Southern Europe
The definition of the region known as Southern Europe is very dependent on context. For instance, people may talk of southern European culture, politics or languages, each with a different boundary in mind. Geographically, however, southern Europe is considered to be that part of the landmass of Europe that lies south of the Alps, stretching from Portugal in the west to Serbia in the east. A majority of southern European countries are adjacent to the Mediterranean Sea. Indeed, southern Europe’s weather system is described as a Mediterranean climate, characterized by warm to hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters. South of the Alps, the landscape is generally, flat or hilly with a prevalence of pine forests and olive trees.