Central Europe is the heart of Europe. It comprises the German-speaking countries, four earlier Warsaw Pact associate states that have effectively joined the European Union. It is a huge and significant region extending from the North Sea and Baltic in the north and to the Adriatic in the south. It is also home to many of Europeans and among the world's most flourishing nations and metropolitans. Lastly, it contains the enchanted mountain series of the Alps which performs an evolution zone between the Latin, Germanic and Slavic cultures which all entitle as the home country.