Central Europe, sometimes referred to as Middle Europe or Median Europe, is a region of the European continent lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe. Widespread interest in the region and the term itself resurfaced by the end of the Cold War, which had politically divided Europe into East and West, splitting Central Europe in half. The concept of Central Europe, and that of a common identity, is somewhat elusive. However, scholars assert that a distinct "Central European culture, as controversial and debated the notion may be, exists." It is based on "similarities emanating from historical, social and cultural characteristics", and it is identified as having been "one of the world's richest sources of creative talent" between the 17th and 20th centuries. Cross Currents: A Yearbook of Central European Culture characterizes Central Europe "as an abandoned West or a place where East and West collide". Germany's Permanent Committee on Geographical Names defines Central Europe both as a distinct cultural area and a political region. George Schöpflin and others argue that Central Europe is defined by being "a part of Western Christianity", and Samuel P. Huntington places the region firmly within Western culture. From the 2000s on, Central Europe has been going through a phase of "strategic awakening", with initiatives like the CEI, Centrope or V4. While the region's economy shows high disparities with regard to income, all Central European countries are listed by the Human Development Index as "very high development" countries. States The comprehension of the concept of Central Europe is an ongoing source of controversy, though the Visegrád Group constituents are generally included as de facto C.E. countries. Countries classified as Central European According to the majority of sources (see section Current views on Central Europe for some) the region includes: Austria Czech Republic Germany Hungary Liechtenstein Poland Slovakia Slovenia typically placed in Central Europe, or sometimes in Southeastern Europe Switzerland Countries (regions) occasionally included in Central Europe Some sources also add neighbouring countries for historical (the former Austro-Hungarian and German Empires, and modern Baltic states), based on geographical and/or cultural reasons: Croatia alternatively it is placed in Southeastern Europe. Romania The Baltic states, geographically located in Northern Europe, have been considered part of Central Europe in the German tradition. Smaller parts of the following states may sometimes be included: Ukraine (Zakarpatska Oblast, Galicia and northern Bukovina) Belarus (Hrodna and Brest Voblast) Russia (Kaliningrad Oblast) France (Alsace and portions of Lorraine) Italy (South Tyrol, Trentino, Trieste and Gorizia, Friuli, occasionally all of Northern Italy) Romania (Transylvania and Bukovina) Serbia (Vojvodina, Mačva and Belgrade historically also Sandžak, Šumadija and Braničevo, and at various times Central Serbia) Regional data Area: 1.036.370 km2 (2012) Population: (calculated data) 163.518.571 (July 2012) Population Density: (calculated data) 157.78/km2 (2012) GDP (PPP) per capita: USD $34.444 (2012) Life expectancy: (calculated data) 78.32-year (2012) Unemployment rate: 8.2% (2012) Fertility rate: 1.41 births/woman (2012) Human Development Index: 0.874 (2012) (very high) Globalization Index: 80.09 (2013) Countries in descending order of Human Development Index (2013 data): Germany: 0.920 (ranked 5) Switzerland: 0.913 (ranked 9) Austria: 0.895 (ranked 18) Slovenia: 0.892 (ranked 21) Liechtenstein: 0.883 (ranked 24) Czech Republic: 0.873 (ranked 28) Slovakia: 0.840 (ranked 35) Hungary: 0.831 (ranked 37) Poland: 0.813 (ranked 39) Croatia: 0.805 (ranked 47) The index of globalization in Central European countries (2013 data) Austria: 89.48 (ranked 4) Hungary: 86.85 (ranked 9) Switzerland: 86.28 (ranked 10) Czech Republic: 84.86 (ranked 15) Slovakia: 83.49 (ranked 19) Germany: 81.08 (ranked 22) Poland: 79.10 (ranked 26) Slovenia: 76.85 (ranked 30) Croatia: 75.88 (ranked 31) Liechtenstein: 52,88 (ranked 101) Physical geography Between the Alps and the Baltics Geography strongly defines Central Europe's borders with its neighbouring regions to the North and South, namely Northern Europe (or Scandinavia) across the Baltic Sea, the Apennine peninsula (or Italy) across the Alps and the Balkan peninsula across the Soča-Krka-Sava-Danube line. The borders to Western Europe and Eastern Europe are geographically less defined and for this reason the cultural and historical boundaries migrate more easily West-East than South-North. The Rhine river which runs South-North through Western Germany is an exception. Pannonian Plain and Carpathian Mountains Attribution: Article text available under CC-BY-SA Creative Commons image source in video

• published: 11 Nov 2013
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