Western Countries 2022

There are many meanings for Western World, or simply West, depending on who is using it and the context in which it’s being used.

As a term for nations in the Western Hemisphere, or even simply Western Europe on its own, it is often misused. What it means is more subtle than that, though.

According to the most frequently recognized current definition of the Western World, the physical location of a country does not determine its cultural identity.

Europe, as well as any nations whose cultures are heavily inspired by European principles or which have large populations of individuals derived from European colonists, such as Australia, New Zealand, and most countries in North and South America

“Western World”

Diocletian, the Roman emperor who divided his empire in half and established separate capitals, governments, and churches in each half in 285-286 CE, is credited with coining the term Western World.

With Italy and Europe and Africa on one side and Africa on the other, the Occident (Latin for sunset or western), as it was called, was the Roman Empire.

There was a conflict between the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church, which both served the old Western Roman Empire.

This was exacerbated even further by the common cultural idea, founded by Herodotus’ assertion that the Greeks won the Persian war in 480-479 BCE because free people fight better than slaves, that westerners are superior to easterners because they are more noble or free.

To make matters worse, this hostility contributed to the idea that the two sides were fundamentally different. Western became Europe (up to Italy).

In contrast, the East became Eastern Europe, Asia, and all of its subregions: the Middle East (South Asia), Southeast Asia (North Africa), the Far East (Asia), and the Middle East (South Asia).

That’s not to say that today’s concept of the Western World does not include nations like Australia and New Zealand, both of which are situated in the Eastern Hemisphere, and all of North and South America, all of which are considered Western.

Westernization and the new Western World

After the fall of the Roman Empire, the Renaissance, Protestant Reformation, and Age of Enlightenment shaped the Western world’s culture.

European kingdoms like France, Spain, and Great Britain dispatched explorers throughout the globe in quest of new trade routes and regions when the Ottoman empire destroyed the Silk Road in 1453 CE.

From the newly found Americas to Oceania, these adventurers helped disseminate “Western” civilization over the globe. The term Westernization was used to describe this widespread dissemination of Western culture across the globe.

Television, movies, radio, and music all helped to disseminate Western culture over the globe by the mid-20th century. Traditions, social standards, religious beliefs, technological advancements, and political systems all fall under the broad umbrella of Western culture, which is used broadly.

The phrase Western World has taken on a cultural, economic, and political meaning due to its widespread use, although these definitions are not always consistent.

The Cold War West

After the Second World War, the phrase Western World came to mean nations affiliated with the United States, France, and the United Kingdom, all of which had democratic and capitalist regimes.

This collection of countries also referred to as the First World countries or the Cold War West, stood in stark contrast to the communist Soviet bloc countries of the Second World.

The Rich West

One of the more obscure current Western World variations is the Rich West, which is used especially in economic discussions and comparisons. According to this definition, the Western world comprises European-settled nations with GDPs of more than $10,000 per capita.

It eliminates numerous Central and South American nations that are included in other definitions but includes many former communist countries which were not members of the Cold War West.

How the West has come to be understood in our time (the Latin West)

The Latin West is a term that refers to a region of the Western Hemisphere defined only by its culture. Western World here refers to Western Europe and nations that have adopted Western European cultural traits.

For example, consider former British colonies like the United States and Australia, which have a Latin alphabet, a large population of people descended from European colonists, and have embraced Western European Christianity (Catholic and Protestant).

To put this into context, it implies that the Western World normally comprises all but a few of the European Union’s 28 member states, the United Kingdom and its neighboring nations of Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, the United States, and Canada.

Two sub-regions, on the other hand, are up for debate. Eastern European nations, including Russia, Greece, and Slovakia, comprise the Orthodox World. The second place in Latin America encompasses Mexico, Peru, and the rest of Central and South America.

It’s debatable whether or not these nations should be grouped as part of the Western World or should be regarded apart from it entirely.

Also See: West Indies Countries 2022

Non-Western countries

Numerous nations do not fit into any of these categories. Asia and the Middle East are included in the Eastern World, as are North Africa and its neighboring nations in the Arab World. The African continent and Madagascar are included in the Arab and Eastern worlds, respectively.