Central Europe

Central Europe according to the Standing Committee of Geographical Names

Map of the main divisions of the Carpathians.
1. Outer Western Carpathians
2. Inner Western Carpathians
3. Outer Eastern Carpathians
4. Inner Eastern Carpathians
5. Southern Carpathians
6. Western Romanian Carpathians
7. Transylvanian Plateau
8. Serbian Carpathians

Central Europe is a geographical region in Europe. Countries in this region may alternatively be included in Northern Europe, Eastern Europe, Southeastern Europe or Western Europe. The understanding of the concept of Central Europe varies considerably from nation to nation, and also has from time to time.

The region often includes:

• Austria
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Croatia
• Czech Republic
• Germany
• Hungary
• Latvia
• Liechtenstein
• Lithuania
• Poland
• Serbia
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Switzerland

Alternative Definitions

If one were to divide the continent of Europe into two halves like it was during the Cold War, the Iron Curtain would subsequently split the mainstream definition of "Central Europe" in half. When using this definition, the countries of Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia would be included in Eastern Europe: whereas the countries of Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein and Switzerland would be considered Western Europe instead. Some experts consider this definition outdated, but many still use them. Supranational organizations like the UN and EU also make use of them.

In addition, other countries such as Croatia and the Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia can be included in "Central Europe": though they are now mostly considered a part of either Southern Europe or Northern Europe respectively.

Central Europe Media

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  A view of Central Europe dating from the time before World War I (1902):      Central European countries and regions: the German Empire and the Habsburg monarchy (without Bosnia and Herzegovina and Dalmatia)     Regions located at the transition between Central Europe and Southeastern/Eastern Europe: Romania

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  German-occupied Europe at the height of the Axis conquests in 1942

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  Neutral and Non-Aligned European States during the Cold War:       Neutral: Austria, Finland, Sweden and Switzerland*     Non-Aligned: Cyprus, Malta and Yugoslavia

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  Habsburg-ruled lands (divided between Cisleithanian/Austrian-administered and Transalthanian/Hungarian-administered)

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  Travel time by car or ferry from the geographical center of Europe

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  Countries in the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA)

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  European sub-regions according to EuroVoc     Central and Eastern Europe     Western Europe     Southern Europe     Northern Europe

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  Regions used for statistical processing purposes by the United Nations Statistics Division     Eastern Europe     Northern Europe     Southern Europe     Western Europe

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  Population density in Central European countries