Europe

We explain what Europe and its physical and cultural characteristics are. In addition, how is its economy, religion and the history of this continent.

What is Europe?

Europe is one of the six continents in the world and the fifth largest. It borders the North with the Arctic Ocean, to the south with the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, to the East with the Ural Montes and to the West with the Atlantic Ocean. Has an approximate area of ​​10 million square kilometerswhich represents 6.8 % of the total land surface of the planet.

In Europe there are some of the main economic and political powers worldwide such as Great Britain, France and Germany. This continent is also Headquarters of some of the most important cities in historyand currently some of the most visited around the world, such as London and Manchester in Britain, Madrid and Barcelona in Spain, Berlin in Germany and Paris in France.

Why is it called that? The origin of the name “Europe” is not clear and there are several theories about it. One of them assumes that the name comes from the Phoenician term erebwhich means “west” or “west”, in reference to the western location of the continent with respect to Phenicia. Another theory believes that the name could be related to a goddess named Europe who, according to Greek mythology, was kidnapped by Zeus and taken to the island of Crete in the Mediterranean Sea.

• See also: continents

Asia characteristics

• The weather varies according to the geographical extension: it is tempered in the vicinity of the Mediterranean Sea and is polar cold in the north of the continent.
• It presents a wide variety of reliefs: plains, as in the center of Russia, high plateaus, as in the north of Great Britain, and mountainous and volcanic chains, such as the Swiss Alps.
• It presents the phenomenon of progressive aging of the population, which occurs due to the combination of two factors: increased life expectancy and decrease in the number of children.
• It is made up of a complex set of societies and states historically faced by social, cultural and economic conflicts, so they have a long tradition of territorial wars and disputes.
• There are about 200 languages ​​and local dialects. The languages ​​with the greatest number of speakers are: Russian, German, French, Turkish, English, Italian and Spanish.

Extension, population and countries

Europe has an extension of 10.18 million square kilometers. After Oceania, it is the smallest continent on the planet. Despite its small size in relation to the rest, Europe is a densely populated continent, with more than 750 million people.

Population of Europe

• The total population of the continent amounts to just over 740 million inhabitantswhich represents 9.4 % of the world total. The most populated countries are Russia with 143 million inhabitants, Türkiye with 84.7 million and Germany with 84.3 million.

• A particular characteristic of the European population is their growing aging. The high quality of life added to the advances of medicine have increased life expectancy to more than 82 years in some countries. To this situation is added the decline in the number of children that people have. The combination of these two factors (people who live more and more and less children) at the same time It is producing a progressive aging of the European population.

European countries

• Europe is made up of 47 countries and other states such as Monaco, San Marino or the Vatican, which are territories with special status recognized by the international community.
• The most extensive country on the continent is Russia with more than 17 million square kilometers, although much of its territory is part of Asia. The second most extensive is Türkiye with 780,000 square kilometers and the third is France with 643,000 square kilometers.
• The states with special status are recognized by its small surface: San Marino has 61 square kilometers, Monaco 2 square kilometers and the city of the Vatican only 0.4 square kilometers.

Physical-natural characteristics of Europe

From the south to the north temperatures in the European continent tend to reduce. Europe includes temperate climates in the vicinity of the Mediterranean Sea and cold polar climates in the north of the continent. Rainfall is abundant in the center and north of the continentand tend to decrease south by the influence of the Mediterranean climate, which is characterized by having a very warm and very dry summer.

In Europe you can find three main types of relief:

• The plains. The most extensive on the continent are in northern France and Germany, in Poland, the Netherlands and in the center of Russia.
• The high plateaus. They cover a good part of the Iberian Peninsula, the center of the continent and the highlands of northern Britain and Scandinavia.
• Mountain and volcanic chains. The highest reliefs of the continent are in the Alps, the Pyrenees, the Carpats, the Urals, of the Caucasus and the volcanoes that make up Iceland.

As a result of the wide variety of reliefs and the type of temperate and rainy climate that predominates, The European continent presents a lot of rivers of different flow and extension. The longest in Europe are the Volga, with 3500 kilometers of extension, the Danube, with 2850 kilometers and the Ural with 2430 kilometers.

Other rivers of lesser extent but very important for the history and European economy are the RIN, Elba, Sena, Thames, Po and Ebro.

• See also: Europe’s relief

Culture and religion of Europe

The European continent is considered the cradle of Western civilizationfrom which political, cultural, social and ideological values ​​and models expand to the world. It is a very complex set of societies and states historically faced by social, cultural and economic conflicts, so they have a long tradition of territorial wars and disputes.

Europe is a culturally different continent in which more than 200 languages ​​and local dialects are spoken. Languages ​​with more speakers are:

• Russian. It is the most spoken language of the continent, with more than 140 million people. It is mainly used in Russia but also in many Eastern Europe countries such as Belarus, Moldova or Latvia.
• German. It is spoken by more than 95 million people in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
• French. It is spoken by more than 80 million people in France, Belgium, Switzerland and Luxembourg.
• Turkish. It is spoken by more than 75 million people in Türkiye, Macedonia and Chipre.
• English. It is spoken by more than 70 million people in the United Kingdom of Great Britain. In addition, it is spoken as a second language for more than 40 % of the European population.
• Italian. It is spoken by more than 60 million people in Italy, San Marino, Switzerland and the Vatican.
• Spanish. It is spoken by more than 45 million people in Spain.

The predominant religion in Europe is Christianity. The most widespread Christian religions are orthodox (mainly in Russia, Greece and Ukraine), the Protestant (in Great Britain and part of Germany and Switzerland) and the Catholic (in Spain, Italy, Portugal and the Vatican, among other countries).

Muslim religion is also very present in Europe, mainly in the Balkan region and in Western Europe as a result of immigration. Other religions, such as Buddhism and Judaism, are also professed by millions of people.

Economic activities of Europe

Europe is one of the most developed regions in the world, with A diversified and highly advanced economy. Among the most developed countries in Europe are Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Russia, Italy and the Netherlands.

These countries have a highly industrialized economy and specialize in the production of machinery, chemicals, cars and luxury goods. They are also leaders in sectors such as tourism, fashion, technology, energy production and financial services.

Other European countries base their economy on agriculture and fishing. The Nordic countries, such as Norway, Denmark and Sweden are leaders in the worldwide fishing activity, while the countries of southern Europe, such as Spain, Italy and Greece also specialize in the production of fruits, vegetables, olives and wine.

The main commercial partners of these European powers are the United States and Chinaand they also have important commercial relations with countries in Asia and Latin America. Trade within the European continent is also very important, with the free movement of goods and services between countries that are part of the European Union.

There are also European countries that present less economic growth such as Bulgaria, Romania and Ukraine (in Eastern Europe) and those that make up the Balkan area, such as Moldova, Albania and Bosnia.

Political characteristics of Europe

The European Union is the world’s largest economic and political organization and is formed by some of the richest countries on the planet. It has its own currency, the euro, which is used in most member countries and is one of the strongest and most stable in the world

The European Union It was formed in 1993 with the entry into force of the Maastricht treaty. From that moment the members of this organization of countries have changed. Countries have been annexed that in 1993 were not part (the last to join was Croatia in 2013) and there have also been countries that decided to stop being part, such as Great Britain in 2020.

This regional bloc establishes a series of political institutions, such as the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union, which aim to make decisions and establish policies for the entire Union.

It also establishes that Citizens of the member countries of the Union can circulate freely without border restrictions. The same goes for trade: all goods that are marketed within the EU can circulate freely without customs tariffs.

In addition to those who are part of the European Unionall European countries are also full members of the United Nations Organization. Some are also part of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), which is a military defense organization, and the OECD (Economic Cooperation and Development Organization) that promotes economic and social cooperation policies.

History of Europe

The history of Europe dates back to classical antiquity, between the 5th century. C. and the second century d. C., with the emergence of the first Greco-Roman civilizations. Greece It was the first great empire made up of polis or cities. It reached its maximum splendor with Alexander the Great in the third century BC. C. stood out in various sciences such as art, astrology, mathematics and philosophy.

In parallel, Rome, another important civilization. For about a hundred years both civilizations faced violently, until 146 a. C ,. When Rome managed to overcome Greece and occupy several of their territories.

The Roman Empire began to decline from the crisis of the third centurybetween 235 d. C. and 284 d. C. political instability, social crises and economic problems, in addition to the pressure exerted by peoples external to the Roman Empire, contributed to its end.

After the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century. C. Europe entered the historical period known as the Middle Ages. The Catholic Church became a powerful institution and dominant throughout Europe, and its influence expanded through the monarchies of the region.

During this time there was also Islamic expansion in southern Europe and the creation of an extensive Muslim empire in the Mediterranean. From the fifteenth century most of the populations of Europe were under the domain of monarchies and aristocracies. Between the 15th and 18th century, numerous significant events for Western history such as the conquest of America in 1492, social revolutions against the monarchies and the French revolution in 1789 took place.

Europe was the continent that has exerted the greatest influence, directly or indirectly, in other countries and continents. From the seventeenth century they emerged scientific and technological discoveries that changed the course and rhythm of technological advances worldwide as a result of the first and second industrial revolution between 1760 and 1850.

The European continent was also characterized by the constants armed clashes that happened during the twentieth century With the aim of acquiring more territories and power: the First World War between 1914 and 1918, the emergence of dictatorial governments in Italy, Spain and Germany during the 1930s, and World War II between 1939 and 1945.

After world wars, European countries began to be part of the United Nations Organization (UN) in 1945 with the aim of recovering diplomacy as a way to resolve conflicts between states and in 1957 they created the European Economic Communitythe predecessor continental political organization of the European Union (EU), created in 1993.

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References

• BOHN, T. (2023). The 10 most spoken languages ​​of Europe. Babbel
• Community of Madrid (SF). What is the European Union? How does it work? What are you doing? Madrid
• Ferrando Castro, M. (SF). What is the main religion of each country in Europe? Redhistory
• European Union (2022). Data and figures on the economy of the European Union. European-Union