Typical Characteristics of the European Region

The Country Similarity Index groups the countries of Poland, Czechia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Serbia, Slovakia, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Slovenia, Montenegro, Germany, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, Iceland, Romania, and Albania into the European Region. It also includes Kosovo, the micro-states of Malta, Lichtenstein, Monaco, Andorra, San Marino, Vatican City, and the territories of Greenland and the Faroe Islands. It is one of the 27 world sub-regions identified by the Index. Here are some of the traits most of these countries share:

GEOGRAPHY
Technically Europe is not its own continent, it is the Northwestern peninsula of the Eurasian landmass. Most European countries are located on this peninsula between the Mediterranean Sea and the Arctic Ocean, so there is a great deal of temperature variance throughout the region. The region does not get a huge amount of rainfall, but it is not extremely dry either. In general, the two major land types in Europe are forested land and agricultural land. The region’s vegetation is from the Holarctic Kingdom and the trees there are mostly deciduous. Wheat is the most common crop grown in the region. It is a relatively densely populated and built-up region of the world.

DEMOGRAPHICS
The majority of people in the European region have Caucasian ancestry. Its people are taller and heavier than the world average. The region has a lot of elderly people, since birth rates are low, but life expectancy is high. It is one of the wealthiest regions and has low poverty rates. It is also has one of the most educated populations as well. Most people work in the service sector. In the majority of Europe’s countries, there are more females than males.

CULTURE
Most of the people in the region natively speak Indo-European languages. Only the majority of people in Finland, Estonia, and Hungary do not. In addition, except for Greece and Cyprus, their languages all use the Latin alphabet. The region is mostly Christian, but most countries are not especially religious. The murder rate is low, so the region is quite peaceful. Pork is one of the most consumed meats in the European region. Eggs and cheese are popular dairy products. Apples and oranges are commonly eaten fruits. By far the most consumed staple grains are wheat and potatoes. Europeans tend to smoke more cigarettes and drink more alcohol than most other regions. Its countries tend to do well at the Olympics. Soccer is the most popular sport in the region.

GOVERNMENT
All the countries in the European Region are democracies. There tends to be a great deal of press freedom and little internet censorship there. Most countries use the parliamentary system of government, where the leader of the government is chosen by the legislators. Legislatures often have several different viable parties fighting for power. The majority of European countries have a special constitutional court. All countries except Cyprus use Civil Law in their respective legal systems. Their laws are similar as well. They tend to have a lot of mandated paid vacations days. Polygamy is criminalized in all countries. Abortions are largely unrestricted in the region. Most countries allow gambling as well. European countries also tend to have liberal policies on prostitution. Most allow at least unorganized prostitution. All countries have banned the death penalty. Countries in the European Region have incredibly close political ties. Most countries are in the European Union. Many even use the same currency, the Euro. Most countries are part of the Schengen Agreement, allowing open borders with each other. Citizens within the European Union can even work in other countries within it without having to obtain special permisson.

INFRASTRUCTURE
In general, the countries in the European Region have highly developed infrastructure. Almost everyone as access to basic utilities. Many people own cars, but public transportation is also well used. The region has a dense network of railroad infrastructure, typically using the standard track gauge. Technology standards there are quite homogenous. All the countries except for Cyprus, drive on the right side of the road. The majority of countries use Type C electrical outlets and are part of the synchronous grid of Continental Europe. The electrical voltage is between 220 and 240 volts and the frequency is 50 hertz. All countries use the DVBT digital broadcasting standard as well.

The European Region‘s Most Representative Country: Croatia (74.7 regional average)

Most Similar Region to the European Region: North Eurasia (1-C)

(Statistics correct as of 2020)

List of countries by region