Where should Europe's eastern border lie?

Neon Knight Thu 9 Nov - 22:12

Two articles on the general subject of defining Europe geographically:
https://www.counter-currents.com/2011/08/europes-continental-boundaries/
https://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/09/where-is-europe/

The generally accepted answer is a line following the Ural Mountains down south to where they dwindle away then along the Ural River into the Caspian Sea. From Wikipedia:

Road sign on the continental border between Europe and Asia near Magnitogorsk, Ural Mountains, Russia. It reads "Europe", above a crossed-out "Asia", as one enters Europe and leaves Asia.

The major problem with this border is that it includes part of Kazakhstan which is obviously not related to the other nations of Europe in any meaningful way. So, many people say that Europe cannot be defined solely in geographical terms and that we have to bring in political/cultural factors. I disagree! Here is my eastern border of Europe (in black) to the left of the conventional border (in red):

Where should Europe's eastern border lie? Europe10

To understand it, move from west to east, first along the southern coast and then along the northern coast, asking yourself "Where is a logical place to stop?"

The southern place I think is quite obvious - the eastern most point of the Sea of Azov before the coast line turns south forming Turkey and defining West Asia then North Africa. The northern place is the southern most point of the White Sea after which the coast becomes relatively even after the irregularity of the British Isles, the North Sea, Fenno-Scandinavia and the Kola Peninsula. You need to look at a large scale map to see this clearly: