Middle Europe - countries, description, composition and interesting facts

Geographers conventionally assumed that countriesCentral Europe is located in the middle of this part of the world. The concept of "Middle Europe" during the First World War was introduced by the German liberal Friedrich Naumann (Mitteleuropa, German). In his book of the same name, he outlined Central Europe as an area of ​​German interests and influence after the war, and called it Central Europe.

Middle Europe

An interesting fact is that the concept of Central Europe isGerman interpretation of the name of a group of European countries. The common name is Central Europe. There are no definite borders that separate one part of Europe from another. This is not a real geographic area, but, most likely, a historical and political group of countries located in the center of this part of the world. Indeed, until the XIX century, these territories were conquered and included in the empire of the Habsburgs. They are united by common historical traditions and events.

List of countries

In different sources, the list of countries in Central Europewill be different depending on the concepts. Until today, there is no definite point of view, and this issue remains the subject of constant discussions. One should not be surprised at this, because, for example, Hungary or the Czech Republic consider themselves to be countries of Central Europe (Central), in some sources they are referred to Eastern European countries. The same thing happens with Austria, which is then attributed to the Central, then to Western Europe.

Countries in Middle Europe

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

• Germany. Officially called - the Federal Republic of Germany. Location - Central Europe. The area is 357.4 thousand square kilometers, where 82.2 million people live. Its capital is the city of Berlin. Has received the unofficial name "Great Power", which due to its political and economic influence plays a decisive role in the world. This is one of the most economically developed countries in Europe and the world, with a high standard of living for citizens. Germany is the largest country in Central Europe.
• Poland. The official name is the Republic of Poland. The area of ​​the territory is 312.7 thousand square kilometers. The total number of inhabitants is 38.6 million people. The capital is Warsaw.
• Czech Republic. Officially called the Czech Republic. The area of ​​the territory is 78.8 thousand square kilometers. The population is 10.5 million people. The capital is Prague.
• Slovakia. Officially called the Slovak Republic. Territory - 48.8 thousand square kilometers. The population is 5.4 million people. The capital is Bratislava.
• Austria. The official name is the Austrian Republic. The territory is 83.9 thousand square kilometers. The population is 8.7 million people. The capital is Vienna. Also considered one of the richest countries in the world. High living standards of the country's population.
• Belgium. Officially called the Kingdom of Belgium. The territory is 30.5 thousand square kilometers. The population is 11.4 million people. The capital is Brussels.
• Netherlands. Officially called the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Territory - 41, 5 thousand square kilometers. The population is 17 million people. The capital is Amsterdam.
• Switzerland. Officially called the Swiss Confederation. Territory - 41.2 thousand square kilometers. The population is 8.2 million people. Bern is considered to be the capital, since there is no official status for this city.
• Luxembourg. The geographical name is the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. The territory is 2.5 thousand square kilometers, the population is 0.576 million people. The capital is Luxembourg.
• Liechtenstein. Officially called the Principality of Liechtenstein. A miniature state with an area of ​​162 square kilometers and a population of 33.3 thousand people. The capital is Vaduz.

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

Location:

As mentioned above, the borders surrounding theterritory, purely conditional. The northern borders of the group of countries of Central Europe pass through the Baltic and North Seas. For the Southern take mountain ranges of the Pyrenees, the Alps. From the east it passes through the Carpathian mountains. In some sources, the western border reaches the Bay of Biscay. Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands go to the North Sea, Poland and Germany - to the Baltic Sea. Switzerland, Austria, Luxembourg, Czech Republic, Slovakia are located inside the territory.

What unites countries

What was the unifying principle that allowedto connect such a large territory and group of countries? What common features give the right to consider them, as a whole, say, from a geographical point of view. Countries in Middle Europe are located in temperate latitudes. If viewed from this point of view, then here it is necessary to include most of France, Great Britain and Ireland. If viewed from a historical point of view, then these countries can not belong to Central Europe.

Natural conditions

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

Most of the Central European countries areold mountains with valleys. These include the Black Forest, the Vosges, the Sudetenland. The mountains are not high, the maximum height is 1.5 kilometers. Between the arrays are the plains. This part of the territory is rich in minerals, mainly coal, metal ores. The climate here is continental, with a lot of precipitation.

Northern territories of Central Europe are onCentral European Plain, which starts from the shores of the North and Baltic seas. The climate of this natural zone is moderately continental. Once upon a time the plain was covered with dense forests that had been cut down. The original forests were preserved in the form of massifs, called forests. An example is the Belovezhskaya Pushcha of Belorussia.

Natural and resource potential

As large industrial states withpowerful machine-building enterprises, and not having their own natural resources, the countries of Central Europe use foreign raw materials. The iron and steel industry uses imported raw materials, which is 2/3 of the total consumption. Only Austria has a sufficient natural stock of metal ores.

In the Netherlands, there are no natural reserves,except gas. Switzerland and Austria have sufficient hydropower resources, almost without natural resources. In Poland and Germany there are coal deposits, but the main production of energy resources is built on imported raw materials.

Which countries are in Central Europe (additional)

As stated above, all scientists agree on thecomposition of the countries of central Europe. But if it concerns the German name, the list varies from several countries to practically all European states. Based on historical and cultural ties, some researchers include the following states or their separate regions in the countries of Central Europe:

• Croatia, which by geographical position, the majority of geographers are attributed to the countries of South-Eastern Europe.
• The Romanian regions of Transylvania and Bukovina.
• The Baltic countries. Most of them belong to Northern Europe. But following the German concept, some researchers rank them in Central Europe.
• The Benelux countries, referring to Western Europe, following the interpretation of Germany, are ranked as Middle.
• Parts of Italy, namely Trieste, Gorizia, Trento, South Tyrol, Friuli, which once were part of Austria-Hungary.
• Parts of Ukraine, such as Galicia, Transcarpathia and Ukrainian Bukovina.

The concept of Central (Central) Europe

The idea of ​​uniting the central European countries under theThe influence of Germany is preoccupied with Western politics since the 1980s. It is clear that such large countries as France, Great Britain, Spain do not want to be under anyone's leadership. These self-sufficient countries at all times of their existence were the largest powers that have always seen in Germany, if not their opponent, then their opponent.

Therefore, Germany puts forward the concept of a hundred-yearprescription for the historical and spiritual unity of the small countries of Central Europe, which were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which included most of the countries of modern, so-called, Central Europe. It is clear why the old geographical name Central Europe does not fit. Some people think that nothing depends on the name. But this is not so. Remember the saying "how do you call a yacht, so it will float". It's not in the title. In discussions about which countries they enter, it is convenient to conduct their ambitious ideas.

Completely silentnational liberation movements in the countries that were part of the Empire of the Habsburgs (Austro-Hungary). The idea of ​​the historical unity of these peoples is advanced under the influence of Germany. Russia in this history is represented by the eastern enemy, who dreams of conquering these countries. The role of the liberating country in World War II is more conveniently interpreted as the role of the invader, the "abductor of Europe".