It's found outside Western Europe, but the percentage of the population that is R1b is higher in the west.
Take a look at the page called Atlas of the Human Journey under the Genographic Project.
M343 (HAPLOGROUP R1b)
"Western Europe's major lineage is
R1b.
R1bs are directly descended from the Cro-Magnon people who became the continent's first modern humans some 35,000 years ago. The lineage is essentially defined by
M173
-carrying individiuals who never acquired an additional marker, such as
M17.
The frequency of R1b in southern England is about 70 percent. In parts of Spain and Ireland it tops 90 percent. These geographic representations echo the effects of the last ice age, when the Cro-Magnons were reduced in numbers and driven to the warmer climates of Spain, Italy and the Balkans. As the ice retreated, these genetically homogenous people moved west and north, where the frequency of their genetic marker remains high to this day."
This method does of course not give us all the answers. It can tell you about two ancestors, down your female and male line, but nothing about the rest of your ancestors (although you can make assumptions).
http://www5.nationalgeographic.com/g...hic/atlas.html
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Originally Posted by Awar
R1b is the most widespread haplogroup.
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