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Line 25: − + + + + + + − + − − ====Languages and their Groups====+ − Indo-European − *[[Baltic]] − **[[Latvian]] − **[[Lithuanian]] − *[[Celtic]] − **[[Irish]] − **[[Scottish Gaelic]] − **[[Welsh]] − *Germanic − **Northern − ***[[Danish]] − ***[[Icelandic]] − ***[[Norwegian]] − ***[[Swedish]] − **Western − ***[[Dutch]] − ***[[English]] − ***[[German]] − *[[Greek]] − *Romance − **[[Catalan]] − **[[French]] − **[[Italian]] − **[[Portuguese]] − **[[Romanian]] − **[[Spanish]] − *Slavic − **Eastern − ***[[Belarusian]] − ***[[Russian]] − ***[[Ukrainian]] − **Southern − ***[[Bosnian]] − ***[[Bulgarian]] − ***[[Croatian]] − ***[[Macedonian]] − ***[[Serbian]] − ***[[Slovene]] − **Western − ***[[Czech]] − ***[[Polish]] − ***[[Slovakian]] − Non-Indo-European − *[[Basque]] − *[[Estonian]] − *[[Finnish]] − *[[Hungarian]] − *[[Maltese]] − *[[Turkish]] − ====Presence in the Americas==== − [[North America|North]] and [[South America]] are, other than Europe, the continents with the most speakers of European languages. Spanish, Portuguese, and Dutch are spoken in South and [[Central America]] (including [[Mexico]]), while English and French are spoken in North America. The Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries are collectively refered to as "[[Latin America]]", as both of these languages are Romance languages and therefore descendents of [[Latin]]. The [[United States of America]] and [[Canada]] are collectively refered to as "Anglo-America," as they both have a majority of English speakers and have strong cultural and historical roots to [[Great Britain]]/[[England]]. − Hugely varied, but with strong historical ties to Christianity, with the leader of Roman Catholics (the "Pope") residing in the Vatican City, in Rome.+ + + Line 86:
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[[Image:Europe pol 2004.jpg|thumb|300 px|Political map of Europe]]
[[Image:Europe pol 2004.jpg|thumb|300 px|Political map of Europe]]
[[Image:Europe ref04.jpg|thumb|300 px|Shaded relief map of Europe]]
[[Image:Europe ref04.jpg|thumb|300 px|Shaded relief map of Europe]]
'''Europe''' is the [[continent]]al landmass consisting of the major peninsulas of [[Eurasia]], and covering some 15% of the world's land area. It is bordered on the west by the [[Atlantic Ocean]]; the north by the [[Arctic Ocean]] and Barents Sea; the east by the Ural Mountains; and on the south by the Caspian, Black, and [[Mediterranean Sea]]s (a second mountain range, the Caucasus, serves as a land boundary between the Caspian and Black seas).
'''Europe''' is the [[continent]]al landmass of Eurasia consisting of the general area to the west of the Ural Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean. With an area of 3,998,000 square miles it ranks as the second-smallest of the continents, but in terms of population (727, 000,000 in 2007) it is the third-largest.
Long a center of culture, art, philosophy, and government, Europe was the birthplace of democracy; the art and architecture of the Renaissance; the springboard of the great age of exploration; and the beginnings of the industrial age. Several major empires inhabited the continent: Greece, Rome, Byzantium, the Ottomans, the Holy Roman, the French, and the German, each producing great achievements for posterity, as well as sparking wars and conflicts which exist to this day.
==Land==
==Land==
Europe is considered to begin at the Ural Mountains, a chain running north-south in present-day Russia. The Caucasus, another mountain chain between the Black and Caspian Seas, forms the southern land boundary. Its remaining boundaries are coastlines; the Arctic Ocean, the North and Norwegian Seas, the Atlantic Ocean, and Mediterranean Sea. The northernmost point on the mainland is Cape Nordkinn, Norway; the southernmost in Spain at Punta de Tarifa.
===Topography===
===Topography===
===Climate===
===Climate===
Cool winters and mild summers are typical of the climate in northern Europe, the result of the warm currents brought by the Atlantic Ocean as well as prevailing westerly winds. The climate of southern Europe is Mediterranean, usually hot in summer, with most rainfall taking place in winter. A colder climate begins in central Poland eastward, typified by drier conditions and, especially in Russia, severely-cold winters.
===Drainage===
===Drainage===
The major rivers in western Europe originate in the mountain ranges of central Europe. The Rhine, Rhone, Elbe, Seine and Vistula flow from the Alps and the Balkans northward, emptying into the English Channel, North and Baltic seas; the Po and Rubicon rivers flow into the Mediterranean Sea, while the [[Danube]] flows into the Black Sea. Long a navigable river, the [[Danube]] is further connected via locks and canals to the Rhine, ensuring a centuries-long free flow of commerce from both sides of Europe into the interior. In eastern Europe the major rivers flow towards the south, emptying in the Black and Caspian seas; among them are the Dnepr, Donets, and Volga. With the exception of the Mediterranean rivers, all European rivers have an even rate of flow as a result of an even spread of yearly precipitation; the faster-flowing rivers, particularly in the mountain highlands and Scandinavia, also aid in the production of hydroelectric power for home and industry.
The major rivers in western Europe originate in the mountain ranges of central Europe. The Rhine, Rhone, Elbe, Seine and Vistula flow from the Alps and the Balkans northward, emptying into the English Channel, North and Baltic seas; the Po and Rubicon rivers flow into the Mediterranean Sea, while the [[Danube]] flows into the Black Sea. Long a navigable river, the [[Danube]] is further connected via locks and canals to the Rhine, ensuring a centuries-long free flow of commerce from both sides of Europe into the interior. In eastern Europe the major rivers flow towards the south, emptying in the Black and Caspian seas; among them are the Dnepr, Donets, and Volga. With the exception of the Mediterranean rivers, all European rivers have an even rate of flow as a result of an even spread of yearly precipitation; the faster-flowing rivers, particularly in the mountain highlands and Scandinavia, also aid in the production of hydroelectric power for home and industry.
===Flora===
===Flora===
Forests covered a large part of Europe as late as the 19th century, but human activities have cleared a many areas for farming. Still, a large amount of forested land remains, as well as those acres that have been re-planted or re-grown after human abandonment.
A mixed coniferous-deciduous belt dominates a vegetation zone across the central portion of the continent from east to west, characterized by oak, elm and maple mingled with fir and pine. Spruce and pine dominate inland northern Europe as a result of cool, but mild temperatures. Tundra is characteristic of the Arctic land regions, consisting of shrubs, wild flowers, lichens and mosses. To the east is the European Plain, an expanse of prairie grass which gives way to the Ukrainian steppe and its short grasses of a drier climate.
===Fauna===
===Fauna===
The lakes and rivers support an abundance of fish, including trout and salmon, while the coastal areas and inland seas support tuna, sardines, sturgeon, cod, haddock, halibut, and many others. Birds are widespread as well, including eagles, storks, ravens, and seabirds.
The lakes and rivers support an abundance of fish, including trout and salmon, while the coastal areas and inland seas support tuna, sardines, sturgeon, cod, haddock, halibut, and many others. Birds are widespread as well, including eagles, storks, ravens, and seabirds.
Although there are many mammal species on the continent (deer, lemmings, beaver, etc), they have been hard hit as a result of man's long occupation in Europe. The once common brown bear (''Ursus arctos'') is now restricted to isolated pockets of the Pyrenees and the far north of Scandinavia. The wisent (''Bison bonasus''), the largest mammal on the continent, has been over-hunted so extensively that only a few managed herds survive in central Poland, while a relative, the larger aurochs (''Bos primigenius'') was killed off by 1627.
Although there are many mammal species on the continent (deer, lemmings, beaver, etc), they have been hard hit as a result of man's long occupation in Europe. The once common brown bear (''Ursus arctos'') is now restricted to isolated pockets of the Pyrenees and the far north of Scandinavia. The wisent (''Bison bonasus''), the largest mammal on the continent, has been over-hunted so extensively that only a few managed herds survive in central Poland, while a relative, the larger aurochs (''Bos primigenius'') was killed off by 1627.
===Resources===
===Mineral resources===
Coal is found extensively in Britain, Spain, France, the Ruhr of Germany, Belgium, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and the Ukraine. Oil and natural gas deposits lie throughout Europe, with the two most important regions within Russia and the North Sea. Nickel, tin, bauxite, copper, lead, gypsum, manganese, lead, and iron ore have been mined extensively and traded. Marble, such as that from Carrera, Italy, is used in monumental architecture and statuary.
===Arable land===
===Arable land===
==People==
==People==
===Ethnic groups===
===Ethnic groups===
A large number of diverse ethnic groups live on the continent, associated by common culture and language. Several of the European nations are composed of one predominant ethnic group, i.e. Greeks in Greece, Spanish in Spain. Several of these countries have a distinctive minority, such as the Laplanders of northern Norway and Finland.
===Languages===
===Languages===
The vast majority of the languages spoken on the European continent come from the [[Indo-
The vast majority of the languages spoken on the European continent come from the [[Indo-European]] language family. Within this category, the three largest European branches are the [[Romance]] (Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian); [[Germanic]] (German, English, Danish, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Icelandic); and [[Slavic]] (Russian, Bulgarian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Slovenian, Macedonian, Serbo-Croatian). Other major languages include Celtic (Gaelic, Welsh, Breton), Greek and Albanian, as well as minor languages within the Finno-Ugric group (Hungarian, Finnish, Saami). Turkish is predominate on the continent within the Istanbul region of Turkey.
European]] language family. Within this category, the three largest European branches are the [[Romance]], [[Germanic]], and [[Slavic]]. The European languages, especially the Romance and Germanic groups, hold a special place among languages of the world, as they are the most wide-spread geographically and most spoken of all languages. This is due to the widespread colonization and emigration by European countries from the 16th century to the 20th, the political and military power of these countries, and their high economic importance.
Several of the European languages were spread world-wide over the past five hundred years as a result of trade, colonization, or political/military power; as a result, French, English, Spanish, and German are second languages for many people.
===Religion===
===Religion===
The dominant religion in Europe is Christianity, with the Roman Catholic Church the largest single sect, forming a major part of the lives of people in France, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Ireland. The Protestants are several churches which originally broke away from the Catholic Church beginning in the 16th century, the most famous being the Lutheran Church, and are the major religion of Germany, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, and Great Britain. The third major Christian religion is Eastern Orthodoxy, mainly in eastern Europe, of which the Greek and Russian sects are well known.
In addition to Turkey, Islam has established itself as the dominant religion in the Balkan countries of Albania and Serbia.
===Education===
===Education===
===Industry===
===Industry===
===Agriculture===
===Agriculture===
European farmers produce a mixed variety of crops yearly, with wheat producing the largest yield, especially within the Ukraine. Other crops include barley, oats, rye, corn, potatoes, beets, beans, peas, and sugar beets. Southern Europe is noted for the production of grapes for the wine industry, olives, pistachio nuts, and citrus fruits; the first two (grapes and olives) have become important to the identity as well as the economy of the countries which produce them. Animal production includes beef (especially in Spain), pigs, goats, and poultry.
===Forestry===
===Forestry===
===Fishing===
===Fishing===
===Transportation===
===Transportation===
===Trade===
===Trade===
International and intercontinental trade on a large scale is conducted by nearly all European countries, with the Netherlands, Germany, France, Italy, and the United Kingdom among the largest trading nations in the world.
== History ==
== History ==
[[Category:Continents]]
[[Category:Continents]]