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Which countries are included in Central Europe? Which countries are included in Europe?

- part of the Eurasian continent, washed by two oceans at once - the Arctic and the Atlantic.

The area of ​​the EU is approximately 10 million square meters, and its population accounts for approximately 10% of the total population of the planet, which is approximately 740 million people.

General information

How many parts are there in Europe:

1. Northern Europe;
2. Southern Europe;
3. Eastern Europe;
4. Central Europe.

Depending on existing opinions, European countries can be classified as one part of it or another.

The highest point in Europe is Mount Elbrus, whose height reaches 5642 m, and the lowest point is the Caspian Sea, whose height is currently approximately 27 m.

The main territory is dominated by flat terrain, and only 17% of all Europe is mountainous. The climate of most of Europe is temperate, but in the north of the territory there are glaciers, and in the Caspian lowland there is desert.

Europe is the region with the greatest cultural diversity, despite its small territory.

Eastern Europe

The European part of Eurasia, located within the borders of central and eastern Europe, is usually referred to as Eastern Europe. Lives in this area larger number people than in other European regions, and occupies about 2/3 of Europe.

The bulk of the population are people of Slavic appearance. Due to political actions, the territory is constantly subject to change.

So, in Soviet time, the countries of the USSR were included in Eastern Europe, but after the collapse of the Soviet Union, some countries separated and began to be considered foreign.

The climate here is drier and less warm. However, the soils of this part of Europe are much more fertile than those of Western Europe. Eastern Europe has the largest amount of black soil in the world.

Eastern Europe is the closest part of the Old World to Russia in spirit and territory. The plane flight will not take more than two hours. You can even go on vacation to nearby countries while driving your own car.

The familiar climate and native language will be a pleasant bonus for those who decide to spend their holidays in Eastern European countries.

Western Europe- the territory in which everyone is located Western countries Europe. Typically, this includes countries that are related to each other culturally and geographical principles, and who were able to escape Soviet influence during the Cold War.

The climate in Western European countries is generally temperate, with mild winters and warm summers.

Western Europe is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. Urbanization here is at 80%. The largest agglomerations here are London and Paris.

Western Europe is considered the most popular for tourism. About 65% of tourists flock here. In this area you can see everything: from sandy beaches to mountain landscapes. The mosaic nature of the landscapes is striking in its beauty.

The large flow of tourists has led to the formation of special tourist zones that specialize in providing tourism services to guests.

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Everyone will be able to indicate on the map exactly where Europe is located. However, setting clear boundaries turns out to be not so easy.

The geographical boundaries of Europe on the northern, western and southern sides are the coastline of the seas of the Arctic Ocean, as well as Atlantic Ocean. These are the Baltic, Northern, Irish, Mediterranean, Black, Marmara and Azov seas.

The eastern border is usually drawn along the slope Ural mountains to the Caspian Sea. Some sources also include the territories of the Caucasus as Europe.

List of countries in Europe

The number of European countries is quite extensive.

If listed in alphabetical order, the list would be as follows:

• Austria;
• Albania;
• Andorra

• Belarus;
• Belgium;
• Bulgaria;
• Bosnia

• Vatican;
• Great Britain;
• Hungary

• Germany;
• Holland;
• Greece;
• Georgia

• Denmark

• Ireland;
• Spain;
• Italy;
• Iceland

• Latvia;
• Lithuania;
• Liechtenstein;
• Luxembourg

• Macedonia;
• Malta;
• Moldova;
• Monaco

• Norway

• Poland;
• Portugal

• Russia;
• Romania

• San Morino;
• Serbia;
• Slovakia;
• Slovenia

• Ukraine

• Finland;
• France

• Croatia

• Montenegro;
• Czech

• Switzerland;
• Sweden

• Estonia.

This full list states that are European.

Number of European countries

The number of states included in Europe today is 44. But based on the political and economic situations that are occurring in the world, it cannot be said that this list will not change.

We can take as an example Soviet Union, which at one time broke up into 15 independent states, while the GDR and the Federal Republic of Germany, for example, on the contrary, united into a single whole, and today are called Germany.

Currently, a difficult political situation is occurring in Spain, where the Catalan part is trying to separate itself into a state independent from Spain and be called Catalonia.

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National symbols

As national symbols countries display their flags and coats of arms. As a rule, the basis of coats of arms includes animalistic symbols. The image of a horse symbolizes speed and movement.

All European countries are familiar with the myths about the sun god, who traveled on his horse-drawn carriage. But, for example, an elephant expresses reliability and strength. It is his image that can be found on the coat of arms of the city of Coventry in Great Britain.

The state symbols of England are the oldest of all European countries. The coat of arms, which is now official in Great Britain, originated in the 19th century.

The coat of arms of England looks like a shield, in the upper left and lower right corners of which there are three gold leopards on a red background, in the upper right - a fiery lion, located on a gold background - the Scottish coat of arms, and, finally, in the lower left - a harp of gold on a blue field - Irish symbols.

This shield is held by a golden lion with a crown in its mane and a snow-white unicorn.

The symbolism of the Scandinavian countries reveals the history of the countries of the European North. The coat of arms of Denmark has been formed over several centuries. It is a shield with a crown on top, and inside the shield there are four blue leopards in a row from top to bottom.

The flag of Denmark is divided by a red and white cross, in the center of which is its coat of arms.

On state emblem Sweden, until the 13th century, depicted three leopards in crowns, standing on a field one after another, which was very reminiscent of the coat of arms of Denmark.

Only at the beginning of the 14th century a coat of arms appeared depicting three golden crowns, which later became the state symbol.

The original coat of arms of Iceland was a white falcon, but in 1944 a new symbol was chosen: a shield held by a bull, a dragon, an eagle and an old man.

The main symbol of Albania is a black eagle with two heads, which is the Albanian coat of arms.

The symbol of Bulgaria is a golden lion located on a red shield, which is a symbol of masculinity.

The Polish coat of arms looks like a white eagle, whose head is decorated with a gilded crown.

The symbol of Serbia was created during the period of unification of the lands of Serbia. It depicts a boar's head pierced by an arrow.

Macedonia became independent only in the second half of the 20th century, so before this period, symbolism was represented only by territorial symbols. Nowadays the coat of arms of Macedonia features a golden crowned lion.

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Population and area of ​​countries

The main giant by all criteria among European countries is Russia. Its area is approximately 17 million square meters, which is almost equal to the area South America, and the population is about 146 million.

However, Russia’s entry into Europe is considered controversial, because most of it is located in Asia, and only about 22% is in Europe.

Next on the list of the largest countries in Europe by territory it is worth mentioning Ukraine. It occupies an area of ​​almost 604 thousand square meters. The population of Ukraine is about 42 million people.

France, Spain, Sweden, Germany, Finland, Norway, Poland and Italy present a list of the 10 largest European countries. However, in terms of the number of inhabitants of these countries, after Russia comes Germany, whose population is about 81 million people.

The population of France is in third place in terms of size. There are about 66 million people within its borders.

The largest cities in Europe are London, with its population of 7 million people, Berlin - 3.5 million people, followed by Madrid, Rome, Kyiv and Paris with a population of 3 million.

Which countries are part of the European Union?

The Union of Europe was organized during the collapse of the USSR. The EU represents states united together for economic reasons and political views. Most of these countries use one type of currency - the euro.

The Union is an international entity that includes the characteristics of a country and the characteristics of an international community, but in fact they are neither one nor the other.

In some cases, decisions are made by supranational institutions, and in others through negotiations between countries that are members of the European Union.

At the very beginning of its emergence, the European Union consisted of only six countries - Belgium, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and France. Today, thanks to joining the agreement, the number of countries within the European Union has increased to twenty-eight.

States renounce their sovereignty and in return receive protection in various institutions of the union, which act for the common interests of all participants.

The Lisbon Treaty included rules for secession from the European Union. During the entire period of action, only Greenland left the European Union - in the late 1900s.

Currently, five countries are vying for the opportunity to leave the Union. These are Albania, Macedonia, Serbia, Türkiye and Montenegro.

List of EU countries:

1. Austria;
2. Belgium;
3. Bulgaria;
4. Hungary;
5. Great Britain;
6. Greece;
7. Germany;
8. Denmark;
9. Italy;
10. Ireland;
11. Spain;
12. Republic of Cyprus;
13. Luxembourg;
14. Latvia;
15. Lithuania;
16. Malta;
17. Netherlands;
18. Portugal;
19. Poland;
20. Romania;
21. Slovenia;
22. Slovakia;
23. France;
24. Finland;
25. Croatia;
26. Czech Republic;
27. Sweden;
28. Estonia.

Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland have not agreed to join the European Union and become member states, but they are still participating in joint economic activities.

The population of the European Union as of 2009 exceeded five hundred million people.

Throughout the European Union, people use twenty-four languages ​​equally. But, as a rule, the most popular languages ​​in the European Union are English, German, and French.

As for religious views, according to surveys, about 18% of the population are atheists, 27% are unsure of their views and 52% confidently believe in the existence of God.

If we do not take into account dependent regions and incompletely recognized states, then Europe in 2017 covers 44 powers. Each of them has a capital, in which not only its administration is located, but also the highest authority, that is, the government of the state.

European countries

The territory of Europe extends from east to west for more than 3 thousand kilometers, and from south to north (from the island of Crete to the island of Spitsbergen) for 5 thousand kilometers. The majority of European powers are relatively small. With such small sizes territories and good transport accessibility, these states either closely border each other or are separated by very short distances.

The European continent is divided territorially into parts:

• western;
• eastern;
• northern;
• southern

All powers, located on the European continent, belong to one of these territories.

• IN western region There are 11 countries.
• In the east - 10 (including Russia).
• In the north - 8.
• In the south - 15.

We list all European countries and their capitals. We will divide the list of countries and capitals of Europe into four parts, according to their territorial geographical location powers on the world map.

Western

List of states belonging to Western Europe, with a list of main cities:

The states of Western Europe are washed mainly by the currents of the Atlantic Ocean and only in the north of the Scandinavian Peninsula they border on the waters of the Arctic Ocean. In general, these are highly developed and prosperous powers. But they stand out as an unfavorable demographic situation. This is a low birth rate and low level natural increase residents. In Germany there is even a population decline. All this led to the fact that developed Western Europe began to play the role of a subregion in the global system of population migration; it turned into main hearth labor immigration.

Eastern

List of states located in the eastern zone of the European continent and their capitals:

Eastern European countries have a lower level economic development than its western neighbors. However, they better preserved their cultural and ethnic identity. Eastern Europe is more of a cultural and historical region than a geographical one. The Russian expanses can also be classified as the eastern territory of Europe. And the geographic center of Eastern Europe is located approximately within Ukraine.

Northern

The list of states included in northern Europe, including capitals, looks like this:

The territories of the states of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jutland, the Baltic States, the islands of Spitsbergen and Iceland are included in the northern part of Europe. The population of these regions makes up only 4% of the entire European population. The largest country in the eight is Sweden, and the smallest is Iceland. The population density in these lands is lower in Europe - 22 people/m2, and in Iceland - only 3 people/m2. This is due to the harsh conditions of the climatic zone. But economic development indicators highlight northern Europe as the leader of the entire world economy.

South

And finally, the most numerous list of territories located in the southern part and the capitals of European states:

The Balkan and Iberian peninsulas are occupied by these southern European powers. Industry is developed here, especially ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy. Countries are rich mineral resources. IN agriculture main efforts aimed at growing food products such as:

• grape;
• olives;
• pomegranate;
• dates.

It is known that Spain is the world's leading olive harvesting country. It is here that 45% of all olive oil in the world is produced. Spain is also famous for its famous artists - Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró.

European Union

The idea of ​​​​creating a single community of European powers appeared in the middle of the twentieth century, or more precisely after the Second World War. The official unification of the countries of the European Union (EU) occurred only in 1992, when this union was sealed by the legal consent of the parties. Over time, the membership of the European Union has expanded and now includes 28 allies. And states that want to join these prosperous countries will have to prove their compliance with European foundations and EU principles, such as:

• protection of citizens' rights;
• democracy;
• freedom of trade in a developed economy.

EU Members

The European Union in 2017 includes the following states:

Today there are also candidate countries to join this foreign community. These include:

1. Albania.
2. Serbia.
3. Macedonia.
4. Montenegro.
5. Türkiye.

On the map of the European Union you can clearly see its geography, European countries and their capitals.

Regulations and prerogatives of EU partners

The EU has a customs policy under which its members can trade with each other without tariffs and without restrictions. And in relation to other powers, the accepted customs tariff applies. Having common laws, the EU countries created a single market and introduced a single monetary currency - the euro. Many EU member countries are part of the so-called Schengen zone, which allows their citizens to move freely throughout the territory of all allies.

The European Union has governing bodies common to its member countries, which include:

• European Court.
• European Parliament.
• European Commission.
• The audit community that controls the EU budget.

Despite the unity, European states that have joined the community have complete independence and state sovereignty. Each country uses its own national language and has its own governing bodies. But there are certain criteria for all participants, and they must meet them. For example, coordination of all important political decisions with the European Parliament.

It should be noted that since its founding, only one power has left the European community. This was the Danish autonomy - Greenland. In 1985, she was outraged by the low quotas imposed by the European Union on fishing. You can also recall the sensational events of 2016 referendum in Great Britain, when the population voted for the country to leave the European Union. This suggests that even in such an influential and seemingly stable community, serious problems are brewing.

Europe is part of the Eurasian continent, which is washed simultaneously by several oceans - the Arctic and Atlantic.

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The occupied area of ​​Europe is about 10 million square meters, and the population is about 10% of the population of the entire planet. IN numerical value This is about 740 million citizens.

General information

Depending on existing opinions, European countries can be classified into different parts:

• eastern;
• central;
• western;
• southern;
• northern;

Mount Elbrus is rightfully considered the highest point in Europe, its height is about 5.6 thousand meters. The smallest point is the Caspian Sea, whose height is only 27 meters.

The main territory is considered to be plain, with about 17% only occupied by mountains. The climate of Europe is temperate, but there are glaciers in the northern part, and deserts in the Caspian region.

Eastern

The European part of Eurasia, which is located within central and eastern Europe, is generally considered to be the Eastern part of Europe.

In this territory greatest number citizens, in comparison with other regions, and occupies about 2/3 of all Europe.

The bulk of the population are Slavs. Due to numerous political actions, the territory is subject to adjustments on a regular basis.

For example, during the times of the USSR, its countries were included in the Eastern part of Europe, but after its collapse, some countries decided to secede and thus they began to belong to other regions.

The climatic conditions in this part are dry and at the same time less warm. At the same time, the soil is considered more fertile than in the western part.

In Eastern Europe there are highest scores black soil all over the world. Eastern Europe is rightfully considered the closest in spirit to Russia.

In case of flight, it will take no more than 2 hours. This means that if you wish, you can even travel with your own personal vehicle.

Normal climate and availability native language will be an excellent addition for those who have decided to relax in countries from Eastern Europe.

Western

Western Europe is considered the territory in which all the countries from this part are located. As a standard, these include countries that are directly connected not only geographically, but also culturally.

This part is rightfully considered the most populated territory in the world. Urbanization rates are at 80%.

The largest agglomerations are considered to be:

• London;
• and Parisian.

The western part is rightfully considered the most popular among foreign tourists. According to the latest statistics, about 70% of tourists come here every year.

In most cases they are attracted to:

• sandy beaches;
• and mountain landscapes.

The huge flow of tourists has led to the formation of special tourist zones that make it possible to provide a high level of service.

List of states

The countries included in Europe as of early 2019 are as follows:

1. Austria.
2. Germany.
3. Bulgaria.
4. Hungary.
5. Romania.
6. Czech Republic.
7. Poland.
8. Belgium.
9. Great Britain.
10. Greece.
11. Italy.
12. Spain.
13. Ireland.
14. France.
15. Denmark.
16. Sweden.
17. Finland.
18. Lithuania.
19. Latvia.
20. Estonia.
21. Cyprus.
22. Malta.
23. Netherlands.
24. Luxembourg.
25. Slovenia.
26. Slovakia.
27. Portugal.
28. Croatia.

Today there is also a list of countries that apply to join the European Union. Among them:

1. Albania.
2. Serbia.
3. Macedonia.
4. Montenegro.

Recently, Ukraine has also applied for membership. Despite the fact that the Vatican is located in the southern part of Europe, it is not part of the EU.

Number of European countries

In 2019, the number of countries that are members of the EU is 44. At the same time, based on the existing difficult situation in the field of politics and economics that has developed in the world, it is impossible to firmly say that this list is exhaustive.

As an example, we can take the USSR, which at one time, for well-known reasons, broke up into 15 independent countries, at the same time, the GDR and the Federal Republic of Germany, on the contrary, were able to unite into one whole and today are referred to as Germany.

Today, a difficult political situation is observed in Spain, in which Catalonia is partially trying to create an independent state.

National symbols

The national symbols are:

• flags;
• coats of arms

In most cases, the basis of the coat of arms includes some kind of animalistic symbols. For example, a graphic image of a horse speaks of speed and movement.

All countries are familiar with the myth of the Sun God, who travels on his carriage with horses. In turn, the elephant speaks of reliability and strength. It is he who is depicted on the coat of arms of Coventry in Great Britain.

The national symbol of England is considered the oldest of all European countries. It was developed and approved back in the 19th century.

The coat of arms of England includes a shield that features golden-hued leopards on a red background in the upper left and lower right corners.

The symbol of Scandinavia reveals the history of the countries of the European North. The coat of arms of Denmark has been developed over several centuries.

It is a shield with a crown on top, and inside it there are 4 leopards of blue color. The flag of Denmark has a red and white cross with a coat of arms in the center.

The national coat of arms of Sweden until the beginning of the 13th century depicts 3 leopards wearing crowns, standing in a field one behind the other. E can easily be confused with the symbolism of Denmark.

And only at the beginning of the 14th century it was replaced with 3 golden crowns. Speaking of Iceland, its symbol with the image of a white falcon was in effect even before 1944, and was subsequently replaced by a shield held not only by bulls, but also by a dragon, an eagle and an old man.

In Albania, the main symbol is a black eagle with several heads, which is the coat of arms.

As you can see, each country has its own symbolism, individual from another state, which contains its own traditions and principles of life.

Many countries developed their symbols based on the history of their people, the nature of life and other numerous factors.

Video: European Union. Comparing countries

It is for this reason that some of them talk about honor and courage, and some about a strong moral spirit and resistance to various difficulties.

Finally, we can say that the European Union is trying with all its might to attract cooperation as fashionable more countries to form a single whole.

They are located in the middle of this part of the world. The concept of “Middle Europe” was introduced during the First World War by the German liberal Friedrich Naumann (Mitteleuropa, German). In his book of the same name, he outlined Central Europe as an area of ​​German interests and influence after the end of the war, and called it Central Europe.

Central Europe

An interesting fact is that the concept of Central Europe is the German interpretation of the name of a group of European countries. The generally accepted name is Central Europe. There are no definite boundaries separating one part of Europe from another. This is not a real geographical area, but, most likely, a historical and political group of countries located in the center of a given part of the world. After all, until the 19th century, these territories were conquered and became part of the Habsburg Empire. They are united by common historical traditions and events.

List of countries

IN different sources the list of Central European countries will vary depending on the concepts. To this day there is no definite point of view, and this issue remains the subject of constant debate. This should not be surprising, since, for example, Hungary or the Czech Republic consider themselves countries of Central Europe; in some sources they are classified as Eastern European countries. The same thing happens with Austria, which is classified either as Central or Western Europe.

Countries included in Central Europe

Since there are no clear boundaries and rules for defining the concept of “Central Europe”, in this article we will consider a group of countries that have a historical commonality. These are mainly small areas of Europe, excluding Germany and Poland. So what is the list of Central European countries? It includes:

• Germany. Officially called the Federal Republic of Germany. Location - Central Europe. The area is 357.4 thousand square kilometers, where 82.2 million people live. Its capital is the city of Berlin. It received the unofficial name "Great Power", which, thanks to its political and economic influence, plays a decisive role in the world. This is one of the most economically developed countries in Europe and the world, with a high standard of living for its citizens. Germany is the largest country in Central Europe.
• Poland. Official name- Republic of Poland. The territory area is 312.7 thousand square kilometers. The total population is 38.6 million people. The capital is Warsaw.
• Czech Republic. Officially called the territory area - 78.8 thousand square kilometers. The population is 10.5 million people. The capital is Prague.
• Slovakia. Officially called the Slovak Republic. Territory - 48.8 thousand square kilometers. Population - 5.4 million people. The capital is Bratislava.
• Austria. The official name is the Republic of Austria. Territory - 83.9 thousand square kilometers. The population is 8.7 million people. The capital is Vienna. It is also considered one of the richest countries in the world. High level life of the country's population.
• Belgium. Officially called the Kingdom of Belgium. Territory - 30.5 thousand square kilometers. Population: 11.4 million people. Capital Brussels.
• Netherlands. Officially called the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Territory - 41.5 thousand square kilometers. The population is 17 million people. The capital is Amsterdam.
• Switzerland. Officially called the Territory - 41.2 thousand square kilometers. Population - 8.2 million people. Bern is conventionally considered the capital, since this city does not have official status.
• Luxembourg. Geographical name - Territory - 2.5 thousand square kilometers, Population - 0.576 million people. The capital is Luxembourg.
• Liechtenstein. Officially called Dwarf State with an area of ​​162 square kilometers and a population of 33.3 thousand people. The capital is Vaduz.

In addition to large countries such as Germany and Poland, the central group includes central Europe: Austria, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. The remaining countries have a small territory. But, despite this, they all belong to developed countries not only in Europe, but also in the world. The standard of living here is very high. The population density is high. These are industrial countries with very developed economies.

Location

As mentioned above, the boundaries surrounding the territory are purely conditional. The northern borders of the group of countries of Central Europe pass through the Baltic and North Seas. The mountain ranges of the Pyrenees and Alps are taken as the South. From the east it passes through the Carpathian Mountains. In some sources, the western border reaches the Bay of Biscay. Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands access the North Sea, Poland and Germany - the Baltic. Switzerland, Austria, Luxembourg, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia are located within the territory.

What unites countries

What was the unifying principle that made it possible to connect such a large territory and group of countries? Which general features give the right to consider them as a single whole, for example, from a geographical point of view. The countries included in Central Europe are located in temperate latitudes. If viewed from this point of view, then most of France, Great Britain and Ireland should be included here. If we look at it from a historical perspective, these countries cannot belong to Central Europe.

Natural conditions

If you look at the physical map of Europe, you can see that mountainous terrain prevails here. Part of the territory of the foreign countries of Central Europe, mainly the south, is located in young mountain ranges - these are the Carpathians and the Alps. The arc of the Alpine massif has a duration of 1200 km. The Alps are the highest mountains in Europe. The climate is temperate continental.

Most of the Central European countries are occupied by old mountains and valleys. These include the Black Forest, Vosges, low, maximum height 1.5 kilometers. Between the massifs there are plains. This part of the territory is rich in minerals, mainly coal and metal ores. The climate here is continental, with big amount precipitation.

The northern territories of Central Europe are located on the Central European Plain, which starts from the shores of the North and Baltic seas. The climate of this natural area temperate continental. Once upon a time the plain was covered dense forests that were cut down. The original forests have been preserved in the form of massifs called forests. An example would be Belovezhskaya Pushcha Belarus.

Natural resource potential

Being large industrial states with powerful machine-building enterprises, and not having their own natural resources, Central European countries use foreign raw materials. Ferrous metallurgy uses imported raw materials, which account for 2/3 of total consumption. Only Austria has a sufficient natural reserve of metal ores.

The Netherlands has no natural reserves other than gas. Switzerland and Austria have sufficient hydropower resources, but practically no natural resources. There are coal deposits in Poland and Germany, but the main production of energy resources is based on imported raw materials.

Which countries are included in Central Europe (additional)

As mentioned above, all scientists are unanimous in their opinion about the composition of the countries of central Europe. But when it comes to the German name, the list varies from a few countries to almost all European states. Based on historical and cultural ties, some researchers include the following states or their individual areas in the countries of Central Europe:

• Croatia, which, according to its geographical location, is classified by most geographers as a country of South-Eastern Europe.
• Romanian regions of Transylvania and Bukovina.
• Baltic countries. Most scientists attribute them to Northern Europe. But following the German concept, some researchers classify them as Central Europe.
• The Benelux countries belonging to Western Europe, following the interpretation of Germany, are classified as Middle Europe.
• Parts of Italy, namely Trieste, Gorizia, Trento, South Tyrol, Friuli, which were once part of Austria-Hungary.
• Parts of Ukraine such as Galicia, Transcarpathia and Ukrainian Bukovina.

The concept of Middle (Central) Europe

Western politicians have been concerned about the idea of ​​uniting central European countries under German influence since the 1980s. It is clear that such large countries as France, Great Britain, and Spain do not at all want to be under someone else’s leadership. These self-sufficient countries at all times of their existence were the largest powers, which always saw Germany as their, if not adversary, then opponent.

Therefore, Germany puts forward a century-old concept of the historical and spiritual unity of the small countries of Central Europe, which were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which included most of the countries of modern, so-called Central Europe. It's clear why the old one doesn't fit geographical name Central Europe. Some people believe that nothing depends on the name. But that's not true. Remember the saying “whatever you name a yacht, that’s how it will sail.” It's not about the title. In discussions about which countries are included, it is convenient to pursue your ambitious ideas.

The national liberation movements in the countries that were part of the Habsburg Empire (Austria-Hungary) are completely silent. The idea of ​​the historical unity of these peoples under the influence of Germany is put forward. Russia in this story is represented as an eastern enemy who dreams of conquering these countries. It is more convenient to interpret the role of the liberating country in World War II as the role of an invader, a “stealer of Europe.”

Europe is one of the smallest continents on Earth. About 40 thousand years ago in Europe modern people displaced the Neanderthals, and since then began European civilization. According to ancient greek mythology, Europe was the name given to the daughter of the Phoenician king Agenor and Telephassa, who was kidnapped by Zeus. Subsequently, Europa became the wife of Zeus.

Europe is washed by the waters of the Arctic Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, as well as the Mediterranean, Black and Caspian seas. The eastern border of Europe runs along the Ural Mountains.

The continent of Europe includes numerous islands, peninsulas and archipelagos. The coastline of continental Europe covers 38,000 kilometers. The total area of ​​Europe is 9.938 million square meters. km (this is 2% of the Earth's territory). Europe is part of the Eurasian Peninsula.

The climate in most of Europe is temperate, in Southern Europe it is Mediterranean and even partially subtropical with warm, humid winters and hot summers. The Svalbard archipelago, which geographically also belongs to Europe, has a subarctic and arctic climate.

The longest river in Europe is the Volga (3645 km), flowing through Russia. To the list of the biggest European rivers also includes: Danube (2960 km), Dnieper (2201 km), Don (1870 km), Kama (1805 km), Dniester (1352 km), Rhine (1233 km), Elbe (1165 km), Ural (2428 km) , Vistula (1047 km), Tagus (1038 km), Loire (1012 km), Oder (854 km) and Neman (937 km).

There are several very large, and also very beautiful, lakes in Europe. Among them are Lakes Ladoga, Peipsi and Onega in Russia, Lake Vänern in Sweden, Lake Balaton in Hungary and Lake Geneva in Switzerland and France.

Approximately 17% of Europe's territory is occupied by mountains - the Pyrenees, Alps, Apennines, Carpathians, Balkans, Caucasus, Ural and Scandinavian mountains. The highest mountain on this continent is Elbrus (Russia), its height is 5,642 meters.

On this moment Europe's population already exceeds 842 million people. This is about 13% of the entire world population. Most Europeans live in Eastern Europe.

Almost the entire population of Europe belongs to the Caucasian race, which is divided into several smaller races:

Atlanto-Baltic race (Great Britain, Ireland, Scandinavia, Iceland, northern Germany, the Netherlands, Estonia and Latvia);
- Central European race ( central regions Western Europe, most of Eastern Europe, Ukraine and the European part of Russia);
- Balkan-Caucasian race (Albania, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, northern Greece, Bulgaria, southern Austria and northern Italy);
- Indo-Mediterranean race (Spain, Italy, France, southern Greece, Cyprus and Malta);
- White Sea-Baltic race (northern territories of Russia, Lithuania and partly Latvia).

At the moment, there are 56 countries in Europe (of which 6 countries are so-called unrecognized republics). The largest European country is Russia (its territory occupies 17,098,242 sq. km), and the smallest is the Vatican (0.44 sq. km). By the way, more than 291 million people now live in Russia.

Europe is sometimes divided into 5 regions (Western, Eastern, Northern, Southern and Central), which in turn are divided into seven geographical subregions:

Scandinavia (Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark);
- British Isles (Great Britain and Ireland);
- Western Europe (France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Monaco);
- Southern Europe (Portugal, Spain, Andorra, Italy, Malta, San Marino and Vatican City);
- Central Europe (Germany, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary);
- South-Eastern Europe (Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Albania, Macedonia, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece and the European part of Turkey);
- Eastern Europe (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Russia, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan).

Many European cities were founded before our era. Now the most densely populated city in Europe is Istanbul, the former capital of Turkey, which is home to more than 12.2 million people.

Other major cities in Europe are Moscow, London, St. Petersburg, Berlin, Madrid, Rome, Kyiv, Paris, Bucharest and Budapest. However, some European cities, which play a significant political and cultural role in the world, have relatively few inhabitants. These cities include Athens, Oslo, Brussels, Copenhagen and Geneva.