Eastern Europe?????

! Hitman

i don't understand why peoples call lithuanians as Eastern Europeanians, as lithuania is in the geographical centre of Europe ???

http://www.visitlithuania.net/travelportal/cgi/page.cgi?p=centras

http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/rnriggins/18/1216650900/tpod.html

Terry

Moved from cool vids...
It's a valid question.

Podge2k7

I suppose its people being sterotypical.

liah

Probably because of the language grouping, I'd assume? Their language is similar to the rest of Eastern Europe so they got grouped that way, I guess.

genericguy

i'm really trying to care, but i just can't...

liah

Also, it doesn't make visual sense that it's the geographical centre.

Look at this: http://www.europeetravel.com/images/maps/europe-political-small.gif

It's clearly to the Eastern side. I'd consider maybe northern Poland, or the border between it and Germany to be the centre.

donmeister

Sounds like a crappy advertising campaign of tourism for Lithuania!

DubTony

It's more than likely because they were part of the USSR.

The Saint

I'd imagine it would be a relic of the Cold War. Eastern Europe would have been old Warsaw pact or ex-Soviet states.

Unaton

liah wrote: »

Probably because of the language grouping, I'd assume? Their language is similar to the rest of Eastern Europe so they got grouped that way, I guess.

It isn't. Latvian (has lots in common with German) and Lithuanian are unique languages (nothing to do with any Slavic languages) and Estonian is related to Finnish.

UN groups the Baltic states as Northern Europe. Geographically they are Northern Europe as well.

liah

Unaton wrote: »

It isn't. Latvian (has lots in common with German) and Lithuanian are unique languages (nothing to do with any Slavic languages) and Estonian is related to Finnish.

UN groups the Baltic states as Northern Europe. Geographically they are Northern Europe as well.

Then I suppose it'd be the USSR leftovers thing. A lot of them still speak or are Russian.

phasers

They're to the east of us aren't they?

The_Kew_Tour

wont be looseing much sleep over this one really

does anyone really care?

My name is URL

If you had to fly west to Dublin, you're from the east

number10a

Well because all that's east of Lithuania is Russia. It would be kinda shíte if all of Eastern Europe consisted of one country.

jumpguy

Althought geographically it is in the middle of Europe, politically and socially it isn't. Also, Eastern Europe is derived from the Cold War, so everything East of Berlin is "Eastern Europe" really. It's more political than geographical.

In an EU context it is also an Eastern country (geologically).

! Hitman

as i see, there are many geographical midpoints of europe

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geographical_midpoint_of_Europe

mikom

! Hitman wrote: »

i don't understand why peoples call lithuanians as Eastern Europeanians,

Prefer to call them Eastern Europeans myself.

Abi

! Hitman wrote: »

as i see, there are many geographical midpoints of europe

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geographical_midpoint_of_Europe

I think you are taking it personally, to mean your own country. Irish people would refer to other nationalities as eastern Europeans., some examples Poland, Romania, Muldova etc. Its not meant in a derogatory way.

AnonoBoy

All dem damn fordiners are eastern europeans to me. Even the chinese fordiners and the brazilians.

You think they'd learn how to speak proper before coming over here with their tanned skin, their sexy legs and accents and their broad muscular shoulders......


.......Oh Pedro why did you leave me?????

herya

Abigayle wrote: »

I think you are taking it personally, to mean your own country. Irish people would refer to other nationalities as eastern Europeans., some examples Poland, Romania, Muldova etc. Its not meant in a derogatory way.

True but it might be confusing for some since in Polish, German, American (not sure about UK?) etc political studies Eastern Europe means former Soviet Union countries. Countries like Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia (none of which was in the SU), also Austria and Germany are in Central Europe (Mitteleuropa in German). It hails back to the historical Austro-Hungary and Prussia-Germany and their political influence, as opposed to Russian influence.

Therefore referring to a Polish person as an Eastern European is a little like calling the Irish West Brits :cool:

jumpguy wrote: »

Also, Eastern Europe is derived from the Cold War, so everything East of Berlin is "Eastern Europe" really. It's more political than geographical.

That's "Eastern bloc".

Abi

herya wrote: »

Therefore referring to a Polish person as an Eastern European is a little like calling the Irish West Brits :cool:

Pff. Sure half of them are Eastern Irish :pac:

Latchy & Brummy :P

KTRIC

Dey tuk ur Juuuurrbs

yousername

because it's only center if you count some of russia as europe, which most people don't.

netwhizkid

Prague is the centre of Europe, not too far away from Germany and other regions to the East. Although if we were to beleive some of the BS from the pro-lisbon treaty people, Ireland is at the heart of Europe and the Centre as well!

herya

yousername wrote: »

because it's only center if you count some of russia as europe, which most people don't.

Well they should, Europe reaches east as far as to the Ural mountains and it's not disputable really

El Weirdo

netwhizkid wrote: »

... if we were to beleive some of the BS from the pro-lisbon treaty people, Ireland is at the heart of Europe and the Centre as well!

Pfft. Get over it Declan.

citizen_p

1 former soviet block......known as the east

2 only a bit of russia is technically in europe (see map)
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3479/3942788511_4b630fa979.jpg

3.because it is slightly east of central europe (germany/france/belgium)

bigeasyeah

I like biscuits too.

Burkey0

Forget Eastern Europe and Lithuania, what is the dead centre of Dublin?

Glasnevin Cemetery

herya

Mousey- wrote: »

2 only a bit of russia is technically in europe (see map)
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3479/3942788511_4b630fa979.jpg

True but it constitutes more than 30% of Europe's width.

Mousey- wrote: »

3.because it is slightly east of central europe (germany/france/belgium)

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

rossie1977

herya wrote: »

Well they should, Europe reaches east as far as to the Ural mountains and it's not disputable really

istanbul is a long way west of the urals and the bosphorus river is the divide between europe and asia, so disputable it is

herya

rossie1977 wrote: »

istanbul is a long way west of the urals and the bosphorus river is the divide between europe and asia, so disputable it is

I'd say that the common approach to measuring the width of anything is to check its farthest points though?

citizen_p

herya wrote: »

True but it constitutes more than 30% of Europe's width.



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

its still to the east of it
like we are to the west

herya

Mousey- wrote: »

its still to the east of it
like we are to the west

Lithuania is, Poland isn't

Just making a point for the sake of it... not that I mind that much!

D

Well i have the atlas (google maps) open now and to me the centre of europe looks like germany.

Joey the lips

My understanding is Eastern europe is all countries that use to be behind the Iron curtain and western europe well thats now self explained. So lit is in eastern europe....

Celly Smunt

looks pretty eastern to me you crazy commie.

! Hitman

liah wrote: »

Then I suppose it'd be the USSR leftovers thing. A lot of them still speak or are Russian.

yeah, lot's of them do speak russian, but their main language is, their native language... Britts has left much more in Ireland, than Russians in Eastern Europe

ShooterSF

OP would the term western civilisation not confuse you more because:

1: The planet is a globe and doesn't really have a west or east side and

2: The USA and Cuba are about as west as each other yet only one is a part of western civilisation and Ireland east of Cuba is also considered "western".

ejmaztec

D wrote: »

Well i have the atlas (google maps) open now and to me the centre of europe looks like germany.

I think that the Czechs think that they're in the centre as well. It must be quite crowded with them all fighting over the spot.:eek:

OctavarIan

ShooterSF wrote: »

OP would the term western civilisation not confuse you more because:

1: The planet is a globe and doesn't really have a west or east side and

2: The USA and Cuba are about as west as each other yet only one is a part of western civilisation and Ireland east of Cuba is also considered "western".

The term 'western civilisation' is used to describe a certain culture and ideology, not a population that's geographically in the 'west'. It first came about probably because of the way maps are commonly printed on a flat surface.

ShooterSF

OctavarIan wrote: »

The term 'western civilisation' is used to describe a certain culture and ideology, not a population that's geographically in the 'west'. It first came about probably because of the way maps are commonly printed on a flat surface.

Agreed. Similar to how Eastern European is not a geographical statement so much as a political one from post WW II.