List of Western European countries and their capitals. European countries Belarus and Eastern European countries

It is generally accepted to distinguish four regions within Europe: Northern, Southern, Western and Eastern. Eastern European countries have a lower level of economic development than their western neighbors on the continent. However, they have preserved their cultural and ethnic identity much better. What countries are included in the Eastern European region?

Eastern Europe: the problem of identifying the region

The issue of European regionalization is quite problematic. It should be noted right away that Eastern Europe is, first of all, a historical and cultural region, and not a geographical one. Indeed, by territorial standards, the eastern part of Europe can only include the expanses of the Russian Federation. And the geographical center of Europe is completely within Ukraine.

Let's try to list all the countries of Eastern Europe. In this matter, too, not everything is so simple, since Eastern Europe is the most problematic in the process of regionalization. Germany, for example, is definitely not one of them. But a country like Belarus is included, and according to all existing regional maps.

Today there are several classifications. For example, according to one of them, only Russia, Ukraine and Belarus are included in the Eastern Europe region. The two most problematic regions are the Baltic states and the Balkans. Some geographers believe that the Balkan and Baltic countries need to be attributed to this region, while others are sure that they “don’t belong” there.

It is worth noting interesting feature in the process of regionalization of Europe: all states of the Eastern European region previously belonged to the so-called Eastern Bloc of states. These are the countries that, after the end of World War II, one way or another fell under the influence of the USSR.

Eastern Europe: countries, list

It is interesting that before the outbreak of World War II, geographers drew the border between Eastern and Western Europe clearly along the line of demarcation between the Germanic and Slavic nations.

Today the most popular is the regionalization of Europe from the UN Statistics Division. According to this international organization, 10 countries are currently part of the Eastern Europe region. The countries (listed below) of this region are ranked by the size of the population that lives in each of them:

1. European part of Russia (capital - Moscow).
2. Ukraine, Kyiv).
3. Poland Warsaw).
4. Romania (Bucharest).
5. Czech Republic, Prague).
6. Hungary (Budapest).
7. Belarus, Minsk).
8. Bulgaria (Sofia).
9. Slovakia (Bratislava).
10. Moldova, Kishinev).

Almost all countries of Eastern Europe, with the exception of Hungary, Romania and Moldova, are Slavic states. Let's pay special attention to some of them.

Czech Republic - tourist mecca of the region

The Czech Republic is a small state in the very center of Europe with a population of ten million inhabitants. Has no access to the seas. The basis of the economy of this country is the metallurgical industry, chemical complex and mechanical engineering. It is here that the famous European automobile company Skoda, founded back in 1895, is located.

The Czech Republic is the country with the most developed tourism in the region. Tourists are attracted here by ancient and beautiful cities, architecture and museums of old Prague, as well as stunning ski resorts. In addition, the Czech Republic is also considered the beer capital of Europe!

Poland - a country of storks and castles

Poland is a state in Eastern Europe with a rich history and a huge number of monuments. It is the "most Catholic" country in Europe. About 39 million people live here, 85% of whom profess Catholicism. Just recently, Poland was in a deep economic crisis. However, in the 90s of the twentieth century, reforms were successfully carried out in the country, and today Poland is one of the most dynamically developing countries in Europe.

Delicious National cuisine, beautiful brick Gothic, hundreds of well-preserved castles - this is what makes Poland very attractive for tourists and travelers.

Romania is the most mysterious country in Eastern Europe

When talking about Eastern Europe, one cannot fail to mention Romania. This Mountain country has always attracted attention with its mystery and mysticism. After all, it was here, in Transylvania, that the legendary Count Dracula lived, and Romania today successfully uses this moment to attract tourists to the country.

Romania's economy is largely dependent on oil. Moreover, the country both extracts this natural resource and produces high-quality equipment for the oil industry. Income from tourism is also growing every year. Since the early 2000s, exports to Romania have been steadily increasing, but the state remains in dire need of investment.

Finally...

Thus, the countries of Eastern Europe today are ten independent states. All of them are very colorful, original and have preserved the richest cultural heritage on their lands.

Eastern Europe

General information about the region

Economic-geographical location

The countries of Eastern Europe began to be identified as a socio-political and economic entity in the 90s of the 20th century. This is due to the collapse of the former USSR and the socialist system and the formation of independent states. The region covers 7 countries (table).

The economic and geographical position of Eastern Europe is distinguished by the following features:

Borders in the west with highly developed countries, and in the east and southeast with Russia and the countries of South-Eastern Europe - potential markets for Eastern Europe;

Passage of trans-European transport routes of meridional and latitudinal directions through the region. The first of them connect the Scandinavian countries and Finland with the countries of the Danube basin and Southern Europe, and the second provide a connection between the east and west of the continent;

Access to the Baltic Sea, which provides direct benefits for transport and trade relations;

Second half of the 80s, XX century. entered the history of these countries as a period of radical socio-political changes. In Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and the USSR, the political regimes created after the Second World War on the model of the Stalinist administrative-command system experienced the collapse. The ruling communist and workers' parties, one after another, lost their monopoly on power, most of them disintegrated.

Political and socio-economic changes influenced the formation of modern political map Of Eastern Europe.

Table

Eastern European countries

As a result of the collapse of the USSR, independent states were formed: Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia.

In the process of profound revolutionary changes, the countries of Eastern Europe entered a period of political and economic reforms, actively asserting the principles of real democracy, political pluralism, and a market economy. A multi-structured economy with equal forms of ownership, including private ownership, is being formed.

All countries in the region are members of the UN.

Natural conditions. The relief clearly shows: lowlands, hilly plains and mountains. The territory is predominantly flat. Mountain ranges mostly located along the edges of the region - the Sudeten, Bohemian and Carpathian mountains.

The highest mountain system in the region is Carpathians, which form a convex arc to the northeast, almost 1500 km long. Average heights are 1000 m, the highest is 2655 m (Gerlachovsky Štit in the Tatras). To the Carpathian mountain system include the Western and Eastern Carpathians, Beskids, Southern Carpathians, Western Romanian Mountains, Transylvanian Plateau. There are many thermal springs.

Three quarters of the region's territory is occupied by plains. Most of the low-lying areas are located in coastal areas and river beds: the Middle Danube, Black Sea, Severopol, and Dnieper lowlands.

The river network in the region is quite dense. The plain Danube, Vistula, Oder, Tisza and their tributaries are predominantly full-flowing, have a calm flow and therefore relatively low energy.

Slovakia, Hungary, and the Czech Republic do not have access to the World Ocean.

There are also many lakes here. In Lithuania alone there are almost 4,000 of them. In Poland there are huge areas of marshy areas, the most famous are the Pripyat marshes.

Healing mineral springs available in Hungary, Lithuania (Druskininkai), Czech Republic (Karlovy Vary).

Climate. The predominant part of the territory is temperate continental, average January temperatures are -3...-5 C, July +20...+23 ° C, precipitation falls up to 500-650 mm. Tropical air masses come mainly from the Mediterranean Sea in summer and determine cloudless and hot weather, warm (+2...+4° C) and humid in winter.

Natural resources. The region has significant mineral resources. He fully satisfies his needs in coal(Upper Silesian (Poland), Kladno, Ostrava-Karvinsky (Czech Republic), brown coal, which is mined in all countries mainly by open-pit mining - the central regions of Poland, northern Hungary). Peat lies in Poland, Lithuania, largest reserves oil shale- in Estonia (Kohtla-Jarve). Countries are forced to import a significant portion of fuel and energy resources, especially oil and gas.

Ore minerals presented copper ores (Lower Silesian basin in Poland), bauxite(northwest Hungary). Among non-metallic minerals there are important reserves of rock salt (lower Vistula in Poland), sulfur (southeast and Carpathian region in Poland, amber (Latvia), phosphorites (Estonia).

Forest resources the largest in Poland and Slovakia. The bulk of forest areas are plantations that protect water, fields, the sea coast, landscape, as well as groves and parks in recreational areas.

Population

Demographic features. The demographic situation is quite complex, which is due to the consequences of the Second World War, the growth of urbanization and the associated industrial development of states.

As in most other European countries, natural population growth has decreased significantly in recent decades, primarily due to a sharp decline in the birth rate, and in all countries except Slovakia it has become negative. The number of people in older age groups (65 years and older) has noticeably increased, amounting to 14%, while the number of young people (under 14 years old) has decreased - 18% of the total population. The gender composition of the population is dominated by women (53%).

Racial composition. Among the inhabitants of the region, representatives of the transitional (Central European) group of the Caucasian race predominate with moderately intense skin pigmentation, varied eye colors (blue, gray, green, brown), hair of all shades: from blond to dark chestnut and black. On the Baltic Sea coast live groups of northern Caucasians who are distinguished by significant depigmentation of their skin, eyes and hair.

Ethnic composition. Countries have mostly heterogeneous ethnic composition. In many of them, Russians predominate among national minorities, for example in Latvia (34%), Estonia (30%), Lithuania (9%). In other countries: Hungarians - in Slovakia, Roma - in Hungary and Slovakia, Slovaks - in the Czech Republic. The only mononational country is Poland, where Poles make up 98.5% of the population.

The population belongs mainly to two language families: Indo-European - the most numerous, as part of the Slavic group (Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians, Poles, Czechs, Slovaks) and the Baltic group (Latvians, Lithuanians); Ural, represented by the Finno-Hungarian group (Hungarians, Estonians).

Religious composition. The region is dominated by Christianity, represented by all directions: Catholicism is professed in Poland, Lithuania, Protestantism (Lutheranism) - in Estonia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, approximately 60% of the population are Catholics, the rest are Protestants.

The region has a very dense network of urban settlements, most of which have existed for several centuries. Unique not only for Poland, but also for Europe in general is the Upper Silesian agglomeration (3.4 million people), which represents a continuous urban settlement of over 30 cities and working towns within the Upper Silesian coal basin. The center of the agglomeration is the city of Katowice. The vast majority of urban residents are concentrated in the metropolitan agglomerations: Budapest (2.5 million), Warsaw (2.3 million).

The urban lifestyle is largely characteristic of rural areas Western countries of the region (Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary). The rural population has different types of settlement: group (villages) - in the center, south and east of the region; farmstead - in the Baltic states and Poland.

Since the mid-90s of the XX century. In the countries of Eastern Europe, economic emigration of the population in search of work and permanent income has increased significantly. Intraregional migration from eastern regions to economically developed regions is also noticeable. Western countries the same region - Poland, the Czech Republic.

Europa is named after the heroine of ancient Greek mythology, Europa, a Phoenician princess who was kidnapped by Zeus and taken to the island of Crete. The origin of this name itself, as the French linguist P. Chantrain concludes, is unknown. The most popular etymological hypotheses in modern literature were proposed in antiquity (along with many others), but are controversial: One etymology interprets it from the Greek roots evri- and ops- as “wide-eyed”. According to the lexicographer Hesychius, the name Europia means "land of sunset, or dark", which was defined by later linguists as "sunset".

The name Europe for a part of the world is absent in ancient Greek literature (in the Homeric hymn to Apollo of Pythia, Europe is only named Northern Greece) and was first recorded in the “Description of the Earth” by Hecataeus of Miletus (late 6th century BC), the first book of which is dedicated to Europe.

The ancient Greeks initially considered Europe to be a separate continent, separated from Asia by the Aegean and Black Seas, and from Africa by the Mediterranean Sea. Convinced that Europe was only a small part of the huge continent, which is now called Eurasia, ancient authors began to draw the eastern border of Europe along the Don River (such ideas are already found in Polybius and Strabo). This tradition prevailed for almost two millennia. In particular, according to Mercator, the border of Europe runs along the Don, and from its source - strictly north to the White Sea.
In the 15th century, when Muslims were driven out of almost all of Spain and the Byzantines from Asia (by the Turks), Europe briefly became almost synonymous with Christendom, but today most Christians live outside its territory. In the 19th century, almost all of the world's industry was located in Europe; today, most of the products are produced outside its borders. In 1720, V. N. Tatishchev proposed drawing the eastern border of Europe along the ridge Ural mountains, and further along the Yaik River (modern Ural) up to the mouth flowing into the Caspian Sea. Gradually, the new border became generally accepted, first in Russia, and then beyond its borders. Currently, the border of Europe is drawn: in the north - along the Arctic Ocean; in the west - along the Atlantic Ocean; in the south - along the Mediterranean, Aegean, Marmara, Black Seas; in the east - along the eastern foot of the Ural Mountains, the Mugodzharam Mountains, along the Yaik River (modern Ural) to the Caspian Sea, from there along the Kuma and Manych rivers to the mouth of the Don (or along the Caucasus Range to the Black Sea). Europe also includes nearby islands and archipelagos.

Countries of Europe

Eastern Europe:
Belarus, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Slovakia

Northern Europe:
, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia,

Eastern Europe- These are the eastern territories of the European part of Eurasia. Its boundaries changed periodically, that is, they corresponded to the era. During the Cold War, Eastern Europe included all Soviet countries, and after its end, many states began to belong to other regions.

Currently, the countries of Eastern Europe include: Belarus, Hungary, Bulgaria, Moldova, Russia (up to 22% of the territory), Poland, Romania, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Ukraine. But every year the map of Eastern Europe changes more and more. Some scholars and states do not consider Russia to be part of Europe, and some exclude Ukraine. Therefore, when defining Eastern Europe, it is often said that these are the territories located between Central Europe and Western Asia, and these areas are based on Orthodox, Byzantine and Ottoman cultures.

The population of Eastern Europe is approximately 135 million inhabitants (Excluding the population of Russia). The most large number population in Poland (38.6 million), and the smallest in Moldova (4.3 million people). If we consider the ethnic composition, it is worth noting that the majority of the population belongs to the Slavic group of peoples. Main nationalities: Belarusians, Latvians, Lithuanians, Moldovans, Ukrainians and Russians.

The largest country in Eastern Europe is Ukraine, with an area of ​​603.7 thousand km2, followed by Poland - 313 thousand km2, and Belarus - 208 thousand km2.

It should be noted that most countries in Eastern Europe have undergone many economic and geographical changes over the past half century. After the collapse of the USSR, new states were formed, and regimes and governments changed in existing ones. At the same time, the economies of most Eastern European countries were developing rapidly, right up to the global crisis; now the pace of development has decreased significantly, but in general they are much higher than in the rest of Europe.

The fall of the Iron Curtain led to the end of the division between East and West, but the concept is still widely used in the media.

The culture of Eastern Europe has recently become heavily dependent on the West; national traditions, rituals and holidays are being lost. Young people are increasingly looking towards America with envy.

The video lesson allows you to get interesting and detailed information about the countries of Eastern Europe. From the lesson you will learn about the composition of Eastern Europe, the characteristics of the countries of the region, their geographical location, nature, climate, place in this subregion. The teacher will tell you in detail about the main country of Eastern Europe - Poland.

Topic: Regional characteristics of the world. Foreign Europe

Lesson: Eastern Europe

Rice. 1. Map of subregions of Europe. Eastern Europe is highlighted in red. ()

Eastern Europe- a cultural and geographical region that includes states located in eastern Europe.

Compound:

1. Belarus.

2. Ukraine.

3. Bulgaria.

4. Hungary.

5. Moldova.

6. Poland.

7. Romania.

8. Slovakia.

In the post-war period, the industry actively grew and developed in all countries of the region, with non-ferrous metallurgy relying mainly on its own raw materials, and ferrous metallurgy on imported ones.

The industry is also represented in all countries, but is most developed in the Czech Republic (primarily machine tool manufacturing, production of household appliances and computer equipment); Poland and Romania are distinguished by the production of metal-intensive machines and structures; In addition, shipbuilding is developed in Poland.

The chemical industry of the region lags far behind that of Western Europe due to the lack of raw materials for the most advanced branches of chemistry - oil. But we can still note the pharmaceuticals of Poland and Hungary, the glass industry of the Czech Republic.

Under the influence of scientific and technological revolution, significant changes occurred in the structure of the economy of the countries of Eastern Europe: the agro-industrial complex emerged, and specialization of agricultural production took place. It was most clearly manifested in grain farming and in the production of vegetables, fruits, and grapes.

The economic structure of the region is heterogeneous: in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, and Poland, the share of livestock farming exceeds the share of crop farming, while in the rest the ratio is still the opposite.

Due to the diversity of soil and climatic conditions, several zones of crop production can be distinguished: wheat is grown everywhere, but in the north (Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania) rye and potatoes play an important role, in the central part of the subregion vegetable growing and horticulture are cultivated, and the “southern” countries specialize on subtropical crops.

The main crops grown in the region are wheat, corn, vegetables, and fruits.

The main wheat and corn regions of Eastern Europe were formed within the Middle and Lower Danube lowlands and the Danube hilly plain (Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria).

Hungary has achieved the greatest success in grain growing.

Vegetables, fruits, and grapes are cultivated almost everywhere in the subregion, but there are areas where they primarily determine the specialization of agriculture. These countries and regions also have their own specialization in terms of product range. For example, Hungary is famous for its winter varieties of apples, grapes, and onions; Bulgaria - oilseeds; Czech Republic - hops, etc.

Animal husbandry. The northern and central countries of the region specialize in dairy and meat and dairy cattle breeding and pig breeding, while the southern countries specialize in mountain pasture meat and wool animal husbandry.

In Eastern Europe, which lies at the crossroads of routes that have long connected the eastern and western parts of Eurasia, the transport system has been developing over many centuries. Currently the leader in terms of traffic volume railway transport, but automobile and maritime industries are also developing intensively. The presence of major ports contributes to the development of external economic ties, shipbuilding, ship repair, fishing.

Poland. Official name- Republic of Poland. The capital is Warsaw. Population - 38.5 million people, of which more than 97% are Poles. The majority are Catholics.

Rice. 3. Historical center of Warsaw ()

Poland borders Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania and Russia; in addition, it borders the sea areas (zones) of Denmark and Sweden.

About 2/3 of the territory in the north and center of the country is occupied by the Polish Lowland. In the north there is the Baltic ridge, in the south and southeast - the Lesser Poland and Lublin Uplands, along the southern border - the Carpathians (highest point 2499 m, Mount Rysy in the Tatras) and the Sudetes. Large rivers - Vistula, Odra; dense river network. The lakes are mainly in the north. 28% of the territory is under forest.

Minerals of Poland: coal, sulfur, iron ore, various salts.

Upper Silesia is a region of concentration of industrial production in Poland of pan-European significance.

Poland generates almost all its electricity at thermal power plants.

Leading manufacturing industries:

1. Mining.

2. Mechanical engineering (Poland occupies one of the leading places in the world in the production of fishing vessels, commercial and passenger cars, road and construction machines, machine tools, engines, electronics, industrial equipment, etc.).

3. Ferrous and non-ferrous (large-scale zinc production) metallurgy.

4. Chemical (sulfuric acid, fertilizers, pharmaceuticals, perfumes and cosmetics, photographic products).

5. Textile (cotton, linen, wool).

6. Sewing.

7. Cement.

8. Production of porcelain and earthenware.

9. Production of sporting goods (kayaks, yachts, tents, etc.).

10. Furniture production.

Poland has a highly developed agriculture. Agriculture is dominated by crop production. The main grain crops are rye, wheat, barley, oats.

Poland is a large producer of sugar beets (over 14 million tons per year), potatoes, and cabbage. The export of apples, strawberries, raspberries, currants, garlic, and onions is important.

The leading branch of livestock farming is pig farming, dairy and beef cattle breeding, poultry farming (Poland is one of Europe's largest suppliers of eggs), and beekeeping.

Homework

Topic 6, P. 3

1. What are the features geographical location Of Eastern Europe?

2. Name the main areas of specialization in Poland.

Bibliography

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Materials on the Internet

1. Federal Institute of Pedagogical Measurements ().

2. Federal portal Russian Education ().