Eastern Europe | Countries, Geography & Religions - Lesson | Study.com
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Eastern Europe | Countries, Geography & Religions

Ron Petrarca, David Wood, Lesley Chapel
  • Author
    Ron Petrarca

    I received my bachelor's degree in history from George Washington University and later earned a master's degree in the same subject from Uppsala University in Sweden. I have been a writer and editor for more than two decades.

  • Instructor
    David Wood

    David has taught Honors Physics, AP Physics, IB Physics and general science courses. He has a Masters in Education, and a Bachelors in Physics.

  • Expert Contributor
    Lesley Chapel

    Lesley has taught American and World History at the university level for the past seven years. She has a Master's degree in History.

Explore Eastern Europe. Learn what is considered Eastern European, view a list of Eastern European countries and discover Eastern Europe religions. Updated: 11/21/2023

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Prompts About Geography and Religions in Eastern Europe:

List Prompt 1:

Make a list of at least fifteen countries that are part of Eastern Europe. Since there is no exact definition of Eastern Europe, be sure your list includes countries that are sometimes included as part of Eastern Europe. You can designate these countries on your list with an asterisk or "s" in parentheses next to them. You can refer to the lesson, but try to recall as many from memory as you can.

Example: Poland (s).

List Prompt 2:

Make a list of at least seven of the largest cities in Eastern Europe. Be sure to note on your list which countries these cities are found in. You can refer to the lesson, but try to recall as many from memory as you can.

Example: Bratislava, Slovakia.

Essay Prompt 1:

In approximately one paragraph (at least three to five sentences), explain why Russia is sometimes considered part of Eastern Europe but sometimes not.

Example: Some people do not consider Russia to be part of Europe.

Essay Prompt 2:

Write an essay of approximately one to two paragraphs that explains the Soviet Union's influence on certain countries of Eastern Europe.

Example: Much of Eastern Europe's population has Russian ancestry.

Graphic Organizer Prompt 1:

Create a poster, chart, or some other type of graphic organizer that lists and provides statistics for the religions of Eastern Europe.

Example: 1.56% of Eastern Europeans are atheist.

Graphic Organizer Prompt 2:

Create a poster, chart, or some other type of graphic organizer that lists and briefly describes the major geographical features of Eastern Europe.

Example: You could draw a long river to illustrate the blue Danube.

What is the main religion in Eastern Europe?

Christianity is the main religion in Eastern Europe. More specifically, the Eastern orthodox Church is the branch of Christianity with the largest number of adherents in this region.

Which countries are in Eastern Europe?

These are the countries that are in Eastern Europe: Russia (Partly in Asia). the Ukraine, Belarus, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Turkey (western-most part). Some people include Greece and the Baltic countries, as well.

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Where is Eastern Europe?

Where is Eastern Europe? As its name suggests, Eastern Europe is the eastern part of the European continent. Its easternmost border is the Ural mountains. Where Eastern Europe begins, however, is a matter of opinion. One of the reasons for this, was that after WW II, parts of what were once considered to be Central and Western Europe, were taken over by a communist dictatorships aligned with the Soviet Union, and were classified as being part of Eastern Europe. Additionally, some definitions include Greece as part of Eastern Europe, while others maintain that Greece is, in fact, part of Southern Europe.

While the Soviet Union was once considered to be the most important country in Eastern Europe, many ex-Soviet nations are, in fact, not even in Europe. Even much of Russia is located in Asia.

Eastern European Countries List

What countries make up Eastern Europe? Here is an Eastern Europe countries list that can help discern what is considered Eastern European territory, and what countries are considered Eastern European:

Note: The Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania) are also sometimes considered to be part of Eastern Europe by some, but part of Northern Europe by others.


Map of Eastern Europe
what countries are in Eastern Europe


Eastern Europe Religions

The four major religions in Eastern Europe are the Eastern Orthodox faith, Catholicism, Islam, and Judaism.

Europe Religion Map

Eastern Europe religion is dominated by the Eastern Orthodox Church. Here is an Eastern Europe religion map that depicts the split of Christianity after the Great Schism of 1054. It is followed by a brief description of the four major religions in the region.


Map of the spread of Catholicism and the Eastern orthodox faith
Eastern Europe religion map


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  • 0:02 Eastern Europe
  • 1:04 Cities & Culture
  • 2:29 Religions
  • 3:22 Physical Geography
  • 4:19 Lesson Summary
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Eastern European Culture

Historically, the culture of Eastern Europe has been closely linked to the history of the rest of the continent. Most of the major periods in European history (Middle Ages, Scientific Revolution, the Enlightenment), also affected Eastern Europe. Many of the countries of Eastern Europe did not exist before the 20th century. They were part of large empires, such as the Austro-Hungarian, Ottoman, and Russian empires. Nationalism, therefore, was an important element in the culture of Eastern Europe for a long time, sometimes leading to major wars.

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Here are some notable geographic features in Easter Europe:

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Eastern Europe is the easternmost region in Europe. Most of the people who live here speak a Slavic language and belong to the Eastern Orthodox Church. There are some exceptions, however. For instance, Romanians speak a romance language. The capital of Romania is Bucharest, a city with approximately 1.8 million people. Most of the countries in Eastern Europe, including Romania, were never part of the Soviet Union. Despite this, the Soviet Union did play an important role in the regions history.

Eastern Europe is home to a number of mountain ranges, including the Musala, the region's tallest mountain. The longest river in the region is the Danube.

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Video Transcript

Where Is Eastern Europe?

What comes to mind when you think of Eastern Europe? Perhaps little more than the occasional James Bond villain or a Transylvanian castle on a stormy night. But it's not all sinister, I promise.

Eastern Europe is the Eastern side of the continent of Europe, usually considered to include Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Romania and Bulgaria, though sometimes also including Poland, Serbia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Georgia, Armenia, Montenegro and Hungary. There is no precise definition of Eastern Europe, so they tend to vary. People debate whether Russia is included, because some people don't consider it to be part of Europe. Geographically, the West of Russia is part of the continent of Europe, but politically, few Europeans would consider it so. Though it is a large area with many countries, many cultures and subtleties, we'll try to focus on the most significant aspects and summarize the places, religions and geography of Eastern Europe.

Major Cities and Culture

The largest and most important cities in Eastern Europe are Belgrade in Serbia, Bratislava in Slovakia, Prague in the Czech Republic, Bucharest in Romania, Budapest in Hungary, Kiev in the Ukraine and Krakow in Poland. If you include Russia in Eastern Europe, then Moscow would immediately jump to the top of the list as the most significant city. Not counting Moscow, Bucharest and Budapest are the largest of these cities, with around 1.8 million people each.

Many Eastern European countries have strong ties to the Soviet Union (USSR), including Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Armenia and Ukraine, which were formerly part of the USSR, and Bulgaria, the Czech Republic (then Czechoslovakia), Hungary, Poland and Romania, which were all USSR allies. Perhaps that's where the Bond-villain stereotype comes from. Why just fight a villain, when you can fight a Soviet villain?

Certainly, the USSR has had a big influence on their cultures, and many of the countries in the Northeast have strong Russian ancestry. Some even consider themselves to be Russian, though most assert their independent identity. Despite this Russian influence, Eastern European countries are becoming increasingly Westernized, especially in cities. You have to leave the city and head into the country to get a better sense of traditional Eastern European culture.

Religions of Eastern Europe

Eastern Europe is overwhelmingly Christian by religion, at around 84%. A further eight percent are agnostic, 5.7% Muslim and 1.56% atheist. In terms of denomination, most Christians in Eastern Europe are Eastern Orthodox, especially in Moldova, Romania, Montenegro, Serbia and Bulgaria, all of which have more than 50% of their population being Eastern Orthodox. In Moldova, it's a full 93%.

However, there are some countries in Eastern Europe where Catholicism is the most popular denomination, specifically Poland, Lithuania, Slovakia and possibly Hungary (data is mixed). All of these have greater than 50% Catholic populations. Other Christian denominations are very much a small minority in Eastern Europe (less than two percent). Compared to other parts of Europe, there is very little religious diversity in the area.

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