Europe

For the band of the same name, see Europe (band) .

Europe is a continent whose boundaries are generally regardedas being: the Atlantic Ocean in the west, the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Ural Mountains and Ural River (or Emba River ) in the east, the CaspianSea , Caucasus mountains (or the Kuma-Manych Depression ) and Black Sea in thesoutheast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. Together with Asia , Europe forms the supercontinent Eurasia ,of which Europe is the western fifth.

In terms of area , Europe is the world's second smallest continent, with an area of10,400,000 km² (4,000,000 square miles), making it slightly larger than Australia .

In terms of population it is the third largest continent after Asia and Africa . The population of Europe in 2001 wasestimated to be 666,498,000: roughly one seventh of the world's population.

Etymology

According to Homer the name Europe ( Greek : Ευρώπη) was originally given to central Greece. Later it stoodfor mainland Greece and by 500 BC its meaning was extended to all the lands of thenorth.

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". Froma Middle Eastern viewpoint, the sun sets over Europe: the lands to the west.

In ancient 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 palaeolithic . The origin of Western culture is generally attributed to the ancient Greeks, and the Roman Empire spanned the entire continent for many centuries. Following thedecline of the Roman Empire, Europe entered a long period of stasis, referred to by enlightenment thinkers as the Dark Ages and by mostmodern historians, the Middle Ages . During this time isolated monasticcommunities in Ireland and elsewhere carefully safeguarded and compiled knowledgeaccumulated previously. The Dark Ages came to an end with the Renaissance andthe New Monarchs , marking the start of a period of discovery, exploration,and increase in scientific knowledge. From the 15th century Europeannations, particularly Spain , Portugal , France , Belgium , the Netherlands 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 acorresponding increase in population. Many of the states in Europe took their present form in the aftermath of World WarI . 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 EasternEurope 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 . Thecontinent begins at the Ural Mountains in Russia , which defines Europe's eastern boundary with Asia . The boundary withAsia continues along the Ural River , and the Caucasus Mountains to the south. The western boundary is the Atlantic Ocean , but Iceland , much farther away than the nearestpoints of Africa and Asia , is also included inEurope. There is ongoing debate on where the geographical centre of Europe is.

In practice the borders of Europe are often drawn with greater regard to political, economic, and other culturalconsiderations. This has led to there being several different "Europes" that are not always identical in size, including orexcluding countries according to the definition of "Europe" used.

Almost all European countries are members of the Council ofEurope , the exceptions being Belarus , the Holy See ( Vatican City ), Kazakhstan , and Monaco .

The idea of a European "continent" is not universally held. Some non-European geographical texts refer to a EurasianContinent, or to a European "sub-continent", given that "Europe" is not surrounded by sea and is, in any case, much more acultural than a geographically definable area. In the past concepts such as "Christendom" were deemed more important.

Confusingly, the word "Europe" is increasingly being used as a short-form for the European Union (EU) and its members. 25 European sovereign countries currently belong to the EU. A number of other European countries are negotiating for membership and several more areexpected to begin negotiations in the future.

Independent states

Europe comprises the following independent states (in alphabetical order):

Notes

¹ Armenia and Cyprus are geographically in Asia, but considered part of Europe for cultural and historicalreasons.
² Azerbaijan and Georgia lie partly in Europe according to definitions which consider the main watershed of the Caucasus as the boundary with Asia.
³ Kazakhstan's European territory consists of a portion west of the Ural River.
⁴ The name of this state is a matter of international dispute. View its main article for details.
⁵ Those territories of Russia lying west of the Ural Mountains are considered as part of Europe.
⁶ European Turkey comprises territory to the west and north of the Bosporus and the Dardanelles straits.

Dependent Territories

The territories listed below are recognised as being culturally and geographically defined. Most have a degree of autonomy. Inbrackets is the state which administers the territory.

• Åland (Finland)
• Faroe Islands (Denmark)
• Gibraltar (UK)
• Guernsey (UK)
• Isle of Man (UK)
• Jan Mayen (Norway)
• Jersey (UK)
• Svalbard (Norway)

Regions in Europe

See Regions of Europe

Map colouring is based on strict geographic definitions. Often the various regions include different countries than those onthe map. The inclusion or not of various countries in each region is described below:

Western Europe (Red)

Western Europe is always assumed to include: the BritishIsles (United Kingdom, Ireland), the French Region (France, Monaco) and Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg). It usually also includes Germany, though geographically thecountry may be more central European. In some circumstances, it refers to the entire western half of Europe, including the Iberian Peninsula (Spain, Portugal, Andorra),the Italian peninsula (Italy, San Marino,Vatican City), the Nordic Countries or Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Denmark) andthe Alpine Countries (Germany, Switzerland,Liechtenstein, Austria, Slovenia). Used in a historical or political sense (referring to Cold War divisions), this term may even include Greece and Turkey.

Central Europe (Blue)

Central Europe is not perhaps as common a term as Western or Eastern Europe. Most of the countries included in the definitionare often labelled Western or Eastern. A definition of Central Europe usually includes the Visegrad Group (Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary) and often also the Alpine Countries (Switzerland, Liechtenstein,Austria, Slovenia and sometimes Germany). According to the most recent usage, Central Europe may even be those countries thatjoined the European Union on June1 , 2004 . This would mean Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary (the VisegradFour), Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia (the Baltic States ), Slovenia,Cyprus and Malta.

Eastern Europe (Orange)

Similarly to Western Europe, the term Eastern Europe may be used in a strict or broad sense. It includes the European CIS States (Belarus,Ukraine, Moldova, Russia), and not seldom the BalticStates (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania) and Poland. It often includes the Caucasus or Transcaucasian countries (Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia), though these are often also regarded as part of Asia . In a broader economic/political context, it may also encompass all of the Visegrad Group(Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary) and the Balkans (Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia & Montenegro, Albania, Macedonia, Greece, Romania, Bulgaria).

Northern Europe (Purple)

On the map, "Northern Europe" is depicted as only encompassing the Nordic Countries (i.e. " Scandinavia "in the widest sense: Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Denmark). The term Northern Europe does, however, usually cover amuch larger area, in fact an arbitrary part of Europe north of the Alps . Typically, itincludes the British Isles (the United Kingdom and Ireland), Benelux (Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg), Northern France,Germany, often all the Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania), sometimes Poland, and on occasion even Russia.

Southern Europe (Green)

Southern Europe is a term used in much the same ways as Northern Europe. It includes the Iberian Peninsula(Spain, Portugal, Andorra), the Italian peninsula (Italy, Vatican City, San Marino) and the Balkan Peninsula (Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia &Montenegro, Albania, Macedonia, Greece, Romania, Bulgaria). Usually the Mediterranean States (Cyprus, Malta) and Asia Minor (i.e. Turkey) are also included. In a cultural sense, southern France may be included.

See also

• History of Europe
• Transportation in Europe
• Financial and social rankings of European countries
• Area andpopulation of European countries
• Date ofindependence of European countries
• Metropolitian cities of Europe
• List of the largest urbanareas of Western Europe by population
• Alternative names of European cities
• European Union
• Euroregion

External links

• Europe at Night at NASA 's Earth Observatory
• Regions of Europe
• GeoHiveRegions