Europe is geologically and geographically a peninsula or subcontinent, forming the westmost a portion of Eurasia. These are conventionally considered the continent, which, in this outbreak, is additional of the ethnic distinction than the geographic 1. These are bounded north per Arctic Ocean, to the west by the Atlantic Ocean, to the south per Mediterranean Sea, & to the east its boundary is unfeeling determined and indecipherable. Nevertheless, a Ural mountains are considered by some to become the geographical & tectonic landmark separating Europe & Asia.

Once considered the continent, Europe is the globe's 2nd-smallest continent around terms of area, with an region of 10,600,000 km² (4,140,625 square miles), making it big than Australia only. Inside terms of population, it is a third-largest celibate (Asia and Africa are larger). A people of Europe is just about 700,000,000: about 11% of the globe's people.

Etymology

Around Greek mythology, Europa was a Phoenician princess who was abducted by Zeus in bull form and taken to the island of Crete, where she gave birth to Minos. For Homer, Europa (Greek: Ευρώπη; see as well List of traditional Greek place names) was the fabulous queen of Crete, non a geographical designation. Down the road Europa stood for mainl& Greece and by 500 BC its meaning was extended to lands northward.

A Greek term Europe is from either Greek words meaning wide (eurys) & face (ops), broad with been an epitheton of Earth herself in Proto-Indo-European religion, see Prthivi (Plataia). The minority, still, indicate the Greek popular etymology really based on the Semitic word, pointing to Akkadian erebu which means "sunset" (see likewise Erebus). From either the Middle Eastern viewpoint, a sun sets across Europe: the lands to the west. Also, Asia is also thought to own from either a Akkadian word asu, which means "sunrise" & is the land to the east from either the Mesopotamian perspective.

History
Independent article: History of Europe

Europe hwhen an extended history of ethnic & economic accomplishment, starting when far back as a Palaeolithic. A recent discovery at Monte Poggiolo, Italy, of thousands of hand-shaped stones, tentatively carbon-dated to 800,000 years ago, can prove to become of particular importance.

A origins of American democratic & individualistic culture come typically attributed to Ancient Greece, though numerous more distinct influences, particularly Christianity, can besides become credited by using a spread of conception such as equalitarianism & catholicity of law.

A Roman Empire divided a continent along the Rhine and Danube for several centuries. Ensuing a decline of the Roman Empire, Europe entered a long period of changes arising from either what is referred to as a Age of Migrations. That cycle hwhen been known as a "Dark Ages" to Renaissance thinkers, and when a "Middle Ages" to Enlightenment and modern historians. within the period of this instance, isolated cloistral communities in Ireland and elsewhere carefully safeguarded and compiled cognition accumulated antecedently. A Renaissance and the New Monarchs marked the begaround of the period of discovery, exploration, & increase in scientific knowledge. In the 15th century Portugal opened the age of discoveries, before long followed by Spain. It were late joined by France, the Netherlands and Great Britain inside building large compound empires sustaining huge holdings in Africa, the Americas, and Asia.

When a age of discovery, a ideas of democracy took hold inside Europe. Struggles for independence arose, virtually all notably around France during a time called the French Revolution. This led to huge upheaval within Europe when these radical ideas propagated through a continent. A rise of democracy led to increased tensions in Europe in top of a tensions already existing due to competition in the New World. A best known one conflicts was whenever Napoleon Bonaparte rose to power and placed retired in the conquest, forming the fresh French empire that before long collapsed. Fallowing these conquests Europe stabilised, however a old foundations were already beginning to crumble.

A Industrial Revolution started in Great Britain in the late 18th century, leading to the move out of agriculture, good deal greater general prosperity & a corresponding increase around people. Several of the states within Europe took their present form in the aftermath of World War I. From either a prevent of World War II through the end of the Cold War, Europe was divided into two major political & economic stops: Communist nations in Eastern Europe and capitalist countries in Western Europe. In 1990, with a fall of the Berlin Wall, the Eastern bloc disintegrated.

Geography and extent

For farther data watch a article Geography of Europe.

Geographically Europe occurs as section of the big landmass called Eurasia. A continent begins at a Ural Mountains in Russia, which define Europe's eastern boundary with Asia. A sou'-east boundary by owning Asia international relations and security network't always defined. Either a Ural or Emba rivers can help when imaginable boundaries. A boundary continues by owning a Caspian Sea, and either a Kuma and Manych rivers or the Caucasus mountains as possibilities, & in to the Black Sea; the Bosporus, the Sea of Marmara, and a Dardanelles conclude the Asian boundary. A Mediterranean Sea to the south separates Europe from Africa. A american boundary is the Atlantic Ocean, but Iceland, much farther away than a close points of Africa and Asia, is also involved around Europe. There exists in-going debate on in which a geographical centre of Europe is.

Around practice, a borders of Europe come typically drawn by owning greater regard to political, economic, & more ethnical considerations. This has led to there existence many different Europes that are non universally monovular within size, including or even excluding countries based on data from a definition of Europe utilized.

About totally European countries come members of the Council of Europe, the exceptions existence Belarus, and a Holy See (Vatican City).

A idea of the European continent is non held through completely cultures. Occasionally non-European geographical texts refer to the continent of Eurasithe, or even to the European peninsulthe, given that Europe is non surrounded by sea & is, in any experience, good deal thomas more a cultural than a geographically definable locality. It used to be that construct like Christendom were deemed more crucial.

In another usage, Europe is progressively existence utilized as a short-form for the European Union (EU) and its members, presently consisting of Twenty-five member states. The total of sir thomas more European countries come negotiating for membership, & many more come potential to run negotiations later (view Enlargement of the European Union).

Physical features
Inside terms of shape, Europe occurs as collection of attached peninsulas. Them big one come "mainland" Europe & Scandinavia to the north, divided from either both more per Baltic Sea. 3 little peninsulas—Iberia, Italy and the Balkans—emerge from either a southern margin of a mainland into the Mediterranean Sea, which separates Europe from Africa. Eastbound, mainland Europe widens great deal prefer a mouth of a funnel, until a boundary by owning Asia is reached at the Ural Mountains.

Land relief inside Europe shows neat variation inside comparatively little areas. A southern regions, notwithstanding, come extra mountainous, when moving northward a terrain descends from either a high Alps, Pyrenees and Carpathians, through craggy highland, into wide, moo northern plains, which are then huge in the east. This extended lowl& is referred to as a Awesome European Plain, and at its heart lies a North German Plain. An arc of highland likewise lives along a northamerican seaside, beginning in the western British Isles and continuing along the mountainous, fjord-cut spine of Norway.

This description is simplified. Sub-regions like Iberia & Italy contain their have complex features, when does mainl& Europe itself, in which a relief contains numbers of tableland, flow of any stream vale and basins that complicate a general trend. Iceland and the British Isles are special lawsuits. A previous occurs when land unto itself in a northern ocean which is counted as section of Europe, when the latter come highland areas that were another time joined to the mainland until rising sea levels cut the two slay.

Due to a pack generalisations that may be mass produced just about the relief of Europe, these are to a lesser degree surprising that its numerous separate regions provided homes for several separate nations throughout history.

Biodiversity

Getting lived side-by-side by owning agrarian & industrial civilisations for millennia, Europe's beast & plants develop been deeply affected per presence & activities of human. By using a exception of Scandinavia and northern Russia, few areas of untouched woods come within todays world to become noticed in Europe, except for different natural parks.

A independent natural vegetation handle inside Europe is forest. A conditions for its incubation may be favourable. Northwards, a Gulf Stream and North Atlantic Stream warm the continent. Southern Europe has the Mediterranean climate. There are frequent summertime droughts in that region. Mountain ridges too affect a conditions. A bit of one (Alps, Pyrenees) come oriented east-west & allow a wind to carry big people of a river from either a ocean in the interior. Others come oriented south-northerly (Scandinavian Mountains, Dinarides, Carpathians, Apennines) and because a rain lessens primarily unofficially of mountains that is oriented towards sea, forests develop swell on this side, when you took a more side, a conditions come great deal less favourable. Pack corners of mainland Europe own non been grazed by livestock at some point all over a millennia, & a cutting down of the pre-agricultural forward home ground stimulated incalculable disruption to the original plant & sensual ecosystems.

Eighty to ninety by the cent of Europe was it used to be that covered by outdoors. It stretched from either a Mediterranean Sea to the Arctic Ocean. Though across half of Europe's original forests disappeared through the centuries of colonisation, Europe still has concluded 1 quarter of the globe's forests - spruce forests of Scandinavia, vast pine forests in Russia, chestnut rainforests of a Caucasus and the cork oak forests in the Mediterranean. In the period of recent days, deforestation has been stopped & numbers of trees were planted. All the same, inside numbers of instances coniferous tree keep close at hand been favorite all over original deciduous trees, because these develop quickly. A plantations & monocultures at present handle immense areas of l& and this offers super unfortunate home ground for European forward domicile mintage. A total of original forests within American Europe is good two to three by the cent (in the European a portion of Russia 5 to ten by the cent). A united states sustaining a little woods-covered vicinity is Ireland (eight by a cent), when the virtually all forested united states is Finland (72 by the cent).

Within "mainland" Europe, deciduous forest prevails. A first coinage come beech, birch and oak. North, in which taiga grows, a super most common tree mintage is the birch tree. In the Mediterranean, numerous olive trees have been planted, which are then super easily adapted to its arid climate. An additional park coinage inside Southern Europe is the cypress. Coniferous forests prevail at higher altitudes up to a forward boundary & when a single moves n inside Russia & Scandinavia, rendering way to tundra as the Arctic is approached. A semi-arid Mediterranean area hosts tremendously scrub outdoors. The narrow east-west tongue of Eurasian grassland—the steppe—extfinishes eastwards from either Ukraine & southern Russia & ends inside Hungary & traverses into taiga northwards.

Glaciation in a period of the virtually all recent ice age and a presence of human affected the distribution of European animal. When for the brute, within numbers of area of Europe virtually all big beast & top predator species have been hunted to extinction. A woolly mammoth and aurochs were extinct prior to a prevent of the Neolithic period. In todays world wolves (carnivores) and bears (omnivores) are endangered. Another time it were witnessed within virtually all area of Europe. Nonetheless, deforestation stimulated these brute to withdraw farther & farther. Per Middle Ages a bears' home ground were limited to about unobtainable mountains by using sufficient woods handle. Now, the red bear survives primarily inside the Balkan peninsula, northwards & in Russia; a little total likewise continue more countries through Europe (Austria, Pyrenees etc.), however inside these areas 'last bear populations come fragmented & marginalised because of the destruction of their home ground. In the far Northward of Europe, polar bears can besides exist as uncovered. A wolf, a 2nd big predator inside Europe when the black bear, may be encountered primarily around Eastern Europe & in the Balkans.

More significant European carnivores come Eurasian lynx, European wild cat, foxes (especially the red fox), jackal and different species of martens, hedgehogs, different species of snakes (vipers, grass snake...), different birds (owls, hawks and more birds of prey)

Significant European herbivores are snails, amphibians, fish, different birds, and mammals, like rodents, deers and roe deers, boars, and residing in the mountains, marmots, steinbocks, chamoises among others.

Marine animal come too an significant a portion of European flora & animal. A sea flora is in the main phytoplankton. Significant brute that sleep in European seas come zooplankton, molluscs, echinoderms, different crayfish, squids and octopuses, fish, dolphins, and whales.

A bit of creature sleep in caves, for example proteus and bats.

Demographics

About tons of Europe was even settled prior even to or when you took a go ice age ca. 10,000 years ago. Neanderthal man and modern man coexisted during at least occasionally of this period. Roman road building helped sustaining a interbreeding of the native Europeans' genetics.

Europe passed run over 600 million humans prior to the turn of the 20th century, however okay, is typing the period of people decline, for a kind of social factors.

Independent states

A as a consequence independent states have territory in Europe: ^Ace Armenia & Cyprus come geographically inside Asia, however considered section of Europe for ethnic & historical reasons.
^Ii Azerbaijan & Georgia lie partially around Europe based on data from definitions which assume a Caucasus as the boundary with Asia.
^Triad Kazakhstan's European territory consists of the part west of the Ural & Emba Streams, lakes, and wells throughout.
^Quaternion A title of this state occurs as matter of international dispute. Look at Republic of Macedonia for details.
^{Little phoebe} People territories of Russia fabrication west of the Ural Mountains come considered when section of Europe.
^Six State union of Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Montenegro.
^Vii European Turkey is territory to a west & n of the Bosporus & the Dardanelles straits.
^{Two, Three, V, Vii} Understand Countries in both Europe and Asia for details.

Dependent territories

A European territories employed beneath come recognised when existence unfeeling & geographically defined. Virtually all have a degree of autonomy. In the names beneath, for each one territory is followed by its legal status.

Akrotiri (UK sovereign base vicinity) Dhekelia (UK sovereign base locality) Faroe Islands (autonomous region of Denmark) Gibraltar (UK overseas territory) Guernsey (British crown dependency) Jersey (British crown dependency) Man, Isle of (British crown dependency)

Note that this is non the listing of everthing dependencies of tons European countries. Dependencies placed in more continents are non employed.

Unilaterally seceded territories

Resulting come fissiparous regions of independent states. These regions keep around stated & de facto achieved independence, but this is non recognised de jure by their "home" state or even per more independent states.

Abkhazia (from Georgia) Nagorno-Karabakh (located in Asia; recognised by Armenia; from Azerbaijan) South Ossetia (from Georgia) Transnistria (from Moldova) Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (located in Asia; recognised by Turkey; from Cyprus)

Territories under United Nations administration

Kosovo and Metohia (province of Serbia)

Geographical Regions in Europe
Independent article: Regions of Europe

Sub-divisions of Europe come extremely arbitrary, when little consensus lives on the various definitions that come proposed. There are no nonindulgent geographical conventions survive; a map following is, notwithstanding, a virtually all far flung idea of what countries be a various regions of the continent. Typically a various regions include different countries than people on the map.

Western Europe
Independent article: Western Europe

Within occasionally countries, American Europe is assumed to include: a United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, France and the Benelux (Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg). However it normally includes all the American half of Europe : Germany, though a united states can be as well central European, the Iberian Peninsula (Spain, Portugal, Andorra), the Italian peninsula (Italy, San Marino, Vatican City), the Nordic Countries (Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Denmark) and a Alpine Countries (Germany, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Austria) and Monaco. Utilized within the historical or even political feel (on to Cold War divisions), this term may potentially include Greece & Turkey.

Central Europe (light blue)
Independent article: Central Europe

Central Europe is non possibly when green the term when American or even Eastern Europe. Virtually all of the countries involved in the definition come typically labelled American or even Eastern. a definition of Central Europe commonly includes the Visegrad Group (Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary) and typically besides a Alpine Countries (Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Slovenia, Germany).

Eastern Europe (orange)
Independent article: Eastern Europe

Similary to American Europe, the term Eastern Europe can be utilized inside a nonindulgent or even wide feel. It includes a European CIS States (Belarus, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Russia, Ukraine). A term typically includes a Caucasus or Transcaucasian countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia), though these are typically likewise look on a portion of Asia. In a period of the Cold War, the Eastern bloc Communist states that belonged to the Warsaw Pact (Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Baltic states, Poland etc.) were referred to as Eastern Europe. Typically a term involved a not Soviet-bloc countries of Albania and the Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia. Around the broader economic/political context, it might besides encompass a lot of the Visegrad Group (Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary) and Southeastern Europe (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro).

Northern Europe (purple)
Independent article: Northern Europe

On the map, "Northern Europe" is depicted when single encompassing a Nordic Countries (i.e., "Scandinavia" in a widest sense: Norway, Sweden, Finl&, Icel& and Denmark) and the Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania). A term Northern Europe does, nonetheless, normally handle the tremendously big metropolitan area, in point of fact an arbitrary a portion of Europe northerly of the Alps, along with a British Isles (Wonderful Britain & Irel&), a Benelux (Belgium, a Netherlands & Luxembourg), Germany, occasionally Poland, and from time to time possibly a European a portion of Russia.

Southern Europe (green)
Independent article: Southern Europe

Southern Europe occurs when term utilized inside good deal a equivalent ways as Northern Europe. It includes a Iberian Peninsula (Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar and Andorra), a Italian Peninsula (Italy, San Marino, Vatican City), Monaco and a Balkan Peninsula (Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Previous Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro). Commonly a left over Mediterranean States (Cyprus, Malta) are besides involved. Within the ethnical feel, France (including Corsica) can be involved.

Asia (light/dark pink)
A select few states keep around territory lying inside each Europe & Asia (Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia). Their Asian territory is coloured weak pink. A select few states that lie totally on the Asian continent come considered a portion of Europe because of ethnic & historical reasons (Armenia, Cyprus). It is coloured dark-pink. Azerbaijan's exclave of Nakhchivan is also colorful dark-pink because these are non the continuous extension of Azerbaijan's territory.

Linguistic and cultural Regions in Europe

A sub-section within many linguistic & ethnical regions is lot less subjective than a geographical sub-section, since it correspond to population's ethnic connexions. There exists threesome independent groups :

Germanic Europe

Germanic Europe, where germanic languages come spoken. This locality corresponds or so to northerly-american Europe & a select few area of of central Europe. A independent religion of the vicinity is Protestantism, potentially in case there are likewise a bit of countries sustaining catholic majority (Ireland, Austria). This area consists of : United Kingdom, Irel&, Iceland, Germany, Austria, Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, german-speaking Switzerland and a Flemish a share of Belgium.

Latin Europe

Latin Europe, where a romance languages come spoken . This front yard coresponds or so to south-american Europe, by owning a exception of Romania & Moldova which are then placed inside Eastern Europe. A major religion is catholicism, except around Romania & Moldavia. This region consists of : Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, Romania, Moldova, French-speaking Belgium & French & Italian speaking Switzerland.

Slavic Europe

Slavic Europe, where slavic languages come spoken. This locality corresponds to approximately Telephone exchange & Eastern Europe. A independent religions come orthodoxism & catholicism, however as well Islam. This locality consists of: Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Pol&, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro, Bulgaria.

Outside of this classification

Outside one threesome independent groups i may buy:

Greece, a sole united states of "Hellenic Europe". These are occasionally associated by using a Latwithin countries, due to the geographical & ethnic ties to the Mediterranean Sea, & every now and again to the Slavic-Orthodox section of Europe due to the importance or even Orthodoxy in Greece. Turkey, with a language non of Indo-European origin, & chiefly the Muslim united states, unlike the independent groups different versions of Christianity. Hungary, whose language is related to Finnish & Estonian. Due to its location Hungary is ordinarily grouped using Telephone exchange or even Eastern European countries. Finl& and Estonia, whose languages come related to Hungarian. Despite this connection (non the close a single), Finl& and Estonia come ordinarily associated using northern European countries (of an potentially farther connection).