- Europe is the second smallest continent on Earth. Only Oceania has less landmass.
- It is located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere.
- It includes 44 countries and the people are called the Europeans.
- Europeans constitute about one-seventh of the world’s population.
- Most of the continent’s approximately 60 native languages belong to either the Romance, Germanic, or Slavic language groups.
- Europe’s population is overwhelmingly Christian.
Geography of Europe
- It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Mediterranean, Black, and Caspian seas.
- The continent’s eastern boundary runs along the Ural Mountains and the Ural River.
History of Europe
- The Greek civilizations were the earliest in Europe and laid the foundation for European civilization.
- By the mid-2nd century BC, the Greeks had come under Roman control.
- It was through the Romans that Christianity penetrated Europe.
- The Roman Empire in the West finally collapsed in the 5th century AD.
- The modern European traditions of science, exploration, and discovery began with the Renaissance (15th–16th centuries).
- The “Protestant Reformation” of the 16th century ended the dominance of the Roman Catholic church over western and northern Europe.
- The “Enlightenment period” of the 17th and 18th centuries stressed the primacy of reason.
- In the late 18th century, Enlightenment ideas helped spur the French Revolution, which toppled Europe’s most powerful monarchy.
- The late 18th century also marked the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, which led to Europe’s military and political dominance over much of the world for the next century.
- In the early 20th century, the European powers were divided in World War I, which led to the effective end of monarchy in Europe and created a host of new countries in central and eastern Europe.
- World War II marked the passing of world power from the states of western Europe.
- Changes after World War II:
- The Soviet Union collapsed in the late 20th century, leading to a general demise of communism throughout the continent;
- Soviet satellites became independent, and most began to democratize;
- East and West Germany were reunified; and
- Yugoslavia and its successor states were devastated by ethnic conflict.
- Beginning in the mid-1900s the countries of Europe created a variety of organizations to help them become more unified.
- In 1993, one of these organizations became the European Union.
Europe in Data
- Roughly one-third of the continent is arable, and about half of that land is devoted to cereals, principally wheat and barley.
- One-third of the continent is forested.
- Continental Europe’s irregular coastline is about 24,000 mi (38,000 km) long.
- About three-fifths of the land is below 600 ft (180 m) above sea level, and another one-third is between 600 and 3,000 ft (180 and 900 m).
- Glaciers cover an area of about 44,800 sq mi (116,000 sq km), mostly in the north.
Interesting Facts about Europe
- It was the first of the world’s regions to develop a modern economy based on commercial agriculture and industry.
- It is one of the world’s major industrial regions, with average annual income per capita among the world’s highest.
Quick Facts about Europe
Area – 3,844,905 sq mi (9,958,258 sq km)
Population – (2008 estimate) 696,933,440
Largest Country by Area – European portion of Russia: 1,526,200 sq mi (3,952,840 sq km)
Smallest Country by Area – Vatican City: 0.2 sq mi (0.4 sq km)
Largest Country by Population – European portion of Russia: (2008 estimate) 103,560,740
Smallest Country by Population – Vatican City: (2008 estimate) 930
Largest Cities – Moscow, Russia; London, England; Saint Petersburg, Russia; Berlin, Germany; Madrid, Spain
Longest River – Volga River, Russia: 2,193 mi (3,530 km)
Largest Lake – Caspian Sea (Europe/Asia): 143,000 sq mi (370,000 sq km)