What Countries Make up Eastern Europe?
Eastern Europe includes the countries of Russia, the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Moldova, Croatia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Belarus, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Kosovo and Macedonia. These countries are commonly grouped into the subregions of Eastern Europe, East Central Europe, the Baltics and the Balkans.
The Eastern Europe subregion includes Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Romania and Moldova. Russia is the largest of all of the Eastern European countries, while Moldova is one of the smallest. It is so small that it is often thought to be part of Romania.
The East Central Europe subregion consists of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Croatia, Slovenia and Slovakia. The Czech Republic and Slovakia, now two separate independent countries, were both part of Czechoslovakia from just after World War II until 1993. Both Slovenia and Croatia gained independence from the former Yugoslavia in 1991.
The Baltics subregion comprises Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, three northeastern European countries situated along the coast of the Baltic Sea. All three were part of the Soviet Union until Lithuania declared its formal independence in 1990, and Latvia and Estonia followed in 1991.
The Balkans subregion includes the countries of Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Kosovo and Macedonia. Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Macedonia were also part of the former Yugoslavia.
