The Idea of a Mediterranean Region in Nineteenth- to Mid-Twentieth-Century German Geography

This article deals with the development of the idea of the Mediterranean as a geographical region in German geography from the end of the eighteenth century until the eve of World War II. It surveys and discusses the works of the main German researchers who, long before Braudel, contributed to the creation and conceptualization of the Mediterranean as a unique region and as a major field of interest. The discussion also confronts these developments against the background of changes in German geographical methodology.