Editing Regions of Europe

{{short description|none}} <!-- "none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]] -->
{{About|groups of sovereign countries|regions and non-sovereign countries within the European Union|Region (Europe)}}
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{{Original research|date=August 2023}}
{{More citations needed|date=August 2023}}
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[[Europe]] is often divided into regions and subregions based on geographical, cultural or historical factors. Since there is no universal agreement on Europe's regional composition, the placement of individual countries may vary based on criteria being used. For instance, the [[Balkans]] is a distinct geographical region within Europe, but individual countries may alternatively be grouped into [[Southeast Europe|Southeastern]], [[Southern Europe|Southern]], [[Central Europe|Central]] and [[Eastern Europe]].

Regional affiliation of countries may also evolve over time. [[Malta (island)|Malta]] was considered an island of [[North Africa]] for centuries,<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Falconer |first1=William |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B3Q29kWRdtgC&pg=PA50 |title=Dissertation on St. Paul's Voyage |last2=Falconer |first2=Thomas |date=1872 |publisher=BiblioLife |isbn=978-1-113-68809-5 |page=50 |access-date=23 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170327020614/https://books.google.com/books?id=B3Q29kWRdtgC&pg=PA50 |archive-date=27 March 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref> but is now considered a part of Southern Europe.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Chapman |first1=David |last2=Cassar |first2=Godwin |date=October 2004 |title=Valletta |journal=Cities |volume=21 |issue=5 |pages=451–463 |doi=10.1016/j.cities.2004.07.001}}</ref> The exact placement of the [[Caucasus]] has also varied since classical antiquity<ref>''[[Histories (Herodotus)|Histories]]'' 4.38. Cf. James Rennell, ''The geographical system of Herodotus examined and explained'', Volume 1, Rivington 1830, [https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_enQ-AAAAcAAJ/page/n274 p. 244]</ref> and is now regarded by many as a distinct region within or partly in Europe.<ref>[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]”, [https://www.britannica.com/place/Caucasus Caucasus], June 2021: “another scheme identifies the Aras River and the Turkish border as the line of continental demarcation, thereby locating Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia in Europe.”</ref> [[Greenland]], and partially [[Iceland]], is geographically a part of [[North America]] but has been politically and culturally influenced by Northern European countries for more than a millennium.<ref>Dale Mackenzie Brown. [http://www.archaeology.org/online/features/greenland/ "The Fate of Greenland's Vikings"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110111090459/http://www.archaeology.org/online/features/greenland/}}. ''Archaeological Institute of America'': 28 February 2000</ref> As such, several regions are often included as belonging to a [[Greater Europe]], including [[Anatolia]], [[Cyprus]], the [[South Caucasus]], [[Siberia]], [[regions of Kazakhstan|Asian Kazakhstan]] (the part of [[Kazakhstan]] located east of [[European Kazakhstan]]), [[Greenland]], as well as the [[special territories of members of the European Economic Area|overseas territories of EU member states]].

== Subregions ==
{{Multiple image
| direction         = vertical
| width             = 300
| header            = Different views about regions of Europe
| image1            = European_Regions_EuroVoc_(Denmark_in_Northern_Europe).png
| caption1          = Regions of Europe according to [[EuroVoc]]:
{{legend|#E62121|[[Central and Eastern Europe]]}}
{{legend|#0076D3|[[Northern Europe]]}}
{{legend|#F6D600|[[Southern Europe]]}}
{{legend|#67E863|[[Western Europe]]}}
| image2            = Europe subregion map UN geoscheme.svg
| caption2          = Subregions of Europe by the [[United Nations geoscheme|UN geoscheme]]:
{{legend|#FF8080|[[Eastern Europe]]}}
{{legend|#4080FF|[[Northern Europe]]}}
{{legend|#00FF00|[[Southern Europe]]}}
{{legend|#00FFFF|[[Western Europe]]}}
| image3            = Europe subregion map world factbook.svg
| caption3          = Subregions of Europe based on ''[[The World Factbook]]'':
{{legend|#F0DC82|[[Central Europe]]}}
{{legend|#F88379|[[Eastern Europe]]}}
{{legend|#007FFF|[[Northern Europe]]}}
{{legend|#D2691E|[[Southeast Europe|South-eastern Europe]]}}
{{legend|#66FF00|[[Southern Europe]]}}
{{legend|#FF0000|[[Iberian Peninsula|South-western Europe]]}}
{{legend|#00FFFF|[[Western Europe]]}}
}}

Groupings by compass directions are the hardest to define in Europe, since there are a few calculations of the midpoint of Europe (among other issues), and the pure geographical criteria of "east" and "west" are often confused with the political meaning these words acquired during the [[Cold War]] era.

Some typical geographical subregions of Europe include:

* '''[[Central and Eastern Europe]]'''
** '''[[Central Europe]]'''
** '''[[Eastern Europe]]'''
* '''[[Northern Europe]]'''
** '''[[Nordic countries|North-central Europe]]'''
** '''[[Baltic region|North-eastern Europe]]'''
** '''[[Northwestern Europe|North-western Europe]]'''
* '''[[Southern Europe]]'''
** '''[[Italy (geographical region)|South-central Europe]]'''
** '''[[Southeast Europe|South-eastern Europe]]'''
** '''[[Iberian Peninsula|South-western Europe]]'''
* '''[[Western Europe]]'''

Note: There is no universally agreed definition for [[continent]]al subregions. Depending on the source, some of the subregions, such as [[Central Europe]] or [[Southeast Europe|South-eastern Europe]], can be listed as first-tier [[subregion]]s. Some transregional countries, such as [[Romania]] or the [[United Kingdom]], can be included in multiple subregions.

Common geopolitical subregions of Europe include:

'''Two Europes'''
* '''[[Old Europe and New Europe]]'''

'''Three Europes'''<ref>F. Braudel, Preface to Szucs J., Les trois Europes, Paris 1990</ref>
* '''[[East-Central Europe]]'''
* '''[[Eastern Europe]]'''
* '''[[Western Europe]]'''

== Historical divisions ==
Europe can be divided along many differing historical lines, normally corresponding to those parts that were inside or outside a particular cultural phenomenon, empire or political division. The areas varied at different times, and so it is arguable as to which were part of some common historical entity (e.g., were Germany or Britain part of Roman Europe as they were only partly and relatively briefly part of the Empire—or were the countries of the former communist [[Yugoslavia]] part of the [[Eastern Bloc]], since it was not in the [[Warsaw Pact]]).{{Citation needed|date=August 2023}}

* [[Greek East and Latin West]]:  those parts that fell into the eastern ([[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]]) and [[Western Roman Empire|Western Roman Empires]].{{Citation needed|date=August 2023}}
* [[Roman Catholicism in Europe|Catholic]] and [[Eastern Orthodoxy in Europe]]: those parts on either side of the [[East–West Schism|Great Schism]].{{Citation needed|date=August 2023}}
* After [[Reformation]]: countries of [[Western Christianity]] (Catholic and Protestant Churches) and [[Eastern Christianity]] (Eastern Orthodox Church, Assyrian Church of the East, Oriental Orthodox churches and the Eastern Catholic Churches){{Citation needed|date=August 2023}}
** [[Protestantism in Europe|Protestant]] and [[Catholic Europe]]:  those parts that, in the main, left the Catholic Church during the [[Protestant Reformation|Reformation]] contrasted with those that did not.{{Citation needed|date=August 2023}}
* [[Communism|Communist]] Europe ([[Eastern Bloc]]), [[Capitalism|Capitalist]] Europe ([[Western Bloc]]): those parts on either side of the [[Iron Curtain]] and third world countries (neutral and non-aligned during the Cold War).{{Citation needed|date=August 2023}}

== Contemporary ==
{{Supranational European Bodies|align=right|size=500px}}

=== Economic and political ===
[[File:European Single Market integration.svg|thumb|upright=1.4|[[European Single Market]] integration:{{Leftlegend|#039|[[Member states of the European Union|European Union member states]] form the [[European Single Market]]}}{{Leftlegend|#a050ff|Non-EU states that participate in the EU Single Market with exceptions: [[Iceland]], [[Liechtenstein]], [[Norway]] and [[Switzerland]] (see also [[European Free Trade Association|EFTA]])}}{{Leftlegend|#c39467|Part of a former EU state that remains partially aligned to the EU Single Market on goods: [[Northern Ireland]] in the [[United Kingdom]] (see also [[Brexit and the Irish border]])}}{{Leftlegend|#46a43b|Non-EU states with a [[Stabilisation and Association Process|Stabilisation and Association Agreement]] with the EU allowing for participation in selected sectors of the Single Market: EU accession candidates [[Albania]], [[Montenegro]], [[North Macedonia]] and [[Serbia]]; EU accession potential candidates: [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]] and [[Kosovo]]}}{{Leftlegend|#F29527|Non-EU states with a [[Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area]] agreement with the EU allowing for participation in selected sectors of the Single Market: [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], [[Moldova]] and [[Ukraine]]}}{{Leftlegend|#ffd617|Non-EU states which have a bilateral Customs Union arrangement with the EU:  [[Turkey]] ([[European Union–Turkey relations|an accession candidate]]), [[Andorra]] and [[San Marino]]}}]]

* '''[[European Union|European Union (EU)]]'''
: Countries that are member states of the political and economic bloc (27 as of 2024):
: [[Austria]], [[Belgium]], [[Bulgaria]], [[Croatia]], [[Cyprus]], [[Czech Republic]], [[Denmark]], [[Estonia]], [[Finland]], [[France]], [[Germany]], [[Greece]], [[Hungary]], [[Ireland]], [[Italy]], [[Latvia]], [[Lithuania]], [[Luxembourg]], [[Malta]], the [[Netherlands]], [[Poland]], [[Portugal]], [[Romania]], [[Slovakia]], [[Slovenia]], [[Spain]], and [[Sweden]].

* '''[[EU Med Group]]'''
: An alliance of Mediterranean countries within EU:
: Croatia, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Slovenia, and Spain.

* '''[[Eurozone]]'''
: Countries that have adopted the [[euro]] as their currency:
: Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, the Netherlands, Portugal, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Vatican City.

* '''[[European Free Trade Association|European Free Trade Association (EFTA)]]'''
: A free trade organisation that operates in parallel with, and is linked by treaties to, the EU:
: Liechtenstein, Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland.

* '''[[Central European Free Trade Agreement|Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA)]]'''
: A free trade agreement among non-EU members:
: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina,  Kosovo (represented by [[UNMIK]]), Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia.

* '''[[Schengen Area]]'''
: A borderless zone created by the Schengen Agreements, comprising:
: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden; in addition, by separate agreements Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland fully apply the provisions of the [[Schengen acquis|Schengen ''acquis'']].

* [[European Union Customs Union]]
: A customs union of all the member states of the European Union (EU) and some neighbouring countries:
: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden. Andorra, San Marino, and Turkey are each in customs union with the EU's customs territory. 

* '''[[Eurasian Economic Union|Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU)]]'''
: An economic union of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia. Moldova and Uzbekistan hold observer status.

* '''[[Commonwealth of Independent States Free Trade Area]]'''
: A free trade agreement among the members of the [[Commonwealth of Independent States]]: Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, and Tajikistan.

* '''[[Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation]]'''
: A forum of regional economic cooperation:
: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Turkey, and Ukraine.

=== Other political ===
[[File:European Union Eastern Partnership.svg|thumb|upright=1.4|Members of the [[Eastern Partnership]]]]

* '''[[Council of Europe]]'''
: An international organisation whose stated aim is to uphold human rights, democracy, and the rule of law in Europe, and to promote European culture.
: It has 46 member states, with approximately 820 million people.

*'''[[Eastern European Group]]''' 
: One of five [[United Nations Regional Groups|United Nations regional groups]]
: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Ukraine.

* '''[[Eastern Partnership]]''' and the '''[[Euronest Parliamentary Assembly]]'''
: A group of former Soviet Eastern European countries cooperating with the EU:
: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine.

* '''[[European Political Community]]'''
: An intergovernmental forum for political and strategic discussions about the future of Europe, with participants from 47 European countries.

* '''[[OECD]] Europe countries'''
: European countries that are a part of the OECD:
: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.

* '''[[Central European Initiative]]'''
: A forum of regional cooperation including:
: Albania, Austria, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Ukraine.

* '''[[Community for Democracy and Rights of Nations]]'''
: A group of former Soviet disputed states in Eastern Europe:
: [[Abkhazia]], [[South Ossetia]], and [[Transnistria]].

* '''[[Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe]]'''
: The world's largest security-oriented intergovernmental organization, with 57 participating states mostly in the Northern Hemisphere.

* '''[[Visegrád Group]]'''
: A cultural and political alliance of four Central European states for the purposes of furthering their European integration, as well as for advancing military, economic and energy cooperation with one another:
: [[Poland]], [[Czech Republic]], [[Slovakia]], and [[Hungary]].

* '''[[Centrope]]'''
: An Interreg IIIA project to establish a multinational region in Central Europe encompassing four European countries: Slovakia, Austria, Hungary, and the Czech Republic.

* '''[[Middleeuropean Initiative]]'''
: Promotes Central European cooperation.

* '''[[Three Seas Initiative]]'''

=== Geographical ===
==== Peninsulas ====
* '''[[Italian Peninsula|Apennine Peninsula]] (Italian Peninsula)'''
: Located in the south of Europe, the Apennine Peninsula contains the states of [[Italy]], [[San Marino]], and [[Vatican City]]

* '''[[Balkans|Balkan Peninsula]]'''
: The Balkan Peninsula is located in Southeastern Europe and the following countries and territories occupy land on the peninsula either exclusively or partially:
: [[Albania]], [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]], [[Bulgaria]], [[Croatia]] (approximately the southern half), [[Greece]], [[Kosovo]], [[Montenegro]], [[North Macedonia]], [[Romania]] (the [[Dobruja|Dobrudja]] region), [[Serbia]], [[Slovenia]] (the coastal section), and [[Turkey]] ([[East Thrace]]){{Citation needed|date=August 2023}}

* '''[[Fennoscandia|Fennoscandian Peninsula]]'''
:Located in the north of Europe, including [[Finland]], [[Norway]], [[Sweden]], and part of [[Russia]]{{Citation needed|date=August 2023}}

* '''[[Iberian Peninsula]]'''
: Located in Southwestern Europe, this peninsula contains [[Andorra]], [[Gibraltar]], [[Portugal]], [[Spain]], and a small part of [[France]]{{Citation needed|date=August 2023}}

* '''[[Jutland|Jutland Peninsula]]'''
:[[Jutland]] of [[Denmark]] (main part of the country excluding its islands) and the [[Schleswig-Holstein]] region of [[Germany]]{{Citation needed|date=August 2023}}

* '''[[Scandinavian Peninsula]]'''
:Located in the north of Europe, including [[Norway]], [[Sweden]], and part of [[Finland]]{{Citation needed|date=August 2023}}

==== Regional ====
* '''[[Atlantic Europe]]'''
** [[Great Britain]], [[Ireland]], [[Iceland]], [[Belgium]], the [[Netherlands]], [[Portugal]], [[Spain]], [[France]], western [[Scandinavia]] and [[Germany]].

* '''[[Alps|Alpine countries]]'''
: States that occupy the [[Alps]]:
: [[Austria]], [[Switzerland]], [[Liechtenstein]], [[Slovenia]], [[Germany]], [[France]], and [[Italy]]{{Citation needed|date=August 2023}}

* '''[[Balkans]] region'''
: In its broadest sense, encompasses [[Albania]], [[Bosnia and Hercegovina]], [[Bulgaria]], [[Croatia]], [[Greece]], [[Hungary]], [[Kosovo]], [[Montenegro]], [[North Macedonia]], [[Romania]], [[Serbia]], [[Slovenia]] and [[East Thrace|European Turkey]]

* '''[[Baltic region|Baltic Rim]] region'''
: [[Denmark]], [[Estonia]], [[Finland]], [[Germany]], [[Latvia]], [[Lithuania]], [[Poland]], [[Russia]], and [[Sweden]]{{Citation needed|date=August 2023}}
:* The term '''[[Baltic states]]''' emerged after [[World War I]] referring to the new sovereign states that emerged on the east coast of the Baltic Sea: [[Finland]], [[Estonia]], [[Latvia]], and [[Lithuania]]. Since [[World War II]], the term has been used for just Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.<ref name="Bojtar">{{cite book
| last1 = Bojtar
| first1 = Endre
| title = Foreword to the Past: A Cultural History of the Baltic People
| date = 1999
| publisher = Central European University Press
| isbn = 9789639116429
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=Er1_CwAAQBAJ
}}</ref> 

* '''[[British Isles]]'''
: [[Guernsey]], The [[Isle of Man]], the [[Republic of Ireland]], [[Jersey]] and the [[United Kingdom]]

* '''[[Carpathian Mountains|Carpathian]] states'''
: [[Czech Republic]], [[Hungary]], [[Poland]], [[Romania]], [[Serbia]], [[Slovakia]], and [[Ukraine]]{{Citation needed|date=August 2023}}

* '''[[Caucasus]]'''
: [[Armenia]], [[Azerbaijan]], [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], and [[Russia]]; also the [[list of territorial disputes|disputed territories]] of [[Abkhazia]], and [[South Ossetia]]{{Citation needed|date=August 2023}}

* '''[[Channel Islands]]'''
: [[Bailiwick of Guernsey|Guernsey]] and [[Jersey]]

* '''[[Low Countries]]'''
: [[Belgium]], [[Luxembourg]], the [[Netherlands]], parts of [[France]], and parts of [[Germany]]{{Citation needed|date=August 2023}}
:*'''[[Benelux]]''':  [[Belgium]], the [[Netherlands]], and [[Luxembourg]]

* '''[[Nordic countries]]'''
: [[Sweden]], [[Norway]], [[Finland]], [[Denmark]], [[Greenland]], and [[Iceland]]{{Citation needed|date=August 2023}}
:*'''[[Scandinavia]]''': [[Sweden]], [[Norway]], [[Denmark]]{{Citation needed|date=August 2023}}
:*'''[[Fennoscandia]]''': [[Finland]], [[Sweden]], [[Norway]] and [[Karelia]]; a geological region defined by the [[Fennoscandian shield]]{{Citation needed|date=August 2023}}

* '''[[Danube|Danubian countries]]'''
: States that lie along the River [[Danube]]:
: [[Austria]], [[Bulgaria]], [[Croatia]], [[Germany]], [[Hungary]], [[Moldova]], [[Romania]], [[Serbia]], [[Slovakia]], and [[Ukraine]]{{Citation needed|date=August 2023}}

* '''[[Dinaric Alps]]'''
: [[Slovenia]], [[Croatia]], [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]], [[Montenegro]], [[Albania]]{{Citation needed|date=August 2023}}
: [[Serbia]], [[Kosovo]] and [[Italy]] occupy a small portion of the Dinaric Alps.{{Citation needed|date=August 2023}}

* '''[[Macaronesia]]'''
: Chain of Islands in the North Atlantic
: [[Azores]], [[Canary Islands]], [[Madeira]]; also including [[Cape Verde]], an independent [[Africa]]n nation.{{Citation needed|date=August 2023}}

* '''[[Mediterranean]] countries'''
: Mediterranean nations are [[European countries]] on the [[Mediterranean Basin]]:
: [[Portugal]], [[Spain]], [[France]], [[Monaco]], [[Italy]], [[Slovenia]], [[San Marino]], [[Croatia]], [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]], [[Montenegro]], [[Albania]], [[Greece]], [[Turkey]], [[Cyprus]], [[Malta]], and the [[United Kingdom|British]] territory of [[Gibraltar]]{{Citation needed|date=August 2023}}
:*'''[[Adriatic]] region''': [[Italy]], [[Slovenia]], [[Croatia]], [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]], [[Montenegro]], [[Albania]]{{Citation needed|date=August 2023}}

* '''[[Black Sea|Black Sea region]]'''
: The Black Sea nations (although some sections lie within Asia) are:
: [[Abkhazia]] (de facto state), [[Bulgaria]], [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], [[Romania]], [[Russia]], [[Turkey]], and [[Ukraine]]{{Citation needed|date=August 2023}}

* '''[[Caspian Sea|Caspian Sea region]]'''
: The world's largest lake which forms a section of the Asian-European border has five countries occupying its shore. [[Iran]] and [[Turkmenistan]] lie entirely within Asia while the following countries are transcontinental and have sovereignty over the Caspian Sea's European sector:
: [[Azerbaijan]], [[Kazakhstan]], and [[Russia]]{{Citation needed|date=August 2023}}

=== Other groupings ===
* '''[[Blue Banana]]''': describing the concentration of the wealth/economic productivity of Europe in a [[banana]]-shaped band running from north west England, London, through Benelux, eastern France, western Germany to northern Italy.

== See also ==
* [[Assembly of European Regions]]
* [[Enlargement of the European Union]]
* [[European integration]]
* [[Geography of Europe]]
* [[Politics of Europe]]
* [[Politics of the European Union]]
* [[Potential enlargement of the European Union]]
* [[United Nations geoscheme for Europe]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Commons category inline|Regions of Europe}}

{{Regions of Europe|state=collapsed}}
{{Europe topics|state=collapsed}}
{{Portal bar|Europe|Geography}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Regions Of Europe}}

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