What countries are part of the Balkans?

You have to put Turkey in there because they have the 2nd biggest population of the balkans, behind only Romania. Balkans is also a turkish word and means mountains.

Turkey, Serbia, Albania, Romania, Greece, and any country in southeast Europe. i would also include Slovenia for non southeast europe countries

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Potential-Tale2198@reddit

yeah Turkiye isnt included as always I wonder where balkan name come from?

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Melodic-Diamond3926@reddit

everywhere that was former Yugoslavia

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If Hungary is balkan, might as well put Austria and Italy in there, too. Like, there's no way. I wouldn't even put Slovenia in there. We always lump it in, cause of Yugo history, but I think culturally they're way closer to Western Europe.

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greekhop@reddit

I agree. I also never thought of Moldova as Balkan, and even Romania is a stretch, but OK, Romania is in at least as honorary Balkanites. Don't be mad at me Romanians on this sub, I've been in Romania twice by free choice lol, ce faci.

I also spent a year in Hungary, jo napot bartom.

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Unable-Stay-6478@reddit

So what is Romania if it ain't Balkan?

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greekhop@reddit

East Europe.

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toros_of_tmutarakan@reddit

"Western Europe" is a cold war creation, Yugoslavia is actually older than that, interestingly enough (1945 vs 1918). Do you really think Sicily and Shetland Islands have anything in common culturally, and to a greater degree than Sicily and Montenegro? Its the reverse thats true actually. But you had iron curtain for a while so yes communism left its mark.

Slovenia is just richer, best organized part of former Yigoslavia. And obviously its all a transition. I see Hungary as closer to "Mitteleuropa" (Višehrad plus Austria) than Balkans, while Slovenia is in between.

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chunek@reddit

It's not about being richer, but about shared history and culture. Slovenia arguably joined the Balkans in 1918, when Austria-Hungary collapsed. Before, the Slovenes had little to nothing in common with Balkan, as it used to be a term to describe the Ottoman ruled part of Europe.

I think it's perfectly fine what he said, we are probably seen as Balkan because of Yugoslavia. At geography, we don't even use the term Balkan as it is too political and potentially controversial. We say Southeastern Europe, but place Slovenia in Central Europe with Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, and Hungary.

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toros_of_tmutarakan@reddit

Like I said, its all a transition, and its also another question how you personally feel, which is of course perfectly valid. But its easy to forget that the sentiment to join in 1918 didnt come out of nowhere, but perceived proximity to other south Slavs, as well as a popular desire to separate from Mitteleuropa, in every way, including politically, with a strong fear of Germanization. (not shared by all, 1920 Carinthian referendum resulted in Slovenes there voting to remain in Austria).

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chunek@reddit

The unification with south slavic Habsburg lands, and soon after with the Kingdom of Serbia in 1918, came due to Austria-Hungary losing the war. Panslavism was not popular or widespread here, if that is what you meant.

The Habsburgs dragged us into a stupid war and the emperor Franz Joseph was against us having more autonomy. The Germanization was not forced, but happened gradually for centuries, ever since Carantania got absorbed by Bavaria and became Carinthia. Local nationalism was repressed, because the Habsburgs feared what happened in France, with the heads of royalty rolling on the floor, etc. Franz Ferdinand was the only one who saw it as necessary, but got killed because that would also likely mean for Bosnia to remain under the Habsburgs and not become part of Greater Serbia.

Exactly, not shared by all, there was no plebiscite here, only in southern Carinthia, where the choice was between staying in Austria or joining the SHS Kingdom. Austria promised minority rights which they then failed to keep when they turned to fascism.

Who knows what would happen if the people here actually got to vote, and if it wasn't all decided by a handful of powerhungry deputes who eventually got outplayed with the Treaty of Rapallo, the 1921 Vidovdan Constitution, and then the king becoming a dictator.

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Poglavnik_Majmuna01@reddit

Depends what the criteria is as always.

I’d say Slovenia is not Balkan and all of its similarities with the rest of the Balkan region stem exclusively from Yugoslavia and immigrants from Bosnia and Serbia.
Croatia is a partially Balkan country, whilst certain core parts of Croatia are not Balkan, others definitely are. The Ottoman wars alongside the mass migration of peoples from Bosnia and Serbia from the Ottoman period till today created a much stronger cultural bond, with the capital city largely shifting from Central European to Balkan cultural sphere due to immigration.
Bosnia, Albania, Greece, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Bulgaria is as Balkan as can be. There should not even be a debate.
Serbia and Romania is where a debate could be held on how Balkan they are due to Vojvodina and Transylvania.

Serbia i would still consider a purely Balkan country simply because Vojvodina was part of Hungary for 1000 years. The region is not a cultural core of Serbia and its current inhabitants all came from southern Serbia. Whatever non Balkan features Vojvodina may have, most certainly do not stem from the Serbs. Also given that I don’t consider Slavonia as Central European, I see no reason to make an exception for Vojvodina.

A similar argument can be made for Romania. After all, Transylvania had been a core part of Hungary for 1000 years with much of the regions unique identity stemming from Hungarian and Saxon culture rather than that of the Vlachs I simply would not consider a country “half Balkan” if the non-Balkan regions are not part of the country’s historical and cultural core. That being said, I would consider Romania as only partly Balkan (although not in the way Romanians would like it. The region of Moldavia Eastern European and actually part of the Romanian core compared to Transylvania. So Romania can pass as both Balkan and Eastern European, but not Central European.

Hungary is not Balkan despite having a shared Ottoman past. The ottomans did not stick in the country for very long and Hungary was culturally more influenced by Central Europeans and Eastern Europeans.

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Miserable_Review_374@reddit

Moldova?

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mountainslav@reddit

Vojvodina is not Balkan Slavonija is not Balkan Romania Slovenia are not Balkan

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VastUnderstanding326@reddit

Romania not Baklava.

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arseneforyou@reddit

I swear this gets asked every week

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Local_Geologist_2817@reddit

Balkan is a state of mind (of pure hate)

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LowCranberry180@reddit

Balkans is a geographic definition and therefore includes Eastern Thrace the European part of Turkiye. Culturally and genetically a bigger part of Turkiye should also be included.

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PasicT@reddit

I wouldn't consider Hungary, Moldova and Greece to be part of the Balkans.

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dwartbg9@reddit

Hungary and Moldova ain't Balkan and that's well known, only here on Reddit I've seen people claiming this BS. But Greece is 100% Balkan

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greekhop@reddit

Agree with Hungary and Moldova, but Greece? Greece has more than one face, for sure, Mediterranean, European, an Island Archipelago, buy one of her faces is Balkan 100%.

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GokTengr-i@reddit

Moldova is basically Romania and Greece is certianly balkan

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dwartbg9@reddit

Moldova and Hungary aren't part of the Balkans. Heck, even Romania isn't fully part of it too, only their most southern regions along the Danube shores count.

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OkBuffalo315@reddit

For me Hungary and Moldova are not in the Balkans, Moldova is cuz they’re Romaninas 2.0, but they are too far away to be Balkans, my opinion don’t get too mad about it, just wanted to share my perspective

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Ok_Win8049@reddit

Hungary and Moldova are 100% not Balkan, while Slovenia and Romania are only partial. Actually, I'd go so far and say that Slovenia isn't really Balkan at all barring...what, 1/4 of it's territory? If that qualifies, then Serbia is Mittleuropa because half of Belgrade and Vojvodina are geographically outside the peninsula.

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AstronomerCold8131@reddit

+ Portugal

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AogamiBunka@reddit

Portugal as adopted brethren.

Also, everything at/below Napoli.

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