On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Political map mediterranean bean stew the Mediterranean Sea as of September 2004. The Mediterranean countries are those that surround the Mediterranean Sea or located within the Mediterranean Basin.

Below is the list of the countries and territories in the biogeographical Mediterranean Basin. The Countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea”. Plant Ecology in the Middle East. It has specific regional features: a climate of hot dry summers and humid, cool winters and a generally hilly landscape. To best protect the Mediterranean region, the relevant Member States and key stakeholders team up to devise nature protection measures, tailored to suit the particular needs of the entire region and to target its specific pressures. The list of sites of Community importance for the Mediterranean biogeographical region, included in Natura 2000, is updated every year.

Regional features The climate is characterised by hot dry summers and humid, cool winters. It is also very capricious with sudden heavy rain or bouts of high winds such as the Sirocco and Mistral. This climate has a profound influence on the vegetation and wildlife of the region. For a region that takes its name from the sea it surrounds, the Mediterranean is surprisingly hilly. It includes high mountains and rocky shores, thick scrub and semi-arid steppes, coastal wetlands and sandy beaches as well as a myriad of islands dotted across the sea. Man has left its mark across much of the landscape. This scrub has evolved into a complex and intricate mobile patchwork of habitats, home to an exceptionally rich biodiversity.

Biodiversity Mediterranean wildlife and habitats are very specific as the region was not affected by the last Ice Age. The rate of endemism is exceptionally high. The Mediterranean is one of the world’s top biodiversity hotspots. Whilst the Mediterranean scrub is synonymous with the region, there are many other species-rich habitats here. Large tracts of natural, virtually pristine, forests have remained relatively untouched by man. While most central and northern European forests are now dominated by only a dozen or so tree species, the Mediterranean forests are much more diverse, harbouring up to 100 different tree species. Too dry for trees, other areas of the Mediterranean are covered in grasslands.

These semi-arid steppic areas may seem barren and lifeless but, on closer inspection, reveal an equally rich wildlife. Where water is more bountiful, wetlands appear at regular intervals, ranging from tiny coastal lagoons to vast deltas around the long coastline. They harbour hundreds of species of endemic fish, amphibians and insects which, in turn, attract huge flocks of waders and dabbling ducks, especially during the migration season. Up to two billion birds migrate to, or through, the Mediterranean Region every year. As for the Mediterranean Sea, its clear blue waters are famous throughout the world. It harbours a tremendous diversity of marine organisms, many of which are endemic to the region. Many of the lesser-known sponges, sea squirts and crustaceans can be found hidden amongst the vast underwater meadows or Posidonia beds that grow in shallow coastal waters.