Geographers are conventionally assumed that the countries of Central Europe are located in the middle of this part of the world. The concept of "Central 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 end of the war, and called it Central Europe.
Central Europe
An interesting fact is that the concept of Central Europe is a German interpretation of the name of a group of European countries. The common name is Central Europe. There are no defined borders separating one part of Europe from another. This is not a real geographical 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 Habsburg empire. They are united by common historical traditions and events.
List of countries
In different sources, the list of countries in Central Europe will be different depending on the concepts. Until today, there is no definite point of view, and this issue remains the subject of constant discussion. This should not be surprising, since, for example, Hungary or the Czech Republic consider themselves to be countries of Central Europe (Central), in some sources they are referred to as Eastern European countries. The same thing happens with Austria, which is attributed either to Central or to Western Europe.
Countries in Central Europe
Since there are no clear boundaries and rules for defining the concept of “Middle Europe”, in this article we will consider a group of countries that have a historical community. These are mainly small areas of Europe, excluding Germany and Poland. So what is the list of countries in Central Europe? It includes:
- Germany. Officially called - Federal Republic of Germany. Location - Central Europe. The area is 357.4 thousand square kilometers, on which 82.2 million people live. Its capital is the city of Berlin. It received the unofficial name of "Great Power", which, thanks 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 of citizens. Germany is the largest country in Central Europe.
- Poland. The official name is the Republic of Poland. The area is 312.7 thousand square kilometers. Total residents - 38.6 million people. The capital is Warsaw.
- Czech. Officially called the Czech Republic. The area 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. The capital is Bratislava.
- Austria. The official name is the Republic of Austria. Territory - 83.9 thousand square kilometers. The population is 8.7 million people. The capital is Vienna. It is also considered one of the richest countries in the world. High standard of living of the country's population.
- Belgium. Officially called the Kingdom of Belgium. Territory - 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 conventionally considered the capital, since this city does not have an official status.
- Luxembourg. Geographical name - 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 dwarf 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 medium-sized European countries: Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia. The rest of the countries have a small territory. But, despite this, all of them belong to developed countries not only in Europe, but also in the world. The standard of living is very high. The population density is high. These are industrial countries with very developed economies.
Location
As mentioned above, the borders surrounding the territory are purely arbitrary. The northern borders of the group of countries of Central Europe pass through the Baltic and North Seas. For the South take the mountains of the Pyrenees, 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. Switzerland, Austria, Luxembourg, Czech Republic, Slovakia are located inside the territory.
What unites countries
What served as a unifying principle, which allowed to connect such a large territory and a group of countries? What common features give the right to consider them as a whole, for example, from a geographical point of view. Countries in Central Europe are located in temperate latitudes. If viewed from this point of view, then it is necessary to include most of France, Great Britain and Ireland. Seen from a historical perspective, these countries cannot belong to Central Europe.
Natural conditions
If you look at the physical map of Europe, you can see that the mountainous terrain prevails here. Part of the territory of foreign countries of Central Europe, mainly southern, is located in young mountains - these are the Carpathians and the Alps. The arc of the Alpine massif has a duration of 1200 km. Alps are the highest mountains in Europe. The climate is temperate continental.
Most of the Central European countries are occupied by old mountains with valleys. These include the Black Forest, Vosges, and the Sudetenland. The mountains are low, the maximum height of 1.5 kilometers. Between the arrays are plains. This part of the territory is rich in minerals, mainly coal, metal ores. The climate here is continental, with a lot of rainfall.
The northern territories of Central Europe are located on the Central European Plain, which begins from the shores of the North and Baltic Seas. The climate of this natural zone is temperate continental. Once upon a time, the plain was covered with dense forests that were cut down. The original forests were preserved in the form of massifs called forests. An example is the Belovezhskaya Pushcha of Belarus.
Natural resource potential
Being large industrial states with powerful engineering enterprises, and without their natural resources, countries of Central Europe use foreign raw materials. Ferrous metallurgy uses imported raw materials, which makes up 2/3 of the total consumption. Only Austria has a sufficient natural reserve of metal ores.
There are no natural reserves in the Netherlands except gas. Switzerland and Austria have sufficient hydropower resources, with virtually no natural resources. There are coal deposits in Poland and Germany, but the main energy production is based on imported raw materials.
Which countries are included in Central Europe (additional)
As mentioned above, all scientists are united on the composition of the countries of central Europe. But if it comes to the German name, then the list varies from several countries to almost all European states. Based on historical, cultural ties, some researchers include the following states or their separate areas in the composition of the countries of Central Europe:
- Croatia, which, by geographic location, is considered by most geographers to be countries in southeastern Europe.
- Romanian regions Transylvania and Bukovina.
- Baltic countries. Most of them are referred to Northern Europe. But following the German concept, some researchers rank them among Central Europe.
- Benelux countries belonging to Western Europe, following the interpretation of Germany, are ranked as Middle.
- Parts of Italy, namely Trieste, Gorizia, Trento, South Tyrol, Friuli, which once entered Austria-Hungary.
- Parts of Ukraine, such as Galicia, Transcarpathia and Ukrainian Bukovina.
The concept of Central (Central) Europe
Western politicians have been preoccupied with the idea of uniting the central European countries under the influence of Germany since the 1980s. It is clear that such large countries as France, Great Britain, Spain do not want to be under anyone’s leadership at all. These self-sufficient countries at all times of their existence were the largest powers that have always seen in Germany their opponent, if not their opponent.
Therefore, Germany puts forward the concept of a hundred years ago about 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 believe that nothing depends on the name. But this is not so. Remember the saying "what you call a yacht, so it will sail." It's not about the name. In discussions about which countries go there, it is convenient to carry out your ambitious ideas.
The national liberation movements in the countries that were part of the Habsburg Empire (Austria-Hungary) are completely silent. The idea of the historical unity of these peoples under the influence of Germany is advanced. Russia in this story is represented by an 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 “kidnapper of Europe”.