östländer

Östländer is a Swedish term meaning “eastern countries.” It is a loose label used to describe countries located to the east relative to a chosen reference region. There is no fixed boundary for what constitutes an östländer, and the set of countries it refers to can vary by context, author, and time period.

In European discussions, östländer often refers to Östeuropa, a broad geographic and historical zone that can include countries such as Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, and sometimes the Baltic states. The exact grouping shifts with scholarly or journalistic usage, and some sources separate Western or Central Europe from Eastern Europe.

The term also appears in historical contexts, notably during the Cold War, where östländer was used to describe the Eastern Bloc and its allied states. In modern usage, writers typically prefer more precise terms like Östeuropa, Östasien, or specific country names to avoid ambiguity.

Because of its vagueness, östländer is more common in informal or descriptive language than in formal geopolitical writing. When clarity is important, it is advised to use precise regional labels (for example, Östeuropa, Östasien) or to name the individual countries being discussed.

See also: Östeuropa, Östasien, Östblocket.