Eastern Europe

1. Hey Folks. Today we will learn about Eastern Europe. And there’s the map of Eastern Europe. By: Sahithi Eastern Europe Next

2. Albania Andorra Austria Belarus Belgium Bosnia Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus The Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Kosovo Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macedonia Malta Moldova Monaco Montenegro The Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia San Marino Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey Ukraine United Kingdom Vatican City All European Countries Next *Eastern European Countries

3. Russia The Czech Republic Hungary Romania Moldova Croatia Lithuania Latvia Estonia Slovenia Slovakia Bulgaria Ukraine Belarus Serbia Montenegro Albania Bosnia Herzegovina Kosovo Macedonia Poland Next Eastern European Countries

4. Russia AND Czech Republic RUSSIA Russia is Eastern Europe's largest and easternmost country. It separates Europe from Asia and straddles both continents over a wide geographical area that engulfs many cultures, terrains, and climates. Russia is Eastern Europe's largest and easternmost country. It separates Europe from Asia and straddles both continents over a wide geographical area that engulfs many cultures, terrains, and climates. THE CZECH REPUBLIC Breaking a nearly 75-year union with the Slovak Republic in 1993, this independent country in Central Europe consists of the regions of Bohemia and Moravia—once part of the Great Moravian Empire formed by Slav tribes in the early ninth century. The Bohemian kingdom arose here during the tenth century, its 600-year reign a highlight of Czech history. Bohemia is a plateau surrounded by mountains, and Moravia, to the east, is mostly hills and lowlands. Austria's Habsburgs took control of both regions at the start of the 16th century. With the end of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918, the Czechs and Slovaks came together to create Czechoslovakia. Moscow is Russia's capital city, but it's an important cultural and historical center, too. Most individuals who travel to Russia visit Moscow first: here, the Kremlin's walls contain echoes of legends, museums guard important examples of Russian art, the nation's rich and powerful strut their plumage. Back Next

5. Next Hungary, Romania and Moldova Back HUNGARY The Danube River flows north to south through the middle of Hungary, splitting this landlocked central European country almost in half. Hungarians (Magyars) migrated here from Asia more than a thousand years ago and are distinct from the Germanic and Slavic peoples that surround them. Hungary's support for Hungarian minorities in other countries is sometimes criticized as interference by neighboring governments. ROMANIA Romania lies on the Black Sea coast of southeastern Europe. The Carpathian Mountains and the Transylvanian Alps divide the country into three physical and historical regions: Wallachia in the south, Moldavia in the northeast, and Transylvania in the country's center. The majority of the people are Romanian (89 percent), but the Hungarian minority, living in the Transylvanian basin, numbers some 1.7 million. Communists took power in 1947 and installed a Soviet-style government. MOLDOVA Landlocked Moldova lies in eastern Europe between Romania and Ukraine. It consists of hilly grassland drained by the Prut and Dniester Rivers, and the economy is mainly agricultural. Most of Moldova was part of Romania before World War II, and two-thirds of Moldovans speak Romanian. Soviets annexed Moldova in 1940, and Russians and Ukrainians settled in the industrial region east of the Dniester (known as Transdniestria). After Moldova gained independence in 1991, Transdniestria seceded, making Tiraspol its capital. Moldova does not recognize Transdniestria's independence and works to resolve the conflict.

6. Next Croatia, Lithuania and Latvia Back CROATIA A crescent-shaped country in southeast Europe, Croatia extends from the fertile plains of the Danube to the mountainous coast of the Adriatic Sea. In the Adriatic, Croatia has 1,185 islands—many are major tourist areas. The 1991-95 civil war between Croats and Serbs caused massive damage to cities and industries. War halted the tourist trade and drastically cut industrial output, including a lucrative ship-building business. Since the war, Croatia has progressed politically and economically; it applied for European Union membership in 2003. LITHUANIA Lithuania is in northern Europe, on the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea. The landscape consists of gently rolling plains and extensive forests. Beginning at about the same time as movements in the other Baltic republics of Estonia and Latvia, Lithuania quickly surged ahead. In March 1990 democratically elected representatives voted for independence, lost in 1940 with annexation by the Soviet Union. Lithuania, embracing market reform since independence, joined both the European Union and NATO in 2004. LATVIA Flat and forested, Latvia lies on the Baltic Sea in northern Europe. Few former Soviet republics experienced a more profound shift in character during their 50 years of domination than this Baltic country. From 1939-1989 the proportion of ethnic Latvians in Latvia dropped from 73 to 52 percent—due to heavy Russian immigration and Latvian emigration. Since independence in 1991, Latvian ethnicity has started to rebound and now constitutes 59 percent of the population—Russians are 29 percent. An industrial country with trade ties to the West, Latvia joined NATO and the EU in 2004.

7. Next Estonia, Slovenia and Slovakia Back ESTONIA Estonia, smallest in population of the former Soviet republics, is a low-lying land on the Baltic Sea with 1,500 lakes and plenty of forests. Independence blossomed briefly between 1918 and1940 after centuries of German, Swedish, and Russian rule. During World War II it was invaded first by Russian troops, then Germans, and then Russians again, forcing Estonia into the Soviet Union in 1944. Since independence in 1991, Estonia deals with the legacy of Russian workers brought in during the Soviet years—26 percent of the population is Russian. As a stable democracy with a market economy, Estonia looks west for trade and security, joining both the European Union and NATO in 2004. SLOVANIA Slovenia is an Alpine-mountain state in central Europe consisting mainly of Roman Catholic Slovenes. In 1918 Slovenia joined the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes—subsequently named Yugoslavia. Slovenia proclaimed its independence in June 1991, prompting a ten-day conflict that brought defeat to the Serb-dominated Yugoslav Army. It is the most prosperous of the former Yugoslav republics, with the region's highest standard of living. Its Western outlook and economic stability won Slovenia membership in both NATO and the EU in 2004. This country's split from the more affluent, industrialized Czech Republic in 1993 was prompted by Slovak nationalism and grievances over rapid economic reforms instituted by the Czechoslovak government in Prague—reforms that left many Slovaks without jobs. Slovakia's industrial economy is market oriented. It joined NATO and the European Union in 2004. SLOVAKIA A landlocked country in central Europe, Slovakia is mostly mountainous except for southern lowlands along the Danube—where the capital, Bratislava, is found.

8. Next Bulgaria, Ukraine and Belarus Back BULGARIA Bulgaria, in southeastern Europe, is dominated by rugged mountains, except for the Danube lowland in the north that it shares with Romania. Rich farmland in the Danube Valley, 130 kilometers (80 miles) of sandy beaches on the Black Sea, and mountainous terrain characterize one of Eastern Europe's least densely populated nations. Most of the population is urban; about 83 percent are Orthodox Christians, and some 12 percent are Muslim—the Rhodope Mountains, along the border with Greece, are home to many Muslims, including an ethnic Turkish minority. UKRAINE The Carpathian Mountains rise in the west and the Crimean Mountains in the south, but the heartland of Ukraine—slightly larger than France—is the rich flat earth that stretches for 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles), known as the steppe. Once called the breadbasket of the Soviet Union, Ukraine also has huge deposits of coal and iron that feed heavy industry, particularly in the Donbas (Donets Basin) and Kryvyy Rih regions. BELARUS Belarus, meaning "White Russia," is in Eastern Europe and consists of flat lowlands separated by low hills and uplands. Forests cover a third of this republic, and the Pinsk Marshes occupy much of the south. Settled by a Slavic people, Belarus was dominated by Kiev during the 13th century, by Lithuania and Poland into the 18th century, and by Russia after 1772. The region suffered grievously during World War II, losing more than two million people. Postwar years saw heavy industrial development, centered at Minsk. The 1986 nuclear disaster at Chernobyl (Chernobyl), just south of Belarus in Ukraine, contaminated one third of Belarus—70 percent of the radiation fell on its territory. Belarusians continue to suffer from high incidences of cancer and birth defects, and about 25 percent of the land is considered uninhabitable.

9. Next Serbia, Montenegro and ALBANIA Back SERBIA Located in southwestern Europe, Serbia possesses a fertile Danube plain in the north, but the land becomes rugged and mountainous in the south. Serbia was once the dominant state within Yugoslavia, a republic formed in 1929 to forcibly unify the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes. The republic was held together by coercion—first under kings then under a communist government—until 1991-92 when Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina declared independence. By 1992, all that was left of Yugoslavia was Serbia and Montenegro. MONTENEGRO Montenegro declared its independence on June 3, 2006. It is about the size of Connecticut, with a population of 650,000. The country got its name (literally, "black mountain") from the dark, mountain forests that cover the land. Some 60 percent of the country is more than 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) high, with the tallest peak reaching to 2,522 meters (8,274 feet). The mountains were a natural fortress that helped Montenegro maintain its independence until it suffered devastating losses in World War I. It became part of Serbia in 1918 and Yugoslavia in 1929. ALBANIA Albania lies along the Adriatic Sea in southeastern Europe. The narrow coastal plain rises to mountains that are almost 2,000 meters (6,500 feet) high, which cover most of the country. These mountains are rich in mineral resources such as chrome, iron, nickel, and copper; however, mining requires investment that Albania lacks. It is one of the poorest countries in Europe (and the only one with a Muslim majority). It suffered from more than 40 years of communist rule, which ended in 1991.

10. Next BOSNIA, Herzegovina and Kosovo Back BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA In mountainous southeastern Europe, Bosnia's Muslims, or Bosnians, trace their ancestry to Christian Slavs who converted to Islam under the Ottomans for tax and landholding advantages. Yugoslavia recognized Bosnians as a separate people in 1969. Muslim Slavs and Roman Catholic Croats voted in early 1992 for independence from Yugoslavia; most Eastern Orthodox Serbs were fiercely opposed. In the ensuing 1992-95 civil war, some 250,000 people died. The Dayton Peace Accord ended the war and partitioned the country into a Muslim-Croat region and a Serbian region (Serbian Republic). High unemployment and ethnic tensions continue to hamper the country. KOSOVO Kosovo became a nation when its parliament declared independence from Serbia on February 17, 2008. The United States and many European countries have recognized Kosovo's independence, while Serbia and some of its allies, most notably Russia, have denounced the declaration as illegal. Kosovo, which was part of the former Yugoslavia, had been run by the United Nations and NATO since 1999, when Serbian forces were ousted after a U.S.-led NATO air war was launched to end Serbia's crackdown on ethnic Albanian separatists. About 10,000 people were killed and nearly one million others were driven from their homes during the conflict. Located in southeastern Europe, Kosovo is landlocked and roughly the size of the U.S. state of Connecticut. Its name refers to a place outside the capital, Prishtina, and loosely translated it means "field of blackbirds." Much of Kosovo's terrain is mountainous, with the highest peak, Gjeravica, rising 8,714 feet (2,656 meters) above sea level. Kosovo has two main plains and several notable rivers and lakes. The climate is continental with warm summers and cold and snowy winters.

11. Next Macedonia and Poland Back MACENDONIA The landlocked and mostly mountainous country of Macedonia, in southeastern Europe, proclaimed independence from Yugoslavia in September 1991. The UN officially calls the country "The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia"—due to Greece's fear that use of "Macedonia" might imply territorial ambitions toward the Greek region of Macedonia. The democratic government faced a 2001 rebellion launched by ethnic Albanians, who make up 25 percent of the population. Negotiations led to laws making Albanian an official language and providing other minority rights. POLAND The largest country in central Europe, most of Poland is low-lying, with woods and lakes. Unlike many of its neighbors, Poland has only a minuscule minority population. Poles as a nation are unified by the Polish language and a common religion—Roman Catholicism. Buffered by the Baltic Sea in the north and the Carpathian Mountains in the south, Poland enjoys no such natural protection to the east and west. Nazi Germany invaded in 1939 and built the Auschwitz concentration camp, where 1.35 million Jews and more than 100,000 others were murdered. After World War II, Joseph Stalin seized a chunk of eastern Poland for the Soviet Union.

12. Flags of the Eastern European Countries Back Next

13. http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/continents/europe/ http://www.britannica.com/ Information Sources Back Next

14. That’s all for today folks. The End