Introduction 3
1. The place and role of Europe in the modern world 4
2. National security and its priorities for Russia 11
Conclusion 21
References 22
Introduction
The situation in the world is characterized by a dynamic transformation of the system of international relations. The formation of international relations is accompanied by competition, as well as the desire of a number of states to increase their influence on world politics, including through the creation of weapons of mass destruction. The importance of military-power aspects in international relations continues to remain significant.
Russia is one of the largest countries in the world with a long history and rich cultural traditions. Despite the difficult international situation and internal difficulties, due to its significant economic, scientific, technical and military potential and unique strategic position on the Eurasian continent, it objectively continues to play an important role in world processes.
In the future, there will be wider integration of the Russian Federation into the world economy and expanded cooperation with international economic and financial institutions. Objectively, the commonality of interests of Russia and the interests of other states remains on many issues of international security, including countering the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, preventing and resolving regional conflicts, combating international terrorism and drug trafficking, solving acute environmental problems of a global nature, including problems of ensuring nuclear and radiation security.
1. The place and role of Europe in the modern world
The total economic power of Western Europe at the beginning of the 21st century was actually equal to the American indicators - 19.8% of the global gross product, in the USA - 20.4%. In terms of population, Europe exceeds the United States by 40%, the EU's share in world exports is constantly growing and already significantly exceeds the US share (37% - EU, 16.5% - USA).
Concerned observers warn that the United States and the European Union are on the verge of a large-scale trade and economic conflict. The euro diverts significant financial flows from the American market, complicates the American budget deficit, becomes a powerful competitor to the dollar in international transactions, and weakens America in its desire to dictate fixed prices for oil and other raw materials.
American experts believe that a single monetary union could transform the global financial system based on the dominance of the dollar into a new bipolar “dollar-euro order.” The current zone of the single European currency is the world's largest zone of rich countries - consumers of expensive goods on the world market. Eurobonds issued in 1999 accounted for 44% of all bonds issued worldwide, while the dollar accounted for 43%. The EU is pursuing continuous trade expansion, having concluded association agreements with 80 countries. Given the size of the euro area, many companies in Latin America, Asia, Eastern Europe and North Africa are seeking to reduce their exposure to dollars by expanding their network of euro contracts. The emerging trends indicate the decline of the “era of the dollar” as the only world currency.
This is what allowed Henry Kissinger to declare that “the creation of the European Monetary Union puts Europe on a path that is opposite to the Atlantic partnership of the last five decades... There is no reason to assume that a united Europe will ever voluntarily wish to help the United States with its global burden.” . French Foreign Minister Yuri Vedrine spoke even more categorically: “Europe must create a counterbalance to the dominance of the United States in a multipolar world.”
Statements by major political figures in Europe and the United States are not empty declarations. Behind them lie not only significant differences in European and American economic policies, but also strategic geopolitical differences. Essentially, they relate to three main areas:
When international conflicts and problems arise, Europeans prefer to act through international organizations; the United States often rejects this path;
Europeans evaluate international conflicts from a regional point of view, the United States - from a global one;
When resolving conflicts, Europeans tend to use political and economic opportunities; the United States does not rule out a military solution to problems.
In addition, there are many disagreements of a more private nature: on issues of liberalization of the world economy, global warming, energy policy, antitrust legislation (for example, on the Boeing-McDonnell-Douglas merger), American economic sanctions, economic stimulation, regarding the import of steel and machinery from Europe, etc.
In the 1990s, Europeans laid the foundations for a new, fairly independent policy in the field of defense and security. Important milestones along this path were: the Maastricht Agreement of 1991, which mandates the “formulation of a common defense policy” and establishes the responsibility of the Western European Union for the defense aspects of the evolution of the EU; The Amsterdam Treaty of 1997, which formulated the common strategy of the European Union and established the post of High Representative of the European Commission, responsible for the common foreign and defense policy; The EU summit in Helsinki in 1999, at which it was decided to create a single Rapid Reaction Corps of 60 thousand people within a two-year period, and H. Solana was appointed as the EU High Representative responsible for common foreign and defense policy.
Experts have already calculated that to achieve military power comparable to that of the United States, a united Europe will need to increase its military spending by 4 times. The European Union plans to create a network of satellites, intelligence centers, and its own general military headquarters, where the possibilities of conducting operations inside and outside NATO will be considered. Already, Western Europe is striving to produce its own types of weapons so that it has its own military industry, independent of the American one.
Military experts report that a project has been developed to create a pan-European fighter, in the production of which primarily German and British firms are collaborating. A plan is being discussed to create a unified European Aerospace Defense Company (EADC), which will include the French Aerospatiale, British Airspace, the German Daimler-Chrysler Airspace, the Spanish CASA, the Swedish SAAB, and the Italian Finmecannika-Alenia. We are talking about a super-company that produces airplanes, helicopters, spaceships, guided weapons and other military systems. All this allows Europeans to hope that, along with a single currency, an independent military industry will become an essential feature of an integrated Europe, and this, in turn, will require a special European political, economic and military infrastructure.
The Europeans' ambitious plans for military policy and defense have already led to contradictions within NATO that could become explosive in the future. It is known that during the first visit to Western Europe of the Minister of Defense of the Republican Administration D. Rumsfeld, he demanded that a military contingent of 60 thousand soldiers formed by the European Union be placed under the subordination of NATO, and Western Europeans expressed their disapproval in connection with the creation of a separate national system of strategic defense of the United States.
The Americans are making efforts to keep the process of European integration under control. First of all, they exercise strategic control over the European space through NATO and a military presence in Europe. Through the Alliance, in which the United States plays the role of axial power, they are trying to prevent Western Europe from drifting toward national self-assertion and away from current levels of economic and political cooperation. In doing so, they skillfully exploit European differences: French concerns about German dominance; German fears about Russian recuperation; Britain's jealousy of the possibility of continental consolidation without its participation; doubts in the European Community's ability to resolve the issue of the explosive Balkans on its own. The “German card” is especially often played by Americans. The ghost of Germany's rise to imperial heights haunts Europe and terrifies Europeans who have not yet forgotten the nightmares of World War II. This ghost is a trump card in the hands of the Americans, who use it as a guarantee for accepting American troops in the center of Europe.
It is obvious that the policy of inciting separatism within the EU is of a strategic nature: deprived of cohesion, the European Union will not be able to confront America on either economic or political issues, be it disagreements between members of the World Trade Organization or the issue of the anti-terrorist operation in Iraq.
The role of another strategic instrument of control over European integration is played by American transnational corporations. They are expanding their branches in European centers, strengthening American economic positions in the Western European region. TNCs are pursuing a policy of active investment in Europe and are attracting high-tech goods here. S. Bergsten believes that the goal of American foreign policy is to create a kind of “North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement” - “super NAFTA”, which would account for more than half of world trade and the gross world product.
There are many supporters of an active European policy in the United States. Among them is Z. Brzezinski, who believes that Europe is “America’s natural ally,” its “global partner.” He believes that it is quite possible to involve Western Europe in “ruling the world”, since the United States is not strong enough to dominate the global geopolitical space, relying only on its own forces.
Demagoguery about a “global partnership” with Europe is necessary to preserve the EU as America’s most important geopolitical bridgehead in Eurasia. Z. Brzezinski states this directly: “America’s main geostrategic goal in Europe... through a more sincere transatlantic partnership, to strengthen the American foothold on the Eurasian continent so that a growing Europe can become an even more realistic springboard for the advancement of international democratic order and cooperation in Eurasia ". It is obvious that without close transatlantic ties, America's primacy in Europe will immediately disappear, and the US's ability to extend its influence deep into Eurasia may be significantly limited.
To ensure Atlantic control over the processes of European integration, the latest information geopolitical technologies are also used. First of all, American strategists seek to shape the “pro-American” thinking of Europeans by filling all media channels with overt and covert propaganda of the American way of life and the values of liberal democracy. It is known that 75% of the information that circulates in the European media is of American origin.
Brzezinski proudly emphasizes that it is not only J. Kennedy who has found passionate admirers in Europe; even less celebrated American leaders are becoming objects of careful study and emulation (in particular, with the help of the popular television programs “Political Hero of the Day”). Many European politicians find it highly appropriate to emulate the mannerisms, populist camaraderie and public relations tactics of American presidents. Imitation of American political style creates favorable conditions for the establishment of "indirect and seemingly consensual" American control over European politics.
Among information geopolitical technologies, it is worth noting the skillful use by the Americans of the idea of “fighting international terrorism” to maintain a certain tension in the European space. This indirectly initiates the militarization of the European economy and the inclusion of the EU in the arms race. Destabilization of the European space is also carried out through a system of “controlled” local crises and “humanitarian disasters” in certain European countries (a striking example is Yugoslavia).
Why is Europe playing Atlantic games? First of all, European geopoliticians are trying to “use American money” to get rid of the last “pockets of totalitarianism and communism” on the continent. The idea is simple: “let Americans keep spending; the more the better, so they will leave sooner.” Undoubtedly, Europe no longer wants the direct presence of the United States, but it still cannot do without its “big brother.” The dual position of European politicians creates a wide field for American maneuvers in the Old World.
It is also necessary to emphasize that the states of Eastern Europe, to a much greater extent than Western Europe, are interested in maintaining the US military presence on the continent, considering American influence as a factor in their own political stabilization and security. This is not only about the eternal “Russian question” and Russia’s possible geopolitical claims. Eastern Europe is much more concerned about a united Germany and its possible territorial claims against its European neighbors.
The current situation is skillfully used by the NATO leadership as a way of geopolitical pressure on Russia. Despite this, our country today takes a friendly and constructive position towards the European Community. The Russian political leadership gave a positive assessment of the EU and its enlargement. According to V. Putin, it is necessary to use the great historical chance to build joint European spaces. In response to this, former German Foreign Minister F. Genscher noted that “since the time of Gorbachev’s picture of a pan-European home, there has not been such a clear turn of Russia towards Europe.”
Nevertheless, European geopoliticians have made it clear that in the near future, the agenda of Russian-European relations cannot include V. Putin’s proposal to transform Europe, and, accordingly, the EU through unification with Russia’s rich resource potential from a regional to a global partner in a multipolar system of international relations. As German researchers K. Mayer and H. Timmermann emphasize, “... such an intention could lead to positioning Europe, together with Russia, as a pole opposite to the United States in world politics.” Europe is not yet ready for such decisive geopolitical turns. The pro-Atlantic course of European integration seems to be a calmer course for European geopoliticians.
However, even now in the United States there are many opponents of the continuation of an active European policy. A powerful anti-European lobby has formed in Congress. There is only one motive: control over European politics is too expensive for American taxpayers. The United States spends $2 billion more on stationing its troops in Europe than on its own territory. American military experts emphasize that the United States spends 4% of its gross national product on defense, France and Britain - 3.1% each, Germany - 1.7%. European NATO members spend only 66% of the US military budget on military needs.
Finally, Americans are increasingly irritated by growing European “anti-Americanism.” American Senator J. Biden notes: “We see a deliberately selective selection of facts relating to life in the United States and American actions that present the United States in the most unfavorable light.” American sociologists provide the following data: 68% of French respondents expressed their concern about the superpower status of the United States, and only 30% admitted that there was at least something worthy of admiration across the Atlantic Ocean. 63% of French people do not feel a sense of solidarity or closeness with Americans.
Introduction3
General characteristics of foreign Europe3
1. Territory, borders, position.3
2. Natural conditions and resources.4
3. Population: reproduction, migration, national composition, urbanization.5
4. Economy: place in the world, differences between countries.7
5. Industry: main industries.8
6. Agriculture: three main types.11
7. Transport: main highways and hubs.13
8. Science and finance: research parks and banking centers.14
9. Recreation and tourism: the main tourist region of the world.14
Introduction
Foreign (in relation to the CIS countries) Europe occupies an area of 5.1 million km2 with a population of 500 million people (1995). There are about 40 sovereign states here, connected by common historical destinies and close political, economic and cultural relations. Foreign Europe is one of the centers of world civilization, the birthplace of great geographical discoveries, industrial revolutions, urban agglomerations, and international economic integration. And although, as you already know, the era of “Eurocentrism” is a thing of the past, this region still occupies a very important place in world politics and economics today.
General characteristics of foreign Europe
1. Territory, borders, position.
The territory of foreign Europe extends from north to south (from Spitsbergen to Crete) for 5 thousand km, and from west to east for more than 3 thousand km. Among European countries there are more and less large ones, but most of them are relatively small.
The economic and geographical position of foreign European countries is determined by two main features.
Firstly, the neighboring position of these countries in relation to each other. With a relatively small territory, its small “depth” and good transport “passability”, these countries either directly border or are separated by short distances. In addition, their borders run primarily along natural boundaries that do not create significant obstacles to transport connections.
Secondly, the coastal position of the vast majority of countries, many of which are located close to the busiest sea routes. In the western part of the region there is no place more than 480 km from the sea, in the eastern part it is 600 km. The whole life of Great Britain, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece has been closely connected with the sea since ancient times, “the daughter of the sea,” as one might say about each of them.
Political map of the region throughout the 20th century. has undergone major changes three times: after the first and second world wars and in recent years (the unification of Germany, the acquisition of independence by the Baltic countries, the collapse of Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, changes in the social system in Eastern European countries).
In foreign Europe there are both republics and monarchies, both unitary and federal states.
2. Natural conditions and resources.
The natural prerequisites for the industry of foreign Europe were formed under the great influence of the location of mineral resources. However, their composition in the northern (platform) and southern (folded) parts of the region differs significantly.
In the northern part, both ore minerals associated with the Baltic Shield and the Hercynian fold zone, as well as fuel minerals, “tied” primarily to the sedimentary cover of the platform and its marginal troughs, are widespread.
Among the coal basins, the Ruhr in Germany and the Upper Silesian in Poland stand out, among the oil and gas basins the North Sea, among the iron ore basins the Lorraine in France and Kiruna in Sweden.
In the southern part, ore deposits of both igneous and sedimentary (bauxite) origin predominate, but the reserves of fuel resources here are much smaller. This tectonic structure of the territory largely explains the “incompleteness” of the set of minerals in individual countries.
The hydropower resources of foreign Europe are quite large, but they occur mainly in the regions of the Alps, Scandinavian and Dinaric mountains.
The natural conditions for agriculture in the region are relatively favorable and have been widely used for many centuries. As a result, the reserves for expanding cultivated lands have almost been exhausted, and the “load” on them is increasing. Therefore, small coastal countries, and especially the Netherlands, continue to attack the coastal areas of the seas.
In the Netherlands, over the course of many centuries, almost 1/3 of the entire territory of the country has been reclaimed from the sea with the help of dams and dams.
No wonder there is a saying here: “God created the earth, and the Dutch created Holland.” The drainage of Lake IJsselmeer, which was previously a sea bay, and the implementation of the so-called “Delta Plan”, which provides for complete protection of the coast, are being completed.
The agroclimatic resources of the region are determined by its position in the temperate zone, and in the south in the subtropical zone. In the Mediterranean, sustainable agriculture requires artificial irrigation. The most irrigated land is in Italy and Spain.
Sweden and Finland have the greatest natural prerequisites for forestry, where typical forest landscapes predominate: forests cover lowlands and hills, the banks of rivers and lakes, and approach populated areas. No wonder people say: “Finland without a forest is like a bear without hair.”
Foreign Europe also has large and diverse natural and recreational resources.
3. Population: reproduction, migration, national composition, urbanization.
Recently, the population of foreign Europe has begun to increase very slowly. As you already know, this is explained by the fact that the reproduction of the region’s population is characterized by a difficult demographic situation. In some countries there is even a natural population decline. At the same time, the age composition of the population is changing, and the proportion of older people is growing.
All this led to a sharp change in the region’s share in the global system of external population migrations. Having been the main center of emigration since the Great Geographical Discoveries, foreign Europe has become the world's main center of labor immigration. Now there are 12 13 million foreign workers, a significant part of whom are not citizens, but temporary guest workers (in German “guest workers”).
In terms of national composition, the population of foreign Europe is relatively homogeneous: the vast majority of the 62 peoples of the region belong to the Indo-European language family. At the same time, related languages of the Slavic, Romance, and Germanic groups have significant similarities. The same is true for the languages of the Uralic family. However, the ethnic map of the region, which has evolved over thousands of years, is not so simple. Along with single-national ones, there are many states with a complex national composition, in which there has recently been an aggravation of interethnic relations; Yugoslavia can serve as an example of this kind.
In all countries of foreign Europe, the dominant religion is Christianity. In Southern Europe, Catholicism sharply predominates, in Northern Europe, Protestantism; and in the Middle they are in different proportions. The world center of Catholicism, the Vatican, is located in Rome.
Foreign Europe is one of the most densely populated regions of the world. Moreover, the distribution of the population in it is primarily determined by the geography of cities. The level of urbanization here is one of the highest in the world: on average, 73%, and in some countries, more than 80% and even 90% of the total population live in cities. The total number of cities is measured in many thousands, and their network is very dense. Gradually, over thousands of years, a Western European type of city emerged, the roots of which go back to the times of the Roman Empire and the Middle Ages.
A characteristic feature of the urbanization of foreign Europe is a very high concentration of population in large cities and urban agglomerations, of which there are more here than in the USA and Japan combined. The largest of them are London, Paris and Rhine-Ruhr. In the 70s After a period of rapid growth of cities and agglomerations, an outflow of population began from their centers (nuclei), first to near and far suburbs, and then to more distant small towns and rural areas (“green wave”). As a result, the number of residents in the central areas of London, Paris, Hamburg, Vienna, Milan and many other cities either stabilized or even began to decline. This process is called suburbanization in science.
According to forecasts, the level of urbanization in the region by the end of the 20th century. may rise to 85%.
4. Economy: place in the world, differences between countries.
Foreign Europe, as an integral region, ranks first in the world economy in terms of industrial and agricultural production, exports of goods and services, gold and currency reserves, and development of international tourism.
It is clear that the economic power of the region is primarily determined by four countries that are members of the “Big Seven” Western countries: Germany, France, Great Britain and Italy. It is these countries that have the widest range of different industries and industries. But the balance of power between them has changed in recent decades. The role of leader has passed to Germany, whose economy is developing more dynamically along the path of reindustrialization. Great Britain, the former “workshop of the world,” has lost many of its former positions.
Of the remaining countries of foreign Europe, Spain, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium and Sweden have the greatest economic weight. Unlike the four main countries, their economy specializes primarily in individual industries, which, as a rule, have won European or world recognition.
Geography, geology and geodesy
The European Union includes three structural components, each with its own autonomous legal order. In the scientific literature and often in official documents, these components are called pillars of the Union. and those preserved after the establishment of the Union. Consequently, the European Union as a whole has as its first pillar two other organizations, each of which has its own constituent treaty.
The role and place of Europe in the modern world.
The European Union has three structural components, each with its own autonomous legal order. In the scientific literature and often in official documents, these components are called “pillars of the Union.”
^ First pillar European Communities created in the 1950s. and those preserved after the establishment of the Union. Today there are two of them - the European Community (EC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom).
Consequently, the European Union as a whole has as its first pillar two other organizations, each of which has its own constituent treaty.
^ The second pillar is the common foreign and security policy (CFSP), the successor to the European Political Cooperation created in 1970.
The third pillar is police-judicial cooperation in the field of criminal law (PCJC) within which the Union coordinates the activities of member states in the fight against crime.
Today, Western Europe has reached a level of integration where it has begun to feel and be perceived by other countries as a single whole and a center of gravity for neighboring states. This applies primarily to the position of the EU both in Europe and in world politics.
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The basis of the economy of Foreign Europe is. The leading industry is , which accounts for 1/3 of all industrial products and 2/3 of its exports. Foreign Europe is the birthplace of mechanical engineering, the world's largest manufacturer and exporter of machinery and industrial equipment.
Mechanical engineering here is focused on the availability of a highly qualified workforce, a developed scientific base and infrastructure.
All the main ones have received widespread development:
- production of machine tools and forging and pressing machines (Germany, Great Britain, France, Italy, Switzerland, Czech Republic, etc.),
- production of power equipment, electronic equipment, television and radio equipment (Germany, Great Britain, France, the Netherlands, etc.),
- automotive industry (France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Czech Republic, etc.), shipbuilding (Germany, Sweden, Great Britain, Spain, France, the Netherlands, Poland, etc.).
Military engineering, in particular aircraft construction, has reached large proportions (Germany, France, and Great Britain stand out).
It is characterized by the absence in this region of territorial nodes of a pan-European scale. This industry is represented in almost every major city in the region.
Foreign Europe also occupies a leading position in the world in the production and export of products (plastics, synthetic and artificial fibers, pharmaceuticals, nitrogen and potassium fertilizers, varnishes and paints). The chemical industry in Europe ranks second after mechanical engineering.
The industry's raw material base consists of (both domestic and imported) associated petroleum gases and refined petroleum products, resources of local deposits of rock, potassium and table salt.
Germany, Great Britain, and Germany have a particularly large share in the production and export of products. In the chemical industry, many countries in the region have a clear specialization:
- Germany – dyes and plastics;
- France - synthetic rubber;
- Belgium – chemical fertilizers and soda production;
- Sweden and Norway – forest chemistry;
- Switzerland, Hungary – pharmaceuticals;
In contrast to mechanical engineering, the region's chemical industry is characterized by the presence of a number of large centers. The largest petrochemical centers arose in the estuaries of the Rhine (Rotterdam), Seine,. In Eastern Europe, petrochemical centers are built along oil and gas pipeline routes.
One of the oldest industries in Foreign Europe is. developed in countries that traditionally have metallurgical fuels and raw materials: Germany, Great Britain, France, Sweden, Poland, etc. In recent years, this industry has seen a shift towards ports. Large metallurgical plants were created in seaports (Genoa, Naples, Taranto, etc.) with a focus on imported raw materials and fuel.
The most important industries are aluminum, lead-zinc and have also received preferential development in countries with sources of cheap electricity (France, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Switzerland, Great Britain specialize in aluminum smelting; Germany, France, Poland stand out in copper smelting; Germany, Belgium - lead and zinc).
Sectors of international specialization are the forestry industry, focusing on sources of raw materials (Sweden and Finland), clothing () and footwear (Italy, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, etc.), focusing on cheap labor reserves.
In the fuel and energy balance of Foreign Europe, the leading place is occupied by oil and natural gas, produced both in the region itself and imported from the countries of the Near and Middle East, Africa, the CIS (Russia), etc.
Most of the oil production occurs in (the UK and ) and the Netherlands (the Groningen field in the northeast of the country). Coal mining (hard and brown) is carried out in Germany, Great Britain, and Slovakia.
In most countries of Foreign Europe (France, Belgium, Germany, Great Britain, Poland, Sweden, etc.) the role of thermal power plants and nuclear power plants is great. The exception is Norway and Iceland, where hydroelectric power plants are the main type of power plants.
Europe
Europe- one of the six parts of the world, forming, together with Asia, the largest continent in terms of area and population, Eurasia. The area of Europe is 10 million km², the population is 730 million people.
The average height is about 300 m. Plains predominate (large - East European, Central European, Middle and Lower Danube, Paris Basin), mountains occupy about 17% of the territory (main - Alps, Caucasus, Carpathians, Crimean, Pyrenees, Apennines, Ural, Scandinavian mountains, mountains of the Balkan Peninsula). There are active volcanoes in Iceland and the Mediterranean.
In most of the territory the climate is temperate (in the west - oceanic, in the east - continental, with snowy and frosty winters), on the northern islands - subarctic and arctic, in Southern Europe - Mediterranean, in the Caspian lowland - semi-desert. There is glaciation on the Arctic islands, Iceland, the Scandinavian mountains, and the Alps (area over 116 thousand km²).
Main rivers: Volga, Danube, Ural, Dnieper, Western Dvina, Don, Pechora, Kama, Oka, Belaya, Dniester, Rhine, Elbe, Vistula, Tagus, Loire, Oder, Neman, Ebro.
Large lakes: Ladoga, Onega, Chudskoye, Venern, Balaton, Geneva.
Countries of Foreign Europe. Economic and geographical characteristics. Common features and regional differences.
Europe is washed by the Atlantic and Arctic oceans and their seas.
Geographically, Europe is limited by the Atlantic Ocean in the west and the Arctic Ocean in the north, the Black, Marmara and Mediterranean seas, the Bosphorus and Dardanelles in the south. The eastern foot of the Ural ridge, the Emba River and the Caspian Sea, and the northern border of the Ciscaucasia along the Kuma, Manych, and Don rivers are usually considered as the eastern and southeastern borders of Europe.
The countries of Europe are divided into four regions: Western, Eastern, Northern and Southern. Some geographers identify a fifth region - Central. In total, there are 65 countries in Europe: 50 of them are independent states, 9 dependent territories and 6 unrecognized republics. 14 countries are islands, 19 are inland, 32 have wide access to seas and oceans.
Three states - Russia, Turkey and Kazakhstan, according to all authoritative sources, have territories in both Europe and Asia; two more states (Azerbaijan and Georgia) are attributed entirely to Asia (when drawing the Europe-Asia border along the Kuma-Manych depression), but a number of American sources (when drawing the border between Europe and Asia along the Greater Caucasus) claim that these Asian states have small European parts, there are also sources that believe the countries of Transcaucasia and Cyprus are closely connected with Europe. Geographically located entirely in Asia, Armenia and Cyprus are classified as Europe according to a number of geopolitical criteria.
A number of European states have part of their territory in Africa - this is Spain (Africa includes the Canary Islands and the so-called “sovereign territories of Spain” on the Moroccan coast), Portugal (Africa includes Portuguese Madeira), as well as France (which has consisting of the overseas departments of Mayotte and Reunion, belonging to Africa).
Two European states have part of their national territory in America - Denmark (America includes its autonomous region of Greenland) and France (America includes its overseas departments and communities of French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Saint-Martin, Saint-Barthelemy, Martinique and Saint-Martin). Pierre and Miquelon).
Also, European countries include all island states and territories of the Mediterranean Sea.
27 states are members of the European Union, 25 are members of NATO, and the Council of Europe includes 47 states.
Europe is home to both the largest (Russia) and smallest (Vatican) states in the world.
Western Europe- a geopolitical region uniting mainly Latin-speaking countries, as well as the countries of the Celts and Germans, located in the western part of the European Peninsula. One of the most economically developed regions of the world.
The beginning of the formation of the region is considered to be the end of the existence of the Roman Empire and its division into Western and Eastern.
Main religions in the region are Catholicism and Protestantism.
EGP determined by the coastal position of most countries, also by the position on the main world sea routes leading from Europe to America, by the neighboring compact position of the countries in relation to each other; proximity to many developing countries means proximity to sources of raw materials. Countries in Africa and Asia supply Western Europe with cheap labor.
There are industrial oil reserves in the Netherlands and France; coal - in Germany (Ruhr basin), Great Britain (Welsh basin, Newcastle basin); iron ore - in France (Lorraine), Sweden; non-ferrous metal ores - in Germany, Spain, Italy; potassium salts - in Germany, France, etc. But due to the fact that the countries of Western Europe have long embarked on the path of industrial development, many deposits are close to depletion. In some countries, the problem of primary energy resources is acute. Western Europe is less well supplied with mineral raw materials than North America, which increases its dependence on imported raw materials. The northern and western parts of Western Europe are well supplied with fresh water resources. Large river arteries - Danube, Rhine, Loire. In Norway, 3/4 of all electricity comes from hydroelectric power plants. A characteristic feature of the region is the almost complete absence of natural landscapes.
The leading countries of Western Europe are the members of the G7 - Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy. The region is characterized by a high level of regional economic integration, the unification of countries in the EU, and the opening of state borders within the framework of the Common European Economic Space.
Eastern Europe-The region was formed during the heyday of the Byzantine Empire.
Basic religion is Orthodoxy and Catholicism. The region uses the Cyrillic script (in Slavic states with a predominance of Orthodoxy) and the Latin alphabet.
The countries of Eastern Europe represent a single natural territorial massif stretching from the Baltic to the Black and Adriatic Seas. At the heart of the region and adjacent countries is an ancient Precambrian platform, overlain by a cover of sedimentary rocks, as well as an area of Alpine folding.
An important feature of all countries in the region is their transit position between the countries of Western Europe and the CIS.
Natural resource reserves include: coal (Poland, Czech Republic), oil and natural gas (Romania), iron ores (countries of the former Yugoslavia, Romania, Slovakia), bauxite (Hungary), chromite (Albania).
In general, it must be said that the region is experiencing a shortage of resources, and in addition, it is a striking example of the “incompleteness” of a set of minerals. Thus, Poland has large reserves of coal, copper ores, and sulfur, but almost no oil, gas, or iron ore. In Bulgaria, on the contrary, there is no coal, although there are significant reserves of copper ores and polymetals.
The region's population is about 130 million people. The population of Eastern Europe is complex ethnic composition, but one can note the predominance of Slavic peoples. Of the other peoples, the most numerous are Romanians, Albanians, Hungarians, and Lithuanians.
in the 2nd half of the 20th century. Great changes have taken place in the economies of countries. Firstly, industries developed at a faster pace - by the 80s, Europe had become one of the most industrial regions of the world, and secondly, previously very backward regions also began to develop industrially (For example, Slovakia in the former Czechoslovakia, Moldova in Romania, northeast Poland). Such results became possible thanks to the implementation of regional policy.
Due to a shortage of oil reserves, this region is focused on coal, most of the electricity is generated by thermal power plants (more than 60%), but hydroelectric power plants and nuclear power plants also play an important role.
Nowadays, railway transport is the leader in terms of transportation volume, BUT road and sea transport are also intensively developing. The presence of major ports contributes to the development of foreign economic relations, shipbuilding, ship repair, and fishing.
Northern Europe- a geopolitical region uniting the Scandinavian and Baltic states located in the northern part of Europe.
The region was formed in the second half of the first millennium AD on the basis of German colonists, and inherited many of the characteristics of this people.
Dominant religions Lutheranism and other branches of Protestantism are found in the region.
The EGP of Northern Europe is characterized by the following features: firstly, advantageous location at the intersection of important air and sea routes from Europe to North America, as well as the convenience of access for countries in the region to the international waters of the World Ocean, secondly, the proximity of the location to highly developed countries of Western Europe(Germany, Holland, Belgium, Great Britain, France), thirdly, the proximity on the southern borders with the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, in particular Poland, where market relations are successfully developing, fourthly, land proximity with the Russian Federation, whose economic contacts contribute to the formation of promising markets for products; fifthly, the presence of territories located outside the Arctic Circle (35% of the area of Norway, 38% of Sweden, 47% of Finland).
The climate of remote areas (islands) is arctic, subarctic, and marine.
Hydropower resources are important for the Nordic countries. Norway and Sweden are best provided with hydropower resources, where heavy rainfall and mountainous terrain ensure the formation of strong and uniform water flow, and this creates good preconditions for the construction of hydroelectric power stations. One of the greatest wealth of the Nordic countries is forest resources, that is, “green gold”. Sweden and Finland stand out in terms of forest area and gross timber reserves, ranking first and second in Europe, respectively, according to these indicators. Forest cover in these countries is high. In Finland it is almost 66%, in Sweden - more than 59% (1995). Among other countries of the Northern macroregion, Latvia stands out for its high forest cover (46.8%).
The northern lands are among the least populated areas.
The countries of Fennoscandia, except Sweden, are characterized by positive but low natural population growth, with the exception of Iceland, where natural growth remained at 9 people per 1000 inhabitants. This tense demographic situation is explained, first of all, by low birth rates.
Southern Europe- a geopolitical region uniting South Slavic, Romano and Greek-speaking states located in the southern part of Europe.
The region began to take shape in the era of Ancient Greece around 2 thousand years BC and was finally formed during the dawn of the Roman Empire. This is the oldest European region.
The religious composition is represented mainly by Orthodoxy and Catholicism.
An important feature of the EGP countries of Southern Europe, which are located on the peninsulas and islands of the Mediterranean Sea, is that all of them are on the main sea routes from Europe to Asia, Africa and Australia, and Spain and Portugal - also to North and South America. All this, since the time of the great geographical discoveries, has 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 over some African countries. In the post-war years, towards the beginning of the 21st century, there was mass migration to the countries of Southern Europe.
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.
