Geography Question East - West North - South Europe

[Oliver Hardy]

If Purnuskes in Lithuania is the centre of Europe how are countries like Poland and Hungry are in the East? Aren't most European countries in the South West of Europe?

Although I am sure I have seen a sign in Poland claiming to be the centre of Europe?

[worsy]

The area you describe was commonly referred to as Central Europe in the 19thC, which included Poland and Ukraine. In the 20thC the Iron Curtain effectively split the continent into East/West and so the centre moved. Been that way ever since I suppose.

[Mr Penguin]

Partly because Eastern Europe is mostly empty and if you divided it into equally sized chunks there wouldn't be anything in the Eastern one and all the important places would be in Western and Central Europe.

[jurbie]

Poles have always considered themselves as being in central Europe and actually resented the idea that they were in eastern Europe.