(What is Insular Europe, why does it say Slovenia isn't part of Alpine yet?)
Europe is a continent whose boundaries are generally regarded as being: the Atlantic Ocean in the west, the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Ural Mountains and Ural River in the east, the Caspian Sea, Caucasus mountains and Black Sea in the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. Together with Asia, Europe forms the supercontinent Eurasia: Europe is the western fifth of the Eurasian landmass.
In terms of area, Europe is the world's second smallest continent, with an area of 10,400,000 km² (4,000,000 square miles), making it slightly larger than Oceania.
In terms of population it is the third largest continent after Asia and Africa. The population of Europe in 2001 was estimated to be 666,498,000: roughly one seventh of the world's population.
Etymology
According to Homer the name Europe (Greek: Εύρώπη) was originally given to central Greece. Later it stood for mainland Greece and by 500 BC its meaning was extended to all the lands of the north.
The term Europe is often said to derive from Greek words meaning broad (eurys) and face (ops). Many, however, see a Semitic origin, pointing to the Semitic word ereb which means "sunset". From a Middle Eastern viewpoint, the sun sets over Europe: the lands to the west.
Mythology
Europa was a Phoenician princess who was abducted by a bull-shaped Zeus.
History
Main article: History of Europe
Europe has a long history of great cultural and economic achievement, starting as far back as the Bronze Age. The origin of Western culture is generally attributed to the ancient Greeks, and the Roman Empire spanned the entire continent for many centuries. Following the decline of the Roman Empire, Europe entered a long period of stasis, refered to by enlightenment thinkers as the Dark Ages and by most modern historians, the Middle Ages. During this time isolated monastic communities in Ireland and elsewhere carefully safeguarded and compiled knowledge accumulated previously. The Dark Ages came to an end with the Renaissance and the New Monarchs, marking the start of a period of discovery, exploration, and increase in scientific knowledge. From the 15th century European nations, particularly Spain, Portugal, France, and Britain, built large colonial empires, with vast holdings in Africa, the Americas, and Asia. The Industrial Revolution started in Europe in the 18th century, leading to much greater general prosperity and a corresponding increase in population. After World War II, and until the end of the Cold War, Europe was divided into two major political and economic blocks: Communist nations in Eastern Europe and capitalistic countries in Western Europe. Around 1990 the Eastern block broke up.
Geography and Extent
Geographically Europe is a part of the larger landmass known as Eurasia. The continent begins at the Ural Mountains in Russia, which defines Europe's eastern boundary with Asia. The boundary with Asia continues along the Ural River, and the Caucasus Mountains to the south.
In practice the borders of Europe are often drawn with greater regard to political, economic, and other cultural considerations. This has led to there being several different "Europes" that are not always identical in size, including or excluding countries according to the definition of "Europe" used.
The idea of a European "continent" is not universally held. Many non-European geographical texts refer to a Eurasian Continent, or to a European "sub-continent", given that "Europe" is not surrounded by sea and is, in any case, much more a cultural than a geographically definable area. In the past concepts such as "Christendom" were deemed more important.
Increasingly, the word "Europe" is being used as a synonym for the European Union (EU) and its member states. 25 European states currently belong to the EU. A number of other European states are negotiating for membership and several more are expected to begin negotiations in the future. Almost all European states are members of the Council of Europe, the exceptions being Belarus, the Holy See, Kazakhstan, and Monaco.
Countries
Currently, geographic (and political) Europe comprises the following 47 countries (in alphabetical order):
Notes
- Azerbaijan is for the most part in continental Asia: only the area north of the Caucasus range is in Europe.
- Denmark has two dependent territories: the Faroe Islands in Europe; and the self-governing island of Greenland, which is considered part of North America.
- France also comprises a number of overseas departments (such as French Guiana), overseas territories (such as French Polynesia), and territorial collectivities (such as Mayotte): all of these territories, however, lie outside Europe.
- Kazakhstan lies for the most part in continental Asia, only the area west of the Ural River is in Europe.
- The Kingdom of the Netherlands consists of the Netherlands itself and of two overseas territories in the Caribbean: Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles.
- Portugal also includes the Azores and Madeira in the Atlantic Ocean.
- Russia extends across Asia all the way to the Pacific Ocean; however, only that prtion of russia lying west of the Ural Mountains is considered to be part of continental Europe.
- Spain also includes the Canary Islands in the Atlantic, and the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla on the north coast of Africa.
- Turkey lies for the most part in continental Asia; only the area west of the Bosporus and the Sea of Marmara is geographically in Europe.
- The island of Cyprus is surrounded by southwest Asia, but is a member of the European Union nonetheless.
Transcaucasus
Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, three CIS republics in the Transcaucasus, are geographically part of continental Asia, but are frequently associated with Europe. Whether or not Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia are considered to be European countries usually depends on whether one defines Europe as being primarily an ethnic / linguistic / historical entity, or primarily a political / geographic entity, and what one considers those definitions to be.
Regions in Europe
- Western Europe (Red)
- British Isles
- United Kingdom, Ireland
- French Region
- France, Monaco
- Benelux
- Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg
- Central Europe (Blue)
- Alpine Countries
- Germany, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Slovenia
- Visegrad Group
- Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary
- Eastern Europe, see Northern Eurasia (Brown)
- Baltic States
- Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania
- European CIS States
- Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Russia
- Northern Europe, see Scandinavia (Purple)
- Nordic Countries
- Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Denmark
- Southern Europe (Green)
- Iberian Peninsula
- Spain, Portugal, Andorra
- Italian peninsula
- Italy, Vatican City, San Marino
- Balkan Peninsula
- Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia & Montenegro, Albania, Macedonia, Greece, Romania, Bulgaria
- Asia Minor
- Turkey
- Mediterranean States
- Cyprus, Malta
- Central Eurasia (not color-coded)
- Caucasus
- Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia
See also
- History of Europe
- Transportation in Europe
- Financial and social rankings of European countries
- Area and population of European countries
- Date of independence of European countries
- Metropolitian cities of Europe
- Alternative names of European cities
- European Youth Parliament
- European Constitution
- Eurabia
- Euroregion
External links
- Europe at Night at NASA's Earth Observatory
- A song about Europe by the Asian dub foundation (RealAudio)
- [1] Regions of Europe