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. Only Oceania has less landmass. For discussion of individual countries of the continent, see specific articles by namee.g., Italy, Poland, and United Kingdom. The southeast boundary with Asia is not universally defined, but the modern definition is generally the Ural River or, less commonly, the Emba River. The tundra, found in Iceland and the northern reaches of Scandinavia and Russia, is a treeless region where small mosses, lichens, and ferns grow. Text on this page is printable and can be used according to our Terms of Service. The biggest part of the United Kingdom (also called the U.K.) is the island of Great Britain, which is made up of England, Wales, and Scotland. 1996 - 2023 National Geographic Society. Can you think of anything notable you think I should have included? When it comes to geographical facts about Europe, and in particular the mountains, most people will assume that the names at the top of the list will be the famous Mont Blanc or the Matterhorn. Imperialism is a policy that has been used throughout history, most notably by European powers and the United States. It borders nine neighbors, more than any other European country. In 2005, the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten published 12 cartoons featuring Islamic subjects. The Netherlands is bordered by Germany in the east; and Belgium in the south. Switzerland, federated country of central Europe. Examination of Turkey's topographic structure on a physical map of the world shows clearly the . The European Union has 23 official languages, and the continent has more than 60 indigenous languages. The North European Plain remains the most densely populated region of Europe.Central UplandsThe Central Uplands extend east-west across Central Europe and include western France and Belgium, southern Germany, the Czech Republic, and parts of northern Switzerland and Austria.The Central Uplands are lower in altitude and less rugged than the Alpine region and are heavily wooded. 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. 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.Europes main peninsulas are the Iberian, Italian, and Balkan, located in southern Europe, and the Scandinavian and Jutland, located in northern Europe. 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. Those highland areas include lands of abundant rainfallwhich supplies hydroelectricity and water to industrial citiesand provide summer pastures for cattle. The name Europe, or Europa, is believed to be of Greek origin, as it is the name of a princess in Greek mythology. Europe, second smallest of the worlds continents, composed of the westward-projecting peninsulas of Eurasia (the great landmass that it shares with Asia) and occupying nearly one-fifteenth of the worlds total land area. 1. It is home to many navigable rivers, including the Rhine, Weser, Elbe, Oder, and Vistula. Fortuitously, Europe has no continuous mountain obstacle aligned north-south, corresponding, for example, to the Western Cordillera of North America and the Andes Mountains of South America, that would limit access into western Europe from the ocean. Topography describes the physical features of an area of land. It stands 10,922 feet high on the coast of the Mediterranean island Sicily. Europes eastern boundary, however, is not a cultural, political, or economic discontinuity on the land comparable, for example, to the insulating significance of the Himalayas, which clearly mark a northern limit to South Asian civilization. The lowest terrain in Europe, virtually lacking relief, stands at the head of the Caspian Sea; there the Caspian Depression reaches some 95 feet (29 metres) below sea level. From the Greek perspective then, Europa was culturally backward and scantily settled. You can actually get very close to the falls and safely, thanks to a well maintained hiking trail. Indented by numerous bays, fjords, and seas, continental Europes highly irregular coastline is about 24,000 miles (38,000 km) long. Greeces many earthquakes, and the tsunamis they caused, were connected to the sea god Poseidon, known as the Earth Shaker. Cults and temples centered on Poseidon were built throughout the Aegean and Mediterranean seas as a means of appeasing the god.As maritime trade and exploration developed in the region, winds and currents connected to Poseidon became important in Greek mythology. National Geographic Headquarters 1145 17th Street NW Washington, DC 20036. Map created by National Geographic Maps. These countries included Greece, Ireland, Spain, and Portugal. The well-watered plateaus give rise to many rivers and are well adapted to pastoral farming. Flourishing immigrant communities are bringing in new languages to the continent, including Arabic, Hindi, and Mandarin.A 2006 European study showed that 53 percent of respondents could speak a second language, while 28 percent could speak two foreign languages. To contact our editors please use our contact form. Europe is home to the birthplace of democracy and Western culture in the ancient civilizations of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. Europe's population is 741.4 million people. Whats the Difference Between Great Britain and the United Kingdom. Furthermore, the Mediterranean coastlands of North Africa and southwestern Asia also exhibit some European physical and cultural affinities. Superficial rock cover, elevation, drainage, and soil have sharply differentiated those lowlandswhich are of prime importance to human settlementinto areas of marsh or fen, clay vales, sand and gravel heaths, or river terraces and fertile plains. Geographically, Turkey forms a natural land bridge between the old world continents of Asia, Africa and Europe. Yet the peninsular and insular western extremity of the continent, thrusting toward the North Atlantic Ocean, providesthanks to its latitude and its physical geographya relatively genial human habitat, and the long processes of human history came to mark off the region as the home of a distinctive civilization. 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. A small troop of Barbary macaques lives on the tiny island of Gibraltar, between Spain and the African country of Morocco.The waters surrounding Europe are home to a number of organisms, including fish, seaweeds, marine mammals, and crustaceans. Europe is traditionally defined as one of seven continents. The five most spoken native languages in Europe are Russian, German, French English, Turkish and Italian. Even though the country borders have been redrawn since the Soviet days, the continental borders never have. Economically, Russia and former Soviet states are not part of what we think of as Europe these days, because they are not part of the European Union. Other European islands are much smaller. It happens to be the longest river in Europe and covers 3,692 km/ 2,295 miles long. Gouffre Mirolda is the 3rd deepest cave in the world after Krubera Cave and Illyuzia-Mezhonnogo-Snezhnaya Cave, both in Georgia (former Soviet Republic). Strict EU regulations place a heavy burden on developing countries to compete with their more developed neighbors.The global financial crisis, which began around 2008, has caused these tensions to elevate dramatically. Its major peninsulas include Jutland and the Scandinavian, Iberian, Italian, and Balkan peninsulas. The city is home to the headquarters of luxury brands such as Valentino, Gucci, Versace, and Prada. Establishing fishing limits, protecting threatened habitats, and encouraging sustainable consumption habits are some efforts supported by European conservationists. Ancient Greeks also believed reigning gods imprisoned lesser gods underneath the volcanoes. The land in those areas, however, is of little use for crops. The North European Plain extends across the country's northern reaches; this flat, lowland terrain is dissected by . Each country could easily make a contribution with an interesting fact as the landscape changes so dramatically across small spaces, unlike other continents. The program highlights Europes rich cultural diversity, celebrates its cultural ties, and brings people of different European backgrounds together. If no button appears, you cannot download or save the media. Corrections? San Marino and Vatican City, two fully sovereign nations, are both completely surrounded by Italy. 3. Key Facts. It looks at mountains and valleys, as well as rivers and oceans. The highest summit in Iceland is Hvannadals Peak, at 6,952 feet (2,119 metres), while Ben Nevis, the highest peak in Great Britain, stands at an elevation of only 4,406 feet (1,343 metres). That broad territory reveals no simple unity of geologic structure, landform, relief, or climate. This is the largest landlocked country in the world. Physiographically, it is the northwestern peninsula of the larger landmass known as Eurasia (or the larger Afro-Eurasia); Asia occupies the centre and east of this continuous landmass. An arc of uplands also exists along the northwestern seaboard, beginning in southwestern Ireland, continuing across through western and northern Great Britain, and up along the mountainous, fjord-cut spine of Norway. The northern plain contains the old geological continent of Baltica, and so may be regarded as the "main continent", while peripheral highlands and mountainous regions in south and west constitute fragments from various other geological continents. This rescue package has caused tensions to rise between economically competitive countries and the indebted countries that they are helping to rescue. Among the continents, Europe is an anomaly. In spite of its internal diversity, Europe has thus functioned, from the time it first emerged in the human consciousness, as a world apart, concentratingto borrow a phrase from Christopher Marloweinfinite riches in a little room.. The biggest is Lake Ladoga, which covers just under 7,000 square miles and sits close to St. Petersburg. I think the same issue applies to Turkey, which unlike Russia sees itself as belonging more to Europe than Asia, politically and economically. Luxembourg is landlocked, separated from the North Sea by Belgium.. Many of Europe's fjords are located in Iceland and Scandinavia.North European PlainThe North European Plain extends from the southern United Kingdom east to Russia. Europe extends from the island nation of Iceland in the west to the Ural Mountains of Russia in the east. Some critics argue these attitudes are xenophobic. 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. This linguistic diversity is present in the Alpine regions of many contemporary European countries today.Switzerland, for example, has four official languages: German, French, Italian, and Romansch. The Danubian and northern Italian lowlands are thus mountain-ringed islands. These revolutions eventually lead to the end of the Cold War, symbolized by the falling of the Berlin Wall in 1989.Contemporary IssuesEurope is now broadly defined in the context of the European Union (EU), an economic and political body officially created by the Maastricht Treaty in 1993. 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 nation of Germany was divided in two. The geology of Europe is hugely varied and complex, and gives rise to the wide variety of landscapes found across the continent, from the Scottish Highlands to the rolling plains of Hungary. 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. These events had a devastating effect on Denmarks reputation as a progressive and welcoming country. A contrast exists between the configuration of peninsular, or western, Europe and that of eastern Europe, which is a much larger and more continental area. 12. The continents eastern boundary (north to south) runs along the Ural Mountains and then roughly southwest along the Emba (Zhem) River, terminating at the northern Caspian coast. Imperialism is a policy of extending a nations power and influence through diplomacy or military force. For information on user permissions, please read our Terms of Service. Developed countries, however, are also facing economic challenges. 1996 - 2023 National Geographic Society. I think this makes it easy to assume they are not part of continental Europe. Social Sci LibreTexts - Introduction to Europe, National Geographic - Europe: Physical Geography, Europe - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Europe - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up), China says EU TikTok ban will harm business confidence, What time is it on moon? Iceland, having area of 103 000 km, is larger than Ireland (84 406 km). Kosovo is a. Moose, bear, and elk (Cervus canadensis) are native to the European taiga.Just south of the taiga is a mixture of coniferous and deciduous trees, including beech, ash, poplar, and willow. Topography studies the . Greece is well known for the thousands of islands dotting the three seas that surround the country. The United States and the Soviet Union built up huge nuclear arsenals, with many missiles aimed at targets throughout Europe. All rights reserved. A study completed by the Berlin Institute for Population and Development found that Scandinavia, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, western Germany, Switzerland, Slovenia, Austria, and France have the best prospects of supporting vibrant and economically successful societies. Nations that use the euro as a unit of currency are called the eurozone.Leadership of the EU, split among different branches and institutions, is a working model of international cooperation. Thrace is the western part of Turkey on the European continent.. 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