ABSTRACT
The regions of Europe represent an intermediary level between that of the commune or county and that of the nation-state. They serve to bring together microlevel data and yet avoid generalizations found in national-level studies. The regions of Europe came into existence for a variety of reasons: physical geography, areas of common language, traditional feudal units, and past administrative or economic demands. While some contemporary regions are relatively new creations amalgamating older regional distinctions (e.g., the Mezzogiorno in Italy), the majority reflect a long-standing reality and lay claim to the allegiance and loyalty of those who live there. The importance of regions is also widely recognized in European social history. French social historians, particularly, have used the regional unit as a basis for analyzing the relationship among wide-ranging facets of social structure and behavior. While this article cannot survey the total diversity of the regions of Europe, by highlighting their vitality and some key features, their importance for an understanding of Europe should become clear.
