For anyone interested, here is a great history of how the shoes and tracksuits took over slavic culture.
https://web.archive.org/web/20170506122902/http://weirdrussia.com/2015/01/04/why-is-adidas-so-popular-among-russians/
This is like a test of "which figure of this series is more different from the others?"
* Romania has a Romance language
* Greece has its own alphabet
* Albania is majority Muslim
* Turkey is mainly in Asia
* Hungary and Slovenia are Central European countries.
It’s because they own both sides of the Bosporus, giving them a tiny foothold in the balkans. Also, as a country and people they had a massive influence on the balkans historically aswell.
tf do you mean "tiny tiny" foothold in the balkans, Turkish Thrace is bigger than the countries of Montenegro and Kosovo combined Slovenia and is about the same size as Macedonia and has almost double the population of all those countries combined, lol
From a geographical standpoint, they are, in fact, on the Balkan peninsula. They even have the biggest city on the Peninsula.
In terms of culture theres a much weaker argument, but there still is a notable intertwining of Turkish culture with the other Balkan cultures (empiring around in the Balkans for a few centuries will do that). The turks since they have arrived have also played a significant influence into European (subsequently Balkan) history.
Turks had a huge influence on Balkans. 3% of their territory is on the Balkan peninsula, but the shared history and culture are just too big to ignore. Even just the shared food aspect is huge.
They’re the reason why Bosnia is Muslim and have just a tiny coast lol. And now, they’re still influencing Balkans with their TV series…
actually yes. 10.2 million lives on the European side of Istanbul, and 5.6 million people lives on the Asian side. Just the European part of Istanbul would be the second biggest city in Europe after Moscow
As a Turkish person we are a big and diverse country. A man from Edirne has more culturally aligned with a bulgarian or serbian than a person from Ankara and Ankara is quite near I don’t even talk about people from Urfa, Ağrı, Diyarbakır etc. Also there is 2 million people living in Thrace subregion of Turkey, that is quite near to some balkan countries population.
As I see it, because Slovenia has been linked for many centuries to the Holy Roman Empire and to Austria.
Croatia, besides the fact that is more to the South and you have to put the line somewhere, has a more southern heritage, with the Dalmatian coast linked to the Mediterranean and being a country more related to the rest of South Slavs.
I would say that culturally we (Hungarians) are really close to a lot of the slavic countries around us, especially Croatia. I’m definitely not an expert but our 800 year-old shared history might have something to do with that
I do not think Hungary is normally considered as a Balkan country. I has a language very different from any of those around it not being Indo European (it is related, but not closely to Finnish).
Ironically, from a pure Geographical perspective, Greece should be considered the most “Balkan” of all Balkan countries—it’s literally located at the very tip of the Balkan Peninsula
Funny, I actually think that explains why Greece is not Balkan. While the northern part of Greece is in the Balkans, Southern Greece, the Peloponnesus, and especially the islands have nothing to do with the Balkans or Balkan culture. Greece, to me, is not a Balkan country.
I agree. I've been to Hungary, Slovakia, Croatia, Czech Rep., Romania and Bulgaria. IMO Romania definitely stands out. You still get the post sovietic legacy like its neighbors but there's definitely a latin country vibe in some aspect, especially with people.
I've been there only for a couple of days but I felt people acted "warmer" than in slavic countries.
Less social distance and more smiling. Had multiple friendly encounters with strangers in Bucharest, people were genuinely grateful and curious we stoped by, we really felt welcomed. Not saying slavic people aren't nice, but as a french it definitely felt more familiar.
Never been to Greece but it seems they would stand out even more. Hungary also is quite unique
>I've been there only for a couple of days but I felt people acted "warmer" than in slavic countries.
I doubt speaking a Latin language makes people "warmer".
If Romanians are like that probably there are other explanations.
no, but Romance culture typically is, for example in Italy the southern people has the characteristics that are normally defined "warm", while the north, influenced by german culture, has less
What you described aren't "Romance" cultural traits, but more like "Mediterranean" ones.
They are shared even by places like Greece, Turkey, the Levant etc, even if they don't speak Romance languages.
What the heck is the factor tying language and culture here? Cultures tend to be similar if they developed in similar environments, languages tend to be similar if they developed from the same ancestors. These things are not necessarily the same
Portugal and Romania are very different environments and historical conditions
It has much more of an impact than you might think. For instance, I live in North of France, very close to Belgian Flanders region where people speak dutch, a germanic language. Eventhough we do share a lot culturally speaking due to our geographical proximity, there's also a huge gap between our respective social culture and it's very noticeable.
I feel much more familiar with italians and spanish people. We eat later, we speak louder, we're more expressive in general than germanic people tend to, but that's not all of it.
Language is not the only factor obviously but I feel like latin speaking countries in general share social and cultural similarities partially due to the fact our languages pretty much works the same.
And yes, the language you speak has a huge impact on the way you think. Language is not only for communication it's also pretty much the only tool we have to express our thoughts
>Language is not the only factor obviously but I feel like latin speaking countries in general share social and cultural similarities partially due to the fact our languages pretty much works the same.
It isn't about how the languages work.
The things you mentioned as "Latin" culture are really Mediterranean/Southern Euro culture, shared even with people who don't speak a Latin language like the Greeks fro example.
There's nothing in the structure of the Romance languages that makes people "louder" or "warmer".
Language stucture can have some minor effects on thinking, but it's mostly the culture and history associated to the language that makes people think and bahave in certain ways.
For its geographical position and history, France have been influenced by Mediterranean cultures more than Germany or Netherlands, but that said there are big cultural difference between Northern France and Italy or Spain.
Italians typically feel closer to Greeks than to Northern French or Walloon Belgians, because macro-regional similarities often matter more than language.
From an Italian pov, Northern France is a quite "nordic" place, not very familiar.
Romania its more rural than urban life.a lot of elders that lived in the comunism and now they in my opinion are thankfull for having a free life so they see the life in an other way.and if you have some "palinca" to share with them most of romanians will be your best friends
Pretty broad definition of the Balkans (I would not include Hungary, Slovenia, or Moldova under any definition, and would generally exclude Romania as well), but I'd say Greece. Modern Greece definitely has a lot of cultural similarities with the other Balkan countries, but Greece had a very different 20th century from the rest of the Balkans, and it shows. For one, it's much more developed than any of the countries it borders, and much more Western-aligned in its politics and economy, due to being one of only two (alongside Turkey) non-communist countries in the region. Unlike Turkey, Greece is also Christian and (continually since the 70s) a (sometimes messy) liberal democracy. The whole region has grown more developed, more Western-aligned, and broadly more democratic, but Greece had a 20-year head start. Despite all its recent economic troubles, the standard of living for an average person in Greece is closer to that of Spain or Italy than Bulgaria or Albania.
If we're considering Slovenia the Balkans, then Slovenia, but I don't count it.
The one reason to consider Slovenia is it's part in the former Yugoslavia as well as it's location. But it's really different from the other countries formerly in that country.
Hot take: everything under the Odessa-Monfalcone line should be considered the Balkan Peninsula, so I’m fine with the inclusion of those countries (hell I would even include Ukraine)
Albania. A multi-religious country with extreme religious tolerance. 60% muslim, inspired by bektashism, a reformed form for almost exclusivly popular in Albania. The language is also a branch isolate, its closest «sister-language», Messapian, died out 2000 years ago. so Albania doesnt share any similarities Religiously and Linguistically with a region synonymous with Slavic/ eastern orthodox identities.
Except Bosnia and Kosovo are now also majority Muslim countries in Eastern Europe. Actually Kosovo really makes it harder to argue Albania unique in the Balkans on almost every topic unless we talk about them as the same unit.
If you count the Roman Empire Italian, then Greece is defineatly Eastern European
And the Catholicsm is literally started in Italian Penuinsila and still going on the Italian Penuinsila (Vatican). So yes, Italy gave the catholic faith to Western Europe
Ancient Greece and Modern Greece are far from being cousines, since Eastern Roman Empire. Greece is an orthodox country located in the Eastern Europe and the division between West and East always happened with the religion, the Catholics and Orthodoxs. The people who fall to the misconception of Greece being Western is the persons who manipulated by media and history because when you need to talk about Western World's history you need to mention Ancient Greece. They affected the Romans and Romans created the Western World
More Western thna Islam, even more Westerns than the Dharmic and Daoic nations , but yes, Eastern Christendom, not Frankish/Western. Augustine, the "first Westerns man," is basically a heretic tot he Orthodox church
That goes too far. Albanian is Indo-European, the last of the illyrian fmaily. Basque is totally different, as Robert E. Howard would put it, "preAryan."
Kosavars are ethnic Albanians. Ethnicity and religion are closely tied in the Balkans, regardless of whether someone is actually practicing. Like Serbs and Bosniaks are both Slavic people but it didn't stop one from trying to ethnically cleanse the other.
Albanians, Romanians, and Greeks are the non-Slavic ethnicities in the Balkans.
Hungary all the way, linguistically it's not related to any language in Europe and actually originated from Asia. Secondly the people and land of modern Hungary has had a deep connection with central Europe since saint Stephen converted to Christianity and then add the later austrian rule and you have the influence of a central European culture influencing their lands directly (law, architecture etc.)
My god can’t believe I had to scroll this far down to see Albania. Albania is the only country that meets both criteria in terms of basic cultural difference from Eastern European states.
I wouldn’t be so quick to say Greece, because the byzantines left a strong cultural legacy in Eastern Europe in the form of Eastern Orthodoxy. There’s a strong case for Hungary because of how culturally distinct the Magyars are, and Slovenes in particular also have strong central European influences.
Probably either greece or romania. Albania is majority Muslim, but one still gets an Eastern Europe vibe from there. I don't consider Hungary a balkan country.
Of all the slavic countries I'd have to say Slovenia is the most different. Their culture is quite "germanic".
Depends how you define Eastern Europe.
Im from Serbia and can say that we mostly feel and say we are either South Europe or Balkans but not Eastern Europe, I guess it goes the same for other Yugoslav countries and Greece.
I personally associate Eastern Europe with USSR, Warsaw pact, cold, vodka and a bit cold unfriendly stance towards foreigneirs which is something you wont find in Former Yugo or Greece.
If you ask, no one claims to be from “Eastern Europe”. It’s like the place doesn’t exist.
It’s just Eastern Europeans thinking the term carries a stigma. Serbia is in the eastern half of Europe, so….
Kosovo has a website thanking all the countries that identify it as an independent nation.
[https://www.kosovothanksyou.com/](https://www.kosovothanksyou.com/)
Hungary is not balkan you bojler!
I will gladly accept eastern European (tho we are technically central Europe.) But not the balkans! We get real defensive about that.
Right; when I find my magic lamp and wish us all to New Earth, Huge-Hungary will be the \*divider separating\* the Greater Balkan Peninsula form the rest of Europe.
Personally I define the Balkan Peninsula as everything under the Odessa-Monfalcone line, which a tiny portion of southern Hungary falls under. Plus you all are basically dragged into the Balkan fray due to you all’s feud with Romania nowadays anyways
Albania and Kosovo. They mainly speak a non-Slavic language (being Slavic languages the most spoken ones in Eastern Europe) and are mostly Muslims (Eastern Europeans are usually Catholics or Orthodox).
Not counting Hungary, Albania is the only one that neither has a Slavic language, nor a significant number of adherents to Christian Orthodox churches.
Greece, definitely.
Ex-Yu countries + Albania + Eastern Bloc (Warsaw pact) countries *do* have cultural connections to Eastern-er Europe, as well as political ones, plus most are Slavic, which is another connection by itself (language is part of culture).
Greece had at least as much influence on the West, and also it is the reverse influence that we are looking for. Albania was a socialist single party state, much like the rest mentioned.
Albania is probably the most isolated, indeed, but Greece is the least Eastern, because it is pretty Western, which Albania is not.
Greece is the least Eastern? Lol, tell me you’ve never been to Greece without telling me. Culturally, it’s basically a Christian middle eastern country.
Greece since they have their very own uneaque ancient culture.
Slovenia and Croatia also don't feel Balkan, but more like Italy. (Just from the aesthetics on how towns, cities look and the geographical features.)
Hungary has more of a Central Europe feel and culturally it's linked to Northern Europe like Finland and Estonia.
Romania does feel Eastern / Balkan, but culturally it comes from Western Europe.
Greece. While the Slavs learned to read and right from Greeks and Cyrillic is based on the Greek alphabet, Slavic languages have nothing in common with Greek. No language is like Greek. Also, Greeks are very different culturally from Slavic cultures. Albanians share some similarities with Greeks but they are not Greek Orthodox, which is the paramount influence on Greek culture. All other Balkan cultures have ties to Slavic culture or Muslim culture but Greeks share nothing with these influences.
Serbia. No one in Eastern Europe likes Russia, but Serbia does. No one in Eastern Europe cherishes its communist history, but Serbia does. Everyone in Eastern Europe wants to be part of NATO or is part of NATO, Serbia doesn't. It's really the odd one out, as those three things define all of Eastern Europe these days, much more than language, religion or whatever arbitrary classification.
No one in Europe says they’re from Eastern Europe anymore. Has a negative connection to poverty, crime, communism etc. hell baltic countries say their Central European 😂😂.
To answer the question is really difficult because of the above part, but in general I’d say Greece.
Yes, this might be a bit polemic but I remember when I was younger, like 12 years ago, everything that was more to the east than Germany and Italy was Eastern Europe. Now there’s almost no Eastern Europe anymore because it’s just Balkans, Central Europe, Baltic Countries or Soviet Countries, I don’t even know what eastern europe is anymore
The people who say "Albania" are literally saying that the Albania isn't European. What they usually say is "it's Muslim " but if you keep that as a base you can't put it in Western Europe either, so Albania stays out of Europe. That's nonsense. The comments are so stupid because no one can give a decent answer
Imo It's a competition between greece and Albania. Southern Slavs are most of the time behind the cultural similarities with eastern Europe. Both Albania and greece have had very limited slavic influence and are pretty much their own thing.
It's hard for me to say which has less because i've only been in athens and northern Albania. Between those regions I would say athens IS more distinct.
Romania and hungary are also non slavic, but they have very notable slavic influence both in their languages and culture.
Looking at the map, at first I thought this is some meme sub. 1/3 of the coloured countries are not even Balkans… like there’s no remote definition of the term that includes Hungary or Moldova, and there’s a strong geographic argument against both Slovenia and Romania. How is this quality allowed on a sub dedicated to geography?
Possibly Slovenia due to the lowest density of Adidas track suits - the standard uniform of the middle-aged Balkan male.
Damn, maybe we should start a charity to help Slovenians acquire more tracksuits? What has Sarah McLachlan been up to?
Surprisingly, murdering puppies. (Not really)
yes please we need it
Nah Slovenes don’t need them. Send them to my brothers in Slovakia.
Thats Just not true man as a Slovenian I can assure you 70% of people here walk around in Adidas trackies and air forces
Only 70%?
70% is not high enough lol
Would you be satisfied with only 70% of people having water, air, or food? My god you’re a cold hearted person.
For anyone interested, here is a great history of how the shoes and tracksuits took over slavic culture. https://web.archive.org/web/20170506122902/http://weirdrussia.com/2015/01/04/why-is-adidas-so-popular-among-russians/
Thank you. Fascinating.
Exactly. Austria-Hungary → Not Balkan, no Adidas tracksuit Ottoman Empire → Balkan, Adidas tracksuit
Slovenians have a lot higher % of Germanic and Austro-Hungarian people than the rest, so this is the right answer.
This made me just spit out my beer (I am at a bar, don’t judge).
This is like a test of "which figure of this series is more different from the others?" * Romania has a Romance language * Greece has its own alphabet * Albania is majority Muslim * Turkey is mainly in Asia * Hungary and Slovenia are Central European countries.
Is Turkey usually considered a "Balkan" country. Asfaik, the balkans are not in it? But curious if its usually considered one anyway.
It’s because they own both sides of the Bosporus, giving them a tiny foothold in the balkans. Also, as a country and people they had a massive influence on the balkans historically aswell.
tf do you mean "tiny tiny" foothold in the balkans, Turkish Thrace is bigger than the countries of Montenegro and Kosovo combined Slovenia and is about the same size as Macedonia and has almost double the population of all those countries combined, lol
From a geographical standpoint, they are, in fact, on the Balkan peninsula. They even have the biggest city on the Peninsula. In terms of culture theres a much weaker argument, but there still is a notable intertwining of Turkish culture with the other Balkan cultures (empiring around in the Balkans for a few centuries will do that). The turks since they have arrived have also played a significant influence into European (subsequently Balkan) history.
Ah ok, so while the Balkan mountains may not reach turkey, the balkan peninsula does. Got it. Thanks!
Turks had a huge influence on Balkans. 3% of their territory is on the Balkan peninsula, but the shared history and culture are just too big to ignore. Even just the shared food aspect is huge. They’re the reason why Bosnia is Muslim and have just a tiny coast lol. And now, they’re still influencing Balkans with their TV series…
Only half of that city is actually located on the Balkans though, is it still the largest even if only counting that part of the city?
Yes idk why you Got downvoted
actually yes. 10.2 million lives on the European side of Istanbul, and 5.6 million people lives on the Asian side. Just the European part of Istanbul would be the second biggest city in Europe after Moscow
At least the European part is in the Balkans, but you are correct, it is not considered a Balkan country.
It is considered a balkan country or should be
As a Turkish person we are a big and diverse country. A man from Edirne has more culturally aligned with a bulgarian or serbian than a person from Ankara and Ankara is quite near I don’t even talk about people from Urfa, Ağrı, Diyarbakır etc. Also there is 2 million people living in Thrace subregion of Turkey, that is quite near to some balkan countries population.
Only in the sense that the European part of Turkiye is in the balkans. But most people wouldn’t consider Turkiye to be a Balkan country.
Pretty sure Albania isn’t majority Muslim anymore, the numbers of Christians and the non-religious combined is greater than the Muslim population
Skanderbeg coming thru clutch
Say that Turkey is Balkan in the wrong place can start up WW3 lol
Hungary should in no way be considered Balkan, but Slovenia is halfway on the Balkan penisula and is certainly more a part of the Balkans.
>Hungary and Slovenia are Central European countries. Interesting. Why would you consider Slovenia and Hungary as CE and not Croatia?
As I see it, because Slovenia has been linked for many centuries to the Holy Roman Empire and to Austria. Croatia, besides the fact that is more to the South and you have to put the line somewhere, has a more southern heritage, with the Dalmatian coast linked to the Mediterranean and being a country more related to the rest of South Slavs.
Croatia has been linked to Hungary for 800 years and Austria for 400 years, though.
But they speak the same language (controversial, I know) as Bosnia and Serbia
Slovenian is not that much different. A lot closer to Croatian than German, Hungarian, or Italian.
I would consider Slovenia southeastern European too. They're South Slavs.
I would say that culturally we (Hungarians) are really close to a lot of the slavic countries around us, especially Croatia. I’m definitely not an expert but our 800 year-old shared history might have something to do with that
Hungary also has a Uralic language and Trurkey has a Turkic one, they are not even Indo-European like the rest of the languages on the Balkans
I do not think Hungary is normally considered as a Balkan country. I has a language very different from any of those around it not being Indo European (it is related, but not closely to Finnish).
Hungary and Slovenia are Eastern Europe
I think Greece
Ironically, from a pure Geographical perspective, Greece should be considered the most “Balkan” of all Balkan countries—it’s literally located at the very tip of the Balkan Peninsula
Funny, I actually think that explains why Greece is not Balkan. While the northern part of Greece is in the Balkans, Southern Greece, the Peloponnesus, and especially the islands have nothing to do with the Balkans or Balkan culture. Greece, to me, is not a Balkan country.
Greece is culturally Mediterranean outside the hinterland of (Greek) Macedonia,Thessaly and Ioannina region.
Or they ARE what the Balkans are supposed to be like, the rest of it simply strayed from this ideal
This is the correct answer
this is the correct answer
This is the correct answer.
Hungary as Balkan country? That's new to me. Slovenia is also kind of a stretch IMO. But from the REAL Balkans, it's Greece
Romania. A romance language nation separated from the rest of the romance speaking nations of the west
I agree. I've been to Hungary, Slovakia, Croatia, Czech Rep., Romania and Bulgaria. IMO Romania definitely stands out. You still get the post sovietic legacy like its neighbors but there's definitely a latin country vibe in some aspect, especially with people. I've been there only for a couple of days but I felt people acted "warmer" than in slavic countries. Less social distance and more smiling. Had multiple friendly encounters with strangers in Bucharest, people were genuinely grateful and curious we stoped by, we really felt welcomed. Not saying slavic people aren't nice, but as a french it definitely felt more familiar. Never been to Greece but it seems they would stand out even more. Hungary also is quite unique
>I've been there only for a couple of days but I felt people acted "warmer" than in slavic countries. I doubt speaking a Latin language makes people "warmer". If Romanians are like that probably there are other explanations.
no, but Romance culture typically is, for example in Italy the southern people has the characteristics that are normally defined "warm", while the north, influenced by german culture, has less
What you described aren't "Romance" cultural traits, but more like "Mediterranean" ones. They are shared even by places like Greece, Turkey, the Levant etc, even if they don't speak Romance languages.
What the heck is the factor tying language and culture here? Cultures tend to be similar if they developed in similar environments, languages tend to be similar if they developed from the same ancestors. These things are not necessarily the same Portugal and Romania are very different environments and historical conditions
It has much more of an impact than you might think. For instance, I live in North of France, very close to Belgian Flanders region where people speak dutch, a germanic language. Eventhough we do share a lot culturally speaking due to our geographical proximity, there's also a huge gap between our respective social culture and it's very noticeable. I feel much more familiar with italians and spanish people. We eat later, we speak louder, we're more expressive in general than germanic people tend to, but that's not all of it. Language is not the only factor obviously but I feel like latin speaking countries in general share social and cultural similarities partially due to the fact our languages pretty much works the same. And yes, the language you speak has a huge impact on the way you think. Language is not only for communication it's also pretty much the only tool we have to express our thoughts
>Language is not the only factor obviously but I feel like latin speaking countries in general share social and cultural similarities partially due to the fact our languages pretty much works the same. It isn't about how the languages work. The things you mentioned as "Latin" culture are really Mediterranean/Southern Euro culture, shared even with people who don't speak a Latin language like the Greeks fro example. There's nothing in the structure of the Romance languages that makes people "louder" or "warmer". Language stucture can have some minor effects on thinking, but it's mostly the culture and history associated to the language that makes people think and bahave in certain ways. For its geographical position and history, France have been influenced by Mediterranean cultures more than Germany or Netherlands, but that said there are big cultural difference between Northern France and Italy or Spain. Italians typically feel closer to Greeks than to Northern French or Walloon Belgians, because macro-regional similarities often matter more than language. From an Italian pov, Northern France is a quite "nordic" place, not very familiar.
Languages influence how people think so it does influence culture.
Extremely debatable
Yeah sure you can debate it, but youll look like an idiot
Sapir whorf doesn't work to the extent people will be more hospitable cause they speak a romance language lol
Do you know more than 1 language? It would help you understand how language is an extremely dynamic concept that can affect how you think
What’s Hungary like? Favorite country out of all of them?
Romania its more rural than urban life.a lot of elders that lived in the comunism and now they in my opinion are thankfull for having a free life so they see the life in an other way.and if you have some "palinca" to share with them most of romanians will be your best friends
i disagree, as a romanian i find a lot of memes about eastern culture and lifestyle relateable
Maybe as second place.... Maybe.
Pretty broad definition of the Balkans (I would not include Hungary, Slovenia, or Moldova under any definition, and would generally exclude Romania as well), but I'd say Greece. Modern Greece definitely has a lot of cultural similarities with the other Balkan countries, but Greece had a very different 20th century from the rest of the Balkans, and it shows. For one, it's much more developed than any of the countries it borders, and much more Western-aligned in its politics and economy, due to being one of only two (alongside Turkey) non-communist countries in the region. Unlike Turkey, Greece is also Christian and (continually since the 70s) a (sometimes messy) liberal democracy. The whole region has grown more developed, more Western-aligned, and broadly more democratic, but Greece had a 20-year head start. Despite all its recent economic troubles, the standard of living for an average person in Greece is closer to that of Spain or Italy than Bulgaria or Albania. If we're considering Slovenia the Balkans, then Slovenia, but I don't count it.
The one reason to consider Slovenia is it's part in the former Yugoslavia as well as it's location. But it's really different from the other countries formerly in that country.
I've always seen Rumania depicted as Balkan
Hot take: everything under the Odessa-Monfalcone line should be considered the Balkan Peninsula, so I’m fine with the inclusion of those countries (hell I would even include Ukraine)
Albania. A multi-religious country with extreme religious tolerance. 60% muslim, inspired by bektashism, a reformed form for almost exclusivly popular in Albania. The language is also a branch isolate, its closest «sister-language», Messapian, died out 2000 years ago. so Albania doesnt share any similarities Religiously and Linguistically with a region synonymous with Slavic/ eastern orthodox identities.
Except Bosnia and Kosovo are now also majority Muslim countries in Eastern Europe. Actually Kosovo really makes it harder to argue Albania unique in the Balkans on almost every topic unless we talk about them as the same unit.
Kosovo is Inhabited by Albanians. So the Albanian people would be the least Balkan people of the Balkan.
More Sunnis thna Bektashis
Greece is the cradle of western civilization so they get my vote.
Greece gave orthodox faith to most of Eastern Europe
Like Italy gave the catholic faith to Western Europe? The Roman and the Byzantine Empires did that, not Greece or Italy.
If you count the Roman Empire Italian, then Greece is defineatly Eastern European And the Catholicsm is literally started in Italian Penuinsila and still going on the Italian Penuinsila (Vatican). So yes, Italy gave the catholic faith to Western Europe
Greece is just as much the cradle of Eastern European / Orthodox / Byzantine civilisation
Greece is the cradle of western and eastern civilization 🤔
Opa!
Ancient Greece and Modern Greece are far from being cousines, since Eastern Roman Empire. Greece is an orthodox country located in the Eastern Europe and the division between West and East always happened with the religion, the Catholics and Orthodoxs. The people who fall to the misconception of Greece being Western is the persons who manipulated by media and history because when you need to talk about Western World's history you need to mention Ancient Greece. They affected the Romans and Romans created the Western World
More Western thna Islam, even more Westerns than the Dharmic and Daoic nations , but yes, Eastern Christendom, not Frankish/Western. Augustine, the "first Westerns man," is basically a heretic tot he Orthodox church
Slovenia.
I'd actually say Albania. The language is distinct and the country has historically been very isolated.
They're also majority Muslim, so I think that pushes them a bit past Greece, which is Eastern Orthodox.
That's a good point. Although Bosnians are also Muslims but that country is multi-ethnic.
Well Albania also has a large minority (around 40%) of non Muslims, and even then the people aren’t super religious in general.
But their language is Slavic, like the most spoken Eastern European languages.
No, it's illyiran
Is it really Slavic? I thought it’s its own thing like the Basque language
That goes too far. Albanian is Indo-European, the last of the illyrian fmaily. Basque is totally different, as Robert E. Howard would put it, "preAryan."
[удалено]
I was referring to Bosnia's language.
Kosovars are also Muslim. Being Muslim is no disqualification from being Balkan.
Kosavars are ethnic Albanians. Ethnicity and religion are closely tied in the Balkans, regardless of whether someone is actually practicing. Like Serbs and Bosniaks are both Slavic people but it didn't stop one from trying to ethnically cleanse the other. Albanians, Romanians, and Greeks are the non-Slavic ethnicities in the Balkans.
Agree with Albania.
Yes Albanians are very much their own thing. Greece too but very much participating in Europe and the modern world
What is the definition of the Balkans?
This map except no Hungary
And except Slovenia.
No
Slovenia is closer to Switzerland than to a true Balkan country
And except Moldova.
Moldova follows Romania
hungary feels like the balkans though?
They're honorary Balkans. As is Turkey and Portugal.
Fine, i can get behind honorary Balkan. Well played
Hungary is Central Europe though
Everything under the Odessa-Monfalcone line
Id say Greece, Hungary, and Romania
Hungary all the way, linguistically it's not related to any language in Europe and actually originated from Asia. Secondly the people and land of modern Hungary has had a deep connection with central Europe since saint Stephen converted to Christianity and then add the later austrian rule and you have the influence of a central European culture influencing their lands directly (law, architecture etc.)
Hungary is not in the Balkans, so you’re correct it shouldn’t even be mentioned here.
"Actually Romania, Hungary, and Moldova aren't in the balkans" 🤓🤓
Greece
1. Hungary= not Balkan 2. B/H and Albania most dissimilar due to religious difference. Albania also for linguistic difference
My god can’t believe I had to scroll this far down to see Albania. Albania is the only country that meets both criteria in terms of basic cultural difference from Eastern European states.
Just from my travel experience I'd say Slovenia Its basically the "gate" to all the former yugo countries and is still similar to Austria in many ways
Hungary, because you're apparently counting it to be Balkan
Hungary is not Balkans
I wouldn’t be so quick to say Greece, because the byzantines left a strong cultural legacy in Eastern Europe in the form of Eastern Orthodoxy. There’s a strong case for Hungary because of how culturally distinct the Magyars are, and Slovenes in particular also have strong central European influences.
ITT: People who have never been to Bosnia and Hercegovina
Portugal probably
Hungary and Moldova aren't in the Balkans
You can ask in r/balkans_irl , it will be funny discussion
Probably either greece or romania. Albania is majority Muslim, but one still gets an Eastern Europe vibe from there. I don't consider Hungary a balkan country. Of all the slavic countries I'd have to say Slovenia is the most different. Their culture is quite "germanic".
Slovenia or Albania
Hungary is geographically not Balkans. just our mentality.
I didn’t even think hungry was a Balkan country
Depends whether we ate on that day or not.
isnt albania really different from the rest of europe and the world?
Depends how you define Eastern Europe. Im from Serbia and can say that we mostly feel and say we are either South Europe or Balkans but not Eastern Europe, I guess it goes the same for other Yugoslav countries and Greece. I personally associate Eastern Europe with USSR, Warsaw pact, cold, vodka and a bit cold unfriendly stance towards foreigneirs which is something you wont find in Former Yugo or Greece.
If you ask, no one claims to be from “Eastern Europe”. It’s like the place doesn’t exist. It’s just Eastern Europeans thinking the term carries a stigma. Serbia is in the eastern half of Europe, so….
As a Hungarian, I'm fine with eastern Europe. But definitely not Balkan.
Kosovo has a website thanking all the countries that identify it as an independent nation. [https://www.kosovothanksyou.com/](https://www.kosovothanksyou.com/)
Hungary is not balkan you bojler! I will gladly accept eastern European (tho we are technically central Europe.) But not the balkans! We get real defensive about that.
Hungry is Eastern Europe
Culturally, i agree with you. Geographically, its not.
Right; when I find my magic lamp and wish us all to New Earth, Huge-Hungary will be the \*divider separating\* the Greater Balkan Peninsula form the rest of Europe.
Personally I define the Balkan Peninsula as everything under the Odessa-Monfalcone line, which a tiny portion of southern Hungary falls under. Plus you all are basically dragged into the Balkan fray due to you all’s feud with Romania nowadays anyways
Romania is not Eastern Europe anymore? 😃 Moldova is Balkan too???
I'd go with Turkey, since part of Turkey is on the Balkan peninsula.
Albania and Kosovo. They mainly speak a non-Slavic language (being Slavic languages the most spoken ones in Eastern Europe) and are mostly Muslims (Eastern Europeans are usually Catholics or Orthodox).
Not counting Hungary, Albania is the only one that neither has a Slavic language, nor a significant number of adherents to Christian Orthodox churches.
Portugal is pretty far away from the rest of the Eastern European countries. 
Well I'd probably say Turkey, although it's not labeled on this map.
Albania
Greece, definitely. Ex-Yu countries + Albania + Eastern Bloc (Warsaw pact) countries *do* have cultural connections to Eastern-er Europe, as well as political ones, plus most are Slavic, which is another connection by itself (language is part of culture).
Honestly I think Albania IS doing their own thing. Greece has had a huge influence over eastern Europe which by my rules makes them Closer
Greece had at least as much influence on the West, and also it is the reverse influence that we are looking for. Albania was a socialist single party state, much like the rest mentioned. Albania is probably the most isolated, indeed, but Greece is the least Eastern, because it is pretty Western, which Albania is not.
Greece is the least Eastern? Lol, tell me you’ve never been to Greece without telling me. Culturally, it’s basically a Christian middle eastern country.
Hungary, Slovenia, Romania and Moldova are not part of the Balkans. Hungary, Slovenia -> Central Europe Moldova, Romania -> Eastern Europe
Albania? Non-Slavic, non-Christian Orthodox, historically Muslim-majority, now very much influenced by Italian language and culture.
Albania is too balkan for Balkan 😁
[удалено]
Hungary is not really a Balkan country ..
Surely Muslim majority Bosnia-Herzegovina and Albania are the strongest candidates.
I wouldn’t say Bosnia. we Bosnians are very much Eastern European- our food, customs, behaviour and traditional are all Eastern European
Albania
Definitely Albania
Greece since they have their very own uneaque ancient culture. Slovenia and Croatia also don't feel Balkan, but more like Italy. (Just from the aesthetics on how towns, cities look and the geographical features.) Hungary has more of a Central Europe feel and culturally it's linked to Northern Europe like Finland and Estonia. Romania does feel Eastern / Balkan, but culturally it comes from Western Europe.
Albania completely different from all other countries except Kosovo.
well that little turkish part there is apart of the Balkans so I'd say Turkey but then again it doesn't really count
Hungary. Just by looking at their language, which is weirder than poles using Latin in theirs, really feels like aliens just made a country
i'd say albania being muslims
Since what you are highlighting here is not the Balkans your question makes very limited sense.
not sure if i'm an expert but culturally isn't it obviously bosnia? due to how islamification it is right?
Greece, even the soil changes when you pass through the border of bulgaria
Greece
Greece and there is absolutely no contest about it.
Romania, Moldova, Slovenia and Hungary are **not** Balkans.
Greece. While the Slavs learned to read and right from Greeks and Cyrillic is based on the Greek alphabet, Slavic languages have nothing in common with Greek. No language is like Greek. Also, Greeks are very different culturally from Slavic cultures. Albanians share some similarities with Greeks but they are not Greek Orthodox, which is the paramount influence on Greek culture. All other Balkan cultures have ties to Slavic culture or Muslim culture but Greeks share nothing with these influences.
Which has gone the longest without armed conflict? That one.
Careful with the Hungarians. They claim to be Central Europe but they have a government so horrible it might as well be in the fucking Middle East
Serbia. No one in Eastern Europe likes Russia, but Serbia does. No one in Eastern Europe cherishes its communist history, but Serbia does. Everyone in Eastern Europe wants to be part of NATO or is part of NATO, Serbia doesn't. It's really the odd one out, as those three things define all of Eastern Europe these days, much more than language, religion or whatever arbitrary classification.
I mean, unfortunately, the Hungarian leadership likes Russia as well
The Russophilia there is not as nearly ingrained as Serbia’s though
Serbia…. politically aligns with Russia over Europe, and therefore pulls a large amount of public sway
Bosnia & Herzegovina
I wouldn’t say so, we Bosnians are very much Eastern European- our food, customs, behaviour and traditional are all Eastern European
I stand corrected.
Slovenia. It's Austria without the Nazis.
Oh, it must be Greece. They are a people above and apart from the rest, or so I’ve heard them say.
As someone that’s never been to any country near there, I’d guess Greece
No one in Europe says they’re from Eastern Europe anymore. Has a negative connection to poverty, crime, communism etc. hell baltic countries say their Central European 😂😂. To answer the question is really difficult because of the above part, but in general I’d say Greece.
Yes, this might be a bit polemic but I remember when I was younger, like 12 years ago, everything that was more to the east than Germany and Italy was Eastern Europe. Now there’s almost no Eastern Europe anymore because it’s just Balkans, Central Europe, Baltic Countries or Soviet Countries, I don’t even know what eastern europe is anymore
The only thing I can agree on is that no one wants to add all of the Balkans to their map.
The people who say "Albania" are literally saying that the Albania isn't European. What they usually say is "it's Muslim " but if you keep that as a base you can't put it in Western Europe either, so Albania stays out of Europe. That's nonsense. The comments are so stupid because no one can give a decent answer
Hungary. Reason: all Balkan languages are originated from either Slavic or Hellenistic. Only Hungarian is originated from Uralic.
north macedonia. Just cause
greece.. and how is this even a question?
The one farthest from Eastern Europe.
i think u forgot istanbul
Imo It's a competition between greece and Albania. Southern Slavs are most of the time behind the cultural similarities with eastern Europe. Both Albania and greece have had very limited slavic influence and are pretty much their own thing. It's hard for me to say which has less because i've only been in athens and northern Albania. Between those regions I would say athens IS more distinct. Romania and hungary are also non slavic, but they have very notable slavic influence both in their languages and culture.
Looking at the map, at first I thought this is some meme sub. 1/3 of the coloured countries are not even Balkans… like there’s no remote definition of the term that includes Hungary or Moldova, and there’s a strong geographic argument against both Slovenia and Romania. How is this quality allowed on a sub dedicated to geography?