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Regions of Europe

Europe is often divided into regions due to geographical, cultural or historical criteria. Some common divisions are as follows.

Contents

Directional divisions

Groupings by compass directions are the hardest to define in Europe, since (among other issues) the pure geographical criteria of "east" and "west" are often confused with the political meaning these words acquired during the Cold War era. For more details on this matter, see the articles on the following:

Peninsulas

The Balkan peninsula is located in southeast Europe and contains the following countries:
Greece, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Albania, Romania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, (Part of) Turkey
Located in southwestern Europe this peninsula contains Spain, Portugal and Andorra
Located in the south of Europe, the Italian peninsula contains the states of Italy, San Marino and Vatican City
Including (with variations depending on the source) some or all of the nations of Sweden, Norway, and Denmark.

Other groupings

The nations bordering the Baltic Sea: Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia
Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg
United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland
Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Iceland
The states which have the Alps as a prominent part of their geography.
Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Slovenia
A central European group representing an historical alliance.
Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary
Mediterranean nations are called those nations bordering the Mediterranean Sea. Excluding African countries these are the following:
Spain, France, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro, Albania, Greece, Turkey, Cyprus and Malta
  • Golden banana
Describing the concentration of the wealth/economic productivity of Europe in a banana-shaped band running from London, through Benelux, eastern France, western Germany to northern Italy.

See also


Last updated: 02-07-2005 15:50:26
Last updated: 05-03-2005 17:50:55