Europe

Second smallest of the seven continents, Europe is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the North and West and the Mediterranean Sea to the South. Europe is separated from the land-mass of Asia by the Black Sea and the Caucasus Mountains to the South-East, and by the Ural Mountains to the East and North-East. The exact borderline between Europe and Asia - whether in geographic, cultural or socio-political sense - is, however, impossible to determine.

Fast Facts

1. Area: About 10,180,000 square kilometres (3,930,000 square miles)
2. Population: About 728 million (UN estimate for 2005)
3. Number of countries: About 50
4. Biggest country: Russian Federation
5. Smallest country: Vatican
6. Currency: Euro in most EU countries; national currencies in other countries
7. Languages: About 40 major languages
8. European Union was founded in 1957

The Countries

There are about 50 countries in Europe. The exact number is difficult to pin-point due to the ill-defined border-line between Europe and Asia, the ongoing process of nation-building, and to the fact that Europe has a number of small, more or less autonomous territories that may or may not be under the official umbrella of another country.

Science and Technology

A hub of discoveries and inventions in ancient Greece and Roman times, Europe lagged behind other parts of the world, notably Arabia, during the Middle Ages. Renaissance signaled a renewal of scientific thought and technological know-how, culminating in the industrial era. However, in the 20th century, stripped of their colonies, even the richest European countries were unable to keep pace in the fields that required enormous concentration of capital, like space travel. Taken individually, of all the European countries only post-communist Russia has the potential in man-power and in natural resources to complete with United States and the rising economic powers (China, India). Only the pooling together of resources through the EU has enabled Europe to embark on projects of bigger magnitude.

European Peace

The numerous European ethnic groups, later nations, have been jostling for space or dominance on a relatively small area ever since the fall of the Roman Empire. In the first half of the 20th century Europe went through two devastating world wars, while the end of the same century saw a 10-year civil war in the Balkans. However, it is worth noting that among state members of the European Union there has not been a single armed conflict since mid-twentieth century.

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