Western Europe

Western Europe is distinguished from [Eastern Europe]? not simply by geography but by differences of history and culture. Unlike Eastern Europe, Western Europe was never part of the [Eastern Roman Empire]?, or of Byzantium; it was never conquered by Moslems or invaded by Mongols. Many of the seminal events of Western Europe had little impact on Eastern Europe, such as the Renaissance, the Reformation?, and the Enlightenment. Western Europe developed liberal political traditions and a scientific worldview as a result of these movements, whereas these exist in Eastern Europe only to the extent that they have been imported from the west.

Western Europe is typically thought to include Scandinavia, Poland, Germany, Austria, Italy, and those nations further west.