Do you consider the balkans part of Eastern Europe?
If we talk specifically about balkan slavs, or souther slavs, I personally see many things we habe in common with eastern and western slavs but also many things different. That's what kinda made me unsure.
I think we have more in common with non-Slavic Balkan people than with Northern (East + West) Slavs.
I see it as kind of a mix tbh
It's definitely a mix, and we have a lot in common with Northern Slavs, both in terms of language and by being non-Western, ex-Eastern Bloc (politically Yugoslavia might have been "third way", but it was much closer to the Soviets than to the West, and socially it was not much different). It's just that Balkan nations, especially ex-Ottoman ones, share even more.
What are the main differences?
I think the Russians are a little more sullen.
I usually call it south-eastern Europe.
If the divide is strictly and only east-west then yeah
If there is more to Europe than east/west, then no. Balkans is different than what typicalls is considered ''eastern Europe''
Balkans is different than what typicalls is considered ''eastern Europe''
Yeah, stereotypical East Euros are like Balts.
No, tasuta elamine sinu peas pole paha, kuid sa jälle valetad. Tõsiselt ka, Армия россия võtaks su vabalt vastu.
So, living rent-free in your head is not bad, but you're again lying. Seriously, the ruzzki army would accept you.
You're more typical E. Euro compared to Balkaners - colder (both people and weather), more depressed, food is built on similar items, more common pale-blond look etc
Yeah, but stereotypical E. Euro are Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and to a certain extent: Moldova, Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria.
Still, you're more similar to them than we are
I don’t speak Estonia.
Армия россий
lmao
That being not capitalised was intentional.
I am not talking about capitalization, I am talking about россий as if there are multiple Russias
Oops, my bad.
Southeast Europe
If the divide is strictly only east and west it's not. Russia occupied 39% of Europe's land area. if you split 50-50 you get Russia and some of Ukraine.
it realy depends what you see as eastern european. Geographically according to the west europeans we are eastern european. But if you follow the central europeans geography who absolutly do no want to be considered eastern europeans geography than we are not.
The term is highly associated with communism, depression and commie blocks or by the central europans for Russians. But eastern europe has also a lot of things to offer and many cities with nice architecture.
I think Balkan in general is realy a mix between southern and eastern european. Geographically but also culturally. So yes we are eastern european but southeastern european is by far the best defenition.
No. Balkan is balkan. We should be a continent in our own right imo
yes except greece and turkey which both don't seen balkan but mediterranean, thus turkey is mainly anatolian
No, outside like maybe romania and bulgaria feel there is enough difference compared to ukraine, russsia, belarus, etc.
Hmm what makes you think us and Bulgarians are different in this case? Though most romanians and Bulgarians do indeed identify with eastern europe too
Probably cuz of you were in the Warsaw pact and that sphere of influence
I honestly thought the reason would be that we are in the black sea region and overall have a more continental/temperate climate by comparison to say croatia or montenegro who are based on the adriatic/Mediterranean which is gonna create some differences We ourselves are overall pretty detached from east slavs but I guess I could see the difference that we took a bit more from their sphere of influences than Yugoslavia atleast
I feel like due to you guys being closer to Russia you pulled more influence from them compared to say Greece or former Yugoslav countries, Warsaw pact also causing fair bit of influence compared to Albania who left it early and Yugoslavia who was never in it. Being so close to Ukraine and Russia I feel like was one of biggest influences on your culture along Ottomans, and as you mentioned in another comment exit to black sea is also partly one of reasons.
Meanwhile Adriatic countries pull more influence from Germany, Austria, Italy and somewhat Hungary, and then stuff like Bosnia or Greece which share simmilarities with Turkey, and (North) Macedonia and Serbia which I feel like are mix of their Neighbors and what influenced them.
Issue with Balkans is different parts share simmilar cultures to some bigger countries due to being under their sphere of influence or directly part of their teritory, so you can't dub them exactly as its own region. Bulgaria, Romania and Moldova (if you count as it as Balkan) can easily call themselves as east European due to influence of east slavs, while calling sum like Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro or Albania east Europe you would be considered madman, same with like Greece and Bosnia, with only Serbia and North Macedonia imp falling into "potentialy east Europe" but still having some Ottoman or central European influence.
Russia and Ukraine is not the biggest impact on Romania that goes to Bulgaria. Also to us Romanians. Ukraine and Russia feel like alien us
I feel like Bulgaria influenced early Russia and Ukraine which in return caused influence back on Bulgaria while also influencing Romania.
But romania has a strong central European influence too,transylvania looks closer to Austria than to belarus
Certain parts of countries are like that. Vojvodina too is more central Europe then rest of serbia, Istria is sort of biggest Italian influenced part of Croatia, etc.
For Serbia the Vojvodina region feels like central european and not only cities like Novi Sad and Subotica but the villages look very similar with the Hungarian villages. The rest of Serbia is balkan style with a bit of ottoman, southern(byzantine), eastern and central European influence. With eastern influence you can also say also yugo influence example is novi Belgrade blocks( some people see it as an eastern influence but you can also say socialism)
In Macedonia there isn’t really central european influence. In Macedonia is really a typical balkan country with strong ottoman influence and also quite strong southern( byzantine influence) and in Skopje you have some eastern blocks. Example is Kapistec. But in Macedonia 70% lives in detached homes.
So southeastern would be the best definition for Macedonia but If I had to choose southern would be better because geographically it’s at the same hight as Napoli and Sardinia. Landscape looks more southern and architecture mostly balkan/ southern. I was also suprised to see palm trees in Strumica/ Gevgelija/ Ohrid and Dojran. And people/ mentality is also closer to southern europeans same goed for Serbia.
South Eastern is probably more correct but Eastern Europe is ok. I also like that label more.
I personally also think we have much in common with eastern europe, but also many things different.
I would say yes and no. Speaking geographically I wouldn’t say Slovenia or Croatia could be eastern, hell, some parts of Austria are more to the east than Slovenia, while some other countries like Greece, Albania, Montenegro etc. should be more southern than eastern Europe. In a more political or economical way I guess there are more countries that could fall under what the westerners would call “eastern Europe”, but again not all countries.
(Don’t take this the wrong way I don’t thing being Eastern Europe is anything bad, just trying to answer the question)
Depends how you look at it, in bigger picture Balkans is def closer to east than western Europe
Territorially, it's Europe.
Yes
I'd say too, but some of my buddies said otherwise.
Your buddies are right
like others have mentioned about only in the context of east/west.
We are balkan not eastern europeans
Unfortunately for older generations the East/West division of Europe was base in politics: a european communistic country was consider to belong to the Eastern bloc.
I was making fun at that time about Albania and Greece: Greece, a western bloc country, which geographically was located eastern than Albania, an Eastern bloc country
If you had communism, you are eastern.
When i pass through bulgaria from greece, even the trees change. People are much colder and buildings are hearthless.
I think slavic balkans except yugoslavs are a part of Eastern Europe.
slavic balkans except yugoslavs
isn't that just Bulgarians?
Half of romania as well
We don't speak a slavic language so we don't count as slavs but yeah we're still kinda the same with Bulgarians otherwise in most aspects
How?
The trees is mostly cause 98% is still in the temperate zone,southern romania and northern bulgaria for instance are basically the same plains just separated by danube
In a east-west division of Europe yes, otherwise no.
I literally get mad whenever anyone says Croatia or ex-Yugoslavia are Eastern European lol
No, geographically we are in Western Europe.
3/4 no
What do you mean with the 3/4?
I consider eastern Europe as Eastern Bulgaria
What do you mean by eastern europe? Geographically? Culturally? Or do you simply mean the “eastern bloc” as in the ex-communist countries?
Albania for example would be an ex-communist country so yes eastern european, but geographically it isnt in the eastern part of europe. Nor does it have much in common with the other eastern european countries culturally.
Central Europe. Is Greece considered Eastern Europe?
It's a South-eastern European region in my opinion.
Yes, if Europe is divided in two - Eastern and Western. But we are very different from East Slavs (Russian, Ukrainians, Belorussians), so culturally the Balkans are distinct.