universally accepted, therefore naming the different European regions and defining the borders between them is subject to debates. Depending on the definition chosen, Switzerland can be either part of Western or Central Europe: both concepts depend heavily on context and carry cultural, economic and political connotations. The term "Western Europe" commonly indicates the region west of the Baltic and Adriatic Sea. Countries described as Western European (including Switzerland, according to the United Nations Statistics Division and the National Geographic Society) are invariably high-income developed countries, characterized by stable democratic political systems, mixed economies combining the free market with aspects of the welfare state. On the other hand, the term "Central Europe" refers to the region between Western and Eastern Europe. Central European countries (including Switzerland in the westernmost part, according to the World Factbook and various encyclopedias such as Britannica and Columbia) show high disparities with regard to income but possibly share similar cultural characteristics. The concept came back into use by the end of the Cold War, which had divided Europe politically into the Western World and the East Bloc, splitting Central Europe in half. Before World War I, the German-speaking world used the somewhat-related term Mitteleuropa (from German: Middle Europe) for an area larger than most conceptions of Central Europe, notably encompassing Switzerland among the other German-speaking countries. Physically, Switzerland is situated approximately in the middle of the portion of Europe west of the Carpathian Mountains. Defining the Ural Mountains as the eastern limit of the continent, Switzerland is located within the western third of Europe, approximately 15 degrees of longitude away from the extreme west and 50 degrees away from extreme east. Phytogeographically, the part of Switzerland that lies north of the Alps belongs to Central Europe, while the part south of the Alps belongs to Southern Europe. Natural World Heritage Sites Topography Extreme points of Switzerland Geographical centre of Switzerland List of glaciers in Switzerland List of islands of Switzerland List of lakes in Switzerland List of mountain passes in Switzerland List of mountain ranges in Switzerland List of mountains in Switzerland List of rivers of Switzerland See also Geography of the Alps Swiss cartography Valleys of the Alps Little Switzerland (landscape) Swiss Federal Office of Topography Notes and references Notes References Bibliography Martine Rebetez, La Suisse se réchauffe. Effet de serre et changement climatique, fourth edition, collection « Le savoir suisse », Presses polytechniques et