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The Mediterranean concept goes beyond geography, so there are Mediterranean countries and regions that have continental, tropical or temperate weather, and there are regions such as parts of South Africa, Australia and California that have "Mediterranean weather" and are not Mediterranean at all.
It can be argued that Western Europe/Eastern Europe are Mediterranean countries, since their culture came from the Mediterranean. In fact, the entire European culture was centered around the Mediterranean until the Islamic invasion of North Africa and Middle East during the 7th Century.
It may be a lot like other 'Mediterranean' countries in culture, but I dont think you can actually call it a 'Mediterranean' country unless its actually on the Meditteranean! :-)
It may be a lot like other 'Mediterranean' countries in culture, but I dont think you can actually call it a 'Mediterranean' country unless its actually on the Meditteranean! :-)
Didn't you said the exact inverse a few weeks ago??
You claimed that France couldn't be a mediterranean country despite the fact that we border the med and we are of a latin-based culture. And now, for Portugal, being bordering the mediterranean is the criterium to be considered mediterranean?
I wonder, which ones are the mediterranean countries? Britain maybe! (thanks to Gibraltar) ...
I'd add my view. "Mediterranean" obviously isn't a rigid concept; it might refer to different things depending on the concept (and depending if the person who use the concept is British or not ).
In can refer:
- To the geography / geopolitics: the countries that border the sea called "mediterranean sea".
- To the climate-type: the areas having a climate classified as mediterranean, and having food productions tipically associated/originated from mediterranean climate areas: olive, wine, etc.
In Europe, there are countries such as Portugal who have in its territory mediterranean or mediterranean-influenced oceanic climates but which doesn't border the med. Inversely there are parts of the mediterranean coasts whose climate is not mediterranean (for exemple almost all of north Africa from southern Tunisia to Egypt which are of desertic climate)
- The the origins/roots of the culture: it can reffers primarily to the countries with latin (such as Portugal is) or greek roots; and, even in a major extend to the countries that have been partially influenced at one point or another with a mediterranean civilisation (most of Europe might be in that case).
- It can in some times refers to some specific images or stereotypes. in that case it might be more difficult to define it scientifically.
- It used to be used to define a "sub-racial" group of European. Today, with DNA science, such idea has lost a big part of its credibility since it has been shown that there are a lot of genetic variety between say a spaniard and a Greek, despite the people having on average similar superficial features.
- It can refers to a certain type of architecture, such as the low-piched roman tiles roofings, etc.
People here won't never agree and will endlessly try to impose their own pre-concieved classifications because they are not speaking about the same use that the concept can have. One might say "Portugal is not at all a mediterranean country" (being right because he use the geographic definition) and the other one will answer "no Portugal is mediterranean" (because he reffers to the climate of parts of the country or to the latin-based culture), etc.
Yes, Greece, Portugal, Spain and Italy are mediterranean in every sense, so is Southern france although on a lesser extent.
This here is my very definition of what is culturally Mediterranean Europe. To a tee.
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