Europe

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Of the civilized world, the countries of Europe attract more visitors annually than any other place on Earth. The diversity and history of these nations lends itself to adventurous sightseeing and numerous vacation activities.

Contents

[edit] Introduction

[edit] Current Events

[edit] History

[edit] Languages

There are six major languages spoken in Europe. They either correspond with cultural or historic connections between nations, or religion might play a part as a distinctive feature. The six broad categories include, but are not limited to: Romance languages, Germanic languages, Slavic languages, Uralic languages, Baltic languages and Celtic languages. Aside from the classic languages, English is spoken in much of Europe.

[edit] Culture

[edit] Religions

The main religions of Europe include various factions of Catholicism, Protestantism, and Islam. To a lesser degree, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and paganism play a part in the religious make-up of the continent. It’s also important to point out that Europe has the largest and fastest growing community of atheists and agnostics in the world.

[edit] Colonization

Much of the world outside of Europe, particularly North America and Australia, were influenced by the Europeans as a result of colonization. Due to the colonial powers of countries like England, Spain, France, Belgium, Denmark and Portugal, many of the cultures and practices of the America’s and Australia have their basis in Europe. Today, this is widely known as the Western Civilization.

[edit] Geography

Europe is the second smallest continent in landmass, covering 2% of the Earth’s surface with approximately 10,400,000 sq. km. It is the third largest continent when it comes to population; with 11% of the total world population, or roughly 690 million.

Europe’s borders are the Artic Sea to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the east, and it is divided from Asia in the east by the Ural Mountains, the Ural River and the Caspian Sea.

[edit] Regions

Europe is broken down into four regions as delineated by the United Nations.

[edit] Western Europe

On a broad scale the term Eastern Europe can be used to describe the area between Central Europe and Russia; more so since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. More precisely it lies within the confines of the Ural Mountains and the Pacific coast of Far East Russia on the east, and the boundary between the European Union and The Commonwealth of Independent States to the west. With the progress of the European Union, the areas located in Eastern Europe have seen speedy economic growth and quality of life. A once non-existent tourist trade is now coming to life, film companies are putting the region on the map, so to speak, and there even seems to be a slight movement for immigration.

Western Europe includes: Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands and Switzerland.

[edit] Northern Europe

The area of northern Europe is subjective depending on who speaks about the boundaries. Some say that including Great Britain, while excluding The Netherlands is unintelligent. Universal belief though, includes the Baltic countries, European Russia and Greenland. Generally speaking, the separation between northern and southern Europe is considered to be divided at Danevirke and the English Channel.

Northern Europe includes: Aland, Denmark, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, Guernsey, Iceland, Ireland, Isle of Man, Jersey, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

[edit] Southern Europe

The southern region of the continent of Europe has no distinguishing boundaries. However, it is often considered to be the area representing the Mediterranean region. Climate plays a large part in determining the boundaries of the region. Much like the Mediterranean, the landscapes of southern Europe have produced the renowned food traditions that have their basis particularly in olive oil, wine and wheat.

Southern Europe consists of: Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Gibraltar, Greece, Italy, Macedonia, Malta, Montenegro, Portugal, San Marino, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain and Vatican City.

[edit] Eastern Europe

On a broad scale the term Eastern Europe can be used to describe the area between Central Europe and Russia; more so since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. More precisely it lies within the confines of the Ural Mountains and the Pacific coast of Far East Russia on the east, and the boundary between the European Union and The Commonwealth of Independent States to the west. With the progress of the European Union, the areas located in Eastern Europe have seen speedy economic growth and quality of life. A once non-existent tourist trade is now coming to life, film companies are putting the region on the map, so to speak, and there even seems to be a slight movement for immigration.

Eastern European countries are: Belarus, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, and Ukraine.

[edit] Central Europe

The boundaries of central Europe are undefined. Since most of Europe is divided into north, south, east or west, there is no delineation for a central region. However, since the continent is considered to stretch from 10 degrees west to 60 degrees east longitude, and 70 degrees to 35 degrees latitude, the exact center of Europe lies somewhere near Lublin in Poland. Lublin was the medieval hub for trade between the north and south, east and west. The ideal plan of a model city first took root in Lublin, and it is largely responsible for the political surface of European culture.

[edit] Other European regions

Other regions include:

[edit] Countries

[edit] Transport

[edit] Get There

[edit] Get Around

[edit] See

[edit] Highlights

The European Union designated one city a year, within the EU to be The European City of Culture. This idea was conceived by the Greek Minister of Culture, Melina Mercouri, and initiated in 1985 by the Council of Ministers.

Each year the member states unanimously selected a city that would envelop the idea, and the European Commission then granted a subsidy to the city in order to further the purpose of showcasing the city’s treasures. The name was changed to The European Capital of Culture in 1999, and the selection process was changed to avoid fierce competition. It is now financed through the Culture 2000 program, and two cities are showcased each year, giving each EU nation the chance to host.

The cities


[edit] Itineraries

[edit] Stay Safe

[edit] Health

[edit] Trouble Spots

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