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Europe
“Europe”—the word calls to mind a land of famous old buildings, scenic countryside, and time-honored traditions. Europe is rich in history. Ancient stone castles, lavish palaces, and beautiful cathedrals dot the land. But it’s also one of the world’s most vibrant, modern places.
Europe attracts visitors from around the world. They come to see its historic landmarks, world-class art museums, and great natural beauty. Scenic attractions include the rolling green hills of the British Isles, towering peaks of the Swiss Alps, and sunny Mediterranean beaches.
Part 1
PENINSULAS AND ISLANDS
Europe is considered a separate continent. But it’s actually a peninsula—a piece of land that juts out from a mainland into water. Europe is a giant peninsula sticking west out of Asia, the mainland.
The Ural Mountains east of Europe divide the continent from Asia. The mountains run right through Russia. Russia lies partly in Europe and partly in Asia.
Europe has many smaller peninsulas of its own. Greece and Italy are peninsulas. Spain and Portugal share another peninsula called Iberia. In the north, Denmark occupies the small peninsula of Jutland. Sweden and Norway occupy the larger Scandinavian Peninsula.
Europe also includes many islands, such as Great Britain, Ireland, Sardinia, Corsica, Sicily, and Crete. All of these islands and peninsulas give Europe a long coastline and many harbors, inlets, and seaports.
A CROWDED CONTINENT
Europe is the second smallest of the world’s seven continents. Only Australia is smaller. Europe is about the same size as the United States. Yet it has almost three times as many people.
About 729 million people live in Europe. That makes it the most crowded of all the continents. Europe is divided into 44 countries. Europeans speak more than 60 languages.
Europe is home to dozens of great cities. Many of them, such as London and Paris, date to ancient times. Among Europe’s other famous cities are Athens, Berlin, Budapest, Madrid, Moscow, Prague, Rome, and Vienna.
MANY LANDSCAPES
You can see a great variety of landscapes in Europe. Many hills and mountains cover northwestern Europe. Around Norway’s coast, ancient glaciers carved deep inlets to the sea called fjords. Steep mountains thick with timber line the fjords, creating beautiful scenery.
South of these highlands lies the Great European Plain. This low-lying plain reaches all the way from southern France to the Ural Mountains in Russia. Some of Europe’s best soils and most productive farms are found here.
Europe’s highest mountains rise to the south of this plain. In the west stand the spectacular, snow-capped Alps. These jagged peaks include the world-famous Matterhorn. The Alps cover parts of Switzerland, France, Italy, and Austria. High mountains reach all the way to the northern shore of the Mediterranean Sea.
Europe’s tallest and steepest peaks, the Caucasus Mountains, stand in the southeast. They are home to Elbrus, the highest point in Europe at 18,510 feet (5,642 meters).
Source: Microsoft ® Encarta
