What are "the orient" and "the occident"?

Traditional meanings of "Orient" and "Occident" are "East" and "West." The term "occident" comes from the Latin "occidens," meaning "sunset," while "orient" comes from the Latin "oriens," meaning "sunrise." This is not only a reference geographically, but geo-politically, culturally and even ethnically, as these two regions of the world developed largely independently until sometime around the 13th century.
To truly understand their meanings is to first understand the basic geographical border as accepted by the majority of historians. The "Orient" was traditionally associated with the various civilizations and cultures that developed throughout Asia, including China, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, the countries of Southeast Asia, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Tibet, Indonesia, Malaysia, Afghanistan and the Russian far east.
Some have described anything east of Greece as part of the "Orient," considering Greece's cultural influence on most of Western Europe and, by extension, the Americas and Australia. However, it's perhaps more accurate to base "Orient" and "Occident" on influential religions and corresponding doctrines that are largely credited with shaping societies over the centuries. Occidental nations are often connected to Judaism and Christianity, which have molded countries in the Americas and Western Europe. On the other hand, religions like Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Shintoism are often considered to have shaped Oriental nations.
Viorel Mionel, Romanian author, economist and intellectual, explains that these terms are more widely propagated in the academic world than everyday lexicon, largely because academics attribute a greater number of attributes to them than just basic geographical and religious ones. Such features might include economics, trade, technology, language, military styles, cultural trends and movements like the Renaissance, Enlightenment and Protestant Reformation.
The terms "Occidentalism" and "Orientalism" have also taken on more subjective (and often extremely stereotypical) connotations. For instance, Occidentalism has gradually become more synonymous with Western values like democracy and human rights, as well as wealth, individualism, modernity, and materialism. Orientalism, on the other hand, has become more associated with mysticism, spiritualism and the traditional arts of ancient Asian cultures—though, again, this is a rather stereotypical association. However, it's important to note that in modern society, occidentalism can flourish in Asian regions (Japan and Hong Kong are prime examples) as well as vice versa.