AREA: 9,69,9,550 sq. Km
POPULATION: Estimated 2008 population 72,95,46,0௩௩
GREATEST DISTANCES: East-West: About 6,400 km,
North-West: About 4,800km
COSTLINE: About 60,793 km
HIGHEST POINT: Mount Elbrus, 5,633 m above sea level
LOWEST POINT: Shore of the Caspian Sea, 28 m below sea level
CHIEF MOUNTAIN RANGES: Alps, Apennines, Balkans, Carpathians, Caucasus, Pyrenees, Sierra Nevada.
CHIEF RIVERS: Danube, Don, Elbe, Rhine, Rhone, Seine, Thames, Volga.
CHIEF DESERTS: There are no deserts in Europe.
CHIEF LAKES: Caspian Sea, Ladoga.
NUMBER OF INDEPENDENT COUNTRIES: 47
One of the world’s smallest continents, Europe is bounded to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the west by the Atlantic Ocean, to the south by the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea, and the Caspian Sea, and to the east by the Ural Mountains which separate the continent from Asia and the greater part of the vast Eurasian landmass. Despite its internal diversities of culture, language, customs, etc.
Europe has come to represent a epochs of history. Europe is a continent of great physical and cultural diversity and is bestowed with some of the world’s most spectacular landscapes and places of scenic beauty. From the tiny hilltop villages of France to the bustling metropolises of London and Paris; form the ski slopes of the Australian Alps to the sun-kissed beaches of Mediterranean Spain; from the fairy-tale castles of the Scottish Highlands to the Gondolas of Venetian canals; the breathtaking beauty of Europe is a feast for the eyes.
Europe and Asia together form one large landmass called Eurasia. Still, Europe is considered to be a continent because it has well marked borders that set it apart from Asia. In the North, South and West, it is bordered by the sea. In the East, the Ural Mountains form an effective border. In addition, Europe’s culture and history are quite distinct from Asia.
There are a variety of languages-English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Swedish, Danish, Hebrew, being spoken in Europe. There are scores of other languages as well. At the last count, there are over 200, including dialects, or local versions of different languages.
EUROPEAN ART:
The Renaissance was the golden period of art in Europe. It was influenced by the art of Ancient Greece and Rome, but the Renaissance artists high lighted the individual.
