Which country belongs to the region of southern Europe. Geography and types of tourism in the countries of southern Europe
Exist different classifications division of 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 that mediterranean sea, because this sea washes exactly 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 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. It is dry and hot on the coast, especially in summer period. 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.
Inland waters
Southern Europe is mountainous and subtropical climate with dry summers form peculiar conditions to form 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. Animal world roe deer, servals, markhors, 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.
In most countries, agriculture, mining, animal husbandry, the production of machinery and instruments, fabrics, and leather are widespread. Here, of course, grapes are grown. Tourism is still popular, but if refugees from Arab countries take over the territories, the situation may change.
List of countries in southern Europe. Tourism: capitals, cities and resorts. Maps of foreign states of the Southern Europe region.
- Tours for May around the world
- Hot tours around the world
The sunniest, most cheerful and fertile region of the Old World, Southern Europe seems to have been created by the Creator exclusively for the tireless enjoyment of life. Absolutely everything that the soul and body needs is harmoniously combined in its expanses: a wonderful climate, a warm sea and wonderful beaches - for any color and texture: pebble, white sand, and rocky, delicious, and most importantly, healthy cuisine, on whose ingredients they acquire a healthy blush even for slender young ladies, a variety of wines (also for every color and taste), and finally - an impressive number of sights and cultural objects, as well as (where without it!) Exciting and, importantly, high-quality shopping. In a word, there would be a desire - to realize anything is possible in Southern Europe.
It is easy to remember the countries of the region by reaffirming the rule: this includes everything that concerns “ southern shores”, primarily the Mediterranean coast.
These are the states located on the Iberian and Apennine Peninsulas: Portugal, Spain, Andorra and Italy, Vatican City, San Marino, respectively, plus the owners of their own access to the sea Monaco and Greece, the blessed Mediterranean islands of Malta and Cyprus and the countries of the Balkan Peninsula : Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, Macedonia, etc.
From a tourist point of view, Southern Europe is the most resort region of the "civilized" abroad, without focusing on the Arab surroundings or tropical exoticism. Qualitative beach holiday in a decorously noble European setting with a considerable share of spiritual food in the form of a rich “excursion”. Among other things, all the conditions for the "exchange of experience" are created here - thanks to a single Schengen visa, it costs nothing to combine holidays somewhere on Cote d'Azur with a tour of the footsteps (and works) of da Vinci or a good time on the Alpine heights. What's up pricing policy, then here Southern Europe offers just the same mass coverage: if you want, go to the popular Greek resort for a couple of hundred EUR “from the nose”, or if you want, go to the pompous openwork palace on the Croisette. In this sense, South European beaches compare favorably with exotic ones - the shock of all five senses, of course, is not the same, but tourists with any scale of spending can afford to splash around in foreign territorial waters.
Somewhere in the Mediterranean
What else is good about Southern Europe is the climate that is pleasant for the domestic sense of touch. On the one hand, there are no sudden changes in the weather - summers are traditionally hot, winters are moderately cool. On the other hand, the longed-for warmth in the midst of the Russian winter (say, +18 ° C on the Italian "heel" in January) and the real Mediterranean summer, as opposed to the restless northern cyclones - with air trembling from the heat, cicadas torn in every way, piercing blue of the sea and sky and soothing warm evenings somewhere on the terrace of a fish restaurant in Cyprus.
And of course, one cannot fail to mention the mouth-watering dishes of South European cuisines, the mere sight of which makes even the staunchest adherents of gastronomic asceticism cloud their minds. All these soft cheeses, olives and new wine, juicy tomatoes and fresh greens, a deafening variety of fish and seafood, an Edenic amount of ripe fruits, sweets, cakes and tartlets ... In general, you already understood that in Southern Europe you should definitely go all out, regardless of conventions and despite the treacherously crawling to the next "top ten" arrow of the scales!
The average population density is 115 people/km2.
The region is located on the Mediterranean peninsulas - the Iberian, Apennine and Balkan. EGP features:
1) the countries are located on the main sea routes from Europe to Asia, Africa and Australia, and Spain and Portugal - also to Central and South America which affected the development of the region.
2) The location between Central Europe and the Arab countries of North Africa, which have multilateral ties with Europe.
All countries (except the Vatican) are members of the UN, the OECD, and the largest are members of NATO and European Union. Malta is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations led by Great Britain.
Natural conditions and resources. The Mediterranean Sea largely determined the similarity of the natural conditions of the region.
The lack of fuel p.i. There is almost no oil here, very little natural gas and coal. Non-ferrous metals: Al (Greece belongs to the top three European leaders), mercury, Cu, polymetals (Spain, Italy), tungsten (Portugal). Huge stocks of building materials - marble, tuff, granite, cement raw materials, clay.
In the south European countries ah, the river network is not well developed.
Large tracts of forests have survived only in the Pyrenees and the Alps. The average forest cover of the region is 32%.
Natural and recreational resources: 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. 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.
Peoples: belonging to the Romance group of the Indo-European language family - the Portuguese, Spaniards, Galicians, Catalans, Italians, Sardinians, Romansh; Greeks (Greek group of the Indo-European family); Albanians (Albanian group of the Indo-European family); Maltese (Semitic group of the Semitic-Hamitic language family); Turks (Turkic group of the Altaic language family); Basques (in the rank of a separate family). The composition of the population in the countries of the region is predominantly homogeneous. High rates of mono-ethnicity are 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.
Religion: Catholic Christians (Z and C), Orthodoxy (V).
Placement of the population. The highest density - in fertile valleys and coastal lowlands, the lowest - in the mountains (Alps, Pyrenees), in some areas up to 1 person / km2.
The 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%.
The active population is about 51 million people. In general, 30% of the active population is employed in industry, 15% in agriculture, 53% - in the service sector.
Peculiarities economic development And. 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 are still significant in the country, in social sphere, in the socio-economic conditions of the North and South. Italy lags behind many highly developed countries in terms of scientific and technological development. ahead of some countries 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 railways, 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.
Economy.
‒ mechanical engineering (production of automobiles, household appliances, technological equipment for light and Food Industry)
‒ furniture industry
‒ production of building products and equipment
‒ light industry (fruit and vegetable canning, oilseeds - production olive oil, wine, pasta, etc.)
- agriculture: farming - growing a variety of subtropical crops: citrus fruits, wood oils, grapes, vegetables, fruits, essential oil plants, etc.
‒ animal husbandry - sheep breeding and, in small volumes, beef cattle breeding
‒ merchant shipping and ship repair
The countries of Southern Europe are distinguished by their location on large peninsulas - the Iberian, Apennine and Balkan, deeply protruding into the Mediterranean Sea. The largest states of this part of Europe are Italy, Spain, Portugal and Greece. In addition to them, in Southern Europe there are several of the smallest, "dwarf" states in the world. (What do you know about them?)
Indicate the main features of the geographical location of the countries of Southern Europe. Find the capitals of the countries named in the text. Remember the main features of nature Ancient Italy and Ancient Greece.
The countries of Southern Europe have much in common in nature and in the economic activity of the population.
Italy is one of ancient states world, distinguished by its rich history and typically Mediterranean nature. It occupies the Apennine Peninsula, large islands in the Mediterranean - Sicily and Sardinia, as well as part of the mainland.
Mountains stretch across almost the entire territory of the country. The northern part is occupied by the largest mountain system throughout Europe and Italy - the Alps. Their mountain peaks on the northern border reach almost 5 thousand m (Mount Blanc - 4807 m). This is an area of young folding on the border lithospheric plates. It coincides with the Euro-Asian seismic belt. Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur here. The most famous of the volcanoes is Vesuvius. Mount Etna is located on the island of Sicily. Earthquakes are most frequent in Central and Southern Italy.
The Apennines are inferior in height to the Alps and do not exceed 3000 m above sea level. They don't have permanent snow. The Apennines are composed of limestone and sandstone, which is favorable for the formation of caves and grottoes.
There are few lowlands in Italy, they stretch in a narrow strip along the coasts. The largest - the Padan Plain - is located along the valley of the Po River. This is the main granary of the country, where everywhere orchards and vineyards, crops of grain crops, sugar beets.
Rice. 107. In mountainous areas Italy
Italy is relatively poor in minerals, with the exception of mercury ore and sulfur. There are small deposits of polymetallic ores. But many different building materials- marble, granites, volcanic tuffs.
Great length of the country from north to south, security from the north high mountains and the influence of the warm and non-freezing sea determine the climate of the country. The further south, the warmer it gets. The Padan Plain has a warm temperate climate, with hot summers but cold and foggy winters.
Much of the country has a Mediterranean climate with long, hot summers and warm, wet winters. average temperature January above about °C. In winter it often rains, the sky is covered with clouds. Snow on the Apennine Peninsula falls very rarely.
Rice. 108. In the south Balkan Peninsula. Greece
The climate of the Alps is typical for mountains. It varies from the foot to the top, from moderately warm to cold. In the mountains, the snow does not melt for several months, and the peaks of the mountains are covered with eternal snow. In the Alps, there is especially a lot of precipitation, up to 3000 mm in the western, highest part. They are brought by damp westerly winds.
The rivers of Italy are short, with fast current. Unlike other European rivers, they flood in winter. The longest and deep river- By. It carries a huge amount of suspended particles and forms a delta when it flows into the Adriatic Sea. On the Apennine Peninsula, the most major river- The Tiber, on which the capital of the country - Rome is located.
There are many relatively large lakes of glacial origin in the Alps. World-class resorts have been created on their beautiful shores.
The soils of Italy are favorable for agriculture, growing fruit trees, grapes.
Italy is located in a zone of hard-leaved evergreen forests and shrubs, but the forests are almost not preserved. The slopes of the hills and foothills are covered with dense thickets of evergreen shrubs and low trees. On the plains, the land is used for various agricultural crops.
For the protection of flora and fauna in high parts Alps and Apennines created National parks. In Italy, floods are not uncommon, bringing great damage local population. The enterprises located on the coast pollute the Mediterranean Sea.
Population. By population in overseas Europe Italy is second only to Germany. The main population is Italians, their language belongs to the Romance group. The highest population density is in the north of the country, where there are many cities, and around Naples. Relatively rare population in the mountains. Many Italians live and work in neighboring Switzerland and Germany. More than half of the population lives in cities.
Italy is an industrial country. Most of the population is employed in factories and plants. Since own minerals are not enough, then for the most part imported raw materials are used. The country produces a variety of cars, among which the production of cars stands out, in their manufacture Italy occupies one of the first places in the world. There are many factories that refine oil into fuel and chemical products - plastics, synthetic fibers, fabrics made from them, yarn, varnishes and paints. Almost all oil is imported from abroad, mainly from Southwest Asia and North Africa. Many industrial enterprises are located on the sea coast. Modern ships are being built in port cities. Italian motorcycles and scooters are also known. Italy is the birthplace of scooters.
High temperatures in summer and warm, wet winters favor the cultivation of a wide variety of crops. Cereals can produce two crops a year, but dry summer requires artificial irrigation in many places. The main grain crop is wheat. Everyone knows the traditional Italian dish made from wheat flour - pasta, of which there are several dozen types. On the irrigated lands of the Padana Plain large areas busy with rice and vegetables.
Rice. 109. On the Mediterranean coast
Italy is called the "main garden" of Europe, so diverse are the grown fruits - apples, pears, peaches, apricots, cherries, figs. In the southern part of the country, and especially in Sicily, plantations of oranges, tangerines, lemons, vineyards are everywhere. Italy is second only to Spain in harvesting olives.
Big number sunny days, beautiful nature, warm sea, an abundance of historical monuments attract millions of tourists from around the world to Italy. In Rome, a city with almost three thousand years of history, buildings and ruins of buildings built at the beginning of our era have been preserved. Part of the city is occupied by the "dwarf" state of the Vatican, where the head of the Catholic Church is located.
- What changes did Italy make economic activity population?
- Find on the comprehensive map of Western and Southern Europe the most big cities country.
- Find areas where crops, rice, fruits are grown.
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
| The country | Capital | Area, thousand km | |||
| Andorra | Andorra la Vella | 0,467 | 0,07 | ||
| Vatican | Vatican | 0,00044 | 0,001 | - | |
| Greece | Athens | 132,0 | 10,4 | ||
| Gibraltar (UK) | Gibraltar | 0,006 | 0,03 | ||
| Spain | Madrid | 504,7 | 39,2 | ||
| Italy | Rome | 301,3 | 57,2 | ||
| Malta | Valletta | 0,3 | 0,37 | ||
| Portugal | Lisbon | 92,3 | 10,8 | ||
| San Marino | San Marino | 0,061 | 0,027 | ||
| Total | 1031,1 | 118,1 | Medium - 115 | Medium - 175000 |
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 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. Outstripping 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.
IN 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 development 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 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
| The country | Capital | Area, thousand km | Population, million people / km 2 | Population density, persons / km 2 | GNP per capita, USD (2000) |
| Belarus | Minsk | 207,6 | 10,0 | ||
| Estonia | Tallinn | 45,1 | 1,4 | ||
| Latvia | Riga | 64,5 | 2,4 | ||
| Lithuania | Vilnius | 65,2 | 3,7 | ||
| Poland | Warsaw | 312,6 | 38,6 | ||
| Russia (European part) | Moscow | 4309,5 | 115,5 | ||
| Slovakia | Bratislava | 49,0 | 5,4 | ||
| Hungary | Budapest | 93,0 | 10,0 | ||
| Ukraine | Kyiv | 603,7 | 49,1 | ||
| Czech | Prague | 78,8 | 10,3 | ||
| Total | 5829,0 | 246,4 | Medium - 89 | Medium - 8600 |
Political and socio-economic changes influenced the formation of 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- Commonwealth 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, 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 ores , 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, due to the consequences of the Second World War, the increase in urbanization and the associated industrial development states. As in most other European countries, natural population growth in recent decades decreased significantly, primarily due to a sharp decline in the birth rate, and in Ukraine, Russia, Belarus and Slovakia it became 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 placed 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 non-productive sphere- 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 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.
IN 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. In the countries of the coast Baltic Sea fishing has been traditional for a long time. 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 transport system to EU standards. Externally economic ties 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. IN export , which amounts to 227 billion dollars, is dominated by products of mechanical 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 number import 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 country | Capital | Area, thous. km | Population, million people / m 2 | Population density, persons / km 2 | GNP per capita, USD (2000) |
| Albania | Tirana | 28,7 | 3,4 | ||
| Bulgaria | Sofia | 110,9 | 8,1 | ||
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Sarajevo | 51,1 | 3,4 | ||
| Macedonia | Skop’є | 25,7 | 2,0 | ||
| Moldova | Kishinev | 33,7 | 4,3 | ||
| Romania | Bucharest | 237,5 | 22,4 | ||
| Serbia and Montenegro | Belgrade | 102,2 | 10,7 | ||
| Slovenia | Ljubljana | 20,3 | 2,0 | ||
| Croatia | Zagreb | 56,6 | 4,7 | ||
| Total | 666,7 | Medium-95 | Medium - 4800 |
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 to Atlantic Ocean. Religious-ethnic conflicts (Macedonia, Moldova, Serbia and Montenegro) negatively influence 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 Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova. The woods covering over 35% of the territories are national wealth 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. She is inherent a sharp decline fertility 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 .
IN MGRT the countries of the region are represented by non-ferrous metallurgy, certain industries chemical industry(production of fertilizers, soda, perfumery and cosmetic products), branches of transport, agricultural engineering, machine tool building, furniture, light (production of clothing, footwear, leather products) and food (sugar, oil, fruit and vegetable canning, tobacco, wine) industry. IN 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 are export products for 33.9 billion dollars: oil products, agricultural products, etc. Imported (45.0 billion dollars) fuel, industrial 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.