Slavs are an Indo-European ethno-linguistic group who speak various Slavic languages of the larger Balto-Slavic linguistic group. They are native to Eurasia, stretching from Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe all the way north and westwards to Northeast Europe, Northern Asia ( Siberia ), the Caucasus, and Central Asia (especially Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan ) as well as historically in Western Europe (particularly in East Germany ) and Western Asia (including Anatolia). From the early 6th century they spread to inhabit the majority of Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe. Also, today there is a large Slavic diaspora throughout North America, particularly in the United States and Canada as a result of immigration.
Slavs are the largest ethno-linguistic group in Europe. Present- day Slavic people are classified into East Slavs (chiefly Belarusians, Russians, Rusyns, and Ukrainians), West Slavs (chiefly Czechs, Kashubs, Poles, Silesians, Slovaks and Sorbs), and South Slavs (chiefly Bosniaks, Bulgarians, Croats, Macedonians, Montenegrins, Serbs and Slovenes).
Slavs can further be divided along the lines of religion. Orthodox Christianity makes up the bulk of the religion encompassing and practiced by the Slavs. The Orthodox Slavs include the Belarusians, Bulgarians, Macedonians, Montenegrins, Russians, Serbs, and Ukrainians and are defined by their use of Orthodox customs and the use of Cyrillic script as well as their cultural influence and connection to the Byzantine Empire (Serbs also use Serbian Latin script on equal terms). The second most practiced and common religion amongst the Slavs is Roman Catholicism.
