The Western World consists of the nations culturally tied to Greco-Roman and Christian cultures. The most famous use of the term "Western world" was during the Cold War, when "the West" referred to the Western Bloc, made up of NATO and allied nations.
The countries and regions generally included in the description of the "main western world" are western Europe, the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
Other nations sometimes included in the political and cultural sense of this definition include countries in Eastern Europe (since the fall of the Iron Curtain), Israel, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong and Latin American countries such as Mexico. Costa Rica and Brazil considered to be extensions of Western Civilization or are Eastern countries that imitate the Western World.
Categories: [Political Terms]