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Europe - enyclopaedia article

Europe

Summary: Europe is a continent whose boundaries are the Atlantic Ocean in the west, the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Ural Mountains and Ural River in the east, the Caspian Sea, Caucasus mountains and Black Sea in the southeast and the Mediterranean Sea as the southern boundary. With Asia, Europe forms the supercontinent ...

In terms of area, Europe is the world's second smallest continent, with an area of 10,400,000 square kilometres (4,000,000 square miles), making it slightly larger than Oceania.

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

Etymology

According to Homer the name Europe (Greek: Εύρώπη) was originally given to central Greece. Later it stood for mainland Greece and by 500 BC its meaning was extented to all the lands of the north.

The origin for the word Europe is usually given as from the Greek words for broad (eurys) and face (ops). Others have a Semitic origin. Europe would be derived from the word ereb from a Semitic language, meaning "sunset". From the point of view from the Middle East, the sun would appear to set beyond the lands to the west. In this regard it may be significant that Eurus is also a Latin term for the East Wind.

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 Bronze Age. The origin of Western culture is generally attributed to the ancient Greeks, and the Roman Empire spanned the entire continent for many centuries. Following the decline of the Roman Empire, Europe entered a long period of stasis, generally known as the Dark Ages. During this time isolated monastic communities in Ireland and elsewhere carefully safeguarded and compiled knowledge accumulated previously. The Dark Ages came to an end with the Renaissance and the New Monarchs, marking the start of a period of discovery, exploration, and increase in scientific knowledge. From the 15th century European nations, particularly Spain, Portugal, France, 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 a corresponding increase in population. 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 Eastern Europe and capitalistic countries in Western Europe. Around 1990 the Eastern block broke up.

Geography and Extent

Geographically Europe is a part of a large landmass named Eurasia. The continent begins at the Ural Mountains in Russia, which defines Europe's eastern boundary with Asia. The boundary with Asia continues along the Ural River, and the Caucasus Mountains to the south.

Often the borders of Europe are drawn, based on political, economical, cultural or practical considerations. This has led to there being several different "Europes" that are not always identical in size, including or excluding countries dependent on the definition of "Europe" used.

The idea of a European "Continent" is not universally held. Many non-European geographical texts refer to a Eurasian Continent, or a European "Sub-continent", due to the fact that "Europe" is not surrounded by sea and is much more of a cultural area than geographically definable area. In the past concepts such as "Christendom" were deemed more important.

Increasingly, the word "Europe" is primarily being used as a synonym for the members of the European Union (EU). 25 European states are currently members of the EU. Some other European states are negotiating for membership and several more expected to commence negotiations at some stage in the future. Almost all European states are members of the Council of Europe; the sole exceptions are Belarus, Holy See, Kazakhstan, and Monaco.

Countries

Currently, geographic (and political) Europe comprises the following 47 countries (in alphabetical order):

Notes

1. Azerbaijan is for the most part on continental Asia, only the area north of the Caucasus range is in Europe.
2. Denmark has two dependent territories: the Faroe Islands in Europe, and the self-governing island of Greenland, which is considered part of North America.
3. France distinguishes overseas departments (such as French Guiana), overseas territories (such as French Polynesia) and territorial collectivities (such as Mayotte); they are all located outside of Europe.
4. Kazakhstan is for the most part on continental Asia, only the area west of the Ural River is in Europe.
5. The Kingdom of the Netherlands consists of The Netherlands itself and two overseas territories in the Caribbean - Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles.
6. Portugal also includes the Azores and Madeira in the Atlantic Ocean.
7. Russia extends far across Asia, but only the area westward of the Ural Mountains is considered to be within continental Europe.
8. Spain also includes the Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla in the north of Africa.
9. Turkey is for the most part on continental Asia, only the area west of the Bosporus and the Sea of Marmara is in Europe.
10. The island of Cyprus is surrounded by Southwest Asia, but a member of the European Union nevertheless.

Transcaucasus

Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, three CIS republics in the Transcaucasus, are geographically part of continental Asia, but are frequently associated with Europe. Whether or not Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia are considered to be European countries usually depends on whether one defines Europe as being primarily an ethnic / linguistic / historical entity, or primarily a political / geographic entity, and what one considers those definitions to be.

Regions in Europe

;Western Europe (Red)

British Isles

United Kingdom, Ireland

French Region

France, Monaco

Benelux

Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg

Iberian Peninsula

Spain, Portugal, Andorra

Other region names relating to Europe

• The Caucasus
• Central Eurasia - The region extends into Europe and Asia
• Southern Europe
• Scandinavia
• North Eurasia - The region extends into Europe and Asia

See also

• Europe, the band

• History of Europe
• Transportation in Europe
• Financial and social rankings of European countries
• Area and population of European countries
• Date of independence of European countries
• Metropolitian cities of Europe
• Alternative names of European cities
• European Youth Parliament
• European Constitution
• Eurabia
• Euroregion

External links

• Europe at Night at NASA's Earth Observatory