Eastern Europe facts for kids

Eastern Europe (marked in red) according to the UN Statistics Division.

Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. It's a big region, and people have different ideas about which countries belong there.

Long ago, in the Middle Ages, Eastern Europe often meant countries that followed the Eastern Orthodox Church. This was different from Western Europe, where people mostly followed the Roman Catholic Church.

Later, during the Cold War (from the 1940s to the early 1990s), Eastern Europe usually referred to countries that were closely connected to the Soviet Union. Many people still use this idea today.

Another way to think about Eastern Europe is by its cultures. Many people there are Slavic, meaning they share similar languages and traditions. But many other groups of people live there too!

Which Countries Are in Eastern Europe?

The UN and the EU have a wide list of countries they consider part of Eastern Europe. Here are some of them:

1.  Albania
2.  Belarus
3.  Bosnia and Herzegovina
4.  Bulgaria
5.  Croatia
6.  Cyprus (This island is between Europe and Asia)
7.  Czech Republic
8.  Estonia
9.  Georgia (This country is also between Europe and Asia)
10.  Greece
11.  Hungary
12.  Kazakhstan (A very large country, also between Europe and Asia)
13.  Latvia
14.  Lithuania
15.  North Macedonia
16.  Moldova
17.  Montenegro
18.  Poland
19.  Romania
20.  Russia (The largest country in the world, also between Europe and Asia)
21.  Serbia
22.  Slovakia
23.  Slovenia
24.  Turkey (This country is also between Europe and Asia)
25.  Ukraine

Some areas are only partly recognized as independent countries, but are also seen as part of this region:

1.  Abkhazia
2.  Kosovo
3.  South Ossetia

Different Ways to Define the Region

Since the 1990s, some experts have started to think about Eastern Europe in new ways. While the list above is very common, some people divide the region into smaller parts.

For example, countries like the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia are sometimes called Central Europe. This means they are seen as being in the middle of Europe.

Other countries, like Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, and Slovenia, are sometimes grouped into Southern Europe. More often, they are called Southeast Europe.

Images for kids

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  Digital picture of Europe, showing the eastern part.

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  How Christianity spread across Europe.

See also

In Spanish: Europa Oriental para niños