southeast Europe

File:Geographic map of Balkan Peninsula.svg

Southeast Europe or Southeastern Europe is a geographical sub-region of Europe, consisting primarily of the region of the Balkans, as well as adjacent regions and archipelagos. There are overlapping and conflicting definitions of the region, due to political, economic, historical, cultural, and geographical considerations.

Sovereign states and territories that may be included in the region are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia (alternatively placed in Central Europe), Greece (alternatively placed in the broader region of Southern Europe), Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania (alternatively placed in Eastern Europe), Serbia, and the European part of Turkey (alternatively placed in the broader region of Southern Europe, also in Western Asia with the rest of the country). Sometimes, Cyprus (most often placed in West Asia), Hungary (most often placed in Central Europe), Moldova (most often placed in Eastern Europe), and Slovenia (most often placed in Central Europe) are also included due to cultural or historical factors and affiliation.

The largest cities of the region are Istanbul, Athens, Bucharest, Sofia, and Belgrade.

Definition

The first known use of the term "Southeast Europe" was by Austrian researcher Johann Georg von Hahn (1811–1869) as a broader term than the traditional Balkans,Hösch, Nehring, Sundhaussen (Hrsg.), Lexikon zur Geschichte Südosteuropas, S. 663, {{ISBN|3-8252-8270-8}} a concept based on the boundaries of the Balkan Peninsula. Countries described in 2004 by Istituto Geografico De Agostini as being entirely within the Balkan region, are: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Montenegro, and North Macedonia.Istituto Geografico De Agostini, L'Enciclopedia Geografica – Vol.I – Italia, 2004, Ed. De Agostini p.78

However from the 1990s onwards, in part due to the negative historical and political connotations of the term Balkans,{{cite web|title=Balkanize|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/balkanize|publisher=merriam-webster.com}} (especially since the military conflicts of the 1990s in Yugoslavia in the western half of the region) the term Southeast Europe is becoming increasingly popular.{{cite journal|last=Altić|first=Mirela Slukan|date=2011|title=Hrvatska kao zapadni Balkan – geografska stvarnost ili nametnuti identitet?|trans-title=Croatia as a Part of the Western Balkans – Geographical Reality or Enforced Identity?|journal=Društvena Istraživanja|language=hr|volume=20|issue=2|pages=401–413|doi=10.5559/di.20.2.06|doi-access=free}}{{cite book|last=Bideleux|first=Robert|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PTB0gn_qwTcC|title=A history of Eastern Europe|author2=Ian Jeffries|publisher=Taylor & Francis|year=2007|isbn=978-0-415-36627-4|page=37}}

=''Standing Committee on Geographical Names''=

File:Grossgliederung Europas-en.svg

The German {{lang|de|Ständige Ausschuss für geographische Namen}} (Standing Committee on Geographical Names), which develops and recommends rules for the uniform use of geographical names, proposes two sets of boundaries. The first follows international borders of current countries. The second subdivides and includes some countries based on cultural criteria. The following countries are included in their classification "Southeastern Europe":

Albania
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Cyprus
Greece
Montenegro
Moldova
North Macedonia
Romania
Serbia

In this classification, Croatia, Hungary and Slovenia are included in Central Europe, while Turkey (East Thrace) is classified outside of main Europe.

=''CIA World Factbook''=

File:Europe subregion map world factbook.svg. Southeastern Europe in brown]]

In the CIA World Factbook, the description of each country includes information about "Location" under the heading "Geography", where the country is classified into a region. The following countries are included in their classification "Southeast Europe":{{cite web|last1=CIA|title=The World Factbook|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070601020457/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/|url-status=dead|archive-date=1 June 2007}}

Albania
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Croatia
Kosovo
Montenegro
North Macedonia
Romania
Serbia
Turkey (East Thrace)

In this classification, Moldova is included in Eastern Europe and Greece is included in Southern Europe.{{cite web|title=Moldova|date=12 October 2022|publisher=CIA|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/moldova/}}{{cite web|date=11 October 2022|title=Greece|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/greece/|publisher=CIA}} Hungary and Slovenia are included in Central Europe.{{cite web|title=Slovenia|date=6 October 2022|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/slovenia/|publisher=CIA}}

Notable groupings of states

The Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe (SPSEE) included Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Slovenia as member partners.
The South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) includes Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia and Turkey as member partners.
The Southeast European Cooperative Initiative (SECI) includes Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia and Turkey as member partners.
The Southeast European Law Enforcement Center (SELEC) includes Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Turkey as member states.{{Cite web|title=Member States|url=https://www.selec.org/member-states/|access-date=14 November 2023|website=Southeast European Law Enforcement Center|language=en-US}}
The EU-co-funded South East Europe Transnational Cooperation Programme{{cite web|url=http://www.southeast-europe.net/hu/|title=South-East Europe|website=www.southeast-europe.net|access-date=7 January 2019|archive-date=1 May 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080501150625/http://www.southeast-europe.net/hu/|url-status=dead}} includes the whole territory of Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Moldova, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and parts of Italy and Ukraine as part of the "programme area".{{citation|title=South East Europe (SEE): Operational Programme|chapter=Programme summary|date=28 November 2013|publisher=South East Europe Transnational Cooperation Programme|page=6}}
The Police Cooperation Convention for Southeast Europe (PCC SEE) includes Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Slovenia as member states.{{Cite web|title=Police Cooperation Convention for Southeast Europe (PCC SEE)|url=https://www.pccseesecretariat.si/index.php?item=9&page=static|access-date=19 December 2023|website=PCC SEE Secretariat}}
Studies of the World Bank treat Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Moldova, North Macedonia, Romania and Serbia as the eight South Eastern European countries (SEE8).{{cite book|author=Harry G. Broadman|title=Building Market Institutions in South Eastern Europe: Comparative Prospects for Investment and Private Sector Development|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kxaNxmx2XXoC&pg=PR15|year=2004|publisher=World Bank Publications|isbn=978-0-8213-5776-7|page=xviii}}
A 2006 publication of the World Health Organization (WHO) and Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) listed Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, North Macedonia, Moldova, Romania and Serbia and Montenegro as 'south-eastern European countries'.{{cite book|author1=World Health Organization. Regional Office for Europe|author2=Council of Europe Development Bank|title=Health and Economic Development in South-eastern Europe|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wvkiZccWUY4C&pg=PA5|year=2006|publisher=World Health Organization|isbn=978-92-890-2295-8|pages=5–}}
The World Bank does not include the EU countries in its reports, and lists only Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia (SEE6).{{cite web|title=South East Europe Regular Economic Report|publisher=World Bank|url=http://www.worldbank.org/en/region/eca/publication/south-east-europe-regular-economic-report}}
UNHCR's Regional Office in South Eastern Europe{{cite web|url=http://reporting.unhcr.org/node/12002|title=Regional Office in South Eastern Europe - Global Focus|website=reporting.unhcr.org}} currently lists Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Montenegro as part of 'South Eastern Europe'.

References

Sources

Paul L. Horecky (ed.), Southeastern Europe: A guide to basic publications, Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1969.
{{Cite book|last=Jelavich|first=Barbara|author-link=Barbara Jelavich|title=History of the Balkans: Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries|volume=1|year=1983a|publisher=Cambridge University Press|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qR4EeOrTm-0C|isbn=9780521274586}}
{{Cite book|last=Jelavich|first=Barbara|author-link=Barbara Jelavich|title=History of the Balkans: Twentieth Century|volume=2|year=1983b|publisher=Cambridge University Press|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Hd-or3qtqrsC|isbn=9780521274593}}
Troebst, Stefan, [http://ieg-ego.eu/en/threads/theories-and-methods/historical-meso-region/stefan-troebst-historical-meso-region?set_language=en&-C= "Historical Meso-Region": A Concept in Cultural Studies and Historiography], [http://www.ieg-ego.eu/ EGO - European History Online], Mainz: [http://www.ieg-mainz.de/likecms/index.php Institute of European History], 2012, retrieved: 4 March 2020 ([https://d-nb.info/1036245926/34 pdf])

External links

{{Commons category-inline}}

Category:Southeastern Europe

Category:Regions of Europe

Category:Eastern Europe

Category:Southern Europe