What is Southern Europe?
'''Southern Europe''' is a [[region]] of the [[Europe]]an [[continent]]. The official definition of Southern Europe includes the [[Iberian Peninsula]], [[Italian Peninsula]] and [[Balkans|Balkan Peninsula]]. [[Spain]], [[Portugal]], [[Italy]] and [[Greece]] and all northern [[Mediterranean]] countries of the European continent are considered part of Southern Europe. Most importantly, in a [[European Union]] context, [[Portugal]], [[Spain]], [[France]], [[Italy]], [[Malta]], [[Greece]], [[Cyprus]], [[Croatia]] and [[Slovenia]] officially belong to the Group of the South. == Geographical definition == Geographically, Southern Europe would be the south half of the landmass of Europe. This definition is relative, with no clear limits. The [[Alps]] mountains are a physical barrier between Italy and the rest of Europe. == Geopolitical definition of the United Nations == [[File:MapLab-Southern Europe.svg|thumb|230px|right|The definition of continental subregions in use by the [[United Nations]].]] For its official works and publications, the [[United Nations|United Nations Organization]] has its own special definition of regions. [[Corsica]] for example is part of France, thus not part of Southern Europe, but Italian [[South Tyrol]] belongs to Southern Europe as it is part of Italy. == Climatical definition == The climatic definition of southern Europe would be similar to the areas of [[Mediterranean climate]]. The Mediterranean climate is often thought to be a typical characteristic of Southern Europe. == Linguistic and cultural definition == Countries of [[Latin]] Europe are often associated with the concept of Southern Europe, especially Italy, Spain and Portugal. Greece, Malta and Cyprus are also associated with the concept of Southern Europe, even though Cyprus is geographically in [[Asia]]. == List of countries == Although there is no precise definition, the following territories are commonly thought to be parts of Southern Europe: * [[Southern Europe]] ** {{flag|Portugal}} ** {{flag|Spain}} ** {{flag|And