Although it can be tricky to identify exactly what eastern Europe is, people in the region know exactly what they want, writes Ian Donegan.
THERE is no consistent definition of the precise area that eastern Europe covers, partly because the term has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic connotations.
There are almost as many definitions of the region as there are countries in it. The most agreed-upon, intuitive definition describes it as a cultural entity – the region lying in Europe with characteristics of Greek, Byzantine, eastern Orthodox, Russian and some Ottoman influences. Others call upon the Cold War and the term Eastern Bloc for guidance.
