View source for Southern Europe

{{Short description|Southern region of Europe}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2016}}
[[File:Mediterranean Sea 16.61811E 38.99124N.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|The geographical and ethno-cultural borders of southern Europe are the [[Pyrenees]], the [[Alps]], and the [[Balkan Mountains]] to the north and the [[Mediterranean Sea]] to the south.]]

'''Southern Europe'''<ref>[http://maps.unomaha.edu/Peterson/geog1000/Notes/Notes_Exam2/SE.html Southern Europe]</ref> 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]],{{NoteTag|Often included. The [[United Nations geoscheme]] includes Bulgaria in [[Eastern Europe]].|name="Bulgaria"}} [[Croatia]], [[Cyprus]],{{NoteTag|Geographically a part of Asia, considered a European country in [[political geography]].<ref name=McGill/> The [[United Nations geoscheme]] includes Cyprus in [[Western Asia]].|name="Cyprus"}} [[Gibraltar]],{{NoteTag|A [[British Overseas Territories|British Overseas Territory]].|name="Gibraltar"}} [[Greece]],{{NoteTag|Some [[list of islands of Greece|Greek offshore islands]] near [[Anatolia|Asia Minor]] are considered parts of Asia in [[physical geography]].|name="Greek islands"}} [[Italy]],{{NoteTag|Most of Italy is on the [[Eurasian Plate]], while some parts such as [[Apulia]] are on the [[Adriatic Plate]]. [[Pantelleria]], the [[Pelagie Islands]], and some parts of [[Sicily]] are located on the [[African Plate]], near of the boundary between the African Plate and the [[Eurasian Plate]].<ref name=McGill>{{Cite web|url=https://africa-arabia-plate.weebly.com/ |title=African & Arabian Tectonic Plates |author=Taylor Combaluzier |publisher=[[McGill University]], Montréal |access-date=18 June 2022}}</ref><ref name=gal/> The [[United Nations geoscheme]] includes Italy in southern Europe.|name="Italy"}} [[Kosovo]], [[Malta]],{{NoteTag|In [[geology]], the Maltese Islands is located on the [[African Plate]].<ref name=McGill/> The island group lies approx. 200 km south of the boundary between the African Plate and the [[Eurasian Plate]].<ref name=gal>{{Cite journal|url=http://www.annalsofgeophysics.eu/index.php/annals/article/viewFile/3053/3096 |title=Seismic history of the Maltese Islands and considerations on seismic risk: Earthquakes in Malta |last=Galea |first=Pauline |year=2007 |journal=Annals of Geophysics |volume=50|issue=6|pages=725–740|access-date=5 June 2015}}</ref> In [[political geography]], Malta is considered a European country. The [[United Nations geoscheme]] includes Malta in Southern Europe.|name="Malta"}}  [[Monaco]],{{NoteTag|Sometimes included. The [[United Nations geoscheme]] includes Monaco in [[Western Europe]].|name="Monaco"}} [[Montenegro]], [[North Macedonia]], [[Portugal]],  [[San Marino]], [[Serbia]], [[Slovenia]], [[southern France]],{{NoteTag|Sometimes included, especially [[Alpes-Maritimes]], [[Corsica]], and [[Pyrénées-Orientales]]. The [[United Nations geoscheme]] includes [[Metropolitan France]] in [[Western Europe]].}} [[Wallachia|southern Romania]],{{NoteTag|Romania is part of [[Southeastern Europe]].|name="southern Romania"}} [[Spain]], [[Ticino]] ([[Switzerland]]),{{NoteTag|Sometimes included. Essentially on the south side of the Alps ([[Po (river)|Po Basin]]).<ref>{{cite book |author=James Redfern |date=1971 |title=A Lexical Study of Raeto-Romance and Contiguous Italian Dialect Areas |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m5RsDwAAQBAJ |publisher=[[Mouton Publishers]] |page=38 |isbn= 9783110824841|quote=The canton of the Ticino marks the geographic descent from high Alps to plain and is, therefore, a land of climatic as well as linguistic transition, where heat and abundant moisture favor almonds, figs, and all the fruits common to southern Europe, except the olive.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=[[OECD]] |date=2002 |title=OECD Territorial Reviews: Switzerland 2002 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=soDWAgAAQBAJ |publisher=OECD Publishing |page=80 |isbn= 9789264160651|quote=The Regio Insubrica spreads over three Italian provinces (Verbano-Cusio Ossola, Varese, Como) and the Swiss canton of Ticino. The national border cuts across a culturally and geographically homogenous territory. The region is peripheral for both countries, but it is an essential pole of communication between Northern and Southern Europe.}}</ref> The [[United Nations geoscheme]] includes [[Switzerland]] in [[Western Europe]].}} [[Turkey]],{{NoteTag|The European part of [[Turkey]].}} and [[Vatican City]].<ref name="RingWatson2013">{{cite book|author1=Trudy Ring|author2=Noelle Watson|author3=Paul Schellinger|title=Southern Europe: International Dictionary of Historic Places|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fYH7AQAAQBAJ|date=5 November 2013|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-134-25965-6}}</ref><ref name="MagoneMagone2003">{{cite book|author1=José María Magone|author2=Magone, José María Magone|title=The Politics of Southern Europe: Integration Into the European Union|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KOj2BwVxczUC&pg=PA292|year=2003|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-275-97787-0|pages=292–}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Europe, Southern: Italy, Cyprus, Greece, European Turkey: Selected References|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IZgyAQAAIAAJ|year=1992|publisher=Air University Library}}</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=1t2CAgAAQBAJ&lpg=PA210 Encyclopedia of Social and Cultural Anthropology], Alan Barnard and Jonathan Spence. Retrieved 10 October 2015.</ref><ref>[https://guides.ucf.edu/countries/southerneurope UCF Libraries – Southern Europe]</ref><ref>[https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/which-countries-make-up-southern-europe.html Which Countries Make Up Southern Europe?] WorldAtlas</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fao.org/3/Y1997e/y1997e0z.htm |title=Global Forest Resources Assessment 2000 - Chapter 30. Southern Europe |publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations |date=2000 |access-date=2021-11-26}}</ref><ref>[https://www.britannica.com/place/Romania Romania | History, Map, & Facts | Britannica]</ref>

Southern Europe is focused on the three peninsulas located in the extreme south of the European continent. These are the [[Iberian Peninsula]], the [[Italian Peninsula]], and the [[Balkans|Balkan Peninsula]].<ref>{{cite book |author=Robert E. Dickinson |date=1969 |title=The Makers of Modern Geography |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1yXJBQAAQBAJ |publisher=[[Routledge]] Library Editions: Social and Cultural Geography |page=16 |isbn= 9781317907336|quote=He ([[August Zeune]]) divided Europe into its major divisions. Southern Europe falls into three units — the Pyrenean, Alpine, and Balkan peninsulas.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/europe-physical-geography/ |title=Europe: Physical Geography |date=4 January 2012 |publisher=[[National Geographic Society]] |access-date=21 February 2022 |quote=Europe's main peninsulas are the Iberian, Italian, and Balkan, located in southern Europe }}</ref> 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 [[subtropics|subtropical]] [[Mediterranean climate|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 (wind)|Mistral]] and the [[Tramontane]]. When the [[Mistral (wind)|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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Videos/2012/07/Mediterranean_sea-surface_temperature |title= Mediterranean sea-surface temperature |publisher=ESA  |date= 2012 |access-date=2021-11-19}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Fig. 3.a: Sea surface temperature of the Mediterranean Sea (water masses and physical processes). |work=The coastal dimension of maritime spatial planning |url=https://www.researchgate.net/figure/a-Sea-surface-temperature-of-the-Mediterranean-Sea-water-masses-and-physical_fig3_290100465|access-date=2021-09-04|publisher=ResearchGate |date=    January 2011 |first1=Vittorio |last1=Barale |language=en |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230423020220/https://www.researchgate.net/figure/a-Sea-surface-temperature-of-the-Mediterranean-Sea-water-masses-and-physical_fig3_290100465 |archive-date= Apr 23, 2023 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://eo4society.esa.int/2019/06/24/2010-2019-sst-in-the-mediterranean/ |title=2010-2019 SST in the Mediterranean |publisher=eo science for society |date=2019-06-24 |access-date=2021-11-19}}</ref>
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 [[politics|political]], [[economy|economic]], [[history|historical]], and [[culture|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 ==
{{Further|Iberian Peninsula|Italian geographic region|Southeast Europe}}
{{Seealso|Balearic Islands|Italian Peninsula{{!}}Apennine Peninsula|Balkans{{!}}Balkan Peninsula}}

Geographically, southern Europe is the southern portion of the [[Europe]]an 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 [[Subregion#Europe|subregions]]:

* [[Iberian Peninsula|Iberian Peninsula and the surrounding islands]] (Southwest Europe)
** [[Balearic Islands]] ([[Spain]])
** [[Iberian Peninsula]]
*** [[Andorra]]
*** [[French Cerdagne]] ([[French Fifth Republic|France]]){{NoteTag|A part of [[Pyrénées-Orientales]].}}
*** [[Gibraltar]] ([[United Kingdom]]){{NoteTag|name="Gibraltar"}}
*** [[Portugal]] ([[Continental Portugal|mainland]])
*** [[Spain]] ([[Peninsular Spain|mainland]])
** [[Pyrénées-Orientales]] ([[French Fifth Republic|France]]){{NoteTag|Sometimes included. [[French Cerdagne]] is the only part located on the Iberian Peninsula ([[Ebro|Ebro Basin]]). The [[United Nations geoscheme]] includes [[Metropolitan France]] in [[Western Europe]].}}

* [[Italian geographic region]]{{NoteTag|name="Italy"}}
** [[Alpes-Maritimes]] ([[French Fifth Republic|France]]){{NoteTag|Sometimes included. The [[United Nations geoscheme]] includes [[Metropolitan France]] in [[Western Europe]].|name="Metropolitan France"}}
** [[Italian Peninsula|Apennine Peninsula]]
*** [[Central Italy]]
*** [[San Marino]]
*** [[South Italy]]
*** [[Vatican City]] ([[Holy See]])
** [[Corsica]] ([[French Fifth Republic|France]]){{NoteTag|name="Metropolitan France"}}
** [[Province of Gorizia|Gorizia]] ([[Italy]])
** [[Insular Italy]]{{NoteTag|name="Italy"}}
*** [[Sardinia]]
*** [[Sicily]]
** [[Istria]] ([[peninsula]])
*** [[Municipality of Ankaran|Ankaran]] ([[Slovenia]])
*** [[Istria County]] ([[Croatia]])
*** [[Municipality of Izola|Izola]] ([[Slovenia]])
*** [[Municipality of Koper|Koper]] ([[Slovenia]])
*** [[Muggia]] ([[Italy]])
*** [[Municipality of Piran|Piran]] ([[Slovenia]])
*** [[San Dorligo della Valle]] ([[Italy]])
** [[Malta]]{{NoteTag|name="Malta"}}
** [[Monaco]]{{NoteTag|name="Monaco"}}
** [[Southern Italy]]
** [[Northern Italy]]
*** [[Northeast Italy]]
*** [[Northwest Italy]]
** [[Ticino]] ([[Switzerland]]){{NoteTag|Sometimes included. Essentially on the south side of the Alps ([[Po (river)|Po Basin]]).<ref>{{cite book |author=James Redfern |date=1971 |title=A Lexical Study of Raeto-Romance and Contiguous Italian Dialect Areas |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m5RsDwAAQBAJ |publisher=[[Mouton Publishers]] |page=38 |isbn= 9783110824841|quote=The canton of the Ticino marks the geographic descent from high Alps to plain and is, therefore, a land of climatic as well as linguistic transition, where heat and abundant moisture favor almonds, figs, and all the fruits common to southern Europe, except the olive.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=[[OECD]] |date=2002 |title=OECD Territorial Reviews: Switzerland 2002 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=soDWAgAAQBAJ |publisher=OECD Publishing |page=80 |isbn= 9789264160651|quote=The Regio Insubrica spreads over three Italian provinces (Verbano-Cusio Ossola, Varese, Como) and the Swiss canton of Ticino. The national border cuts across a culturally and geographically homogenous territory. The region is peripheral for both countries, but it is an essential pole of communication between Northern and Southern Europe.}}</ref> The [[United Nations geoscheme]] includes [[Switzerland]] in [[Western Europe]].}}
** [[Province of Trieste|Trieste]] ([[Italy]])

* [[Southeast Europe]]
** [[Balkans|Balkan Peninsula]]
*** [[Albania]]
*** [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]]
*** [[Bulgaria]]{{NoteTag|name="Bulgaria"}}
*** [[Croatia]] ([[administrative divisions of Croatia|southern mainland]])
*** [[Turkey]] ([[East Thrace]]){{NoteTag|The European part of [[Turkey]].|name="East Thrace"}}
*** [[Greece]] ([[Geography of Greece#Mainland|mainland]])
*** [[Kosovo]]
*** [[Montenegro]]
*** [[North Macedonia]]
*** [[Romania]] ([[Northern Dobruja]])
*** [[Serbia]] ([[Central Serbia]])
*** [[Slovenia]] ([[municipalities of Slovenia|south-western part]])
** [[Croatia]] ([[administrative divisions of Croatia|northern mainland]] & [[list of islands of Croatia|offshore islands]])
** [[Cyprus]]{{NoteTag|name="Cyprus"}}
** [[Greece]] ([[list of islands of Greece|islands]]){{NoteTag|name="Greek islands"}}
** [[Moldova]]{{NoteTag|Occasionally included. The [[United Nations geoscheme]] includes Moldova in [[Eastern Europe]].|name="Moldova"}}
** [[Romania]] ([[administrative divisions of Romania|inland part]]){{NoteTag|Sometimes included. The [[United Nations geoscheme]] includes Romania in [[Eastern Europe]].|name="Romania"}}
** [[Serbia]] ([[Vojvodina]])

The [[list of islands in the Mediterranean|major islands in southern Europe]] generally include the [[Balearic Islands]], [[Corsica]], [[Crete]], [[Cyprus]],{{NoteTag|name="Cyprus"}} [[Sardinia]], and [[Sicily]], as well as the [[island country]] of [[Malta]].{{NoteTag|name="Malta"}}

=== Gallery ===
<gallery>
Topographic map of Europe by Diercke 1907 (93082786).jpg|Map representing the geography of Europe, with the mountain ranges separating southern Europe
España y Portugal.jpg|Satellite image of the Iberian Peninsula
Satellite image of Italy in March 2003.jpg|Satellite image of the Apennine Peninsula
Wildfires Balkans July 2007-NASA.jpg|Satellite image of the Balkan Peninsula
</gallery>

==Climate==
[[File:Europe Köppen Map.png|thumb|upright=1.25|European climate. Note the high diversity of [[Köppen-Geiger climate classification|Köppen-Geiger climates]] in the southern regions.]]

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 [[Southern France|France]], coastal [[Croatia]], coastal [[Slovenia]], southern [[Herzegovina|Bosnia and Herzegovina]], [[Montenegro]], [[Albania]], and [[Greece]], as well as the Mediterranean islands. Those areas of Mediterranean climate present similar vegetation 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 an ice cap climate can be found.{{NoteTag|The highest mountain of Italy is [[Mont Blanc]] (4,810 m)}}

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]].

== Flora ==
[[File:Olea europaea range.svg|thumb|Distribution map of ''Olea europaea'' s.l. (olive tree)]]

Southern Europe's [[flora]] is mainly characterized by [[Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub]], but also [[temperate broadleaf and mixed forests]]. The Mediterranean and Submediterranean climate regions in Europe are found in much of southern Europe, mainly Portugal, Spain, Italy, Malta, Albania, Greece, Cyprus and all the mediterranean islands, but also in southeast France and the [[Balkan]] Mediterranean coast.<ref>{{cite web |title=Mediterranean Basin |url=https://www.cepf.net/our-work/biodiversity-hotspots/mediterranean-basin |publisher=[[Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund]] |access-date=31 December 2020}}</ref><ref>[[:de:Wolfgang Frey|Wolfgang Frey]] and [[:de:Rainer Lösch|Rainer Lösch]]; ''Lehrbuch der Geobotanik. Pflanze und Vegetation in Raum und Zeit''. Spektrum Akademischer Verlag, München 2004</ref>

In the Mediterranean coastal areas, [[olive grove]]s, [[maquis shrubland]], and [[steppe]]s are very common. At higher elevations, or latitudes, they are replaced by [[chestnut]] and (often coppiced) mixed forests.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Stefano Mazzoleni |title=Recent Dynamics of the Mediterranean Vegetation and Landscape |page=145 |publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons]] |date=2004 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s88vzd9PwkkC |quote=In the coastal areas, the olive groves are tightly interwoven with low maquis, garrigue and steppe, which have been widely grazed and, consequently, burned. On the other hand, low mountains and inland hills have chestnut and mixed deciduous coppiced woods. The actual boundaries between these two different vegetation landscapes can be found at different altitudes according to local climatic conditions; higher (about 1000m asl) in the eastern and southern areas, and lower and close to the sea in the central and northern basin.}}</ref>

<gallery>	
Particolare della foresta di faggi - Parco Naturale dei Monti Aurunci.jpg|[[Beech]] forest in the [[Aurunci Mountains]], Italy
Donana.jpg|[[Stone pine]]s in [[Doñana National Park]], Spain
AlentejoPortugal1994.jpg|Oak [[savanna]] of [[Alentejo]], Portugal (''[[Quercus suber|Q. suber]]'' and ''[[Quercus rotundifolia|Q. rotundifolia]]'')
Pinus halepensis forest, near Dubrovnik, Croatia - Stiller Beobachter.jpg|[[Aleppo pine]] forest, Croatia
MonteCimone3.jpg|Temperate pine forests of [[Monte Cimone]], Italy
LandscapeInCrete.JPG|Dry [[olive]] groove, Crete
</gallery>

==History==
===Early history===
[[File:Prima tetrarchia Diocletianus.PNG|thumb|upright=1.85|Roman Empire. In yellow the south-west of Europe, and in violet the south-east.]]
[[File:Justinian555AD.png|thumb|upright=1.85|Eastern Roman Empire mainly focused on southern Europe.]]

The [[Phoenicians]] originally expanded from [[Canaan]] [[port]]s, dominating trade in the [[Mediterranean]] by the 8th century BC. [[Carthage]] was founded in 814 BC, and the [[Ancient Carthage|Carthaginians]] by 700 BC had firmly established strongholds in [[Sicily]] and [[Sardinia]] (both regions in present day [[Italy]]), which created conflicts of interest with [[Etruria]]. Its colonies later reached the [[Mediterranean Sea|Western Mediterranean]], such as [[Cádiz]] in Spain and most notably [[Carthage]] in North Africa, and even the [[Atlantic Ocean]]. The civilisation spread across the Mediterranean between 1500 BC and 300 BC.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.worldhistory.org/phoenicia/|title=Phoenicia|encyclopedia=[[World History Encyclopedia]]|access-date=2017-08-09}}</ref>

The period known as [[classical antiquity]] began with the rise of the city-states of [[Ancient Greece]]. Greek influence reached its zenith under the expansive empire of [[Alexander the Great]], spreading throughout [[Asia]]. The [[Roman Empire]] came to dominate the entire [[Mediterranean Basin]] in a vast empire based on [[Roman law]] and [[Roman legion]]s. It promoted trade, tolerance, and Greek culture. By 300 AD the Roman Empire was divided into the [[Western Roman Empire]] based in Rome, and the [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern Roman Empire]] based in Constantinople. The attacks of the [[Goths]] led to the [[fall of the Western Roman Empire]] in 476 AD, a date that traditionally marks the end of the classical period and the start of the [[Middle Ages]]. During the Middle Ages, the [[Eastern Roman Empire]] survived though modern historians refer to the state as the Byzantine Empire. In Western Europe, [[Germanic peoples]] moved into positions of power in the remnants of the former Western Roman Empire and established [[Barbarian kingdoms|kingdoms]] and empires of their own.

The period known as the [[Crusades]], a series of religiously-motivated military expeditions originally intended to bring the [[Levant]] back into Christian rule, began. Several [[Crusader states]] were founded in the eastern Mediterranean, but they were all short-lived. The Crusaders would have a profound impact on many parts of Europe. Their [[Sack of Constantinople (1204)|sack of Constantinople]] in 1204 brought an abrupt end to the Byzantine Empire. Though it would later be re-established, it would never recover its former glory. The Crusaders would establish trade routes that would develop into the [[Silk Road]] and open the way for the merchant republics of [[Republic of Genoa|Genoa]] and [[Republic of Venice|Venice]] to become major economic powers. The [[Reconquista]], a related movement, worked to reconquer [[Iberian Peninsula|Iberia]] for [[Christendom]]. The [[late Middle Ages]] represented a period of upheaval in Europe. The epidemic known as the [[Black Death]] and an associated famine caused [[Demography|demographic]] catastrophe in Europe as the population plummeted. Dynastic struggles and [[War of aggression|wars of conquest]] kept many of the states of Europe at war for much of the period. In the [[Balkans]], the [[Ottoman Empire]], a Turkish state originating in [[Anatolia]], encroached steadily on former Byzantine lands, culminating in the [[fall of Constantinople]] in 1453.

===Post-Middle Ages===
{{See also|Holy League (1571)}}

Beginning roughly in the 12th century in [[Florence]], and later spreading through Europe with the development of the [[printing press]], a [[Renaissance]] of knowledge challenged traditional doctrines in science and [[theology]], with the Arabic texts and thought<ref>e.g. [[Averroes#Commentaries on Aristotle]] written in the 12th century, which was mentioned in ''[[Divine Comedy]]'' [http://www.divinecomedy.org/divine_comedy.php3?display?Italian?Inferno?4?121?151?45?1?????1? IV:144] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150620010334/http://www.divinecomedy.org/divine_comedy.php3?display%3FItalian%3FInferno%3F4%3F121%3F151%3F45%3F1%3F%3F%3F%3F%3F1%3F |date=2015-06-20 }} around 1320 AD</ref> bringing about rediscovery of classical Greek and Roman knowledge. The Catholic reconquest of Portugal and Spain led to a series of oceanic explorations resulting in the [[Age of Discovery]] that established direct links with Africa, the Americas, and Asia. During this period, Iberian forces engaged in a worldwide struggle with Islamic societies; the battlefronts in this Ibero-Islamic World War stretched from the [[Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean]] into the [[Indian Ocean]], finally involving the islands of [[Southeast Asia]] (see also: [[Indo-Mediterranean]]).<ref>{{cite book |last1=Truxillo |first1=Charles A. |title=By the Sword and the Cross: The Historical Evolution of the Catholic World Monarchy in Spain and the New World, 1492-1825}}</ref> Eventually this ecumenical conflict ended when new players—England, Holland and France—replaced Spain and Portugal as the main agents of European imperialism in the mid-17th century.

European overseas expansion led to the rise of [[colonial empire]]s, producing the [[Columbian Exchange]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|author=Richard J. Mayne |url=http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-58260/history-of-Europe |title=history of Europe:: The Middle Ages | encyclopedia=Britannica Online Encyclopedia  |access-date=18 April 2009}}</ref> The combination of resource inflows from the New World and the [[Industrial Revolution]] of Great Britain, allowed a new economy based on manufacturing instead of subsistence agriculture.<ref>{{cite web|author=Steven Kreis |url=http://www.historyguide.org/intellect/lecture17a.html |title=The Origins of the Industrial Revolution in England |publisher=Historyguide.org |date=11 October 2006 |access-date=31 January 2010}}</ref> The period between 1815 and 1871 saw a large number of revolutionary attempts and [[War of independence|independence wars]]. Balkan nations began to regain independence from the [[Ottoman Empire]]. Italy unified into a nation state. The [[capture of Rome]] in 1870 ended the [[Temporal power (papal)|Papal temporal power]].

[[File:OttomanEmpireIn1683.png|thumb|right|upright=1.4|[[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]] controlled most of the Mediterranean Sea for centuries.]]

===20th and 21st century===
The outbreak of [[World War I]] in 1914 was precipitated by the rise of nationalism in Southeastern Europe as the [[Great Powers]] took up sides. The Allies defeated the [[Central Powers]] in 1918. During the [[Paris Peace Conference, 1919|Paris Peace Conference]] the [[The Big Four (World War I)|Big Four]] imposed their terms in a series of treaties, especially the [[Treaty of Versailles]]. The Nazi regime under [[Adolf Hitler]] came to power in 1933, and along with [[Italian Fascism|Mussolini's Italy]] sought to gain control of the continent by the [[Second World War]].
Following the Allied victory in the Second World War, Europe was divided by the [[Iron Curtain]]. The countries in Eastern and Southeastern Europe were dominated by the [[Soviet Union]] and became [[communist state]]s. The major non-communist southern European countries joined a US-led military alliance ([[NATO]]) and formed the [[European Economic Community]] amongst themselves. The countries in the Soviet sphere of influence joined the military alliance known as the [[Warsaw Pact]] and the economic bloc called [[Comecon]]. [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]] was neutral. The common attribute of the eastern countries is that all of them have experiences with [[socialism]], but nevertheless, the beginning of the 1990s was just roughly the same. For some of them becoming independent was the major challenge, while others needed to face with poverty and deep dictatorship also Economically, parallel with the political changes, and the democratic transition, – as a rule of law states – the previous command economies were transformed via the legislation into market economies, and set up or renewed the major macroeconomic factors: budgetary rules, national audit, national currency, central bank. Generally, they shortly encountered the following problems: high inflation, high unemployment, low economic growth and high government debt. By 2000 these economies were stabilized, and sooner or later between 2004 and 2013 some of them joined the European Union, and Slovenia introduced the euro.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Vértesy|first=László|date=2018|title=Macroeconomic Legal Trends in the EU11 Countries|url=https://www.dialogcampus.hu/users/default/dialogcampus/uploads/elektronikus_konyvek/pga2018_01_09_vertesy.pdf|journal=Public Governance, Administration and Finances Law Review|volume=3. No. 1. 2018}}</ref>

Italy became a major [[industrialized country]] again because of its post-war [[economic miracle]]. The [[European Union]] (EU) involved the division of powers; tax, health and education handled by the nation states, and the EU had charge of market rules, competition, legal standards and environmentalism. The Soviet economic and political system collapsed, leading to the end of communism in the satellite countries in 1989 and the dissolution of the Soviet Union itself in 1991. The European Union expanded to subsequently include many of the formerly communist European countries – [[Romania]] and [[Bulgaria]] (2007) and [[Croatia]] (2013).<ref>{{cite web |title=From 6 to 27 members |url=https://ec.europa.eu/neighbourhood-enlargement/policy/from-6-to-27-members_en |website=ec.europa.eu |date=6 December 2016 |access-date=15 March 2021}}</ref>

The [[Gotthard Pass|Gotthard]], a major and direct transport axis between Northern and southern Europe, was completed in 2016 with the [[Gotthard Base Tunnel]].<ref>{{cite book |author=Sarah Baxter |date=2017 |title=History of the World in 500 Railway Journeys |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9pAFEAAAQBAJ |publisher=[[The Quarto Group]] |page=357 |isbn= 9781781319383|quote=The first Gotthard Tunnel, a 9-mile (14 km) engineering marvel of its time, was dug between 1872 and 1882; 199 men died in the process. Running between the Swiss villages of Göschenen and Airolo, it was the first modern railway link between northern and southern Europe, and it is still used today.}}</ref> The Gotthard inscribes itself in a long [[History of the Alps|history of transit across the Alps]], which saw them progressively changing from an obstacle to a corridor between the [[North Sea]] and the [[Mediterranean Sea]].<ref>{{cite book |author=[[World Bank]] |date=2018 |title=The WEB of Transport Corridors in South Asia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JHZqDwAAQBAJ |publisher= |page=186 |isbn= 9781464812163|quote=The Rhine-Alpine Corridor is a north-south corridor extending from the North Sea ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp to the Mediterranean port of Genoa in northern Italy. The corridor is a primary artery for transporting goods in Europe.}}</ref>

== Demographics ==
[[File:Southern Europe population pyramid 2023.svg|thumb|250x250px|Population pyramid of southern Europe in 2023 (UN geoscheme classification)]]

=== Languages ===
{{See also|Languages of Europe}}

==== Romance languages ====
The most widely spoken family of languages in southern Europe are the [[Romance languages]], the heirs of Latin, which have spread from the Italian peninsula, and are emblematic of Southwestern Europe ''(See the [[Latin Arch]].)''. By far the most common Romance languages in southern Europe are [[Italian language|Italian]] (spoken by over 50 million people in Italy, southern Switzerland, Malta, San Marino, and Vatican City) and [[Spanish language|Spanish]], which is spoken by over 40 million people in Spain, Andorra and Gibraltar. Other common Romance languages include [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] (spoken in Portugal and Andorra), [[French language|French]] (spoken in France, Monaco, and the [[Aosta Valley]] in Italy), [[Catalan language|Catalan]] (spoken in eastern Spain, Andorra, Southwestern France, and the [[Sardinia]]n town of [[Alghero]] in Italy), [[Galician language|Galician]] (spoken in northwestern Spain), [[Mirandese language|Mirandese]] (spoken in northeast Portugal), and [[Occitan language|Occitan]], which is spoken in the [[Val d'Aran]] in Catalonia, in the [[Occitan Valleys]] in Italy and in southern France.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}

==== Slavic languages ====

[[Slavic languages|Slavic Languages]] are spoken in several countries on the [[Balkans]]. [[Bulgarian language]] ([[Български език]]) is spoken in [[Bulgaria]] ([[България]]). [[Serbo-Croatian|Bosnian-Serbian-Croatian]] is spoken in Kosovo, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Italy (in [[Molise]]). [[Slovene language|Slovenian]] is spoken in Slovenia, Italy (in [[Friuli-Venezia Giulia]]) and Croatia (in [[Istria]]) and [[Macedonian language|Macedonian]] is spoken in North Macedonia.

==== Other languages ====
[[Albanian language|Albanian]] is spoken in Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Greece, Serbia, Croatia and Italy (particularly by the [[Arbëreshë people]] in [[southern Italy]]).

The [[Hellenic languages]] or [[Greek language]] are widely spoken in Greece and Cyprus. Additionally, other varieties of Greek are spoken in small communities in parts of other European countries.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}

English is used as a second language in parts of southern Europe. As a primary language, however, English has only a small presence in southern Europe, in Gibraltar (alongside Spanish) and Malta (secondary to Maltese). English is also widely spoken in Cyprus.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}

There are other language groupings in southern Europe. [[Maltese language|Maltese]] is a [[Semitic language]] that is the official language of Malta, descended from [[Siculo-Arabic]], but written in the Latin script with heavy Latin and Italian influences. The [[Basque language]] is spoken in the [[Basque Country (greater region)|Basque Country]], a region in northern Spain and southwestern France. [[Turkish language|Turkish]] is a [[Turkic language]] that is spoken in Turkey, Cyprus, Kosovo, Greece, North Macedonia and Bosnia, and [[German language|German]] is spoken in Italy, particularly in [[South Tyrol]].{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}

=== Religion ===
The predominant religion in southern Europe is [[Christianity]]. Christianity spread throughout southern Europe during the Roman Empire, and Christianity was adopted as the official religion of the Roman Empire in the year 380 AD. 
The [[East–West Schism|historic break of the Church]] into the western half, based in [[Rome]], and the eastern half, based in [[Constantinople]], has caused different denominations of Christianity to beprominent in different parts of Europe.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Chazan |first=Robert |date=2006 |title=The Jews of Medieval Western Christendom: 1000-1500 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JxJQ_98I3R0C |location=Cambridge |publisher=Cambridge University Press |page=xi |isbn=9780521616645 |access-date=26 January 2018}}</ref>
[[Christians]] in the western half of southern Europe such as Portugal, Spain and Italy, are generally [[Roman Catholic]]. Christians in the eastern half of southern Europe such as Greece, Serbia and North Macedonia are generally [[Eastern Orthodox]]. [[Islam]] is widely practiced in Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo and Turkey and [[Northern Cyprus]]. Muslims are a significant minority in several countries of southern Europe such as Greece, Italy, Spain.<ref name="pewresearch.org">{{citation|url=http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/11/29/5-facts-about-the-muslim-population-in-europe/|title=5 facts about the Muslim population in Europe|date=29 November 2017|work=[[Pew Research Center]]|author=Conrad Hackett |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230421074144/http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/11/29/5-facts-about-the-muslim-population-in-europe/ |archive-date= Apr 21, 2023 }}</ref> [[Judaism]] was practiced widely throughout the European continent within the Roman Empire from the 2nd century.

==Other classifications==
===''CIA World Factbook''===
[[File: Europe subregion map world factbook.svg|thumb|upright=1.15|Subregions of Europe based on the ''[[The World Factbook|CIA World Factbook]]'':
<small>{{legend|#007FFF|[[Northern Europe]]}}
{{legend|#00FFFF|[[Western Europe]]}}
{{legend|#F0DC82|[[Central Europe]]}}
{{legend|#FF0000|[[Southwest Europe]]}}
{{legend|#66FF00|Southern Europe}}
{{legend|#D2691E|[[Southeast Europe]]}}
{{legend|#F88379|[[Eastern Europe]]}}</small>]]

In the ''[[The World Factbook|CIA World Factbook]]'', the description of each country includes information about "Location" under the heading "Geography", where the country is classified into a region. The following countries are included in their classification "southern Europe":<ref>{{cite web |last1=CIA |title=The World Factbook |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124164228/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook |archive-date= Jan 24, 2024 }}</ref>
*[[Greece]]
*[[Vatican City|Holy See (Vatican City)]]
*[[Italy]]
*[[Malta]]
*[[San Marino]]

In addition, [[Andorra]], [[Gibraltar]], [[Portugal]] and [[Spain]] are classified as "Southwestern Europe", while [[Albania]], [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]], [[Bulgaria]], [[Croatia]], [[Kosovo]], [[Montenegro]], [[North Macedonia]], [[Romania]], [[Serbia]] and [[Turkey]] (the part west of the Bosporus) are described as located in "Southeastern Europe".

===EuroVoc===
[[File:European_Regions_EuroVoc_(Denmark_in_Northern_Europe).png|thumb|upright=1.15|European regions according to [[EuroVoc]]:
<small>{{legend|#0076D3|[[Northern Europe]]}}
{{legend|#67E863|[[Western Europe]]}}
{{legend|#F6D600|Southern Europe}}
{{legend|#E62121|[[Central and Eastern Europe]]}}</small>]]
[[EuroVoc]] is a multilingual thesaurus maintained by the [[Publications Office of the European Union]], giving definitions of terms for official use. In the definition of "southern Europe", the following countries are included:<ref>{{cite web |last1=Publications Office of the European Union |title= 7206 Europe |url=https://publications.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/th-concept-scheme/-/resource/eurovoc/100277?target=Browse |website=EU Vocabularies |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200306105548/https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/th-concept-scheme/-/resource/eurovoc/100277?target=Browse |archive-date= Mar 6, 2020 }}</ref>
*[[Cyprus]]
*[[Greece]]
*[[Holy See]]
*[[Italy]]
*[[Malta]]
*[[Portugal]]
*[[San Marino]]
*[[Spain]]
*[[Turkey]]

===UN geoscheme classification===
[[File:Europe subregion map UN geoscheme.svg|thumb|upright=1.15|Subregions of Europe by the [[United Nations geoscheme]]:
<small>{{legend|#FF8080|[[Eastern Europe]]}}
{{legend|#4080FF|[[Northern Europe]]}}
{{legend|#00FF00|Southern Europe}}
{{legend|#00FFFF|[[Western Europe]]}}</small>]]

The United Nations geoscheme is a system devised by the [[United Nations Statistics Division]] (UNSD), which divides the countries of the world into [[region|regional]] and [[subregion|subregional]] groups, based on the [[UN M49|M49 coding classification]]. The partition is for statistical convenience and does not imply any assumption regarding political or other affiliation of countries or territories.<ref name="m49">{{cite web|url=https://unstats.un.org/unsd/methodology/m49/|title= Methodology|website=UNSD |access-date=2019-06-17}}</ref>

In the UN geoscheme, the following countries are classified as southern Europe:<ref name="m49" />

* [[Albania]]
* [[Andorra]]
* [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]]
* [[Croatia]]
* [[Greece]]
* [[Holy See]]
* [[Italy]]
* [[Malta]]
* [[Montenegro]]
* [[North Macedonia]]
* [[Portugal]]
* [[San Marino]]
* [[Serbia]]
* [[Slovenia]]
* [[Spain]]

as well as the [[dependent territory]]:

* [[Gibraltar]]

===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:<ref>{{cite web |url=https://etc-corporate.org/uploads/reports/ETC-July2014-TrendsandOutlook_Public-version2.pdf |title=European Tourism 2014 – Trends & Prospects - Quarterly Report (Q2/2014) |page=5 |website=European Travel Commission |author1=Tourism Economics  |date=July 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230423020222/https://etc-corporate.org/uploads/reports/ETC-July2014-TrendsandOutlook_Public-version2.pdf |archive-date= Apr 23, 2023 }}</ref>

[[Albania]], [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]], [[Croatia]], [[Greece]], [[Italy]], [[Malta]], [[Montenegro]], [[North Macedonia]], [[Portugal]], [[Serbia]], [[Slovenia]], [[Spain]] and [[Turkey]].

==See also==
{{Portal|Geography<!-- |Eurasia -->|Europe<!-- |Southern Europe -->}}
<!-- {{Wikipedia-Books}} -->
{{commons}}
<!-- {{Main|Outline of Southern Europe|Index of Southern Europe-related articles}} -->
<!-- * [[Bibliography of Southern Europe]] -->
* [[Central and Eastern Europe]]
* [[Central Europe]]
* [[Eastern Europe]]
* [[EU Med Group]]
* [[EuroVoc#Southern Europe]]
* [[Mediterranean Basin]]
* [[Northern Europe]]
* [[Northwestern Europe]]
* [[Southeast Europe]]
* [[Western Europe]]

== Notes ==
{{NoteFoot}}

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

{{Europe topics (small)}}
{{Regions of the world}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Southern Europe| ]]
[[Category:Regions of Europe]]