Which feature do Mediterranean countries have in common?

Answer 1

Architecture OR Cuisine OR

Climate

Answer 2

Not much, at least not inherently.

Climate comes to mind first, but that's a vast simplification. There is a marked difference in temperature inside the Mediterranean basin; summer daytime temperatures decrease from around 35C (high 90s F) on the southerly coasts to around 26-28C (low 80s F) in cooler cities in the north. Winter temperatures also show variability; this time from southwest to northeast: January daytime temperatures are around 16*C (low 60s F) in coastal Morocco and southeastern Spain, while snow is not an uncommon sight in cities exposed to the northerly winds, such as Istanbul.

There is the dry summer, wet winter dynamic associated with the entire zone, but that is also true for the West Coast of the US; and not many people would associate the climate of, say, Portland, with that of Los Angeles.

Culture is another interesting topic; surely there is a lot in common due to trade connections, but there is a somewhat visible distinction between the "Post-Byzantine/Ottoman" and "Western" cultures in the region (with many occupying a sort of inbetween, of course), and that's not even taking into account the religious dimension of this.

There is some truth to the fact that a lot of cuisine in this region is similar, but that's due to geographical restraints. And indeed there is also a lot of variability; Spanish cuisine is different than Greek cuisine, even though they might use some of the same materials.

Answer 3

The sea. This gives them the climate that makes farming so profitable.

Answer 4

climate