Flag Maps of Southern Europe: Countries and National Colors

What countries make up Southern Europe? Well, like all things geographical it’s not that simple. Geography merely relies on the cardinal points whereas history and linguistics are much more multifaceted and consider nuances such as regional politics and dialect variation. To me Southern Europe is very simple: it’s not Eastern or Western Europe but the rest of the Mediterranean coastline. Okay, that might be way to simplistic, but here goes anyway. It’s all about national colors.

This 2nd in the series of the FLAG MAPS of Europe will be focusing on Southern Europe and some of the most well-known and influential of all European countries: Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Greece. It’s a quantity versus quality thing and the Greeks gave us the word versus, so there! Well, hold on, what about the micro states of San Marino (Italy), Vatican City (Italy), Malta, Andorra (Spain), and Monaco (France)? Since they have been disregarded by lesser scholars I will explain them here in my flag maps of Southern Europe. Hey, while we’re on the subject, what about Cyprus and the Balkan States?

Southern Europe is at its very basic the following countries and national colors (in alphabetical order):

• 🇬🇷 Greece
• 🇮🇹 Italy
• 🇲🇹 Malta
• 🇵🇹 Portugal
• 🇸🇲 San Marino
• 🇪🇸 Spain
• 🇻🇦 Vatican City

The countries that canter on the definitional border between Southern Europe and alternate regions are listed below: Andorra, Cyprus, and Monaco. As for the Balkan States, I’ve included them in my Flag Maps of Eastern Europe. Andorra, associated with Spain, is Southern European; Monaco as associated with France is Western European, yet is very much Southern European as well so it stays on this list as well; Cyprus is politically ‘European’ but culturally more Mediterranean so it does not make this list.

• 🇦🇩 Andorra
• 🇨🇾 Cyprus
• 🇲🇨 Monaco

This slideshow requires JavaScript.