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The least connected countries in western Europe has to be Iceland and Norway, despite Norway being physically connected to Europe the country seems very distant and almost in a world of its own.
Iceland is rarely mentioned I hardly hear the media or people in general ever talk about Iceland I suppose the country doesn't have anything to offer but that doesn't been the country is uninteresting because it certainly is with its landscape.
I personally think the least insular is most probably France, UK, Spain and Portugal mainly because these countries had big empires and help shape the modern cultures of the Americas and around the world. I can't see how Italy is least connected as the OP mentioned because Italian food and culture is famous world wide and the country isn't particularly low key or distant as in the case of Norway and Iceland. So I'd add Italy as least insular to alongside the Netherlands and Portugal due to their colonial history.
The most international country in western europe is the netherlands, Mostost international companies are present there, for such a small european country it has its 3 larger cities already having minority dutch population(less than 50% ethnic dutch) , They have a huge immigrant population composed of both colonial and recent immigrant, and it has the highest share of non-western foreigners % wise of all europe. We have to consider that It's higher density of population makes the feeling and interaction of cultures clash more often in comparison of lower densely populated countries. England and Flemish Belgium would come in second place. The least international country in western europe would probably be between Italy and Greece. lets not forget about Wales, if you take away england from the UK, the overwhelm population of other british countries (specially wales and northern ireland) are pretty much composed by ethnic britons.
1) Netherlands
2) Flemish Belgium
3) England
4) France
5) Germany and Sweden
6) Norway
7) Switzerland (many foreigners but few of them are actually of non-western origin)
8) Spain
9) Denmark
10) Austria
Yes I consider scandinavia to be western europe
Thats western europe on a wide sense:
Good analysis for once. However Turkey is not part of Western Europe, why have you included that country?
The least connected countries in western Europe has to be Iceland and Norway, despite Norway being physically connected to Europe the country seems very distant and almost in a world of its own.
Iceland is rarely mentioned I hardly hear the media or people in general ever talk about Iceland I suppose the country doesn't have anything to offer but that doesn't been the country is uninteresting because it certainly is with its landscape.
I personally think the least insular is most probably France, UK, Spain and Portugal mainly because these countries had big empires and help shape the modern cultures of the Americas and around the world. I can't see how Italy is least connected as the OP mentioned because Italian food and culture is famous world wide and the country isn't particularly low key or distant as in the case of Norway and Iceland. So I'd add Italy as least insular to alongside the Netherlands and Portugal due to their colonial history.
Norway is very similar to neighboring Sweden that it shares a 1,630 km long border with.
Living in Sweden which is one of the least insular countries in Europe, Norway does not feel distant at all, but feels very similar to us, and Western Europe in general.
Iceland though is a completely different matter, being closer to North America than Mainland Europe.
Why? Only because it had influence on Western Europe long time ago (I mean, in ancient times)? Now, Greece is much more similar to Eastern Europe than it's to Western, so there is no reason to call Greece a part of Western Europe.
Why? Only because it had influence on Western Europe long time ago (I mean, in ancient times)? Now, Greece is much more similar to Eastern Europe than it's to Western, so there is no reason to call Greece a part of Western Europe.
I agree. Historical and political reasons are behind this.
"From Stettin in the Baltic, to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain..."
Probably because Greece, in an economic sense, is more similar to Western Europe than Eastern Europe, especially its Balkan neighbours. Even with the crisis, I'd prefer to live in Greece than somewhere like Bulgaria or Bosnia by far.
Western Europe is usually mentioned as a political and economic entity, rather than a solely geographical or even a cultural one.
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