Southern Europe

The term Southern Europe, at different times, has had different meanings, providing additional political, economic, civilizational and socio-cultural context to the definition in addition to the typical geographic, phytogeographic or climatic approach.

Geographic definition

Geographically, southern Europe is the southern half of the landmass of Europe. This definition is relative, with no clear limits.

Countries geographically considered part of southern Europe include:

Southwestern Europe (Iberian peninsula)

Countries whose borders lie within Southwestern Europe (Iberia)

•  Andorra
•  Gibraltar
•  Portugal
•  Spain

Southcentral Europe (Italian Peninsula)

•  Italy
•  San Marino
•   Vatican City

Southeastern Europe (Balkan peninsula)

Countries whose borders lie within Southeastern Europe (the Balkans)

•  Albania
•  Bosnia and Herzegovina
•  Bulgaria
•  Croatia
•  Greece
• Kosovo
•  Macedonia
•  Montenegro
•  Romania
•  Serbia
•  Slovenia

Island countries

•  Cyprus
•  Malta

United Nations geoscheme

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 (UK - British overseas territory)
•  Greece (including: Aegean Islands, Crete, and Ionian Islands)
•  Italy (including: Sardinia and Sicily)
•  Macedonia
•  Malta (including: Gozo)
•  Montenegro
•  Portugal (including: Madeira and Azores)
•  San Marino
•  Serbia
•  Slovenia
•  Spain (including: Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, Ceuta, Melilla, and plazas de soberanía)
•   Vatican City

As of 2009, there were 153,506,431 people living in southern Europe with an average population density of 117 inhabitants per square kilometer:

Climatic definitions

Mediterranean climate

Southern Europe's most emblematic climate is that of the Mediterranean climate, which has become a typically known characteristic of the area. Those areas of Mediterranean climate present similar vegetations and landscapes throughout, including dry hills, small plains, pine forests and olive trees.

The area which belongs to the Mediterranean climate is:

•  Albania
•  Bosnia and Herzegovina (coasts) and Herzegovina
•  Bulgaria (southern coast and extreme southwest)
•  Croatia (coasts)
•  Cyprus
•  France (southeast coast, and the island of Corsica)
•  Gibraltar
•  Greece
•  Italy (except the Po River plain, Alps and Apennine mountains)
•  Macedonia (extreme south)
•  Malta
•  Monaco
•  Montenegro (coasts)
•  Portugal
•  Slovenia (coasts)
•  Spain (the whole of the country except the northern coast and the Pyreenes)

Humid- and temperate subtropical climate

Humid subtropical climate, as well as the temperate subtropical type, are found in the following Southern European countries:

•  Italy (the Po River plain, Alps and Apennine mountains)
•  Croatia (in Lika and Banovina)
•  Bosnia and Herzegovina (in Bosanska Krajina)
•  Serbia (Central Serbia)
•  Montenegro (in the mountains)
•  Macedonia (in Polog)
•  Greece (Greek Macedonia)
•  Bulgaria (in provinces of Vidin, Vratsa, Montana, Varna and Dobrich)

Phytogeographic definition

Southern Europe's flora is that of the Mediterranean Region, one of the phytochoria recognized by Armen Takhtajan. The Mediterranean and Submediterranean climate regions in Europe comprise the following countries and territories:

•  Albania
•  Bosnia and Herzegovina
•  Bulgaria
•  Croatia
•  Cyprus
•  France (the southeastern part, and the island of Corsica)
•  Greece (including: Aegean Islands, Crete, and Ionian Islands)
•  Hungary (the southwestern part till the Lake Balaton)
•  Italy
•  Macedonia
•  Malta
•  Montenegro
•  Portugal (except for the northwestern part)
•  Romania (only the southern part along the Danube river)
•  Serbia (most of Central Serbia)
•  Slovenia
•  Spain (except for the northwestern part)
•   Switzerland (only Ticino)
•  Ukraine (only the southern part of Crimea)

Linguistic Southern Europe

Romance languages and modern Greek are the heirs of Latin and ancient Greek, which served as the main historical languages of the Mediterranean region.

Romance languages

Romance languages have spread from the Italian peninsula, and are emblematic of Southwestern Europe. (See the Latin Arch.)

•  Andorra: Catalan (official); French; Portuguese; Spanish
•  France: French (official); Occitan; Oïl languages; Franco-Provençal; Catalan; Corsican
•  Italy: Italian (official); Sardinian (recognised); Piedmontese; Friulian (recognised); Ladin (recognised); Ligurian; Lombard; Venetian; Emiliano-Romagnolo; Neapolitan; Sicilian
•  Moldova: Moldovan language (official)
•  Monaco: French (official); Monégasque; Occitan; Italian
•  Portugal: Portuguese (official); Mirandese (recognised)
•  Romania: Romanian (official)
•  San Marino: Italian (official)
•  Spain: Spanish (official); Catalan (recognised); Galician (recognised); Aragonese; Fala; Asturian; Leonese; Extremaduran; Occitan (recognised)
•   Switzerland: French (official); Italian (official); Romansh (official)
•   Vatican City: Italian (official); Latin

Small communities in

•  Albania: Aromanian
•  Bulgaria: Aromanian
•  Gibraltar: Llanito; Spanish
•  Greece: Aromanian; Ladino; Italian
•  Macedonia: Aromanian
•  Malta: Sicilian; Italian
•  Serbia: Vlach and Banat Romanian

Hellenic languages

•  Greece: Greek (official); Cappadocian; Cretan; Maniot; Pontic; Tsakonian; Romano-Greek; Sarakatsan; Yevanic
•  Cyprus: Cypriot Greek (official)

Small communities in

•  Albania: Greek (recognised)
•  Bulgaria: Sarakatsan Greek
•  Italy: Griko (recognised)
•  Macedonia: Sarakatsan Greek
•  Romania: Greek (recognised)
•  Ukraine: Crimean Greek (recognised)

Albanian languages

•  Albania: Albanian (official); Transitional dialects; Tosk Albanian, Gheg Albanian
•  Kosovo: Albanian (official); Gheg Albanian
•  Macedonia: Albanian (semi-official); Gheg Albanian; Tosk Albanian

Small communities in

•  Montenegro: Gheg Albanian (recognised)
•  Serbia: Gheg Albanian (recognised)
•  Greece: Tosk Albanian
•  Italy: Tosk Albanian (recognised)
•  Croatia: Gheg Albanian
•  Romania: Albanian (recognised)

South Slavic languages

•  Bosnia and Herzegovina: Bosnian (official); Croatian (official); Serbian (official)
•  Bulgaria: Bulgarian (official); Macedonian
•  Croatia: Croatian (official); Serbian
•  Macedonia: Macedonian (official); Bulgarian; Serbian
•  Montenegro: Montenegrin (official); Serbian (recognised)
•  Serbia: Serbian (official); Montenegrin (recognised)
•  Slovenia: Slovene (official)

Small communities in

•  Albania: Macedonian (recognised); Montenegrin; Serbian
•  Greece: Bulgarian (recognised in Mount Athos); Macedonian; Serbian (recognised in Mount Athos)
•  Italy: Slovene, Croatian
•  Romania: Croatian (recognised); Serbian (recognised); Bulgarian

Germanic languages

Due to the English colonisation of Malta and Gibraltar, Germanic languages have a small presence in Southern Europe, far from the core of Germanic languages in Northwestern Europe. Malta uses English as a second language in some cases (after Maltese, which still is the original and main native language). In Gibraltar, English is the official language but Spanish and Llanito (mix of Andalusian Spanish with some English) are also spoken.

•  Gibraltar: English (official)
•  Malta: English (official)
•   Switzerland: German (official)

Small communities in

•  France: Dutch
•  Italy: German

Semitic languages

•  Malta: Maltese (official)

Basque languages

The Basque language is a linguistic isolate spoken by the Basque people, who inhabit the Basque Country, a region spanning an area in northeastern Spain and southwestern France.

•  France: Basque
•  Spain: Basque (recognised)

European Travel Commission classification

European Travel Commission divides the European region on the basis of Tourism Decision Metrics (TDM) model. Countries which belong to the Southern/Mediterranean Europe are:

•  Albania
•  Bosnia and Herzegovina
•  Croatia
•  Cyprus
•  Italy
•  Greece
•  Macedonia
•  Malta
•  Montenegro
•  Serbia
•  Slovenia
•  Spain

See also

• Mediterranean Basin
• Southeast Europe

Notes

References