Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Well I am probably furthest west in europe and to me germany is pretty far east. No I was just doing work experience. I want to be a pilot but not for them.
It's a bit hard to see how Freiburg could be classified as 'Central Europe' though.
Such geographical approximations do not surprise me much since I know that many British people think France is in northwestern Europe, they seem to probably think we are somewhere between the British isles and Netherlands, in the doggerland below the north sea... !!
Concerning Germany, I like Germany, but in my opinion, I found the idea that it is fontamentally a "central European country" to be wrong for most of it. I know that it is today some sort of fashion to consider the whole of Germany as "central Europe". On a pure geographical point of view "central Europe" has to be central on a east-west axis but also in a north-south axis. most of Germany is way too west and too north to be fully a central European country.
The low lands of northern Germany (where many biggest German urban areas are: Rurh, Berlin, Hamburg, Hannover, etc.) have not much to in common with central Europe (more oceanic climate, flat lands) but more with North western Europe (Netherlands, Denmark, England). The same way, the Rhine Valley in western Germany do not fit in that area either (too much west). Actually only Bavaria is somehow in central Europe to me.
Culturally speaking (architecture, foods), "central Europe" is more or less what was the former Austrian empire-influenced countries: Austria, Hungary, Slovaquia, Czech rep, etc.
Germany has been constructing is unity from Prussia in northern Germany's plains (which plain is called "northern European plain, and not "central-European" plain!), along the Baltic, which has nothing to do with central Europe. German unity fondators wanted to eventually integrate all German-speaking areas of central Europe in Germany (absorbing parts of Austrian Empire). As such they spread a sort of "propaganda" that said that all Germany was fundamentally central European. The image of the Neuschanstein castle with Moutains in the back (that are actually summits in Austria) has been widely spread in the world to show that Germany was supposed to be a central European country, full of Alpine mountains like Austria while only a small strip of extreme southern Bavaria is actually concerned by the Alps.
This map fit a bit better with geographical reality (even i I think their "central Europe" goes a bit too much west and not enough east). What is interesting it that the limits between the "zones" are progressive and transitional. As such "central Europe" is not representated as a absolitly strictly defined zone. Germany has part belonging to this central Europe concept, but these overlap to the concepts of western and/or northern Europe. http://img.ctrlv.in/5130a9cb09332.jpg
The same way France has its southern Half belonging fully to southwestern Europe; while the northern part (which is latitudinally in line with "central Europe") is more a transitional area towards between southwestern Europe and the countries of northwestern Europe (benelux, British isles).
Some British might be darker than others (as any people), If we look at the statistics for light hair and blue eyes, the United Kingdom always fall among the lightest (in the "more than 50%" group) . Obviously, countries of Scandinavia and other northern European countries have usually lighter hair and eyes (but even there there are some of the natives that are brown with dark eyes also); but Britain is comparable to other similar nations of the northern half of Europe.
It seems that only Wales have noticeable darker features; but still quite far to southern Europe. But this doesn't change much the UK average since Wales is only 3 million people on a population of about 60 millions.
Estimates for "light" hair color, in the decreasing order:
More than 50%
1. Finland 80%
2. Sweden 78%
3. Norway 75%
4. Estonia 70%
5. Denmark 68%
6. Latvia 66%
7. Netherlands 66%
8. Germany 66%
9. Lithuania 57%
(England 56%)
10. Belarus 55% 11. United Kingdom 54%
12. Austria 54%
13. Czech republic 54%
(Scotland 52%)
When combined the datas of light hair/blue eyes percentages, it gives this pattern on European map
The British isles, not suprisingly do not differ much than countries lying at similar latitudes. If one country at these latitude has relatively darker features it is more Poland, which seems to be quite "darker" than Belarus, Germany or United Kingdom.
Those datas in decreasing order:
Finland 76
Sweden 75
Norway 73.5
Estonia 69.5
Denmark 68.5
Latvia 66
Netherlands 62
Germany 59.5
Lithuania 59
Scotland 57.5
England 55.5
Belarus 55 United Kingdom 54.5
Czech republic 51
Ireland 52
Poland 48
Russia 47.5
Wales 46
Austria 45.5
Slovakia 45.5
Belgium 44
Switzerland 41.5
Ukraine 41
France 35.5
Slovenia 30.5
Hungary 28.5
Croatia 25.5
Bosnia, Herzegovina 21.5
Romania- 17.5
Italy 16.5
Spain 13.5
Serbia 13.5
Bulgaria 13.5
Portugal 11
Albania 9.5
Greece 7
Last edited by french user; 03-01-2013 at 08:31 AM..
Putting modern immigration aside...Brits with brown eyes who look like they come from southern Europe are the descendants of Roman occupiers...They are for all intent Italians.
The Welsh, Northern English and Scots Irish, as well as the Black Irish and Northern Irish do have very dark hair and eyes. They seem to have medium complexions, with some more fair and other light skinned.
Some even seem to look Asian - my sister is partially of this ancestry and has slanted eyes. As did the late John Lennon.
In fact, all of the Beatles have dark hair and eyes. They seem to be perfect examples of this appearance.
I don't know about the others but Ringo has light eyes. I would say John and Ringo look kind of southern European because of their facial features but Paul and George look nothing but British to me.
Putting modern immigration aside...Brits with brown eyes who look like they come from southern Europe are the descendants of Roman occupiers...They are for all intent Italians.
This isn't true. British people have little to no genetic ancestry from the Romans. The Romans didn't ever settle anywhere en masse and if they did, the British would be speaking a Romance language today and not English.
This isn't true. British people have little to no genetic ancestry from the Romans. The Romans didn't ever settle anywhere en masse and if they did, the British would be speaking a Romance language today and not English.
Unless, of course, somebody else came along after the Roman troops left and (notwithstanding that there were groups of Roman civilians in some cities, conquered large numbers of the people outside the cities and drove many of them West of what is now the A5.
This isn't true. British people have little to no genetic ancestry from the Romans. The Romans didn't ever settle anywhere en masse and if they did, the British would be speaking a Romance language today and not English.
British speak the language imposed by a handful of invaders (Angles and Saxons), not the language of the vast majority of Britons (different types of celtic languages). In fact, they should be speaking French weren't for the whim of Queen Eleanor.
The look of some british people like mr bean are pretty common in most parts of the UK(Ireland Included), I havent seen it anywhere else in northern europe.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
