Eastern European
Eastern Europe is the eastern region of Europe. There is no consistent definition of the precise area it covers, partly because the term has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socioeconomic connotations. Russia, located in Eastern Europe, is both the largest and most populous country of Europe, spanning roughly 40% of the continent's total landmass, with over 15% of its total population. According to the Center for Educational Technologies at Wheeling Jesuit University, there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region". A related United Nations paper adds that "every assessment of spatial identities is essentially a social and cultural construct". One definition describes Eastern Europe as a cultural entity: the region lying in Europe with the main characteristics consisting of East Slavic, Greek, Byzantine, Eastern Orthodox, and some Ottoman cultural influences.