1. Benedict (Viktor) Gombocz

2.  During the Cold War (1947-1991), the term
Western Europe was collectively used for the
European NATO allies of the United States:
Belgium, Denmark, France (briefly left in 1966;
rejoined in 1967), Greece, Iceland (not on map),
Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway,
Portugal, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and
West Germany.
 Austria, Finland, Ireland, Spain, Sweden, and
Switzerland were neutral states.
 The democratic states in Western Europe were
also called the First World.

4.  Austria
 Belgium
 Denmark
 Finland
 France
 Germany
 Greece
 Iceland
 Ireland
 Italy
 Luxembourg
 Malta
 Netherlands
 Norway
 Portugal
 Spain
 Sweden
 Switzerland
 United Kingdom

5.  Austria
 Belgium
 France
 Germany
 Luxembourg
 Netherlands
 Switzerland

6.  Scandinavia
• Denmark
• Finland
• Iceland
• Norway
• Sweden
 British Isles
• Ireland
• United Kingdom
 Iberian Peninsula
• Portugal
• Spain

7.  Western Europe
• Belgium
• France
• Luxembourg
• Netherlands
 Central Europe
• Austria
• Germany
• Switzerland
 Southern Europe
• Greece
• Italy
• Malta

8.  As indicated on slide 4 (see accompanying
map), the categorization of Western Europe
used in the Cold War is used to define post-iron
curtain Western Europe.
 Western Europe claims two of the oldest
existing democracies in the world (Iceland and
Switzerland), the strongest economy in Europe
(Germany), and the richest country in the
European Union (Luxembourg).
 Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, It
aly, Luxembourg, Malta, the
Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and the United
Kingdom are full members of the European
Union and NATO.
 Austria, Finland, Ireland, and Sweden are full
members of the European Union; Iceland and
Norway are full members of NATO.
 Iceland is a candidate for EU membership.

9.  The two existing language families of Western
Europe are the Germanic languages and the
Romance languages.
 The Germanic languages are spoken chiefly in
Scandinavia and Central Europe (Austria,
Germany, and Switzerland), and to a lesser
extent, in Western Europe (Belgium, Ireland,
Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and the United
Kingdom) and in Southern Europe (Malta).
 The Romance languages are dominant in
Southern Europe (Italy, Portugal, and Spain),
and to a smaller degree, in Western Europe
(Belgium, France, and Luxembourg) and in
Central Europe (Switzerland).
 Only in Finland is a Finno-Ugric language
(Finnish) spoken; only in Ireland is a Celtic
language (Irish) spoken; only in Malta is a
Semitic language (Maltese) spoken.
 Greek forms an independent branch of the Indo-
European language family.

10.  Dominated by Western Christianity, religion
in Western Europe is more or less divided
between Roman Catholicism and
Protestantism.
 Austria, Belgium, France, Ireland, Italy,
Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands,
Portugal, Spain, and Switzerland are majority
Roman Catholic.
 Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden,
and the United Kingdom are majority
Protestant.
 Germany is half-Protestant half-Catholic.
 Greece is majority Eastern Orthodox.

11.  Scandinavia / Northern Europe
• Denmark
• Finland
• Iceland
• Norway
• Sweden
 Western Europe
• Austria
• Belgium
• France
• Germany
• Ireland
• Luxembourg
• Netherlands
• Switzerland
• United Kingdom
 Southern Europe
• Greece
• Italy
• Malta
• Portugal
• Spain