A landlocked country of towering mountains, deep Alpine lakes, grassy valleys dotted with . 5. The continent also comprises numerous islands, somenotably the Faroes and Icelandlocated at a distance from the mainland. It is one of the biggest glaciers in the world, covering almost 9,000 sq km (3,500 square miles). This linguistic diversity is present in the Alpine regions of many contemporary European countries today.Switzerland, for example, has four official languages: German, French, Italian, and Romansch. The language survives in Switzerland because of the remote location of its native speakers.Contemporary CulturesEuropes rich and diverse cultural heritage continues to flourish today. Routes detour around, or seek gaps through, those uplandswhose German appellation, Horst (thicket), recalls their still wooded character, while their coal basins give them great economic importance. Three smaller peninsulasIberia, Italy, and the Balkansemerge from the southern margin of the mainland. National Geographic Society is a 501 (c)(3) organization. It is the continent's second largest island (after Great Britain). The Kimmel Falls are the tallest in Europe and also 5th in the list of the worlds highest waterfalls. Read More: 25 Unbelievable Facts about North Korea that you must know. This program must not only highlight the citys unique cultural heritage, but also feature new events that unite a range of cultural practices from across Europe. Yet it was not until the 19th and 20th centuries that modern science was able to draw with some precision the geologic and geographic lineaments of the European continent, the peoples of which had meanwhile achieved domination overand set in motion vast countervailing movements amongthe inhabitants of much of the rest of the globe (see Western colonialism). In the extreme northern part (northernmost Russia; Svalbard), bordering the Arctic Ocean, is tundra climate (Et). [2] A prehistoric perspective would include Britain and Ireland as the core of a further very significant European peninsula prior to the post-glacial rise in sea-levels.[3]. The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited. Europe is home to the birthplace of democracy and Western culture in the ancient civilizations of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. These journeys varied in length, depending on the migration patterns of specific reindeer herds. Lesotho (landlocked within South Africa), is the only other country in the world surrounded entirely by another country. 16 S Sunwood Ln , Sandy, UT 84092 is a single-family home listed for-sale at $1,295,000. Slavic-based civilization dominates much of the territory occupied by the former Soviet Union from the Baltic and Black seas to the Pacific Ocean. To contact our editors please use our contact form. The program highlights Europes rich cultural diversity, celebrates its cultural ties, and brings people of different European backgrounds together. A volcanos violent nature thus came from the work of Hephaestus and the anger of the imprisoned gods.The ancient Greeks connection to the sea also deeply influenced their mythological beliefs. Europe Europe, second smallest of the world's continents, composed of the westward-projecting peninsulas of Eurasia (the great landmass that it shares with Asia) and occupying nearly one-fifteenth of the world's total land area. Southward of the limits of the northern glacial ice are vales and hills, with the Paris and London basins typical examples. The Apennines, Dinaric Alps, and Balkan Mountains, as well as the arc-shaped Carpathian Mountains and their southern portion, the Transylvanian Alps, also exhibit high elevations. Early Europeans, in fact, shaped global ideas of citizenship and government. The Iron Curtain was an ideological boundary that divided Europe into two blocsWestern countries influenced by the United States, and Eastern countries influenced by the Soviet Union. Text on this page is printable and can be used according to our Terms of Service. Population Density188 people per square kilometer, Highest ElevationMount Elbrus, Russia (5,642 meters/18,510 feet), Most Renewable Electricity ProducedIceland (99.9%; hydropower, geothermal), Largest Urban AreaMoscow, Russia (16.2 million people), Largest WatershedVolga River (1.38 million square km/532,821 square miles). If a media asset is downloadable, a download button appears in the corner of the media viewer. Antwerp is the biggest city of the country. The highest peaks in those ranges are Mount Corno (9,554 feet [2,912 metres]) in the Abruzzi Apennines, Bobotov Kuk (8,274 feet [2,522 metres]) in the Dinaric Alps, Mount Botev (7,795 feet [2,376 metres]) in the Balkan Mountains, Gerlachovsk Peak (Gerlach; 8,711 feet [2,655 metres]) in the Western Carpathians, and Mount Moldoveanu (8,346 feet [2,544 metres]) in the Transylvanian Alps. Updated: 07/28/2022 Table of Contents 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. Among the alternative boundaries proposed by geographers that have gained wide acceptance is a scheme that sees the crest of the Greater Caucasus range as the dividing line between Europe and Asia, placing Ciscaucasia, the northern part of the Caucasus region, in Europe and Transcaucasia, the southern part, in Asia. 2. 1996 - 2023 National Geographic Society. Certain countries and regions have even developed an identity or branding focused on specific products and exports.Scandinavian design, for instance, is primarily focused on fashion and home wares. The goals of the program are local, regional, and global. This map shows the physical features of Europe, surrounding lands, and offshore areas. When you reach out to him or her, you will need the page title, URL, and the date you accessed the resource. Important Scandinavian companies focused on designed products include Electrolux, which makes home electronics, and Ikea and H&M, famous around the world for inexpensive but well-designed home furnishings and clothing, respectively. In the Alps, Mont Blanc rises to a height of 15,771 feet (4,807 metres), which is the highest point on the continent. Kosovo is a. As part of an international agreement signed at the conference, all 27 member states of the European Union agreed to reduce carbon emissions by 20 percent by 2020 (from 1990 levels).The EU also notified the UN of a conditional offer to increase this cut to 30 percent, provided that other major emitters agree to take on their fair share of a global reduction effort. This conditional offer illustrates the tension that was present at the conference between developed countries high carbon emissions and developing countries low or rising carbon use. Western Europe and parts of Central Europe generally fall into the temperate maritime climate (Cfb), the southern part is mostly a Mediterranean climate (mostly Csa, smaller area with Csb), the north-central part and east into central Russia is mostly a humid continental climate (Dfb) and the northern part of the continent is a subarctic climate (Dfc). Trees also grow in that southernmost region, including the Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis), cypress, and cork oak (Quercus suber). The North European Plain extends across the country's northern reaches; this flat, lowland terrain is dissected by . This rescue package has caused tensions to rise between economically competitive countries and the indebted countries that they are helping to rescue. Eastern Europe is everything east of Germany, Austria, and Italy. Understanding Europe's Topography. Switzerland's small sizeits total area is about half that of Scotlandand its modest population give little indication of its international significance. Because of their remoteness, however, all these regions have distinct dialects that differ slightly from their parent language. Not only is it pretty huge (2.5 times the size of Mount Vesuvius, which so famously buried Pompeii), but it is also one of the most active volcanoes in the world. These camps were mostly populated by Roma, also called Gypsies. The Anatolian peninsula is the westernmost point of Asia, divided from Europe by the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits. Sometimes considered a transcontinental country, it is located at the intersection of Eastern Europe and Western Asia, [2] and is today generally regarded as part of Europe. The major shallow water bodies submerging parts of the northern plains are the Celtic Sea, the North Sea, the Baltic Sea complex, and the Barents Sea. Europe is traditionally defined as one of seven continents. Many Muslim organizations, however, saw the cartoons as bigoted, racist, and insulting. There is ongoing debate on where the geographical centre of Europe falls. Kazakhstan. She or he will best know the preferred format. They created clothing and tents out of reindeer hides, sewing together the cloth with twine made from the animals tendons.Keeping track of herds and individual animals became increasingly important in Sami life. Bitte aktivieren Sie JavaScript. Kazakhstan and Russia are in Asia. The empire of ancient Rome, at its greatest extent in the 2nd century ce, revealed, and imprinted its culture on, much of the face of the continent. Eastward, mainland Europe widens much like the mouth of a funnel, until the boundary with Asia is reached at the Ural Mountains and Ural River, the Caspian Sea, and the Caucasus Mountains. Europe is the second-smallest continent. Yet the peninsular and insular western extremity of the continent, thrusting toward the North Atlantic Ocean, providesthanks to its latitude and its physical geographya relatively genial human habitat, and the long processes of human history came to mark off the region as the home of a distinctive civilization. The Netherlands is a country located in Northwestern Europe. Germany's location at the heart of Europe has shaped its history both for good and bad. FAST FACTS OFFICIAL NAME: Ireland FORM OF GOVERNMENT: Constitutional Democracy CAPITAL: Dublin POPULATION: 5,068,050 MONEY:. Nonetheless, in manufacturing and agriculture Europe still occupies an eminent, if no longer necessarily predominant, position. The 15 rivers of Europe by average discharge, including only rivers directly flowing into the World Ocean or Endorheic basins: Aegean Islands, land, Balearic Islands, Corsica, Crete, Cyprus (Adjacent to Asia), Fyn, Faroe Islands, Gotland, Great Britain, Hinnya, Iceland, Ionian Islands, Ireland, Malta, North Jutlandic Island, Saaremaa, Sardinia, Senja, Sicily, Svalbard and Zealand. Nearly 100% of Ukraine's adult population is literate. The western part of the continent clearly has a high proportion of coastline with good maritime access and often with . The western boundary is the Atlantic Ocean. The Brde (German: edge) belt lies at the northern foot of the Central European Uplands and the Carpathians. The tundra, found in Iceland and the northern reaches of Scandinavia and Russia, is a treeless region where small mosses, lichens, and ferns grow. These projected changes will have two major effects: There will be a smaller work force to create a dynamic and industrious economy, and governments and citizens will have to care for more elderly people.These changes will affect different regions of Europe in different ways. 3. Topography often records the various elevations of an area using a topographical map. Another widely endorsed scheme puts the western portion of the Caucasus region in Europe and the eastern partthat is, the bulk of Azerbaijan and small portions of Armenia, Georgia, and Russias Caspian Sea coastin Asia. This article treats the physical and human geography of Europe. 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