Europe is a small part of the world located in the west of the largest continent of the Earth - Eurasia.

Traditionally, Europe is divided into Eastern and Western: the term "Eastern Europe" means the territory of the European part of the former Soviet Union, and the concept of "Western Europe" included the entire foreign (for the USSR) rest of this region. However, this division does not carry an exact physical and geographical basis, since administrative boundaries, as a rule, do not coincide with natural boundaries.

The following groupings of European countries are used in international statistical reference books:

1. Northern Europe- includes Norway, Finland, Sweden and Iceland.

2. Western Europe– Ireland, Great Britain, France, Germany, Belgium. Denmark, Luxembourg, Austria and Switzerland.

3. Central Europe– Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, former Yugoslavia and Albania.

4. Southern Europe– Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Malta, Crete and the European part of Turkey.

5. Eastern Europe- this concept includes the territory of the European part of the former USSR.

In this paper, the territory of Europe is considered without its eastern region (for convenience of presentation, this territory will be referred to as "Europe").

Features of the nature of Europe are largely due to its geographical location - the peninsular nature of the region and its location mainly in temperate latitudes ah Northern Hemisphere.

A specific feature of the landscape structure of Europe is its extreme fragmentation and mosaic nature, which is inherited from the tectonic fragmentation of the lithogenic basis of landscapes. The rapid change of flat, elevated, mountainous and plateau types of relief and, accordingly, classes and subclasses of landscapes is largely due to the strongest tectonic reworking of the western ledge of the Eurasian lithospheric plate. And in the south. in the area of ​​the European Mediterranean, there are also active movements of lithogenic masses, indicating the modern activation of the tectonic regime.

The atmospheric circulation system is determined by the location of Europe between 72 ° and 36 ° N, where the movement of cyclonic air masses of the temperate zone occurs almost all year round. Cyclones arriving in Europe via the western transport system originate over a very warm sector of the North Atlantic, and therefore they not only moisten, but also “warm up” the European territory. This explains many features of its landscapes.

The orographic structure of the surface of Europe contributes to the unhindered penetration of wet cyclones into the depths of the mainland, and therefore, almost all of its territory is dominated by humid landscape systems. Europe sees abnormal development natural areas belonging to the western Atlantic sectors of the temperate and subtropical belts, - taiga, broad-leaved forests and evergreen summer-dry forests and shrubs.

An assessment of the current state of the natural components and the landscapes of the European region itself indicates an extremely deep technogenic transformation of their natural subsystem. Anthropogenic transformation, which is reflected in the natural processes that control the dynamics and evolution of landscapes, their structure, appearance, functional state, is expressed in various ways in Northern, Central and Southern Europe.

EUROPE, part of the world (about 10 million km2), which together with Asia forms the mainland of Eurasia (for the land border of Europe, see Asia). Washed by the Atlantic and North. Arctic ca. and their seas. The area of ​​the islands is approx. 730 thousand km2. Large peninsulas: Kola, Scandinavian, Iberian, Apennine, Balkan. Average height approx. 300 m, maximum - 4807 m (Mont Blanc). Plains prevail (large - East European, Central European, Middle and Lower Danube, Paris Bass.), Mountains occupy approx. 17% of the territory (the main ones are the Alps, the Carpathians, the Pyrenees, the Apennines, the Urals, the mountains of the Scandinavian and Balkan Peninsulas). Active volcanoes in Iceland and the Mediterranean.

H and most of the territory has a temperate climate (in the west - oceanic, in the east - continental, with snowy and frosty winters), northern islands- subarctic and arctic, in the South. Europe - Mediterranean. On the islands of the Arctic, in Iceland, the Scandinavian mountains, the Alps - glaciation (area over 118 thousand km2). Main rivers: Volga (3530 km), Danube, Dnieper, Don, Pechora, Sev. Dvina, Rhine, Vistula, Elbe, Odra, Rhone, Loire, Tahoe. Large lakes: Ladoga, Onega, Peipus, Venern, Balaton, Geneva.

On the islands of the Arctic and along the coast of the North. Arctic ca. - arctic deserts and tundra, to the south - forest-tundra, taiga, mixed and broad-leaved forests, forest-steppes, steppes, subtropical Mediterranean forests and shrubs; in the southeast - semi-deserts.

The population of Europe is 728 million people (1993). In Europe there are Austria, Albania, Andorra, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Vatican, Great Britain, Hungary, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Denmark, Ireland, Iceland, Spain, Italy, part of Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, the Russian Federation(approx. 2/3 of Europe), Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, part of Turkey, Ukraine, Finland, France, Croatia, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Sweden, Estonia, Yugoslavia (including Serbia and Montenegro).

History of the exploration of Europe.

The initial stage of the study of Europe (2nd millennium - 5th century BC).

The history of the study of Europe goes back to ancient times. In the 16-12 centuries. BC e. the Cretans made sea trips around the Peloponnese peninsula, reached the shores of the archipelagos in the southern part of the Aegean Sea. In the 15th-13th centuries. BC e. The Achaeans discovered the Pindus mountains in western Greece, the Northern Sporades archipelago in the Aegean Sea, and the Chalkidiki peninsula in northeastern Greece. Phoenicians in the process of colonization of the central and western Mediterranean around the 9th century. BC e. discovered the Apennine Peninsula, the islands of Malta, Sardinia, Sicily, Balearic Islands, they also made attempts to enter the ocean through the Strait of Gibraltar. However, there was no complete idea of ​​the geography of the mainland during this period.

The second stage of the exploration of Europe is the discoveries of the ancient Greeks of the 5th-3rd centuries. BC e.

During this period, ancient Greek travelers explored the southern coast of Europe within modern France and Spain, including the mouths of rivers flowing into the Mediterranean Sea, sailed in the Ligurian, Tyrrhenian and Adriatic seas, established the presence of the Balkan and Apennine peninsulas. Through the Sea of ​​Marmara, the Dardanelles and the Bosporus went to Black Sea, examined the lower reaches of the rivers Dniester, Danube and Dnieper, through Kerch Strait passed into the Sea of ​​Azov to the mouths of the Kuban and Don rivers.

Around 325 B.C. e. Piteas made a great voyage for his time along the Atlantic coast of the Iberian Peninsula, reached the island of Ouessant near present-day Brest, rounded Brittany and along northern shores reached the country of the midnight Sun - Thule, discovering during the voyage the islands of Zealand, Great Britain, Ireland, the Brittany and Scandinavian, North and Irish Seas, the Kattegat Strait and the Bay of Biscay. He explored the coasts of Norway as far as the Arctic Circle, and was probably the first to report the existence of the Arctic Ocean. He described this journey in the work “On the Ocean”, which has not come down to us.

In 218 BC e. the Carthaginian commander Hannibal with a large army made an unprecedented crossing in antiquity through the western Alps, invaded Gaul and Italy; his campaign, in addition to the military one, had geographical importance. In the 3rd century BC e. The Carthaginians penetrated deep into the Iberian Peninsula.

The third stage of the exploration of Europe is the campaigns and discoveries of the Romans of the 2nd century BC. BC e. - 2 in.

In the process of expansion of Ancient Rome, acquaintance with new lands took place. In the 2nd century BC e. Roman general Scipio Africanus surveyed many rivers of the Iberian Peninsula. In 58-51 BC. e. Caesar with his army passed through the vast territories of present-day France (the rivers of Rhone, Garona, Loire, Seine), reached southeastern Britain in the area of ​​the River Thames, and passed through a significant part of Germany. Roman commanders: Agrippa, Crassus, Tiberius, advancing with conquering goals in Central Europe, traced the largest European rivers - the Danube, the Rhine, the Elbe. Conquering Britain, the Romans discovered the Wales Peninsula, the Isles of Wight, Man, Anglesey and reached 57 ° N. sh. Roman traders reached Baltic Sea. In the 2nd century Emperor Trajan discovered the Transylvanian plateau and the adjacent part of the Carpathians.

The fourth stage of the exploration of Europe - 6-17 centuries.

After the Romans, the development of the British Isles was continued by the Irish, who also reached Iceland and the Faroe Islands during their travels. At the end of the 8th c. the Vikings skirted the Scandinavian Peninsula and further along the shores of the Bay of Biscay and the Iberian Peninsula went into the Mediterranean Sea. Traveling to the Baltic Sea, the Vikings discovered all its significant islands, the lower reaches of the rivers flowing into it - the Neman and the Western Dvina. In the 8th-9th centuries. Arabs in progress aggressive campaigns got acquainted with the southern (Pyrenees, etc.) and southeastern Europe, in the east they reached the lower reaches of the rivers Emba, Yaik (Ural) rose along the Volga to the mouth of the Kama.

In the 9th-12th centuries. in eastern and northern Europe, Russian princes, seeking to expand their possessions, studied the basins of the Dniester, Don and Dnieper, Upper Volga, passed along the Western Dvina, discovered largest lakes Ilmen, Peipus, Pskov, Ladoga, Onega, rivers of northeastern Europe: Pechora, Mezen, Northern Dvina. The coasts of southern Europe in the 13th-15th centuries. surveyed mainly by Italian navigators. In the 15-16 centuries. Pomors on sailing ships sailed along the shores of Northern Europe, visited the distant polar islands of Kolguev, Vaigach, Medvezhiy, Novaya Zemlya and Svalbard. The Dutch navigator V. Barents, who in 1594 reached the coast of Novaya Zemlya in search of a northeastern passage from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, discovered traces of the presence of Russian coast-dwellers. In 1596, for the second time (after the Pomors), he discovered the Bear Islands and Western Spitsbergen, compiled detailed map Novaya Zemlya, for the first time conducted an annual cycle of meteorological observations. On the way back Barents died and was buried in Novaya Zemlya. Significant work on surveying the coasts of the Scandinavian Peninsula, including its coastal regions, was carried out in 1603-46 by Swedish topographers under the direction of A. Bure. The coasts and islands of Northern Europe were also explored by English and Dutch navigators. In 1635-39, the German traveler A. Olearius visited Moscow, headed along the Volga to the Caspian Sea to Persia, ethnographic and historical information about the countries taken away was presented in the book “Description of the journey to Muscovy and through Muscovy and Persia and back” (1647, Russian translation 1906).

The fifth stage of the exploration of Europe - 18-20 centuries.

In the 18th century the work of Russian geographers intensified in the study of the European part of Russia. The geographer and cartographer I. K. Kirilov in 1727 was the first to give a systematic economic and geographical description of Russia, including its European part. In 1720-37, together with V. N. Tatishchev, he explored the regions of the Middle and Southern Urals. The works of P. I. Rychkov and I. Krasilnikov (1741-55) were of great importance for the economic geography of the Volga, Urals, and Caspian regions.

In the second half of the 18th century A number of expeditions organized by the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences were carried out. In 1768-74, one of these expeditions, whose task was to study the central and southeastern parts of the European part of Russia and the Volga region, was headed by P. S. Pallas, whose work “Journey through various provinces Russian state"(Vol. 1-3, 1773-88) had a great influence on the development of geological and geographical ideas. Academic expeditions were led by I. I. Lepekhin, who in 1768-72 explored the coast White Sea, the origins of the Western Dvina, the Volga, the Volga region (his “Daytime travel notes ...” (vols. 1-4, 1771-1805) made a significant contribution to the development of geography in Russia); N. P. Rychkov (son of P. I. Rychkov), who compiled a description of the Kazan, Ufa, Vyatka, Perm and Orenburg provinces. In 1781-82, V.F. Zuev conducted a scientific expedition in the south of the European part of Russia, which he described in the book Travel Notes from St. Petersburg to Kherson in 1781 and 1782. (1787). A number of trips (1773, 1785, 1806, 1814) to study the Onega, Ladoga and Ilmen lakes and the upper reaches of the Volga were made by N. Ya. Ozeretskovsky, who collected natural-scientific, ethnographic and statistical information.

In the 18th century the study of the mountain systems of southern and southwestern Europe (Alps, Pyrenees, Apennines, French Massif) was carried out by Italian scientists A. Vallisneri and L. Marsigli, French geologists D. Dolomier (1761-84), J. Guettard, N. Desmarais and L Ramon de Carbonnière (1751-95). A summary of knowledge on the geology of the Carpathians and the plains of Poland was compiled in 1789-1805 by S. Staszic. In the middle and second half of the century, J. Elie de Beaumont and E. Suess studied mountain ranges Western and Central Europe. Russian expeditions explored a significant part of the Urals (E. A. Eversman, N. I. Strazhevsky, A. P. Karpinsky) and the uplands of Eastern Europe (V. M. Severgin, E. P. Kovalevsky and others).

In 1801-18, the first instrumental survey of the coast of Iceland was carried out (H. Schel, H. Frisak). In 1832-35, the Russian navigator and hydrographer P.K. Pakhtusov described the coasts of the Northern and South Islands Novaya Zemlya, Strait Matochkin Shar. In 1837, K. M. Baer led an expedition to New Earth, on the basis of which its description was compiled, explored several islands in Gulf of Finland, Kola Peninsula, Lake Peipus, partly the Volga valley, the Sea of ​​Azov. By the middle of the century, the main elements of the relief and geological structure Great Britain. The Austrian polar explorers J. Payer and K. Weyprecht accidentally discovered Franz Josef Land in 1873 as a result of the ice drift of the Tegetthof expedition vessel. In 1880-1905, the expeditions of L. Smith, F. Jackson, F. Nansen and others mapped this archipelago.

In 1907-11, Arctic explorer V. A. Rusanov explored Novaya Zemlya; in 1912, while leading an expedition to the island of Svalbard, he discovered several coal deposits. His expedition went missing while trying to take the northeast route to Pacific Ocean. In the following decades, various studies were carried out in various regions of Europe in order to study the animal world, vegetation, and minerals.

Playing a decisive role in the formation of modern world civilization, it was due to both historical and natural factors. The most significant natural factors include:

1. compactness, "miniature" (in scale the globe) territory, which facilitated the exchange of experience between development centers and the cross-border dissemination of innovations throughout Europe at all stages of its development;
2. coastal position of a large part of the territory (the maximum distance from the sea of ​​the interior regions of Foreign Europe is 800 km). The strong dissection of the coasts, the presence of numerous bays convenient for navigation contributed to the development of navigation and became one of the factors of the planetary expansion of Europeans during the period of the colonial division of the world;
3. a favorable combination of various forms, including flat and mountainous areas. The average height is 300 m above sea level. m. More than half of the territory is located below 200 m above sea level. m.;
4. temperate oceanic and Mediterranean climate types, providing conditions for the development of a variety of economic activities;
5. relatively favorable, but limited in area, soil resources, combined with a mild climate, created good conditions for development. The early exhaustion of territorial possibilities for the extensive development of agricultural production stimulated the search for ways to intensify it;
6. diversity and their successful combination. Concentrated in relatively small areas, they satisfied the needs of man at different stages of development up to the era of mature industrialization.

The main historical prerequisites for the formation of Europe as the most important civilizational center of the 2nd millennium include:

1. cultural and historical heritage of the ancient civilizations of the Mediterranean, primarily ancient;
2. Christianity, which played a huge role in the development of European civilization. Lutheranism, which liberated thought in the struggle against Catholic fundamentalism, laid the foundations of European democratic traditions and the free market;
3. external expansion of the leading European countries, inclusion in the sphere of influence of colonial possessions in the New World, and.

The geopolitical position of Europe did not change. Since for several centuries, Europe has been the global metropolis, and the rest of the world - its periphery.

colonial empires at the beginning of the 20th century. (1918)

The decline of the Eurocentric world, the Old World, came only in late XIX century, when the rapid development began - a branch of European civilization in the New World that “spun off” from Europe. In the second half of the XX century. European countries lost almost all of their colonial possessions.

Two world wars were terrible upheavals that radically changed the geopolitical alignment of forces in Europe twice. First World War(1914-1918) buried three empires - German, Austro-Hungarian and Russian, the first socialist state appeared in the east of Europe (since 1922 - the USSR).

After the Second World War (1939-1945), Europe split into two parts for a long time. One was formed by countries that continued to develop along the capitalist path, the second - by countries that switched to the path of building socialism.

The division between the blocks took place mainly along the borders of the zones of occupation of the allied forces and the Soviet army. For several decades, Europe lived in conditions of military confrontation between the two systems, which took shape in powerful military blocs of NATO and the Warsaw Pact.

In the first post-war decades, Western European countries took the path of liberalization of intra- and interstate economic relations, which resulted in the formation and subsequent expansion of the European Economic Community (EEC-EU, see Chapter 2 for more details). A significant role in the development of that time was played by the plan for economic assistance to European countries, put forward by US Secretary of State George Marshall in 1947, which was successfully implemented.

In the post-war reconstruction of the economies of Eastern European countries, the Soviet Union. However, the planned economic mechanisms of integration within the framework of the socialist camp abolished competition in the economy. They created "greenhouse" conditions for thousands of enterprises, which, together with guaranteed raw materials and energy, received directive organized stable channels for marketing their products. This "stability" quickly turned into a slowdown and then stagnation in the development of the socialist countries. At the same time, the post-war political, ideological and economic split of Europe led to the rupture of many traditional ties between Western and Eastern European countries.

Significant restrictions (in, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia) or complete abolition (in,) of market economic mechanisms, the failure of planned and administrative regulation led to the economic backwardness and lower level of well-being of the population of Eastern Europe compared to their Western neighbors. This was one of the main reasons why during the period of the weakening of totalitarianism in the USSR, in the era of “perestroika”, all political regimes in Eastern European countries collapsed one after another, which marked not only the collapse of the socialist camp, but also the end of the half-century geopolitical split of Europe.

In the 1990s v Overseas Europe there have been significant geopolitical changes, among which the most significant are:

• the transition of Eastern European countries from totalitarianism to democracy;
• the withdrawal of Soviet troops from the former socialist countries;
• the beginning of the process of expanding the NATO bloc to the east of Europe;
• an association ;
• the collapse of economic integration (the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance) within the socialist camp;
• strengthening of disintegration processes. "Velvet divorce" and Slovakia, the bloody collapse of Yugoslavia;
• strengthening of separatist movements. Terrorism in (Basque separatists), federalization;
• a significant deepening of integration, primarily within the framework of the European Union;
• involvement in the integration processes of Eastern European countries (Maastricht Agreement 1992, Schengen Agreement 1995);

Despite serious problems, Europe step by step increases its geopolitical weight in the world. The key strategy on this path has been the progressive deepening of pan-European integration.

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

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

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

In southern Europe, the islands of the northern part of the water area also belong mediterranean sea- Crete, Sicily, Sardinia, Balearic Islands, etc.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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