Europe

Introduction
Europe is the 6th largest continent, c.4,000,000 sq mi (10,360,000 sq km) including
adjacent islands (1992 est. pop. 512,000,000). It is actually a vast peninsula of the
great Eurasian land mass. By convention, it is separated from Asia by the Urals and
the Ural River in the east; by the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus in the southeast;
and by the Black Sea, the Bosporus, the Sea of Marmara, and the Dardanelles in
the south. The Mediterranean Sea and the Strait of Gibraltar separate it from
Africa. Europe is washed in the north by the Arctic Ocean and in the west by the
Atlantic Ocean, with which the North Sea and the Baltic Sea are connected.
Physical Geography
The huge Alpine mountain chain, of which the Pyrenees, the Alps, the Carpathians,
the Balkans, and the Caucasus are the principal links, traverses the continent from
west to east. The highest points are Mt. Elbrus (18,481 ft/5,633 m) in the Caucasus
and Mont Blanc (15,771 ft/4,807 m) in the Alps. Europe's lowest point (92 ft/28 m
below sea level) is the surface of the Caspian Sea. Between the mountainous
Scandinavian Peninsula in the north and the Alpine chain in the south lie the
Central European Uplands surrounded by the great European plain, stretching from
the Atlantic coast of France to the Urals.
A large part of this plain (which is interrupted by minor mountain groups and hills)
has fertile agricultural soil; in the east and north there are vast steppe, forest, lake,
and tundra regions. South of the Alpine chain extend the Iberian, Italian, and
Balkan peninsulas, which are largely mountainous. The Po plain, between the Alps
and the Apennines, and the Alfld plain, between the Carpathians and the Alps, are
fertile and much-developed regions. Among the chief river systems of Europe are,
from east to west, those of the Volga, the Don, the Dnieper, the Danube, the
Vistula, the Oder, the Elbe, the Rhine, the Rhne, the Loire, the Garonne, and the
Tagus.
Climate
The climate of Europe varies from subtropical to polar. The Mediterranean climate
of the south is dry and warm. The western and north western parts have a mild,
generally humid climate, influenced by the North Atlantic Drift. In central and

eastern Europe the climate is of the humid continental-type with cool summers. In
the northeast subarctic and tundra climates are found. All of Europe is subject to
the moderating influence of prevailing westerly winds from the Atlantic Ocean
and, consequently, its climates are found at higher latitudes than similar climates
on other continents.
Regions
Europe can be divided into seven geographic regions: Scandinavia (Iceland,
Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark); the British Isles (the United Kingdom
and Ireland); western Europe (France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and
Monaco); southern Europe (Portugal, Spain, Andorra, Italy, Malta, San Marino,
and Vatican City); Central Europe (Germany, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria,
Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary); south-eastern Europe
(Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Albania,
Macedonia, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, and the European part of Turkey); and
eastern Europe (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, the
European portion of Russia, and by convention the Trans-Caucasian countries of
Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan).

People

Indo-European languages predominate in Europe; others spoken include Basque,

Maltese, and the languages classified as Finno-Ugric, Samoyedic, Bulgaric, and
Turkic. Roman Catholicism is the chief religion of southern and western Europe
and the southern part of central Europe; Protestantism is dominant in Great Britain,
Scandinavia, and the northern part of Europe; the Orthodox Eastern Church
predominates in eastern and south-eastern Europe; and there are pockets of Muslim
predominance in the Balkan Peninsula and Transcaucasia. With the exception of
the northern third of the continent, Europe is densely populated. Eleven cities have
populations exceeding two million inhabitants; London, Moscow, and Paris are the
largest cities.

Economy and Transportation

Europe is highly industrialized; the largest industrial areas are found in westcentral Europe, England, northern Italy, Ukraine, and European Russia.
Agriculture, forestry (in northern Europe), and fishing (along the Atlantic coast)
are also important. Europe has a large variety of minerals; coal, iron ore, and salt
are abundant. Oil and gas are found in E Europe and beneath the North Sea. Coal is
used to produce a significant, but declining amount of Europe's electricity; in
Norway and Sweden and in the Alps hydroelectric plants supply a large percentage
of the power. More than 25% of Europe's electricity is generated from nuclear
power.

The transportation system in Europe is highly developed; interconnecting rivers

and canals provide excellent inland water transportation in Central and Western
Europe. The Channel Tunnel connects Great Britain to France. The countries of
Europe engage heavily in foreign trade, and some of the world's greatest ports are
found there. Rotterdam with the huge new Europort complex, London, Le Havre,
Hamburg, Genoa, and Marseilles are the chief ports.