I think that’s originally used to refer to places in the Mediterranean Sea like parts of France, Italy, Croatia, Bosnia and much of the Iberian peninsula. (I say parts of Italy as it’s characterised by several mountain ranges like the Alps, Dolomites and Apennines where the climates there are considerably cooler, if rainier to boot.) The Mediterranean climates are characterised by fairly warm, dry summers and wet winters. This isn’t just a European feature but also found in parts of Africa and North America to an extent.
It’s also parsimonious to suggest that the stereotypical Mediterranean region’s often Latin and though that’s partly true, let’s not forget how far the Slavs have expanded which not only encompasses temperate and continental areas like Poland and Russia (where in St Petersburg, a combination of urban heat island effect and maritime proximity enables some parts of that city to have milder, if rainier climates) but also parts near the Mediterranean Sea.
Greece is also in the Mediterranean and there’s a substantial number of them in Russia and Turkey, the latter also has areas with Mediterranean and recently recognised as part of the European Union. (Historically parts of Turkey belonged to Greece and vice versa so.)
fynm 