Regions of Europe

The warm, sunny climate of Southern Europe creates a vastly different culture than that of Northern or Eastern Europe. Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece are just some of the countries of this region, which enjoys a casual, easygoing atmosphere. The majority of these countries speak Romance languages, which are descended from Latin. The cuisine in this region tends to be spicier and makes use of local in-season produce and seafood caught on the coasts of these countries. Most of the residents of this area are Roman Catholic or Orthodox.

England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, France, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium and Austria are some of the countries that make up Western Europe. Cuisine varies widely from one country to the other and no one dish or one way of cooking symbolizes the entire area. The languages and religions vary greatly as well, making Western Europe more diverse and harder to define by region. Even the currency varies, as the countries of the United Kingdom, except for Ireland, have not followed suit in adopting the euro but have retained their own system.

Several Eastern European countries share a history of Communist rule. While Communism has left its mark in this region, it's now a thing of the past for countries such as the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Romania. Most residents of Eastern European countries belong to either the Roman Catholic Church or a variety of Orthodox churches, which play a large part in determining many of their holidays and celebrations. The residents of countries in this region typically speak variations of Slavic languages.

Northern Europe includes the Nordic countries, such as Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark. The occupants of these countries speak Nordic languages -- also known as North Germanic or Scandinavian languages -- such as FInnish, Danish, Swedish and Norwegian. These countries offer a wide mix of traditional small towns and modern, big cities. Commercial fishing plays a large part of the cultures of these lands that alternate between long hours or daylight and long hours of dark during the course of the year.

Comment on the Blog and tell us which regions you would prefer to live and why?