bloc
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of the European continent. There is no consensus on the precise area it covers, partly because the term has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, cultural, and socioeconomic connotations. There are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region".[1] A related United Nations paper adds that "every assessment of spatial identities is essentially a social and cultural construct".[2]
One definition describes Eastern Europe as a cultural entity: the region lying in Europe with the main characteristics consisting of Greek, Byzantine, Eastern Orthodox, Russian, and some Ottoman culture influences.[3][4] Another definition was created during the Cold War and used more or less synonymously with the term Eastern Bloc. A similar definition names the formerly communist European states outside the Soviet Union as Eastern Europe.[4] Some historians and social scientists view such definitions as outdated or relegated,[1][5][6][7][8] but they are still sometimes used for statistical purposes.[3][9][10]
Contemporary developments
Baltic states
Current EU members
EU members in process of withdrawing: United Kingdom
Official EU candidates: Albania, Macedonia, Montenegro, Turkey, and Serbia
States that froze or withdrew their EU applications: Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland
States officially recognized as eligible to apply for EU membership: Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine.[20]
Since 1989, Eastern Bloc states gradually joined NATO, a Western military alliance.
Current members
Candidate countries
Promised membership
Membership not a goal
Undeclared intent
Main article: Baltic states
UNESCO[21], EuroVoc, National Geographic Society, Committee for International Cooperation in National Research in Demography, STW Thesaurus for Economics place the Baltic states in Northern Europe, whereas the CIA World Factbook places the region in Eastern Europe with a strong assimilation to Northern Europe. They are members of the Nordic-Baltic Eight regional cooperation forum whereas Central European countries formed their own alliance called the Visegrád Group.[22] The Northern Future Forum, the Nordic Investment Bank and Nordic Battlegroup are other examples of Northern European cooperation that includes the three Baltic states that make up the Baltic Assembly.
Estonia
Latvia
Lithuania
Caucasus
Main article: Caucasus
The Caucasus nations of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia are included in definitions or histories of Eastern Europe. They are located in the transition zone of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. They participate in the European Union's Eastern Partnership program, the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly, and are members of the Council of Europe, which specifies that all three have political and cultural connections to Europe. In January 2002, the European Parliament noted that Armenia and Georgia may enter the EU in the future.[23] However, Georgia is currently the only Caucasus nation actively seeking NATO and EU membership.
Georgia
Armenia
Azerbaijan
There are three de facto independent Republics with limited recognition in the Caucasus region. All three states participate in the Community for Democracy and Rights of Nations:
Abkhazia
Republic of Artsakh
South Ossetia
Other former Soviet states
Main article: Post-Soviet States
Several other former Soviet republics may be considered part of Eastern Europe
Belarus
Moldova
Russia is a transcontinental country where the Western part is in Eastern Europe and the Eastern part is in Northern Asia.
Ukraine
Disputed states:
Transnistria
Central Europe
Main article: Central Europe
The term "Central Europe" is often used by historians to designate states formerly belonging to the Holy Roman Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.
In some media, "Central Europe" can thus partially overlap with "Eastern Europe" of the Cold War Era. The following countries are labeled Central European by some commentators, though others still consider them to be Eastern European.[24][25][26]
Austria[citation needed]
Czech Republic
Croatia (can variously be included in Southeastern[27] or Central Europe)[28]
Hungary
Poland
Slovakia
Slovenia (most often placed in Central Europe but sometimes in Southeastern Europe)[29]
Southeastern Europe
Main articles: Southeast Europe and Balkans
Some countries in Southeast Europe can be considered part of Eastern Europe. Some of them can sometimes, albeit rarely, be characterized as belonging to Southern Europe,[3] and some may also be included in Central Europe.
In some media, "Southeast Europe" can thus partially overlap with "Eastern Europe" of the Cold War Era. The following countries are labeled Southeast European by some commentators, though others still consider them to be Eastern European.[30]
Albania
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Croatia (can variously be included in Southeastern[27] or Central Europe)[28]
Greece (a rather unusual case; may be included, variously, in Southeastern,[31] Western,[32] or Southern Europe)[33][34]
Macedonia
Montenegro
Romania (can variously be included in Southeastern[35] or Central Europe)[36]
Serbia (mostly placed in Southeastern but sometimes in Central Europe)[37]
Slovenia (most often placed in Central Europe but sometimes in Southeastern Europe)[29]
Turkey (only the region East Thrace, west of the Dardanelles, the Sea of Marmara, and the Bosphorus; constitutes less than 3% of the country's total land mass)
Partially recognized states:
Kosovo
Languages
The six most spoken languages in Eastern Europe are:
Russian (Russia and Belarus)
Ukrainian (Ukraine)
Polish (Poland)
Romanian (Romania and Moldova)
Turkish (Turkey European side)
Czech (Czech Republic)
Economy
Russia has the highest GDP in Eastern Europe, Poland has the second highest GDP, next is Czech Republic, Romania, Hungary, Ukraine, Slovakia and others.
Estonia and Slovenia have the highest average wage in this region. Russia and Poland have the highest Net National Wealth in Eastern Europe.
Eastern Europe, as defined by the United Nations Statistics Division, includes the countries of Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, and Slovakia, as well as the republics of Belarus, Moldova, and Ukraine.
In some sources, Eastern Europe is defined as the nations bordered by the Baltic and Barents seas on the north; the Adriatic, Black, and Caspian seas and the Caucasus Mountains on the south; and the Ural Mountains. Using this definition, the nations of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro (formerly Yugoslavia), which the UNSD categorizes as Southern Europe, would be included. This definition also includes the Baltic republics of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, considered by the UN as Northern Europe. The Transcaucasian countries of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia are included in this definition, though they are defined by the UN as western Asia.
The term "Eastern Europe" is often used to refer to all European countries that were previously ruled by communist regimes (the Eastern Bloc), due to the concept of the “Iron Curtain” separating Western Europe and Soviet-controlled Eastern Europe throughout the period of the Cold War. Prior to German reunification, East Germany was often described as an Eastern European country.
Countries and territories
Statistical regions of Europe as delineated by the United Nations (UN definition of Eastern Europe marked salmon):
██ Northern Europe
██ Western Europe
██ Eastern Europe
██ Southern Europe
The varying definitions of Eastern Europe are detailed below.
United Nations Statistics Division
The United Nations Statistics Division defines Eastern Europe as:[1]
Flag of Belarus Belarus
Flag of Bulgaria Bulgaria
Flag of Czech Republic Czech Republic
Flag of Hungary Hungary
Flag of Moldova Moldova
Flag of Poland Poland
Flag of Romania Romania
Flag of Russia Russia
Flag of Slovakia Slovakia
Flag of Ukraine Ukraine
Former Eastern Bloc
Former Eastern Bloc nations are often considered to belong to Eastern Europe.
Flag of Belarus Belarus
Flag of Bulgaria Bulgaria
Flag of Czech Republic Czech Republic
Flag of German Democratic Republic German Democratic Republic
Flag of Hungary Hungary
Flag of Moldova Moldova
Flag of Poland Poland
Flag of Romania Romania
Flag of Russia Russia
Flag of Slovakia Slovakia
Flag of Ukraine Ukraine
Southeastern Europe and the Balkan Peninsula
Commonly the definition of Eastern Europe is expanded to include the following previously Communist/Socialist countries. The terms in parenthesis are the regions which the nations are determined to exist in by the United Nations Statistics Division.
Flag of Albania Albania—(Southern Europe)
Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina—(Southern Europe)
Flag of Bulgaria Bulgaria—(Eastern Europe)
Flag of Croatia Croatia—(Southern Europe)
Flag of Republic of Macedonia Republic of Macedonia—((Southern Europe)
Flag of Montenegro Montenegro—(Southern Europe)
Flag of Romania Romania—(Eastern Europe)
Flag of Serbia Serbia—((Southern Europe)
Flag of Slovenia Slovenia—(Southern Europe)
Central Europe
A number of countries that are also considered part of Central Europe became included in Eastern Europe during the era of the Cold War due to their being Communist states. Today they are sometimes considered part of Central Europe and sometimes part of Eastern Europe.
Flag of Czech Republic Czech Republic
Flag of Hungary Hungary
Flag of Poland Poland
Flag of Slovakia Slovakia
Flag of Slovenia Slovenia
Countries formerly recognized as part of this group:
Flag of Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia (became Czech Republic and Slovakia)
Flag of German Democratic Republic East Germany (reunited with West Germany)
Baltic States
Often considered as belonging to the region of Northern Europe:
Flag of Estonia Estonia
Flag of Latvia Latvia
Flag of Lithuania Lithuania
Eurasia
Eurasian counties often considered part of Eastern Europe:
Flag of Armenia Armenia
Flag of Azerbaijan Azerbaijan
Flag of Georgia (country) Georgia
Flag of Kazakhstan Kazakhstan
Flag of Turkey Turkey
Central and Eastern Europe, abbreviated CEE, is a term encompassing the countries in Central Europe (the Visegrád Group), the Baltic states, and Southeastern Europe, usually meaning former communist states from the Eastern bloc (Warsaw Pact) in Europe. Scholarly literature often uses the abbreviations CEE or CEEC for this term.[1][2][3] The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development also uses the term "Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs)" for a group comprising some of these countries.
Definitions
The term CEE includes the Eastern bloc (Warsaw Pact) countries west of the post-World War II border with the former Soviet Union; the independent states in former Yugoslavia (which were not considered part of the Eastern bloc); and the three Baltic states – Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania (which chose not to join the CIS with the other 12 former republics of the USSR).
The CEE countries are further subdivided by their accession status to the European Union (EU): the eight first-wave accession countries that joined the EU on 1 May 2004 (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, and Slovenia), the two second-wave accession countries that joined on 1 January 2007 (Romania and Bulgaria) and the third-wave accession country that joined on 1 July 2013 (Croatia). According to the World Bank 2008 analysis, the transition to advanced market economies is over for all 10 countries that joined the EU in 2004 and 2007.[4]
The CEE countries include the former socialist states, which extend west of Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova; south of Finland and the Baltic Sea; north of Greece; and east of Austria, Italy, and the former West Germany:
Estonia - member of the European Union and NATO[5][6]
Latvia - member of the European Union and NATO[5][6]
Lithuania - member of the European Union and NATO[5][6]
Poland - member of the European Union and NATO[5][6]
Germany (Eastern part) - member of the European Union and NATO[5][6]
Czech Republic - member of the European Union and NATO[5][6]
Slovakia - member of the European Union and NATO[5][6]
Hungary - member of the European Union and NATO[5][6]
Romania - member of the European Union and NATO[5][6]
Bulgaria - member of the European Union and NATO[5][6]
Slovenia - member of the European Union and NATO[5][6]
Croatia - member of the European Union and NATO[5][6]
Albania - member of NATO
Montenegro - member of NATO
Serbia
Macedonia
Bosnia-Herzegovina
Kosovo[7] (partially recognized territory)
According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, "Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs) is an OECD term for the group of countries comprising Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, and the three Baltic States: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania."[6]
The term Central and Eastern Europe (abbreviated CEE) has displaced the alternative term East-Central Europe in the context of transition countries, mainly because the abbreviation ECE is ambiguous: it commonly stands for Economic Commission for Europe, rather than East-Central Europe.[8]
Historical distinctions
Eastern Europe prior to 1990
As a cultural and ethnic concept, the term Eastern Europe was defined by nineteenth-century German nationalists to be synonymous with "Slavic Europe," as opposed to Germanic (Western) Europe. This concept was re-enforced during the years leading up to World War II and was often used in a racist terminology to characterize Eastern/Slavic culture as being backward and inferior to Western/Germanic culture, language, and customs. Eastern Europe would then refer to the imaginary line which divided predominantly German lands from predominantly Slavic lands. The dividing line has thus changed over time as a result of the World Wars, as well as numerous expulsions and genocides.
The concept of Eastern Europe was greatly strengthened by the domination of the region by the Soviet Union after the Second World War and the takeover of the nations of the region by communist governments. The idea of the “Iron Curtain” separating Eastern and Western Europe was an extremely common view throughout the Cold War. This strict dualism caused problems, however, as it failed to account for the complexities of the region. For instance, Yugoslavia and Albania refused to be controlled by Moscow, but this division was often ignored by many in the West.
As the ideological division of the Cold War has now disappeared, the cultural division of Europe between Western Christianity, on the one hand, and Eastern Orthodox Christianity and Islam, on the other, has reemerged. It follows the so-called “Huntington line” of "clashing civilizations" corresponding roughly to the eastern boundary of Western Christianity in the year 1500. This line runs along what are now the eastern boundaries separating Norway, Finland, Estonia and Latvia from Russia, continues east of Lithuania, cuts in northwestern Ukraine, swings westward separating Transylvania from the rest of Romania, and then along the line now separating Slovenia, Croatia and northern Serbia from the rest of ex-Yugoslavia. In the Balkans this line coincides with the historic border between the Hungarian Kingdom (later Habsburg) and Ottoman empires, whereas in the north it marks the then eastern boundaries of Kingdom of Sweden and Teutonic Order, and the subsequent spread of Protestant Reformation. The peoples to the west and north of the Huntington line are Protestant or Catholic; they shared most of the common experiences of Western European history—feudalism, the Renaissance, the Reformation, the Enlightenment, the French Revolution, and the Industrial Revolution.
Vanessa
