PHYSICAL FEATURES OF EUROPE

The Great European Plain: this extends from the Pyrenees to the Ural Mountains in Russia.

Mountains: most of the mountain chains, such as the Alps and the Balkans, are in the south of Europe, near the Mediterranean Sea.

Compact groups of mountains: these are called plateaus or massifs.

Peninsulas: the Scandinavian, Iberian and Italian peninsulas are the largest in Europe.

Islands: Iceland, The British Isles, Sardinia, Sicily and Crete are the largest islands in Europe.

COASTS AND RIVERS

Europe has coastlines on the Artic Ocean, The North Sea and the Baltic Sea in the north; on the Caspian Sea in the south-east; on the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea in the south; and on the Atlantic Ocean in the west.

Many rivers cross the European continent. Some of them are over 1.000 Km long. The longest river is the Volga, which is over 3.500 Km long.

EUROPE AND ITS POPULATION

Europe is a prosperous, developed continent. It is the third most populated continent after Asia and Africa.

About 730 million people, around 11% of the world´s population, live in Europe.

However, the population density varies greatly from one region to another.

Most europeans live in cities. The largest cities are London, Moscow and St. Petersburg.

COUNTRIES

There are forty-eight independent nations in Europe. Some countries, such as Macedonia and Belarus, became independent recently.

PEOPLE AND DIVERSITY

Europe is home to many different indigenous races and also to many immigrants from Latin America, India, Africa and other places. Consequently, there is a great diversity of origins, religious beliefs, cultural traditions and languages.

THE EUROPEAN UNION

The European Union (EU) is a confederation of countries. A confederation is a group of countries united for a common purpose.

The EU´s purpose is to promote political and economic union in a space without political frontiers.

The first member states were France, Italy, Germany, Holland, Belgium and Luxembourg. Today there are twenty-seven countries and 490 million citizens in the EU.

FACTS

At first, the European Union concentrated on economic matters. All member states now share legislation on agriculture, industry and transport.

- The euro is the official currency in most EU countries.

- The citizens of member states can live and work in any other member state.

- In recent years, the European Union has worked on political policies. The EU is developing its own defence and justice systems.

EUROPEAN UNION INSTITUTIONS

Most EU institutions are bassed in Brussels (Belgium), Strasbourg (France) and in the city of Luxembourg.

The main institutions are:

- The Council of the European Union.

- The European Parliament.

- The European Commission.

- The Court of Justice.