Where is the center of Europe? Central European countries

21.09.2019

The countries of Central Europe form a continuous territorial area between Western and Eastern Europe, stretching from the Baltic to the Black and Adriatic Seas.

By political map determine the composition of the region. Remember what changes took place on the political map of Central Europe in the 90s of the 20th century.

The geographical position of the Central European countries can be defined as very advantageous. It is characterized by:

compact location in the center of Europe. On one side are developed countries Western Europe, which largely determine the economic policies of countries at the regional and global level, and on the other hand, the CIS countries, which are profitable economic partners for the countries of Central Europe;
Most countries in the region have access to the sea, which makes it possible to have extensive contacts with the outside world. The Danube flows through the territory of five countries in the region, partially compensating for Hungary and Slovakia their isolation from the World Ocean and has integrating significance;
neighborly position. Central European countries are mostly small in size and have good transport accessibility. Their territory is crossed in all directions by railways, highways, pipelines, and power lines.

The Baltic countries (Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia) actively integrated into Central Europe in the 90s, so they are considered within the boundaries of this region. According to the political system, all countries are republics.

Natural resource potential of Central European countries

Land resources are distributed quite evenly between countries. There are great contrasts in the placement of other resources. Fuel resources are in the northern part of the region, ore resources are in the south.

Brown coal is a common fuel and energy resource. On coal rich Poland and the Czech Republic, oil and gas provinces are in Romania, Albania and Croatia (partially in Hungary and Serbia). Countries Balkan Peninsula rich in hydro resources.

The main reserves of iron ore are found in the countries of the Balkan Peninsula (Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia). Albania produces the most chromite ores in the world.

Much better region is provided with ores of non-ferrous metals, which are found both in the north and in the south. There is more copper ore in Poland, bauxite in Hungary. From non-metallic raw materials, potash and table salt(Poland, Romania), sulfur (Poland).

Population of Central European countries

The population of Central Europe accounts for almost a quarter of the population of all of Europe. At the same time, Poland has the largest population (about 40 million people), the smallest - Slovenia and Macedonia (about 2 million people). Countries in the region differ in basic population characteristics, but also have some common features. Firstly, the demographic processes here are largely determined by the consequences of the Second World War. Secondly, the restructuring of the economy on an industrial basis determined the development of urbanization processes and associated changes in the reproduction of the population and the nature of its settlement.

In general, the countries of Central Europe are characterized by the first type of population reproduction. Therefore, the process of “aging” of the population is taking place here, and in Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania and other countries former Yugoslavia throughout the 90s of the XX century. the population decreased. Only in Albania the natural population growth is quite high (20 people per 1 thousand inhabitants).

IN post-war period In the countries of the region, the process of urbanization has sharply intensified, as a result of which the urban population in all countries (except Albania) prevails at 50%. The most urbanized country is the Czech Republic. A striking example The concentration of population in a large city is the capital of Hungary - Budapest (40% of the urban population). In addition to Budapest, agglomerations such as Bucharest, Prague, Upper Silesia, Warsaw, Sofia, and Belgrade are developing in Central Europe.

Populations are distributed unevenly. Highest density The Czech Republic, Poland, Albania, Hungary, Slovakia, Serbia and Montenegro have the smallest populations, the Baltic countries have the smallest.

Among the countries of Central Europe, single-national countries predominate. In the countries of the former Yugoslavia, interethnic conflicts that arose due to religious differences have intensified. IN ethnic composition the population is sharply predominant Slavic peoples. Among other peoples there are numerous Romanians, Albanians and Hungarians.

The region's population is employed primarily in industry (40-50%), in agriculture - 20-50% and in the non-production sector - 15-20%, the role of the latter is constantly growing. The unemployment rate is 5-15% and fluctuates depending on the results of ongoing reforms.

General characteristics of the economies of Central European countries

In the post-war socio-economic development of Central Europe, two stages can be distinguished. The first (second half of the 40s - late 80s) is the stage of socialist development, important features which became dominant social forms ownership of fixed assets of production and planning and administrative regulation of the economy.

Practice has shown that this approach is quite effective in the presence of extensive development factors and the need to create basic industries in a short time. But such a system can ensure intensive growth based on scientific and technological progress, which became especially evident in the 70-80s in the form of an economic, scientific and technical lag behind the countries of developed market economies.

A point on the surface of the earth designated as the center of a country or continent has great potential from the point of view of the tourism business. In the age of selfies, recording your presence in the center of some part of the world is a matter of honor for any traveler.

The center of Europe today does not have a generally recognized location; several villages and cities in different countries claim its title.

Calculation methods

The ambiguity in determining the geographic center stems from the variety of methods for calculating it. They come down to several options:

Calculation of the position of the center of gravity of an area of certain shapes.
Projection of the center of gravity onto the Earth's surface, taking into account the sphericity of the planet.
Finding a point equidistant from the boundaries of the territory.
Calculation of the location of the intersection point of the segments connecting the extreme northern and southern, western and eastern points in pairs - the median center.

The last method was used to determine the geographical center of Europe in 1775 by the court astronomer and cartographer of the Polish king Augustus, Szymon Antoni Sobekrajski. The intersection point of the lines connecting Portugal and the Central Urals, Norway and Southern Greece was located at a point with coordinates 53 ° 34 "39" N. la., 23°06"22" e. d. In this place, in the town of Suchowola, near Bialystok, on the territory of modern Poland, a memorial sign was erected.

Calculations in the 19th century

In 1815, the center of Europe was placed at coordinates 48°44"37"N. la., 18°55"50" e. d., which was located near the town of Kremnica, near the Baptist Church of St. John, in the territory of modern Slovakia. The calculation methods have not been preserved, but there is a version that this is the center of the smallest circle inscribed in the outlines of Europe. How its boundaries were determined is also unknown.

In 1887, geographers Austro-Hungarian Empire when laying new railways in Transcarpathia, a marker was installed with coordinates 48°30"N, 23°23"E. etc., defining it as the midpoint of the extreme values of latitude and longitude of the Old World. The center of Europe in their version is located on the banks of the Tisza, near the Ukrainian village of Delovoye. IN Soviet time the truth of the calculations was confirmed, and a whole propaganda campaign was carried out to convince everyone of the truth of this version of the geographical center of Europe.

12 countries (1987) - the village of Saint-André-le-Coq in central region France, after the reunification of Germany (1990) moved 25 km to the northeast, to the town of Noirette.
15 countries (2004) - the town of Viruanval, Belgium.
25 states (2007) - village of Kleinmeischeid, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
27 countries (2007) - after the accession of Romania and Bulgaria - near the city of Geinhausen, Hesse, Germany.
28 countries (2013) - forty kilometers from Frankfurt, where the headquarters of the European Central Bank is located, which is even symbolic.

- part of the Eurasian continent, washed by two oceans at once - the Arctic and the Atlantic.

The EU has an area of approximately 10 million square meters and its population accounts for approximately 10% of the total world population, which is approximately 740 million people.

General information

How many parts are there in Europe:

Northern Europe;
Southern Europe;
Eastern Europe;
Central Europe.

Depending on existing opinions, European countries can be classified as one part of it or another.

The highest point in Europe is Mount Elbrus, whose height reaches 5642 m, and lowest point– Caspian Sea, whose height is currently approximately equal to 27 m.

The main territory is dominated by flat terrain, and only 17% of all Europe is mountainous. The climate of most of Europe is temperate, but in the north of the territory there are glaciers, and in the Caspian lowland there is desert.

Europe is the region with the greatest cultural diversity, despite its small territory.

Eastern Europe

The European part of Eurasia, located within the borders of central and eastern Europe, is usually referred to as Eastern Europe. Lives in this area larger number people than in other European regions, and occupies about 2/3 of Europe.

The bulk of the population are people of Slavic appearance. Due to political actions, the territory is constantly subject to change.

So, in Soviet times, the countries of the USSR were included in Eastern Europe, but after the collapse of the Soviet Union, some countries separated and began to be considered foreign.

The climate here is drier and less warm. However, the soils of this part of Europe are much more fertile than those of Western Europe. IN Eastern Europe the most a large number of black soils all over the world.

Eastern Europe is the closest part of the Old World to Russia in spirit and territory. The plane flight will not take more than two hours. Go on vacation to nearby countries You can even drive your own car.

Habitual climate and native language will be a pleasant bonus for those who decide to spend their holidays in Eastern European countries.

Western Europe is the territory where everyone is located Western countries Europe. Typically, this includes countries that are connected to each other along cultural and geographical principles, and that were able to avoid Soviet influence during the Cold War.

The climate in Western European countries is generally temperate, with mild winters and warm summers.

Western Europe is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. Urbanization here is at 80%. The largest agglomerations here are London and Paris.

Western Europe is considered the most popular for tourism. About 65% of tourists flock here. In this area you can see everything: from sandy beaches to mountain landscapes. The mosaic nature of the landscapes is striking in its beauty.

The large flow of tourists has led to the formation of special tourist zones that specialize in providing tourism services to guests.

This article may be of interest:

Everyone will be able to indicate on the map exactly where Europe is located. However, setting clear boundaries turns out to be not so easy.

The geographical boundaries of Europe on the northern, western and southern sides are the coastline of the seas of the Arctic Ocean, as well as Atlantic Ocean. These are the Baltic, Northern, Irish, Mediterranean, Black, Marmara and Azov seas.

The eastern border is usually drawn along the slope of the Ural Mountains to the Caspian Sea. Some sources also include the territories of the Caucasus as Europe.

List of countries in Europe

Quantity European countries quite extensive.

If listed in alphabetical order, the list would be as follows:

Austria;
Albania;
Andorra

Belarus;
Belgium;
Bulgaria;
Bosnia

Vatican;
Great Britain;
Hungary

Germany;
Holland;
Greece;
Georgia

Denmark

Ireland;
Spain;
Italy;
Iceland

Latvia;
Lithuania;
Liechtenstein;
Luxembourg

Macedonia;
Malta;
Moldova;
Monaco

Norway

Poland;
Portugal

Russia;
Romania

San Morino;
Serbia;
Slovakia;
Slovenia

Ukraine

Finland;
France

Croatia

Montenegro;
Czech

Switzerland;
Sweden

Estonia.

This is a complete list of states that are European.

Number of European countries

The number of states included in Europe today is 44. But based on the political and economic situations taking place in the world, it cannot be said that this list will not change.

We can take as an example Soviet Union, which at one time broke up into 15 independent states, while the GDR and the Federal Republic of Germany, for example, on the contrary, united into a single whole, and today are called Germany.

Difficult these days political situation takes place in Spain, where the Catalan part is trying to separate itself into a state independent from Spain and be called Catalonia.

Get travel health insurance

National symbols

The national symbols of countries are their flags and coats of arms. As a rule, the basis of coats of arms includes animalistic symbols. The image of a horse symbolizes speed and movement.

All European countries are familiar with the myths about the sun god, who traveled on his horse-drawn carriage. But, for example, an elephant expresses reliability and strength. It is his image that can be found on the coat of arms of the city of Coventry in Great Britain.

The state symbols of England are the oldest of all European countries. The coat of arms, which is now official in Great Britain, originated in the 19th century.

The coat of arms of England looks like a shield, in the upper left and lower right corners of which there are three gold leopards on a red background, in the upper right - a fiery lion, located on a gold background - the Scottish coat of arms, and, finally, in the lower left - a harp of gold on a blue field - Irish symbols.

This shield is held by a golden lion with a crown in its mane and a snow-white unicorn.

The symbolism of the Scandinavian countries reveals the history of the countries of the European North. The coat of arms of Denmark has been formed over several centuries. It is a shield with a crown on top, and inside the shield there are four blue leopards in a row from top to bottom.

The flag of Denmark is divided by a red and white cross, in the center of which is its coat of arms.

Until the 13th century, the state coat of arms of Sweden depicted three leopards in crowns standing on a field one behind the other, which was very reminiscent of the coat of arms of Denmark.

Only at the beginning of the 14th century a coat of arms appeared depicting three golden crowns, which later became the state symbol.

The original coat of arms of Iceland was a white falcon, but was chosen in 1944 new symbolism: A shield held by a bull, a dragon, an eagle and an old man.

The main symbol of Albania is a black eagle with two heads, which is the Albanian coat of arms.

The symbol of Bulgaria is a golden lion located on a red shield, which is a symbol of masculinity.

The Polish coat of arms looks like a white eagle, whose head is decorated with a gilded crown.

The symbol of Serbia was created during the period of unification of the lands of Serbia. It depicts a boar's head pierced by an arrow.

Macedonia became independent only in the second half of the 20th century, so before this period, symbolism was represented only by territorial symbols. Nowadays the coat of arms of Macedonia features a golden crowned lion.

This article may be of interest:

Population and area of countries

The main giant by all criteria among European countries is Russia. Its area is approximately 17 million square meters, which is almost equal to the area South America, and the population is about 146 million.

However, Russia’s entry into Europe is considered controversial, because most of it is located in Asia, and only about 22% is in Europe.

Next on the list of the largest European countries by territory is worth mentioning Ukraine. It occupies an area of almost 604 thousand square meters. The population of Ukraine is about 42 million people.

France, Spain, Sweden, Germany, Finland, Norway, Poland and Italy present a list of the 10 largest European countries. However, in terms of the number of inhabitants of these countries, after Russia comes Germany, whose population is about 81 million people.

The population of France is in third place in terms of size. There are about 66 million people within its borders.

The most major cities In Europe, London is considered, with its population of 7 million people, Berlin - 3.5 million people, followed by Madrid, Rome, Kyiv and Paris with a population of 3 million.

Which countries are part of the European Union?

The Union of Europe was organized during the collapse of the USSR. The EU is united together for economic reasons and political views states. Most of these countries use one type of currency - the euro.

The Union is an international entity that includes the characteristics of a country and the characteristics of an international community, but in fact they are neither one nor the other.

In some cases, decisions are made by supranational institutions, and in others through negotiations between countries that are members of the European Union.

At the very beginning of its emergence, the European Union consisted of only six countries - Belgium, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and France. Today, thanks to joining the agreement, the number of countries within the European Union has increased to twenty-eight.

States renounce their sovereignty and in return receive protection in various institutions of the union, which act for the common interests of all participants.

The Lisbon Treaty included rules for secession from the European Union. During the entire period of action, only Greenland left the European Union - in the late 1900s.

Currently, five countries are vying for the opportunity to leave the Union. These are Albania, Macedonia, Serbia, Türkiye and Montenegro.

List of EU countries:

Austria;
Belgium;
Bulgaria;
Hungary;
Great Britain;
Greece;
Germany;
Denmark;
Italy;
Ireland;
Spain;
Republic of Cyprus;
Luxembourg;
Latvia;
Lithuania;
Malta;
Netherlands;
Portugal;
Poland;
Romania;
Slovenia;
Slovakia;
France;
Finland;
Croatia;
Czech Republic;
Sweden;
Estonia.

Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland have not agreed to join the European Union and become member states, but they are still participating in joint economic activities.

The population of the European Union as of 2009 exceeded five hundred million people.

All over the earth European Union twenty-four languages are equally used by people. But, as a rule, the most popular languages in the European Union are English, German, and French.

As for religious views, according to surveys, about 18% of the population are atheists, 27% are unsure of their views and 52% confidently believe in the existence of God.

Central Europe- part of Europe located in its center. From a geographical point of view, Central Europe includes the following European countries: Austria, Hungary, Germany, Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic (Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic are also classified as Eastern Europe), Liechtenstein, Slovenia, Switzerland.

The region's population is 133 million people. The Second World War had a great negative impact on population reproduction in the countries of the region. World War, human losses were about 22%. All countries in the region are characterized by the first type of population reproduction.

Population

Peoples

Germans- people Germanic language group, main population Germany.

Austrians
Bavarians
Swabians

Hungarians- people Ugric language group, main population Hungary.

Croats., outdated Croats - South Slavic people

Poles- people Slavic language group, main population Poland.

Silesians
Kashubians
Gurali

Czechs . - people Slavic language group, main population Czech Republic.

Slovaks.- people Slavic language group, main population Slovakia.

Urbanization has a decisive influence on the processes of population distribution. The average level of urbanization is 60%, this is explained by the peculiarity of internal migration of the population. Over the past 30 years, the number of cities has increased significantly due to the transformation of many towns and villages into cities, as well as the construction of new cities where mineral deposits were discovered.

Languages

German- the language of the Germans, Austrians and part of the Swiss, the official language of Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, one of the official languages of Switzerland, Luxembourg and Belgium. (, Indo-European family, Germanic branch)

West German group Hungarian, Ural family, Finno-Ugric branch)

Ugric group (Polish language, Indo-European family, Slavic branch, West Slavic group)

Lechitic subgroup

Slovak language Slovenian language South Slavic group

, western subgroup) Croatian language Slovenian language South Slavic group

(Indo-European family, Slavic branch, Czech

(Indo-European family, Slavic branch, West Slavic group)

This region includes Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and the European part of Russia.

The main features of the EGP are its position on the western borders of Russia, the border with developed European countries, direct access to the seas for Poland, Ukraine and the Baltic countries. Transport routes connecting Russia with the countries of Western and Southern Europe pass through this region, which is conducive to broad pan-European cooperation. The countries are located compactly in relation to each other. CMEA and the Warsaw Pact ceased to exist. Arose new organization

- Central European Initiative, which included Hungary and Ukraine from the countries of this region.

Some countries in this region joined the NATO bloc - Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic.

Since 1991, a subregional grouping has existed in Central Europe - the Visegrad Four: Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia. It implements a gradual liberation from quantitative restrictions and customs borders in trade between members of the four.

The economic and geographical position of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe can be assessed as very favorable. It has a great influence on the location of production in them, favors the development of economic integration and the creation of cross-border free economic zones.

Beginning of the form