<P> No such distinction existed in the Islamic and Slavic worlds, where the Empire was more straightforwardly seen as the continuation of the Roman Empire . In the Islamic world, the Roman Empire was known primarily as Rûm . The name millet - i Rûm, or "Roman nation," was used by the Ottomans through the 20th century to refer to the former subjects of the Byzantine Empire, that is, the Orthodox Christian community within Ottoman realms . </P> <P> The Roman army succeeded in conquering many territories covering the entire Mediterranean region and coastal regions in southwestern Europe and north Africa . These territories were home to many different cultural groups, both urban populations and rural populations . Generally speaking, the eastern Mediterranean provinces were more urbanised than the western, having previously been united under the Macedonian Empire and Hellenised by the influence of Greek culture . </P> <P> The West also suffered more heavily from the instability of the 3rd century AD . This distinction between the established Hellenised East and the younger Latinised West persisted and became increasingly important in later centuries, leading to a gradual estrangement of the two worlds . </P> <P> To maintain control and improve administration, various schemes to divide the work of the Roman Emperor by sharing it between individuals were tried between 285 and 324, from 337 to 350, from 364 to 392, and again between 395 and 480 . Although the administrative subdivisions varied, they generally involved a division of labour between East and West . Each division was a form of power - sharing (or even job - sharing), for the ultimate imperium was not divisible and therefore the empire remained legally one state--although the co-emperors often saw each other as rivals or enemies . </P>

What is the religious center of the byzantine empire