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The term Southern Europe, at its most general definition, is used to mean "all countries in the south of Europe". However, the concept, at different times, has had different meanings, providing additional political, linguistic and cultural context to the definition in addition to the typical geographical, phytogeographic or climatic approach. Most Southern European countries border the Mediterranean Sea.
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Geographical definition
Geographically, Southern Europe is the southern half of the landmass of Europe. This definition is relative, with no clear limits. The Alps and Massif Central mountains constitute a physical barrier between Italy and France and the rest of Europe.[clarification needed]
Countries geographically considered part of Southern Europe include:
Iberian Peninsula
Andorra
Gibraltar
Portugal (including: Madeira and Azores[citation needed])
Spain (including: Balearic Islands)
Southern France
Italian Peninsula
Italy (including: Sardinia and Sicily)
San Marino
Vatican City
Balkan Peninsula
Albania
Kosovo
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Croatia (below Sava and Kupa)
Greece (including: Aegean Islands, Crete, and Ionian Islands)
Macedonia
Montenegro
Serbia (below Sava and Danube)
Turkey (3% of the country (East Thrace) lies in Europe, the rest in Asia)
Other
- Croatia (northern regions (Slavonia, Zagreb, Međimurje and Zagorje) are sometimes considered as Central Europe)
Cyprus (geographically part of Asia but considered European for historic and cultural reasons)
Malta (including: Gozo)
Romania (Northern Dobruja and sometimes Wallachia)- Serbia (northern regions (Vojvodina and Belgrade) are sometimes considered as Central Europe)
Slovenia
Political definition
For its official works and publications, the United Nations Organization groups countries under a classification of regions. Southern Europe, as defined by the United Nations (the sub-regions according to the UN), comprises the following countries and territories:
- Albania
- Andorra
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Croatia
- Gibraltar (can be included in Western Europe politically as it is a territory of the
United Kingdom) - Greece
- Kosovo
- Italy (including: Sardinia and Sicily)
- Macedonia
- Malta (including: Gozo)
- Montenegro
- Portugal (including: Madeira and Azores)
- San Marino
- Serbia
- Slovenia
- Spain (including: Balearic Islands)
- Vatican City
Climatical definition
Southern Europe's climate is that of the Mediterranean climate, which has become a typically known characteristic of the area.
The area presents similar landscapes throughout, including:
- dry hills
- small plains
- pine forests
- olive trees
The area which is considered climatically Southern Europe is:
- Albania
- Bosnia and Herzegovina (coasts)
- Croatia (coasts)
- Cyprus
France (southeast coast, and the island of Corsica)- Gibraltar
- Greece
- Italy (except the Po River plain and Alps region)
- Malta
Monaco- Montenegro
- Portugal (northeast and southern two-thirds)
- Serbia (south)[1]
- Spain (southern half and eastern coast)
Phytogeographical definition
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Southern Europe's flora is that of the Mediterranean and Submediterranean, which is typical for this area. The Mediterranean and Submediterranean climate regions in Europe comprise the following countries and territories:[2]
- Albania
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Greece
- France (the southern and southeastern part, and the island of Corsica)
Hungary (the southwestern part till the Balaton lake)- Italy
- Kosovo
- Macedonia
- Malta
- Montenegro
- Portugal (the southern half)
- Romania (only the southern part along the Danube river)
- Serbia
- Slovenia
- Spain (except for the northwestern part)
Switzerland (only Ticino)
Ukraine (only the southern part of Crimea)- Turkey
Linguistic Southern Europe
Countries of Southern Europe by main national language(s):
Romance languages
- Andorra: Catalan
- France: French
- Italy: Italian
Moldova: Romanian- Monaco: French
- Portugal: Portuguese
- Romania: Romanian
- San Marino: Italian
- Spain: Spanish
- Switzerland: French, Italian and Romansh
- Vatican City: Italian
South Slavic languages
- Bosnia and Herzegovina: Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian
- Bulgaria: Bulgarian
- Croatia: Croatian
- Macedonia: Macedonian
- Montenegro: Montenegrin, Serbian
- Serbia: Serbian
- Slovenia: Slovene
Greek language
Germanic languages
- Gibraltar: English
- Malta: English
- Switzerland: German
Albanian language
Semitic languages
Turkic languages
Notes
- ^ World Factbook
- ^ Wolfgang Frey and Rainer Lösch; Lehrbuch der Geobotanik. Pflanze und Vegetation in Raum und Zeit. Spektrum Akademischer Verlag, München 2004
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