Europe it is one of the six continents in the world, being the second smallest in terms of land area. The continent is bathed, to the north, by the Arctic Sea; to the south, by the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea; west by Atlantic Ocean; and to the east by the Caspian Sea. Europe is also known as the “Old World” and considered the cradle of western culture.
Europe is territorially limited with the Asia, to the east, being considered then an extension of the continental mass of the Asian continent, thus forming the Eurasia (continental mass formed by Europe and Asia).
The two continents are separated by the mountain range called Ural Mountains. Due to its very irregular contour, the European continent presents, in addition to severalpeninsulasand Islands, many countries with coastal coast.
See too:European countries
all about europe
Continent |
Europe |
Gentile |
European |
Area |
10,180,000 km2 |
Population |
741,447,158 inhabitants |
Demographic density |
72.83 inhab/km2 |
Language |
In Europe, around 60 languages are spoken. In some countries, more than one language is spoken. Examples of European languages: Spanish, French and German. |
countries |
50 countries |
biggest country |
Russia |
smallest country |
Vatican |
European countries and their capitals
Europe is made up of 50 countries (UK is made up of four constituent nations) and eight dependencies. These are:
1) Albania (Capital: Tyrant)
2) Germany (Capital: Berlin)
3) Andorra (Capital: Andorra la Velha)
4) Austria (Capital: Vienna)
5) Belgium (Capital: Brussels)
6) Belarus (Capital: Minsk)
7) Bosnia and Herzegovina (Capital: Sarajevo)
8) Bulgaria (Capital: Sofia)
9) Kazakhstan (Capital: Astana)
10) Cyprus (Capital: Nicosia)
11) Croatia (Capital: Zagreb)
11) Denmark (Capital: Copenhagen)
12) Slovakia (Capital: Bratislava)
13) Slovenia (Capital: Ljubljana)
14) Spain (Capital: Madrid)
15) Estonia (Capital: Tallinn)
16) Finland (Capital: Helsinki)
17) France (Capital: Paris)
18) Greece (Capital: Athens)
19) Hungary (Capital: Budapest)
20) Ireland (Capital: Dublin)
21) Iceland (Capital: Reykjavik)
22) Italy (Capital: Rome)
23) Latvia (Capital: Riga)
24) Liechtenstein (Capital: Vaduz)
25) Lithuania (Capital: Vilnius)
26) Luxembourg (Capital: Luxembourg)
27) Malta (Capital: Valletta)
28) Moldavia (Capital: Chisinau)
29) monaco (Capital: Monaco)
30) Montenegro (Capital: Podgorica)
31) Norway (Capital: Oslo)
32) Netherlands (Capital: Amsterdam)
33) Poland (Capital: Warsaw)
34) Portugal (Capital: Lisbon)
35) Czechia (Capital: Prague)
36) Northern Macedonia (Capital: Skopje)
37) UK — is a Sovereign State formed by 4 countries:
England (Capital: London)
Northern Ireland (Capital: Belfast)
Scotland (Capital: Edinburgh)
Wales (Capital: Cardiff)
38) Romania (Capital: Bucharest)
39) Russia — country belonging to Europe and Asia (Capital: Moscow)
40) San Marino (Capital: San Marino)
41) Serbia (Capital: Belgrade)
42) Sweden (Capital: Stockholm)
43) Switzerland (Capital: Bern)
44) Turkey — country belonging to Europe and Asia (Capital: Ankara)
45) Ukraine (Capital: Kiev)
46) Vatican (Capital: Vatican City)
Read too: Difference between UK, England and Great Britain
Europe map
Map of the European continent (Source: Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics)
Regions of Europe
The European continent has quite characteristics heterogeneous when analyzed its entire territory. To facilitate the study of its constituent areas, some classifications divide it into four regions. These regions were established according to spatial and economic criteria. These are:
Western Europe: it is made up of nations bathed by the Atlantic Ocean, such as Germany, Belgium, France and the United Kingdom, as well as countries that have a relationship with the West.
southern europe: is made up of nations bathed by the Mediterranean Sea located in the Iberian Peninsula, such as Spain, Andorra, Greece and Italy.
Central-Eastern Europe: is made up of the countries that make up the former Soviet Union and became independent, like Bosnia, Herzegovina, Kosovo, Moldova, Northern Macedonia, among others.
Northern Europe: it is made up of countries located in the extreme north of the continent, such as the Nordic countries (Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Iceland).
Read too:Characteristics of continents
Economy of Europe
Over a long period, Europe was considered the economic center of the world, mainly due to its geographic location, being in the “center of the world”, that is, between the other continents. Despite other super economies, such as the U.S (in America) and the China (in Asia), in Europe there are still great world economies, like Germany, which is the fourth in the world; the United Kingdom, the fifth; France, the sixth; and Italy, the eighth.
In relation to imports, the European continent imports raw materials, minerals and high-tech manufactures. already the exports made by him include automobiles, chemical products, manufactured products, among others.
The economy is mainly driven by farming, miningand tourism. THE industry is related to the research and development of technology in the telecommunications, electronics, pharmaceuticals, steel and aircraft sectors, among others.
On the European continent there is the biggest economic block of the world, the European Union. Constituted by 28 countries, this block represents the free circulation of goods and merchandise among its member countries, which have adopted a single currency, the euro. The European Union is currently the largest export market for goods, services and products.
Read too: Difference between import and export
geographic features
→ Weather
The predominant climate in Europe is the seasoned (due to its geographic location), in which it can be observed continental and oceanic variations.
The areas located in the northern portion of the continent have more severe temperatures in the winter period, while the areas located to the south have milder temperatures throughout the year and smaller thermal amplitudes when compared to countries around the north. There are climate regions semiarid, mediterranean and polar.
See too:Types of weather
→ Hydrography
The Volga River is the longest river on the European continent in length, with 3688 km.
Due to the large part of the continent, Europe is washed by several seas. Several rivers can also be found on the continent, such as the Danube (borns in Germany and flows into the Black Sea), the Volga (Russia) and the River Rhine (Germany, France and flows into the Netherlands). The Volga River is the longest in Europe.
Know more:Main rivers in the world
→ Vegetation
As it is a very heterogeneous territory, various types of vegetation can be found in Europe, such as the Tundra, in low temperature areas; the Coniferous Forest or taiga; the temperate forest, which is the predominant vegetation on the continent, among others.
→ Peninsulas
The European continent has five important peninsulas:
Scandinavian
jutland
Iberian
italics
Balkan
Also know:What is Scandinavia?
Population
Among the six continents of the world, Europe is fourth in population ranking, over 740 million inhabitants.
The continent is considered the most attractive for migrants from all regions of the world, and, according to a report by the International Organization for Migration, around 70 million people in Europe they came from other places.
The most populous country in Europe is the Russia, with a little over 144 million inhabitants, and the least populous is the Vatican, with about 800 inhabitants.
by Rafaela Sousa
Graduated in Geography