155+ Interesting And Fun European Geography Facts You Need To Know

Akinwalere Olaleye
Oct 06, 2023 By Akinwalere Olaleye
Originally Published on Dec 22, 2021
Europe is the world's second-smallest continent, with a size of around 393,051 sq mi
Age: 3-18
Read time: 9.0 Min

Europe, which occupies the westernmost half of the Eurasian landmass, is the world's second-smallest continent, with a size of around 393,051 sq mi (10,180,000 sq km.)

There are 50 nations on the European continent. However, only 44 of the 50 nations of this continent have capitals! The European Union (EU), which is a political and economic union, is made up of 27 European countries.

It is bordered on the east by the continent of Asia, the Mediterranean Sea on the south, the Atlantic Ocean on the west, and the Arctic Ocean to the north. Several geographical characteristics may be found on the European continent, including important mountain ranges, islands, peninsulas, and aquatic bodies. In the European Union today, there are over 800 European cities with populations of more than 50,000 people. The bulk of these, about 700 European cities, are small and medium-sized cities.

The Alps, Apennines, Carpathians, Caucasus, Balkan, Pyrenees, Ural, and other notable mountain ranges may all be found in Europe. The continent of Europe lies entirely in the Northern Hemisphere, with the majority of its landmass in the Eastern Hemisphere. The 'Peninsula of Peninsulas' and the 'Peninsula of Eurasia' are other names for it. The combined land region of Europe and Asia is known as Eurasia.

Europe is a continent that lies between Africa and Asia, north of Africa and west of Asia. The Atlantic Ocean borders it on the west, the Arctic Ocean on northern Europe, and the Mediterranean Sea on the south. For ages, Europe's vast agricultural and industrial variety has made it a hub of trade and business, and the continent is home to the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The Arctic Ocean is to the north; the Atlantic Ocean is to the west, and the Mediterranean, Black, and Caspian Seas are to the south. These define Europe, which is a peninsula of the Eurasian supercontinent.

There are seven geographical regions of Europe. They are Scandinavia (Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark); the British Isles (the United Kingdom and Ireland); the Mediterranean (Italy, Spain, and Portugal); S Europe ( Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Monaco); W Europe (France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Monaco, Portugal, Spain, Andorra, Italy, Malta, San Marino, and Vatican City)

History

Most geographic terms of world history are vague for Europe. Its derivation, like the actual limits of the territory it denotes, is dubious. Although the shoreline appears to define its western Europe borders, the position of the British Isles remains ambiguous. They appear to outsiders. However, 'Europe' mainly signifies continental Europe to many people of Great Britain and Ireland. To the south, Europe reaches the Mediterranean Sea's northern coastlines.

For the Roman Empire, however, this was a mare nostrum ('our sea'), an interior sea rather than a border. Some people still debate whether Malta and Cyprus are European islands. To the east, where natural boundaries are famously tricky, the most ambiguity exists.

Europa is identified in one of the earliest accounts as one of the Oceanides, a group of 3,000 sea nymphs who occupied a lower rung in Greek mythology. Ancient Greece civilization flourished along the Mediterranean Sea's shoreline in southeastern Europe.

All nations formed by European immigrants or based on European values are considered part of Western civilization. The origins of Western civilization may be traced back to Europe and the Mediterranean.

Europe's unity is an old goal. In certain ways, it was foreshadowed by the Roman Empire. It was inadequately expressed in the Middle Ages by Charlemagne's dominion, the Holy Roman Empire, and the Roman Catholic church. Several political philosophers later presented schemes for European unification, and both Napoleon Bonaparte and Adolf Hitler attempted to unify Europe by conquest.

However, it was not until after World War II that European policymakers began to look for means to peacefully unite Europe on the basis of equality rather than dominance by one or more large nations. Their goals were fourfold: to prevent future wars in Europe, particularly by reconciling France and Germany and assisting in the deterrence of foreign aggression; to abandon protectionism and 'beggar-my-neighbor' policies that had prevailed between the wars, and to match the political and economic clout of the European powers on a civilian basis, and to begin to civilize international relations by adopting common laws and institutions that identify and promote Europe's shared interests rather than its member nations' national objectives.

Population

After Asia and Africa, Europe is the third most populated continent. In 2016, it had a population of 738 million people, accounting for 11% of the world's population. At the moment, the continent is increasing at a pace of 0.3%.

The world's population is quickly expanding. The world population expanded by roughly 2 billion people between 1990 and 2015, and it is expected to rise by another one billion people by 2030.

Asia is the most populous continent on the planet, followed by Africa and Europe. China and India had a combined population of more than 2.6 billion people in 2014. Europe has a population of roughly 741 million people. In 2014, the European Union was home to 10.2% of the world's population.

The population of the European Union (EU) with 27 member states was predicted to be 447.7 million on January 1, 2020, down 12.8% from 513.5 million with 28 member states on January 1, 2019.

Europe is the continent with the world's second-highest life expectancy at birth. The average European born in 2013 is expected to live for 78 years. Foreign nationals benefit from Europe's stable economy, as well as developing and rising markets; seven of the top 20 nations in the world with the biggest gross domestic output in 2015 are situated in Europe.

The permanent impact of two basic shifts has characterized the modern history of\u00a0Europe. Early modern history is typically defined as beginning in the 15th century.

Water Bodies

Several major rivers originate in these mountain ranges and run through the European Continent's nations. Several additional large water bodies may also be found on the continent, in addition to rivers. Flooding, beach erosion, and the submergence of low areas along continental coastlines and on islands are all possible consequences of rising sea levels in Europe. Many navigable rivers run across the north European plain, including the Rhine, Weser, Elbe, Oder, and Vistula.

The Adriatic Sea is a semi-enclosed body of water that separates the eastern section of the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. It is the northernmost extension of the Mediterranean Sea.

The Aegean Sea, which lies between Anatolia and the Balkan peninsulas, is the Mediterranean's fourth-biggest marginal sea, with 82,625 sq mi (214,000 sq km).

The Alboran Sea, located between the Iberian Peninsula and northern Africa, is the westernmost section of the Mediterranean Sea.

The Baltic Sea is one of the Atlantic Ocean's peripheral seas, covering 145,560 sq mi (377,000 sq km). Over 250 major rivers and tiny streams are thought to flow into the Baltic Sea. The Baltic Sea has some notable islands such as Gotland, Saaremaa, Oland, Lolland, and others.

The Black Sea, with a surface size of 168,495 sq mi (436,402 sq km), is one of the Atlantic Ocean's marginal seas, located between the continents of Europe and Asia. Black seas are so named because the seas were black owing to violent storms in the winter when the water was so dark that it seemed black to sailors.

The Black Sea is fed by several major rivers, including the Danube river, Dniester, Don, Dnieper, Rioni, Southern Bug, and others. The sea is home to a variety of islands, including Dzharylhach Island, Nova Zemlia, St. Ivan, St. Cyricus, Bird Island, and others. The Black Sea is 1.18 times bigger than the Caspian Sea. Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan all border the Caspian Sea, which stretches over 700 miles across Central Europe.

Montenegro (also known as the 'Black Mountain') is a well-known tourist attraction. The Bohemian Massif's southeastern edge, which separates the former historical provinces of Bohemia and Moravia, currently in the Czech Republic, is the Bohemian Plateau, one of the major plateaus in Europe. Mont Blanc is Europe's highest peak at 15,771 ft (4,807 m).

The Rhine river is the most significant waterway in Western Europe. The Caucasus Mountains, also known as Russian Kavkaz, are a mountain range and are located between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. The Po River is Italy's longest river; it rises within the Monte Viso range of the Cottian Alps on Italy's western border and empties further into the Adriatic Sea in the east after a 405 mi (652 km) journey.

The Faroe Islands are firmly established as a European country, thanks to a fisheries deal and a free trade agreement with the European Union.

Facts About European Geography

The European continent is entirely in the northern hemisphere, with the majority of its territory in the eastern hemisphere. The Arctic Ocean borders Europe to the north, the Atlantic Ocean on the west, and the Mediterranean Sea on the south.

In 2021, Europe will have 50 European nations with a combined population of more than 748 million people.

Within the municipal borders of Russia's capital, more than 13 million people live. With 5.3 million residents, Saint Petersburg is Russia's second-biggest city. Moscow is the world's largest metropolis that is totally located on the continent of Europe!

The Black Forest is a hilly region with elevations ranging from 656-4,921 ft (200-1,500 m) above sea level. The Berlin Wall, also known in Germany as the Berliner Mauer, surrounded West Berlin from 1961-1989, preventing East Berlin and nearby sections of East Germany from reaching it.

Vatican City is indeed the world's tiniest country, not only in Europe. The city-state of Vatican City, which is part of Italy, is the smallest country in terms of people and area.

Great Britain is the largest island on the European continent. Greenland is Europe's biggest island, and it is part of Denmark's territory. Greenland is generally referred to be the world's biggest island. Greenland, on the other hand, is found in the continent of North America.

Hum, Croatia, is not only Europe's smallest town but also the world's smallest. Only 30 people live in the town.

Istanbul, Turkey's largest metropolis, is widely regarded as Europe's largest city. Istanbul, on the other hand, is split between two continents; the western section belongs to Europe, while the eastern part belongs to Asia. Istanbul has a population of almost 17 million people.

Moscow, on the other hand, is the most populated city fully within Europe! Monaco is the most densely inhabited country in the world. The principality on the Mediterranean coast is the world's most densely inhabited nation.

Europe has the highest population density, which indicates that there are the most people per square kilometer or square mile on this continent.

We Want Your Photos!
We Want Your Photos!

We Want Your Photos!

Do you have a photo you are happy to share that would improve this article?
Email your photos

More for You

See All

Written by Akinwalere Olaleye

Bachelor of Arts specializing in English Literature

Akinwalere Olaleye picture

Akinwalere OlaleyeBachelor of Arts specializing in English Literature

As a highly motivated, detail-oriented, and energetic individual, Olaleye's expertise lies in administrative and management operations. With extensive knowledge as an Editor and Communications Analyst, Olaleye excels in editing, writing, and media relations. Her commitment to upholding professional ethics and driving organizational growth sets her apart. She has a bachelor's degree in English Literature from the University of Benin, Edo State. 

Read full bio >