Southern Europe has part(s) Croatia
Southern Europe is the southern region of Europe. It is also known as Mediterranean Europe, as its geography is marked by the Mediterranean Sea. Definitions of Southern Europe include some or all of these countries and regions: Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Turkey (East Thrace), Gibraltar, Greece, Italy, Kosovo, Malta,  Monaco, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Portugal,  San Marino, Serbia, Slovenia, Southern France, Spain, and Vatican City (the Holy See).Southern Europe is focused on the three peninsulas located in the extreme south of the European continent. These are the Iberian Peninsula, the Apennine Peninsula, and the Balkan Peninsula. These three peninsulas are separated from the rest of Europe by towering mountain ranges, respectively by the Pyrenees, the Alps and the Balkan Mountains. The location of these peninsulas in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea, as well as their mountainous reliefs, provide them with very different types of climates (mainly subtropical Mediterranean) from the rest of the continent. So, the Sirocco hot wind that originates in the heart of the Sahara blows over Italy, going up to the interior of the Alpine arc (Po Valley). The Alps prevent the Sirocco from spreading to the rest of Europe. And, conversely, the Alps and the Pyrenees protect the Italian and Iberian peninsulas from the rains and icy winds from the south of France such as the Mistral and the Tramontane. When the Mistral and the Tramontane are blowing, this provokes an "upwelling" phenomenon on the French coast. They push the surface waters out to sea and bring deeper, cooler waters up to the seaside. Consequently, the temperature of the waters of the French coasts are therefore very cool even in summer, and not representative of the rest of the Mediterranean.
This same kind of phenomenon takes place between the two slopes of the Balkan Mountain Range. These mountains have, moreover, been a serious handicap to population displacement, focusing southern Europe mainly on the Mediterranean world. The climate and cultures are therefore very specific.
Different methods can be used to define Southern Europe, including its political, economic, historical, and cultural attributes. Southern Europe can also be defined by its natural features — its geography, climate, and flora. Politically, nine of the Southern European countries form the EU Med Group. Southern Europe also loosely corresponds to the European part of the Mediterranean Basin.Geography
Geographically, Southern Europe is the southern portion of the European continent. This definition is relative, although largely based on history, culture, climate, and flora, which is shared across the region. Southern Europe can be subdivided into three subregions:South-western Europe
Balearic Islands (Spain)
Iberian Peninsula
Andorra
French Cerdagne (France)
Gibraltar (United Kingdom)
Portugal (mainland)
Spain (mainland)
Pyrénées-Orientales (France)South-central Europe
Alpes-Maritimes (France)
Apennine Peninsula
Central Italy
San Marino
South Italy
Vatican City (Holy See)
Corsica (France)
Insular ItalySardinia
Sicily
Istria (peninsula)Ankaran (Slovenia)
Istria County (Croatia)
Izola (Slovenia)
Koper (Slovenia)
Muggia (Italy)
Piran (Slovenia)
San Dorligo della Valle (Italy)
Malta
Monaco
Northern Italy
Northeast Italy
Northwest Italy
Ticino (Switzerland)Southeast Europe
Balkan Peninsula
Albania
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Croatia (southern mainland)
East Thrace (Turkey)
Gorizia (Italy)
Greece (mainland)
Kosovo
Montenegro
North Macedonia
Romania (Northern Dobruja)
Serbia (Central Serbia)
Slovenia (south-western part)
Trieste (Italy)
Croatia (northern mainland & offshore islands)
Cyprus
Greece (islands)
Moldova
Romania (inland part)
Slovenia (north-eastern part)
Serbia (Vojvodina)The major islands in Southern Europe generally include the Balearic Islands, Corsica, Crete, Cyprus, Sardinia, and Sicily, as well as the island country of Malta.Gallery
Climate
Southern Europe's most emblematic climate is the Mediterranean climate, influenced by the large subtropical semi-permanent centre of high atmospheric pressure found, not in the Mediterranean itself, but in the Atlantic Ocean, the Azores High. The Mediterranean climate covers Portugal, Spain, Italy, the southern coast of France, coastal Croatia, coastal Slovenia, southern Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, and Greece, as well as the Mediterranean islands. Those areas of Mediterranean climate present similar vegetations and landscapes throughout, including dry hills, small plains, pine forests and olive trees.
Cooler climates can be found in certain parts of Southern European countries, for example within the mountain ranges of Spain and Italy. Additionally, the north coast of Spain experiences a wetter Atlantic climate. In the highest regions of the Alps, which border Southern Europe, even ice cap climate can be found.Some parts of Southern Europe have humid subtropical climates with warm and wet summers, unlike typical Mediterranean climates. This climate is mainly found in Italy and Croatia around the Adriatic Sea in cities such as Venice and Trieste, but also further north, near the Alpine foothills, in cities such as Como and Lugano.UN geoscheme classification
The United Nations geoscheme is a system devised by the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) which divides the countries of the world into regional and subregional groups, based on the M49 coding classification. The partition is for statistical convenience and does not imply any assumption regarding political or other affiliation of countries or territories.In the UN geoscheme, the following countries are classified as Southern Europe:
Albania
Andorra
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Croatia
Greece
Holy See
Italy
Malta
Montenegro
North Macedonia
Portugal
San Marino
Serbia
Slovenia
Spainas well as the dependent territory: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 in this classification are:Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, East Thrace (Turkey), Greece, Italy, Malta, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia, and Spain.See also
Central and Eastern Europe
Central Europe
Eastern Europe
EU Med Group
EuroVoc#Southern Europe
Mediterranean Basin
Northern Europe
Northwestern Europe
Southeast Europe
Western Europe
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