South europe countries italy message. Southern Europe, general information and information

Southern Europe (over 1696 thousand km2, 180 million people) is the second region in Europe in terms of territory (after Eastern Europe) and population.

Most of the countries of Southern Europe, with the exception of Spain, Italy, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece and Yugoslavia, belong to the small countries of Europe, occupying an area, each in particular, less than 100 thousand km2.

The territory of the region is quite clearly divided into three large sub-regions in the form of peninsulas - the Iberian, Apennine, Balkan.

In southern Europe, there are also islands in the northern part of the Mediterranean Sea - Crete, Sicily, Sardinia, the Balearic Islands, etc.

Southern Europe is very elongated along the parallel - at a distance exceeding 4000 km., And compressed along the meridian, barely exceeding 1000 km.

In general, the economic - geographical position of Southern Europe is characterized by the following features: 1) the proximity of the region to North Africa. Such a neighborhood has a decisive influence not only on natural features, but also on the ethnogenesis of the peoples living here, 2) proximity to the countries of Southwest Asia, rich fuel and energy resources, which are lacking in Southern Europe, 3) the wide length of maritime borders with the Atlantic Ocean , with the seas of the Mediterranean basin, in particular the Tyrrhenian, Adriatic, Aegean, as well as the western part of the Black Sea, diversified and influences the economic activity and beneficial economic relations of the North European countries with all continents of the world, 4.) The Mediterranean is an ancient region of human civilization , it is also called the "cradle of European civilization", because Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome had a decisive influence on the historical fate of neighboring countries and all of Europe.

So, the macro-region of Southern Europe is a special community, due not only to the typical features of the Mediterranean climate, but also to the similarity of historical fate, culture, traditions, and even the level of socio-economic development.

Economic - geographical assessment of natural conditions and resources. Southern Europe, although not territorially compact, is rather homogeneous in terms of morphostructural and climatic characteristics.

Southern Europe is the most mountainous among the European macro-regions, occupying more than three quarters of its territory. The highest mountains are mainly located in the north of the region, on the borders with Western and Central-Eastern Europe. Thus, the Pyrenees separate Spain from France, the high Alps are a natural border between Italy, France, Switzerland and Austria, and the Southern Carpathians fence off the Southern region from Central and Eastern Europe with their northern slopes.

The hinterland of Southern Europe is occupied by medium-altitude mountain ranges - the Iberian mountains, the Apennine mountain system, the Balkan mountains and plateaus, as well as plains.

The mountain system of Southern Europe is located in the zone of Alpine folding. The relative youth of these structures is evidenced by geological processes that continue to this day. This is reminiscent of frequent and strong earthquakes, as well as volcanic activity.

Mountain ranges covered with Mesozoic limestone are often exposed, forming bizarre landforms in the form of steep peaks, jagged ridges, and so on. Karst phenomena are common here. Where sedimentary rocks (fliesch) protrude to the surface, soft forms of mountains are formed, mainly with rich vegetation.

One of the main natural resources of the South of Europe is a mild climate, very favorable for human life. Here it is typically Mediterranean in most of the region - dry hot summers, mild rainy winters, early springs and long warm autumns. The growing season in the region lasts 200-220 days. And in the south of the Iberian Peninsula and in Sicily - even longer. Here, the temperature regime contributes to the vegetation of plants throughout the year.

All this is a good prerequisite for growing two crops: in the winter season - low heat-loving crops (cereals, vegetables), and in the summer - late varieties of rice, tea, figs, olives, citrus fruits.

The aridity of the climate is most pronounced in summer - in the inner subregions, in particular in Central and Eastern Spain, even in the temperate climatic zone of the Middle and Lower Danube lowlands, in the east of the macroregion.

In winter, maritime air masses of temperate latitudes prevail. They bring warm heavy rains from the Atlantic.

In general, there is little rainfall. The level of moistening of the surface of the macroregion tends to decrease in the eastern and southern directions. This confirms the growth of continental climate.

The territory of Southern Europe belongs to the weakly secured water resources. Their greatest shortage is felt in Greece, Italy, Spain. For the latter, this problem has become a priority. Despite this, some mountainous areas with full-flowing swift rivers have significant water resources. These include the rivers of northern Spain - the Ebro with its tributaries, the Duero, the Tajo, as well as the Dinaric Highlands, the Balkans, and others.

The land resources of Southern Europe are concentrated mainly in river valleys or in intermountain basins. The exception is the Iberian Peninsula, a large part of which is occupied by a vast plain, but it requires intensive irrigation.

Brown (Mediterranean) soils predominate in the South European macroregion, rich in minerals and are characterized by a significant content of humus. More humid northern areas, such as Portugal, northern Italy, have brown soils but are depleted in carbonates, so they must be fertilized to obtain high yields. The forest resources of Southern Europe are negligible. Only a few arrays are of industrial importance. Thus, the Iberian Peninsula is rich in cork oak forests, which allows Spain and Portugal to be the main exporters of cork products in the world. The forests on the Balkan Peninsula are well preserved, especially in the Dinaric Highlands, in the Southern Carpathians. But in general, the forest coverage of the South is very low. In some countries it does not exceed 15-20%, in Greece - 16%. In addition, the forests of the south are often devastated by fires.

The recreational resources of the South of Europe are very valuable and promising for use. Natural conditions, as well as a variety of vegetation cover, landforms, the presence of sea beaches, unique historical monuments create favorable conditions for the development of various types of tourism and recreation.

Among the mineral resources of the greatest wealth of the South European countries are ferrous ores, non-ferrous metals and non-metallic materials. The main iron ore deposits are located in Spain, which has its own iron ore base. The ores of Spain contain 48-51% of the metal, while the rich ores of Sweden and Ukraine contain 57-70% of the metal.

Significant reserves of aluminum raw materials are bauxites of Greece, copper reserves - Spain, mercury - Spain, Italy, potash salts - Spain.

The energy resources of the South European countries are represented by coal, lignite (Spain, Italy), oil (Romania, Slovenia), uranium (Spain, Portugal), but not all of them are of industrial importance.

Southern Europe is famous throughout the world for building materials, in particular marble, tuff, granite, clay, raw materials for the cement industry, etc.

Population. About 180 million people live in Southern Europe, which is more than 27.0% of the total European population. It ranks second in Europe in terms of population. Among the southern European countries, three countries stand out with the largest population: Italy (57.2 million people), Spain (39.6 million people) and Romania (22.4 million people), which account for two-thirds of the population, or 66.3% of the total number of residents in the region.

In terms of population density (106.0 inhabitants/km2), Southern Europe exceeds the European average by 74%, but lags among the inner European regions of industrialized Western Europe, where the population density is 173 individuals/km2, in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe this figure is much lower - more than 94 individuals/km2. Among individual countries, the most densely populated is the industrially developed and long-given state-gifted Italy (190 abs/km2), Albania (119.0 abs/km2). Less dense are such countries of the Balkan Peninsula as Croatia (85.3 ind./km2), Bosnia and Herzegovina (86.5 ind./km2), Macedonia (80.2 ind./km2) and Spain (77.5 ind./km2) . So, the center of Southern Europe - the Apennine Peninsula is the most densely populated, in particular the fertile Padana Plain and most of the coastal lowlands. The least densely populated are the highlands of Spain, where there are less than 10 people per km2.

In the South European macro-region, the birth rate is almost the same as in the Western European macro-region - 11 children per 1,000 inhabitants and is second only to Northern Europe, where this figure in 1999 was almost 12%. Among individual countries, Albania occupies the first place in this indicator, where the birth rate reaches 23 people per 1 thousand inhabitants per year, and the natural increase is 18 people. On the second - Macedonia, where these figures are 16 and 8, respectively, and on the third - fourth - Malta, Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the industrialized countries of the South, the birth rate is much lower. So, in Italy - 9% with a negative growth (-1), in Slovenia - 10 people with zero natural growth. Infant mortality is slightly higher in southern European countries than in Western and Northern Europe, but four deaths per 1,000 live births are lower than in Eastern Europe. Among individual countries, it is in the Adriatic-Black Sea subregion, in particular in Albania, Macedonia, Romania and the former Yugoslavia - respectively 33, 24, 23, 22 and 18 child deaths per 1000 births. Thus, mortality is highest in post-socialist countries with low living standards.

In recent years, the average life expectancy of the population in the region has increased to 70 years for men and 76 years for women. Men live longer in Greece (75 years) and in Italy, Andorra, Malta, respectively, 74 years, and women - in Italy, Spain and Andorra, respectively, 81 years. According to UN forecasts, in the next ten years, the average life expectancy of men and women in Southern Europe should increase to 73 and 79 years, respectively.

Southern Europe is the least urbanized on the European continent. Here, 56.1% of the population lives in cities. The largest cities in the region are Athens (3662 thousand), Madrid (3030), Rome (2791), Belgrade, Zaragoza, Milan, Naples, Bucharest and others. Most of the southern cities were founded a very long time ago, back in the pre-Christian era. In many of them, monuments of the ancient period and later eras (Rome, Athens and dozens of other equally famous southern cities) have been preserved.

Southern Europe is quite racially homogeneous. The population of the region belongs to the Mediterranean or southern branch of the Caucasian large race (white). Her characteristic features are small stature, dark wavy hair and brown eyes. Almost the entire population of southern Europe speaks the languages ​​of the Indo-European language family. The population of Italy, Spain, Romania, Portugal belongs to the Romance peoples who speak languages ​​that are formed from ancient Latin. Their largest groups are Italians, Spaniards, Romanians. In the high Alpine regions of Italy live Ladino, Friuli, who speak Romansh, in Spain - Catalans and Galicians. Portugal is settled by the Portuguese. Southern Slavs live on the Balkan Peninsula. These include Bulgarians, Serbs, Croats, Slovenes and Macedonians. The South Slavic peoples belong to the Mediterranean race. In addition to the Slavs, Albanians and Greeks live here. The South Slavic influence is strong in the language and culture of the Albanians. Ethnic Greeks are the descendants of the ancient Greeks - Hellenes, who were strongly influenced by the Slavs. The anthropological type of modern Greeks differs from the ancient Greek, speech has changed.

From non-Roman peoples on the Iberian Peninsula live the Basques, who inhabit a small area of ​​​​Northern Spain. These are the descendants of the Iberians - an ancient population who have preserved their language and cultural elements. Most of the population of Romania are Romanians, who formed into a single nation from two close peoples - the Vlachs and the Moldavians.

There are different classifications for dividing countries into regions. There are geographic ones, there is a UN classifier, there are copyright ones. Therefore, there is no doubt only that Southern Europe is the one by the Mediterranean Sea, because this sea washes precisely the south of Europe. We will include in Southern Europe:

• Andorra, southern Spain and Portugal
• Monaco,
• states located on the Apennine Peninsula (Italy, Vatican, San Marino),
• Greece
• island states of Malta and Cyprus.

Sometimes Southern Europe also includes Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the southern regions of Ukraine and the European part of Turkey. But if memory serves, we have already entered them into.

important peculiarity of the situation of the countries of Southern Europe, which are located on the peninsulas and islands of the Mediterranean Sea, is that they are located on the main sea routes from Europe to Asia, Africa and Australia, and Spain and Portugal are also ports on the way to America. All these countries, their history and economy are closely connected with the sea.

Equally important is the fact that the region is located between the rest of Europe and the countries of North Africa. Although the relations of the countries are carried out through the sea, these relations are multilateral and centuries-old. There were times when immigrants from Africa claimed leadership in this region, then vice versa - the north of Africa became colonies of Portugal, Italy and Spain. And Malta is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, led by Great Britain, i.e. still a colony (to put it bluntly).

The relief of the region is an alternation of lowlands, hilly ridges and individual mountain ranges up to 1000 m high.

Southern Europe. Climate

Southern Europe is a region dominated by a subtropical climate. The coast is dry and hot, especially in summer. Vegetation on the coast is practically absent, bare land and rocks. The waters of the Mediterranean Sea will delight you with pleasant temperatures starting from May. The average temperature in summer is about +24 °C, in winter it is quite cool - about +8C. Rainfall is about 1000-1500 mm per year.

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Inland waters

Southern Europe has a mountainous relief and a subtropical climate with dry summers, which form the peculiar conditions for the formation of a river network. Rivers are generally steep and shallow. On many of them, especially on the Iberian Peninsula, there are rapids in the lower reaches. The amount of water in the rivers fluctuates greatly throughout the year. In winter, during the rains, the rivers are quite muddy due to suspension from the banks and the bottom of the channel. In summer, the rivers become shallow, and some in the south of Italy and Greece dry up completely in the summer.

Flora and fauna

Even the names themselves are unusual: strawberry trees, holm oaks, myrtles, olives, grapes, citrus fruits, magnolia, cypresses, chestnuts, junipers. Wildlife roe deer, servals, markhor goats, foxes, monitor lizards, wolves, badgers, raccoons. But the places where it all grows or runs to look for more - as it was written above, especially on the coast, the area is deserted from vegetation.

Population and economic activity

Traditionally, Southern Europe has a high birth rate, but the natural population growth is low. Peoples: Spaniards, Italians, Portuguese, Greeks. Population density, from 10 or more people per km² (someone wrote that this is a high density!?). The predominant religion is Catholicism.

Southern Europe includes 8 countries and one dependent territory - Gibraltar (possession of Great Britain) (table). feature region is the location here of the smallest state-the city of Vatican City, whose territory is 44 hectares, and the oldest republic in the world - San Marino

Table 5 - Countries of Southern Europe

important feature of the economic and geographical position of the countries of Southern Europe, located on the peninsulas and islands of the Mediterranean Sea, is that they are all on the main sea routes from Europe to Asia, Africa and Australia, and Spain and Portugal - also to Central and South America. All this, since the time of the great geographical discoveries, has affected the development of the region, the life of the countries of which is closely connected with the sea. No less significant is the fact that the region is located between Central Europe and the Arab countries of North Africa, which have multilateral ties with Europe. The former metropolises of Portugal, Italy and Spain still retain influence on some African countries. All countries (except the Vatican) are members of the UN, the OECD, and the largest are members of NATO and the European Union. Malta is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations led by Great Britain.

Natural conditions and resources. The region is located on the Mediterranean peninsulas - the Iberian, Apennine and Balkan. Only Italy is part of mainland Europe. The Mediterranean Sea largely determined the similarity of the natural conditions of the region. There is an acute shortage of fuel in the region useful fossils. There is almost no oil here, very little natural gas and coal. However, the rich are deposits of various metals, especially colored ones: bauxite(Greece belongs to the top three European leaders), mercury, copper, polymetals(Spain, Italy), tungsten(Portugal). Huge reserves building materials – marble, tufa, granite, cement raw materials, clay. underdeveloped in southern European countries river network. Large arrays forests survived only in the Pyrenees and the Alps. The average forest cover of the region is 32%. Natural and recreational resources are extremely rich. These are warm seas, many kilometers of sandy beaches, lush vegetation, picturesque landscapes, numerous sea and mountain resorts, as well as areas favorable for mountaineering and skiing, etc. There are 14 national parks in the region. The unique natural resource potential of the region has contributed to the significant development of the agricultural sector and tourism and recreational activities in its countries.

Population. Traditionally, Southern Europe is characterized by a high birth rate, but the natural population growth is low: from 0.1% per year in Italy to 0.4-0.5% in Greece, Portugal and 0.8% in Malta. Women account for 51% of the region's population. The majority of the population belongs to the southern (Mediterranean) branch of e caucasoid race. During the era of the Roman Empire, most of them were Romanized, and now peoples belonging to the Roman group predominate here. Indo-European language family(Portuguese, Spaniards, Galicians, Catalans, Italians, Sardinians, Romansh). An exception are: Greeks(Greek group of the Indo-European family); Albanians(Albanian group of the Indo-European family), represented in Italy; Gibraltar (Germanic group of the Indo-European family); Maltese(Semitic group of the Semitic-Hamitic language family). Maltese is considered to be a dialectal form of Arabic; Turks(Turkic group of the Altaic language family) - there are many of them in Greece; Basques(in the rank of a separate family) - live in the historical region of the Basque Country in northern Spain. Composition of the population in the countries of the region is mostly homogeneous. High indicators of mono-ethnicity characteristic of Portugal (99.5% - Portuguese), Italy and Greece (98% of Italians and Greeks, respectively), and only in Spain a significant proportion (almost 30%) of national minorities: Catalans (18%), Galicians (8%) , Basques (2.5%), etc. The majority of the population - Christians. Christianity is represented by two branches: Catholicism(west and center of the region); Orthodoxy(East of the region, Greece). In Southern Europe is the spiritual and administrative center of the Roman Catholic Church - the Vatican, which exists in the IV century. Part of the Turks, Albanians, Greeks - Muslims.

Population posted unevenly. highest density- in fertile valleys and coastal lowlands, the smallest - in the mountains (Alps, Pyrenees), in some areas up to 1 person / km 2. Level of urbanization in the region is much lower than in other parts of Europe: only in Spain and Malta, up to 90% of the population lives in cities, and, for example, in Greece and Italy - more than 60%, in Portugal - 36%. Human Resources make up about 51 million people. In general, 30% of the active population is employed in industry, 15% - in agriculture, 53% - in service industry. Recently, in Southern Europe, for the fruit and vegetable harvest season, many employees from Eastern and South-Eastern Europe come who cannot find work in their own countries.

Features of economic development and general characteristics of the economy. The countries of the region still lag economically behind the highly developed states of Europe. Although Portugal, Spain, Greece and Italy are members of the EU, but all of them, except Italy, lag behind the leaders in many socio-economic indicators. Italy is the economic leader of the region, belongs to highly developed industrial and agricultural countries, with a clear trend towards the formation of a post-industrial type of economy. At the same time, contrasts in the development of many industries and production, in the social sphere, in the socio-economic conditions of the North and South, are still significant in the country. Italy lags behind many highly developed countries in terms of scientific and technological development. Ahead of some countries of Western Europe in terms of net income from tourism, it is inferior to them in terms of the scale and intensity of international trade and credit and financial transactions. Spain. It is the second country in the region in terms of socio-economic development. In the Spanish economy, a significant role is played by the public sector, which accounts for up to 30% of the country's GDP. The state carries out economic programming, controls the railways, the coal industry, a significant part of shipbuilding and ferrous metallurgy. In the second half of the 80s. XX Art. Portugal experienced a significant economic recovery. The average GDP growth during this period was one of the highest in the EU and amounted to 4.5-4.8% per year, in 2000 the GNP was 159 billion dollars. Greece has a larger GNP than Portugal (181.9 billion in 2000). The country's industry is significantly monopolized by large local and foreign capital (mainly the United States, Germany, France and Switzerland). Up to 200 companies receive over 50% of all profits. Greece has rather high inflation rates for EU countries (3.4% per year). Government measures to reduce it (cutting state subsidies, freezing wages, etc.) predetermine social instability.

V MGRT the countries of the region are represented by individual branches of engineering (production of cars, household appliances, technological equipment for the light and food industries), the furniture industry, the production of building products and equipment, light industries (fruit and vegetable canning, oilseeds - the production of olive oil, winemaking, pasta, etc.). P.). Agriculture is dominated by branches of agriculture - the cultivation of various subtropical crops: citrus fruits, wood oils, grapes, vegetables, fruits, essential oil plants, etc. Due to the insufficient forage base, livestock breeding is dominated by sheep breeding and, in small volumes, beef cattle breeding. The countries of the region are actively developing merchant shipping and ship repair. They are the undisputed leaders in the development of international tourism. Warm sea, Mediterranean climate, rich subtropical vegetation, numerous monuments of ancient culture and architecture are the main factors due to which Southern Europe is a favorite place for recreation and entertainment for many tourists in the world, the largest tourist center.

5. General characteristics of the countries of Eastern (Central) Europe

The countries of Eastern (Central) Europe as a socio-political and economic integrity began to single out in the 90s of the XX century. This is due to the collapse of the former USSR and the socialist system, the formation of independent states. The region covers 10 countries (Table 6). The economic and geographical position of Eastern Europe is distinguished by the following features : land surveying in the west with highly developed countries, and in the east and southeast - with Russia and the countries of Southeast Europe - potential markets for Eastern Europe; passage through the region of trans-European transport routes of the meridional and latitudinal directions. Over the past 10 years in EGP (economic and geographical position) of the region, the following changes : the collapse of the USSR, the formation of the CIS and new countries; unification of Germany; the collapse of Czechoslovakia, as a result of which two independent states were formed: the Czech Republic and Slovakia; the appearance on the southern borders of "unstable" in relation to the military-political state of the neighbors - the Balkan countries, Yugoslavia.

Table 6 - Countries of Eastern Europe

Political and socio-economic changes influenced the formation of the modern political map of Eastern Europe. As a result of the collapse of the USSR, independent states were formed: Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Belarus, Ukraine, Russia. A new political and economic association emerged - the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The Baltic countries were not included in it. In the process of profound revolutionary changes, the countries of Eastern Europe entered a period of political and economic reforms, actively asserting the principles of real democracy, political pluralism, and a market economy. All countries in the region are members of the UN. Russia, Ukraine and Belarus - in the CIS, Poland, Czech Republic and Hungary - in NATO. Natural conditions and resources. The length of the coastline (excluding Russia) is 4682 km. Belarus, Slovakia, Hungary, Czech Republic do not have access to the World Ocean. Climate in the predominant part of the territory - temperate continental. Natural resources. The region has significant mineral resources , in terms of their richness and diversity, it occupies one of the first places in Europe. He fully satisfies his needs in coal , brown coal . On the oil and gas Russian subsoil is rich, there are insignificant reserves in Ukraine and Hungary, as well as in the south of Belarus. Peat lies in Belarus, Poland, Lithuania, in the north of Ukraine, the largest reserves of oil shale - in Estonia and Russia. A significant part of the fuel and energy resources, especially oil and gas, countries are forced to import. Ore minerals are: iron ore , manganese , copper ores , bauxites , mercury nickel . Among non-metallic mineral resources are available rock salt , potassium salt , sulfur , amber , phosphorites, apatites . The average forest cover of the region is 33%. To the main recreational resources belong to the sea coast, mountain air, rivers, forests, mineral springs, karst caves. The region has the most famous sea resorts.

Population. On the territory of Eastern Europe, excluding Russia, there are 132.1 million people, including the European part of Russia - 246.4 million. The largest population is in Ukraine and Poland. In other countries, it ranges from 1.5 to 10.5 million people. Demographic situation is quite complex, which is due to the consequences of the Second World War, the increase in urbanization and the industrial development of states associated with it. As in most other European countries, natural population growth has significantly decreased in recent decades, primarily due to a sharp decline in the birth rate, and in Ukraine, Russia, Belarus and Slovakia it has become negative. The population is also declining - the birth rate is lower than the death rate, which has led to the aging of the population. The sex composition of the population is dominated by women (53%). Representatives of the transitional (Central European) group predominate among the inhabitants of the region caucasian race . Countries have mostly heterogeneous ethnic composition . The population belongs predominantly to a bilingual family: Indo-European and Ural . The region is dominated Christianity , represented by all directions: Catholicism professed in Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Lithuania, a significant number of Hungarians and Latvians; orthodoxy - in Ukraine, Russia, Belarus; Protestantism (Lutheranism ) - in Estonia, the majority of Latvians and part of the Hungarians; To Uniate (Greek Catholic ) churches will be occupied by western Ukrainians and western Belarusians.

Population posted relatively evenly. The average density is almost 89 persons/km a.s.l. The level of urbanization is low - on average 68 %. The urban population is constantly increasing. Human Resources approximately 145 million people (56%). Industry employs 40-50 % working population, in agriculture - 20-50%, in the non-manufacturing sector - 15-20%. Since the mid 90s. XX century In the countries of Eastern Europe, the economic emigration of the population has increased significantly in search of work and permanent earnings. Perceptible and intra-regional migration from the eastern regions (Ukraine, Russia, Belarus) to the economically developed western countries of the same region - Poland, the Czech Republic. In terms of GDP and its level per capita, the UN divides the countries of the region into 3 groups : 1) Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia (20-50% of GDP per capita from the US level); 2) Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia (10-20%); 3) Ukraine, Belarus, Russia (less than 10%). All states of the region belong to countries with an average level of socio-economic development.

V ICPP countries are represented by areas fuel and energy complex (coal, oil, gas), metallurgy, chemical industry (mainly branches of basic chemistry and coal chemistry), individual branches mechanical engineering , timber industry complex, light (textile, knitwear, footwear, etc.) and food (meat and fish processing, sugar, oil and flour milling, etc.) industry. The agricultural specialization of countries is determined by the cultivation grain (wheat, rye, barley, corn), technical (sugar beet, sunflower, flax, hops) and fodder crops , potatoes, vegetables etc.. animal husbandry It is represented mainly by dairy and meat cattle breeding, pig breeding, and poultry farming. Fishing has long been traditional in the Baltic Sea countries. Industry. The leading sector of the economy of the countries of the region is industry, mainly processing (engineering, metallurgical complex, chemical, light and food, etc.). Transport. In Eastern Europe there are all types of transport. An important task for the countries of the region is to bring the transport system up to EU standards. Foreign economic relations countries of Eastern Europe are still being formed and do not have a clearly defined orientation. For the most part, foreign trade serves the needs of this region's own, since the products of many countries are not yet competitive on the world market. V export , which is 227 billion dollars, is dominated by products of engineering, chemical and light industries, some products of non-ferrous metallurgy. Foreign economic relations Ukraine with the countries of the region: significant volumes of exports of Ukrainian goods go to Russia, Belarus, Hungary, Poland, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, and the largest amount of imports to Ukraine - from Russia, Poland, Belarus, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Lithuania. Eastern Europe is rich in resources for development recreational industry and tourism.

6. General characteristics of the countries of South-Eastern Europe

Southeast Europe covers 9 countries of the former socialist camp, located near the southeastern part of Europe, not included in the region of Eastern (Central) Europe (Table 6)

Table 6 - Countries of South-Eastern Europe

The region has a rather favorable economic and geographical position due to its location on the routes from Southwest Asia to Central Europe. The states of the region border on the countries of Eastern, Southern and Western Europe, as well as South-Western Asia, are washed by the seas of the Atlantic (Black, Adriatic), and through the Mediterranean Sea have access to transport routes in the Atlantic Ocean. Religious and ethnic conflicts (Macedonia, Moldova, Serbia and Montenegro) negatively affect the features of the political and geographical position of the region. All countries in the region have economies in transition. They are members of the UN, Moldova is a member of the CIS.

natural conditions. The countries of the region are rich in diverse landscapes. Climate in most of the territory temperate continental, only in the south and southwest subtropical Mediterranean. To obtain stable crops, large areas are irrigated here. Natural resources. Hydropower resources region are among the most powerful in Europe. Mineral resources are diverse, but the availability of them in the countries of the region is not the same. Largest reserves hard coal - in Transylvania (Romania), insignificant - to the west of Sofia in Bulgaria. Brown coal occurs in Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, Bulgaria, Albania, Slovenia. The only country in the region that is fully provided with its own oil and gas , - Romania. All others depend on their imports. H ernozems occupy large territories of Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova. Forests covering over 35% of the territories are the national wealth of the countries of the region. The region has significant recreational resources. Favorable agroclimatic resources led to the development of a fairly significant agricultural sector in most countries of the region. Population. demographic situation characterized by the same trends as in most other European countries. It is characterized by a sharp decline in the birth rate and natural increase, which is due to socio-economic factors. There are more women than men in the region (51 and 49%). Most countries in the region are dominated by representatives of the southern group e uropeoid race. In the northern regions, the majority of the population belongs to Central European racial types . South East Europe - ethnically and religiously heterogeneous region, which predetermines numerous conflicts. Constant military conflicts gave rise to significant migrations of the population. In the countries of the region, a large percentage national minorities , and in some of them there was a territorial mixture of ethnic groups (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro). The inhabitants of the region belong to Indo-European language family, Altaic and Ural families . Religious composition also quite varied. The vast majority of the population professes Christianity (Orthodox - Bulgarians, Romanians, Moldavians, Serbs, Montenegrins, a significant part of the Macedonians, and Catholics - Slovaks, Croats, part of the Romanians and Hungarians) and Islam (Albanians, Kosovo Albanians, Bosnians, Turks). In Albania, the entire population is Muslim. Population placed evenly. Increasingly affects the distribution of the population urbanization associated primarily with the movement of rural residents to cities. Human Resources make up over 35 million people. Employment in agriculture is very large - 24%, and in Albania - 55%, the highest figure for Europe, 38% of the population is employed in industry, construction and transport, 38% - in the service sector. One of important issues region is to overcome the socio-demographic and religious-ethnic crisis that arose in the countries of the former Yugoslavia.

Features of economic development and general characteristics of the economy. By the level of socio-economic development of the region's countries belong to the medium developed. Only Albania meets the criteria for a developing country. The structure of the economy is dominated by industrial-agrarian countries. Each country is characterized by specific features of the transition period .

V MGRT the countries of the region are represented by non-ferrous metallurgy, certain branches of the chemical industry (production of fertilizers, soda, perfumes and cosmetics), branches of transport, agricultural engineering, machine tools, furniture, light industry (production of clothing, footwear, leather products) and food (sugar, oil, fruit and vegetable canning , tobacco, wine) industry. V agriculture traditionally dominated by agriculture with cultivation grain (wheat, barley, corn) and industrial crops (sugar beet, sunflower, tobacco, essential oil plants). Significant development has vegetable growing, horticulture, viticulture . In the countries of the Black Sea and Adriatic coast, developed tourist and recreational complex .

Foreign economic relations. There are close economic ties between the countries of the region. They export products for 33.9 billion dollars: oil products, agricultural products, etc. Imported (45.0 billion dollars) fuel, manufactured goods, equipment, etc. The main trading partners are the countries of the EU, CIS, Austria, Germany, Italy, Turkey, etc. Ukraine exports a lot of goods to Moldova, Romania and Bulgaria, imports - mainly from Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, Slovenia.

The article contains geographical characteristics of the region. Describes the economic features of the countries of Southern Europe. Contains interesting historical facts.

Briefly about the countries of Southern Europe

Southern Europe is the cradle of the greatest ancient civilizations, as well as the birthplace of the championing of Christianity throughout Europe. This region has produced the world's greatest explorers and conquerors. Southern Europe has a grandiose history. Evidence of this can be architectural structures and monuments of art.

The region's economy is based on:

• mining industry;
• animal husbandry;
• agriculture;
• the manufacture of machines and devices;
• skin;
• textiles;
• cultivation of agricultural and horticultural crops.

The main branch of specialization is agriculture. In addition, tourism infrastructure is actively developed in Southern Europe.

Rice. 1. San Marino.

The largest industrial centers are located in the northern regions of the region.

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Rice. 2. Italy on the map.

The region also includes a state formation - the Order of Malta, the current territory of which is only one mansion in Rome and a residence in Malta.

On the territory of the region, as a rule, the climate of subtropical Mediterranean orientation prevails.

List of Southern European countries and their capitals

Southern Europe is a region of the globe, which is localized in the southern European latitudes.

Rice. 3. Maltese representation in Rome.

The states that make up the content of the region are located for the most part on the Mediterranean coast.

Belgrade received city status in the 2nd century. This happened during the existence of the Roman Empire. Around the year 520, Slavic people began to inhabit the city.

The total population is close to 160 million people.

States of Southern Europe and their capitals:

• Albania - Tirana;
• Greece - Athens;
• Bosnia and Herzegovina - Sarajevo;
• Vatican - Vatican;
• Italy Rome;
• Spain Madrid;
• Macedonia - Skopje;
• Malta - Valletta;
• San Marino - San Marino;
• Portugal - Lisbon;
• Slovenia - Ljubljana;
• Serbia - Belgrade;
• Croatia - Zagreb;
• Montenegro - Podgorica.

The geographical specificity of the countries of Southern Europe, which are located on the peninsular and island areas of the Mediterranean, is that they are located on the main sea routes from Europe to Asia, Africa, and Australia. All states of the region are historically and economically closely connected with the sea.

What have we learned?

We found out which of the states that make up the region is the smallest, as well as which countries are included in Southern Europe. We learned the reason for the economic stability of some states of Southern Europe. Get an idea of ​​the geographic location of the region.

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Southern Europe is a geographic region, which usually includes countries located on the coast, regardless of their culture and history. Thus, in addition to those powers that are part of the social concept of Europe, the western part of Turkey is often equated with this region, although this issue is still controversial.

Countries in this region

The states that are located in this are well known to everyone, so now we will briefly list them, and also call their capitals:

• Albania - Tirana.
• Serbia - Belgrade.
• Bosnia and Herzegovina - Sarajevo.
• Cyprus - Nicosia.
• Macedonia - Skopje.
• Slovenia - Ljubljana.
• San Marino - San Marino.
• Croatia - Zagreb.
• Portugal - Lisbon.
• Spain Madrid.
• Montenegro - Podgorica.
• Monaco - Monaco.
• Italy Rome.
• Andorra - Andorra la Vella.
• Greece - Athens.
• Vatican - Vatican.
• Malta - Valletta.

In addition to Turkey, there is another "disputed" country that some geographers include in this area - France. However, the majority does not accept this version, based on the fact that the climate in this state is too cold.

Geographical position

The southern part of Europe is conveniently located on the peninsulas, which, with their shores, overlook the waters of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. For example, Spain and Portugal, as well as Andorra, are on Italy, San Marino and the Vatican are on the Apennine, and Greece is on the Balkan. Powers such as Cyprus and Malta do occupy separate islands located in the Mediterranean basin. It is due to the fact that all these countries are facing the waters of this warm sea, the climate here has developed very mild and warm. It is called so - the Mediterranean, and depending on the latitude, the name changes from subtropical to tropical. Southern Europe is a very mountainous area. In its western part, Spain separated from France by the Pyrenees, in the central Alps they pass clearly along the border of Italy, and in the east the Southern Carpathians approach the region.

Territory and population

The diversity of nature, relief, cultures and population, as well as many mysteries and secrets, keeps the historical region of Southern Europe. Its area is 1033 thousand square meters. km., and the total population is over 120 million people. However, it is impossible to say something general about the culture of the entire region. Differences can be traced even in the fact that some countries are too urbanized, while the inhabitants of others prefer to live in villages. For example, in Spain the percentage of urbanization is 91%, in Italy - 72%, and in Portugal - only 48%. Remarkably, almost all of Southern Europe is inhabited by the indigenous inhabitants of this area - Mediterranean Caucasians live here. Many countries have a minimum percentage of natural population growth. Therefore, this race is considered one of the aging on earth.

Local climate and tourism

Everyone knows that the southern cities of Europe are a real magnet for any traveler. Some go here to see the sights, but most people come to the Mediterranean resorts to enjoy the local warmth and sun. The most important thing is that in the summer months it is not stuffy and not sultry here, but simply very warm. The air temperature rises to 28-30 degrees, and the coolness that comes from the sea fills the air with moisture, which makes it much easier to endure the heat. Such well-known resort cities as Genoa, Malaga, Barcelona, ​​Lisbon, Cadiz, Athens, Naples and many others annually gather millions of tourists from all over the world.

Nature and economics

Southern Europe is a rich region. A lot of minerals are concentrated in its bowels - mercury, copper, aluminum, uranium, gas, sulfur, mica and much more. Therefore, it is well developed here. In regions remote from cities, there are numerous farms, in connection with this, most of the rural population of Europe is engaged in animal husbandry. Each of the above countries receives a considerable share of income from tourism. This region is considered one of the most visited in the world, because there are hotels and restaurants for every taste and budget. But nevertheless, agriculture is considered the most important, and most importantly, the most ancient in Southern Europe. Nature decreed that it is here that olives, grapes, citrus fruits, dates, legumes grow best, and, of course, a wide variety of vegetables and fruits.

Conclusion

The region of Southern Europe is not only an attractive and picturesque corner of the world, but also a historically important territory. A significant part of world culture was born here, which later spread to other areas of the planet. The great heritage of Greece and Rome, the barbarism of Gaul and other regions of the Iberian Peninsula - all this came together and became the basis for our current traditions.