The name Europe, or Europa, is believed to be of Greek origin, as it is the name of a princess in Greek mythology. The nation of Germany was divided in two. Of the top 10 largest lakes in Europe, 6 are in Russia, although 1 partly sits in Estonia. The Mediterranean Sea to the south separates Europe from Africa. Russia is Europe's largest country. The European Union has established the Schengen Areaa zone where Europeans can travel from country to country without having to show their passports. World War II also left more than 40 million refugees, contributed to the independence of European colonies throughout the world, and devastated the urban infrastructure of many European cities.As a result of the devastation of World War II, Western Europes leadership in global politics diminished. Lets take a short tour around some of the most notable geographical facts about Europe. Antwerp is the biggest city of the country. Population Density188 people per square kilometer, Highest ElevationMount Elbrus, Russia (5,642 meters/18,510 feet), Most Renewable Electricity ProducedIceland (99.9%; hydropower, geothermal), Largest Urban AreaMoscow, Russia (16.2 million people), Largest WatershedVolga River (1.38 million square km/532,821 square miles). The Bosporus, the Sea of Marmara, and the Dardanelles conclude the Asian boundary. Literally, Europa is now thought to have meant Mainland, rather than the earlier interpretation, Sunset. It appears to have suggested itself to the Greeks, in their maritime world, as an appropriate designation for the extensive northerly lands that lay beyond, lands with characteristics vaguely known yet clearly different from those inherent in the concepts of Asia and Libyaboth of which, relatively prosperous and civilized, were associated closely with the culture of the Greeks and their predecessors. The boundary continues to the Caspian Sea, the crest of the Caucasus Mountains (or, less commonly, the river Kura in the Caucasus), and on to the Black Sea. January average range from 13C in southern Spain and southern Greek islands to -20C in the northeastern part of European Russia. As to the territorial limits of Europe, they may seem relatively clear on its seaward flanks, but many island groups far to the north and westSvalbard, the Faroes, Iceland, and the Madeira and Canary islandsare considered European, while Greenland (though tied politically to Denmark) is conventionally allocated to North America. A landlocked country of towering mountains, deep Alpine lakes, grassy valleys dotted with . Inhabited plains, with only the minor interruption of the worn-down Urals, extend from central Europe to the Yenisey River in central Siberia. Europe's most significant geological feature is the dichotomy between the highlands and mountains of Southern Europe and a vast, partially underwater, northern plain ranging from Great Britain in the west to the Ural Mountains in the east. Western Europe and parts of Central Europe generally fall into the temperate maritime climate (Cfb), the southern part is mostly a Mediterranean climate (mostly Csa, smaller area with Csb), the north-central part and east into central Russia is mostly a humid continental climate (Dfb) and the northern part of the continent is a subarctic climate (Dfc). Geographically, Turkey forms a natural land bridge between the old world continents of Asia, Africa and Europe. If you have questions about licensing content on this page, please contact ngimagecollection@natgeo.com for more information and to obtain a license. Whats the Difference Between Great Britain and the United Kingdom. International economic and military organizations developed on either side of the Iron Curtain. Early Europeans, in fact, shaped global ideas of citizenship and government. The continent is awash with stunning beaches so its only right that the facts of European geography include its longest beach. This is to be found at Le Baule-Escoublac, on the southern coast of Brittany. Europe is a peninsula of the Eurasian supercontinent and is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and the Mediterranean, Black, and Caspian Seas to the south. It includes parts of France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Poland, the Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania), and Belarus.Most of the Great European Plain lies below 152 meters (500 feet) in elevation. Regional climatic contrasts nevertheless exist: oceanic, Mediterranean, and continental types occur widely, as do gradations from one to the other. The city of Milan is regarded as a major fashion capital, hosting an international fashion week twice a year. By supporting this policy, the European Union hopes it will strengthen social, educational, professional, and economic ties in Europe and make the continent more competitive in global markets.Europes cultural products also help unify the region. Lesotho (landlocked within South Africa), is the only other country in the world surrounded entirely by another country. Let's take a short tour around some of the most notable geographical facts about Europe. Europe has less precipitation in the east than in central and western Europe. Philosophers and politicians have used these writings to uphold and defend the democratic tradition ever since.Roman civilization had a major influence on Western concepts of law, government, and the military. The proportion of people older than 65 will grow from 16 percent to 28 percent. The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited. Europe is traditionally defined as one of seven continents. It runs for 2,294 miles through central Russia. If you have questions about how to cite anything on our website in your project or classroom presentation, please contact your teacher. Europe's population is 741.4 million people. Europes continuing economic achievements are evidenced by its high standard of living and its successes in science, technology, and the arts. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. 3. Most Greek gods and goddesses are representations of the active physical elements that made up the local landscape. To read all future answers to your comment, please bookmark this page. The northern plains are delimited in the west by the Scandinavian mountains and the mountainous parts of the British Isles. The financial and diplomatic success of the EU has led to its rapid growth across the continent.The euro is one of the strongest currencies in the world. All in all, Europe enjoys a considerable and long-exploited resource base of soil, forest, sea, and minerals (notably coal), but its people are increasingly its principal resource. The financial crisis, along with concerns about immigrants connections to terrorism and religious extremism, has caused Europe to develop a more guarded approach to immigration. The country is also home to a number of outstanding schools for automotive design, such as the Hochschule Esslingen and Hochschule Pforzheim.Political GeographyEuropes long history and economic progress have been shaped by its political geography. On February 17, 2008, the province of Kosovo declared independence from Serbia and became Europe's youngest country. Europes boundaries have been especially uncertain, and hence much debated, on the east, where the continent merges, without sundering physical boundaries, with parts of western Asia. National Geographic News: New Fault Found in EuropeMay 'Close Up' Adriatic Sea, National Geographic News: Volcanic Ash Stops Europe FlightsWhy Ash Is Dangerous, European Environment Agency: European Land Cover, National Geographic Education: Mapping EuropeLand Mammal Range. For discussion of major cities of the continent, see specific articles by namee.g., Rome, Warsaw, and London. Por favor, active JavaScript. Borders between existing nations, such as Poland and Russia, were entirely redrawn.World War II (1939-1945) left about 43 million Europeans dead, including about 6 million who died in the Holocaust. Europe is sometimes called a "peninsula of peninsulas", to draw attention to the fact that Europe is a relatively small, elongated appendage to Asia, and that a large part of Europe is made up of peninsulas. Wcz obsug JavaScript. For information on user permissions, please read our Terms of Service. World War I (1914-1918) left about 16 million people dead. Europe's northernmost point is the Svalbard archipelago of Norway, and it reaches as far south as the islands of Greece and Malta.Europe is sometimes described as a peninsula of peninsulas. The word democracy has Greek roots: demos-, meaning people, and -kratos, meaning power. Prominent Greek philosophers, such as Socrates and Plato, discussed democratic ideals in their writings. Today, this is the German-speaking region of the country.Around this same time, Roman conquerors took over present-day southern Switzerland. Przemek. The continent, excluding Russia, contains less than one-tenth of the total population of the world, but in general its people are well educated and highly skilled. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. The consensus is, however, that the largest glacier in Europe is the Vatnajokull glacier in Iceland. It has coastlines on the Bay of Biscay (a part of the Atlantic Ocean) and the Mediterranean Sea.Spain's capital and largest city is Madrid, and the country is known for its long history, unique culture, strong economy, and very high living standards. The Danubian and northern Italian lowlands are thus mountain-ringed islands. Indented by numerous bays, fjords, and seas, continental Europes highly irregular coastline is about 24,000 miles (38,000 km) long. Any interactives on this page can only be played while you are visiting our website. The low starting elevation makes the Volga a slow flowing river. Europe's shape is in a constant change: The Mediterranean basin is shrinking, the Alps are rising and pushing North, and Scandinavia is still rebounding after having been crushed by the weight of a thick and huge ice sheet in the ice ages. The Anatolian peninsula is the westernmost point of Asia, divided from Europe by the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits. Biology, Ecology, Earth Science, Geology, Geography, Physical Geography. France is known for being a world power and has been an economic and cultural center of Europe for hundreds of years. The western boundary is the Atlantic Ocean. From there it flows to the Caspian Sea. When it . Volcanic rocks add to the diversity of those regions. The population of the City of Brussels is ~175,000. Indebted countries must now deal with strict budgets and declining incomes while more financially stable countries are forcing taxpayers to help fund the financial rescue.The status of immigrants is also a source of tension and debate in Europe. This is a main theme of The Odyssey, an epic poem written by Homer, in which these key elements of the sea both help and hurt the hero.Other cultures developed around the unique resources at their disposal. Latin, the language of Rome, evolved into French in the western region, and Italian in the south. A convenient division is made by a line linking the base of the peninsula of Jutland with the head of the Adriatic Sea. Nonetheless, in manufacturing and agriculture Europe still occupies an eminent, if no longer necessarily predominant, position. The study also showed that only 8 percent of respondents considered language-learning unimportant.The European Union has adopted a multilingual language policy with the goal that everyone should be able to speak at least two languages in addition to their own. Fun Facts about Europe Europe is home to the smallest country in the world, the Holy See or the Vatican. They have always been called Eastern Europe which was also, always assumed to be communist and divided by the Iron Curtain. Ireland: geography and landscape. Because of their remoteness, however, all these regions have distinct dialects that differ slightly from their parent language. In the Pyrenees and the Sierra Nevada of Spain, the highest of the peaks exceed 11,000 feet (3,400 metres). Political geography is the internal and external relationships between governments, citizens, and territories. 12. I think this makes it easy to assume they are not part of continental Europe. Flag. 5 x Fun Facts about Europe The longest town name in Europe is Lanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogo, in Wales The Czech Republic is the most beer-drinking country per capita There are more UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Europe than any other continent in the world The highest toilet can be found at Mount Blanc Around 400 CE, the Alemanni, a Germanic tribe, invaded present-day northern Switzerland. This map shows the physical features of Europe, surrounding lands, and offshore areas. Any interactives on this page can only be played while you are visiting our website. This program must not only highlight the citys unique cultural heritage, but also feature new events that unite a range of cultural practices from across Europe. The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit. For discussion of individual countries of the continent, see specific articles by namee.g., Italy, Poland, and United Kingdom. If no button appears, you cannot download or save the media. Europe's highest peak, Mount Elbrus at 5,642 meters (18,510 feet), is in the Caucasus Mountains of Russia. Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, and North Macedonia constitute a contiguous landlocked agglomeration of eight countries in Central Europe and the Balkans, stretching from Geneva all the way to Skopje. Eastern Europe is everything east of Germany, Austria, and Italy. It is bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the west by the Atlantic Ocean, and on the south (west to east) by the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea, the Kuma-Manych Depression, and the Caspian Sea. 33 forms the majority of the population while 54 are ethnic minorities. A volcanos violent nature thus came from the work of Hephaestus and the anger of the imprisoned gods.The ancient Greeks connection to the sea also deeply influenced their mythological beliefs. The European bison (Bison bonasus), the heaviest land animal on the continent, is one of the most threatened species.Beginning in the 20th century, many governments and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have worked to restore some of Europe's rich biodiversity. The empire of ancient Rome, at its greatest extent in the 2nd century ce, revealed, and imprinted its culture on, much of the face of the continent. The Iron Curtain was an ideological boundary that divided Europe into two blocsWestern countries influenced by the United States, and Eastern countries influenced by the Soviet Union. Certain countries and regions have even developed an identity or branding focused on specific products and exports.Scandinavian design, for instance, is primarily focused on fashion and home wares. Germany's location at the heart of Europe has shaped its history both for good and bad. Ethnic Groups / People of Europe are at 87. Critics argue the move was racist.Future IssuesAn important predictor of Europes political and economic future is its efforts to minimize the effects of climate change.Europe is often seen as a world leader in environmentally friendly technologies and legislation. The only primate native to Europe, the Barbary macaque (Macaca sylvanus), inhabits this Mediterranean basin. 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