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Europe is a continent forming the westermost part of
the Eurasian supercontinent. Europe is bounded to the north by the Arctic
Ocean, to the west by the Atlantic Ocean, to the south by the Mediterranean
Sea and the Black Sea, and to the east by the Ural Mountains.
In terms of area, Europe is the world's second smallest
continent, with an area of 10,400,000 km² (4,000,000 square miles),
making it slightly larger than Australia.
In terms of population it is the third largest continent
after Asia and Africa. The population of Europe in 2001 was estimated
to be 666,498,000: roughly one seventh of the world's population.
Etymology
According to Homer the name Europe was originally given
to central Greece. Later it stood for mainland Greece and by 500 BC
its meaning was extended to all the lands of the north.
The term Europe is often said to derive from Greek words
meaning broad (eurys) and face (ops). Many, however, see a Semitic origin,
pointing to the Semitic word ereb which means "sunset". From
a Middle Eastern viewpoint, the sun sets over Europe: the lands to the
west.
In ancient mythology, Europa was a Phoenician princess
who was abducted by a bull-shaped Zeus.
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Geography and Extent
Political and geographic boundaries in Europe do not
always match. This physical and political map shows Europe at its furthest
extent. Geographically Europe is a part of the larger landmass known
as Eurasia. The continent begins at the Ural Mountains in Russia, which
defines Europe's eastern boundary with Asia. The southeast boundary
with Asia isn't universally defined, with either the Ural or Emba rivers
serving as possible boundaries, continuing with the Caspian Sea, and
either the Kuma and Manych rivers or the Caucasus mountains as possibilities,
and onto the Black Sea; the Bosporus, the Sea of Marmara, and the Dardanelles
conclude the Asian boundary. The Mediterranean Sea to the south separates
Europe from Africa. The western boundary is the Atlantic Ocean, but
Iceland, much farther away than the nearest points of Africa and Asia,
is also included in Europe. There is ongoing debate on where the geographical
centre of Europe is.
In practice the borders of Europe are often drawn with
greater regard to political, economic, and other cultural considerations.
This has led to there being several different "Europes" that
are not always identical in size, including or excluding countries according
to the definition of "Europe" used.
Almost all European countries are members of the Council
of Europe, the exceptions being Belarus, the Holy See (Vatican City),
Kazakhstan, and Monaco.
The idea of a European "continent" is not
universally held. Some non-European geographical texts refer to a Eurasian
Continent, or to a European "sub-continent", given that "Europe"
is not surrounded by sea and is, in any case, much more a cultural than
a geographically definable area. In the past concepts such as "Christendom"
were deemed more important.
Confusingly, the word "Europe" is increasingly
being used as a short-form for the European Union (EU) and its members.
25 European sovereign countries currently belong to the EU. A number
of other European countries are negotiating for membership and several
more are expected to begin negotiations in the future.
Physical Features
In terms of shape, Europe is a collection of connected
peninsulas. The two largest of these are "mainland" Europe
and Scandinavia to the north, divided from each other by the Baltic
Sea. Three smaller peninuslas—Iberia, Italy and Greece—emerge
from the southern margin of the mainland into the Medeterranean Sea,
which separates Europe from Africa. Eastward, mainland Europe widens
much like the mouth of a funnel, until the boundary with Asia is reached
at the Ural Mountains.
Land relief in Europe shows great variation within relatively
small areas. The southern regions, however, are more mountainous, while
moving north the terrain descends from the high Alps, Pyrenees and Carpathians,
through hilly uplands, into broad, low northern plains, which are vast
in the east. An arc of uplands also exists along the northwestern seaboard,
beginning in the western British Isles and continuing along the mountainous,
fjord-cut spine of Norway.
This description is simplified. Sub-regions such as
Iberia and Italy contain their own complex features, as does mainland
Europe itself, where the relief contains many plateaus, river valleys
and basins that complicate the general trend. Iceland and the British
Isles are special cases. The former is a land unto itself in the northern
ocean which is counted as part of Europe, while the latter are upland
areas that were once joined to the mainland until rising sea levels
cut them off.
The few generalizations that can be made about the relief
of Europe make it less than suprising that the continent's many separate
regions provided homes for many separate nations throughout history.
