Europe is composed of the westward-projecting peninsulas of Eurasia and occupying nearly one-fifteenth of the world's total land area. It is bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the west by the Atlantic Ocean, and on the south (west to east) by the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea, the Kuma-Manych Depression, and the Caspian Sea. The continent's eastern boundary (north to south) runs along the eastern Ural Mountains and the Zhem River.

   Europe's islands and archipelagoes include Novaya Zemlya, Iceland, the British Isles, Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, Crete, Malta and many others. Its major peninsulas include the Scandinavian, Iberian, Italian, Balkan, and Jutland. Indented by numerous bays, fjords, and seas, continental Europe's highly irregular coastline is about 38,000 km long. Area 10,150,000 square km.

   Europe can be divided into two major parts: western peninsular Europe and eastern continental Europe. And it can be divided into several distinct physiographic regions. The highland regions of extreme northern and northwestern Europe are marked by very old mountains and plateaus whose contours have been softened by prolonged erosion and glaciation. This region comprises much of Scandinavia, Iceland, Ireland, and Britain.

   More than half of Europe consists of lowlands; these include the East European Plain in the east (more than 3,200 km wide from north to south); the North European Plain, which covers Poland, northern Germany, southern Scandinavia, Belgium, The Netherlands, and northern and western France; the Romanian, Bulgarian, and Hungarian plains; and southern Finland.

   The central upland and plateau regions consist of eroded mountains and plateaus that are of medium age and generally have rounded landforms; these include the highlands of central and southern Germany, the Massif Central of France, the Meseta Central of Spain, and the Bohemian Massif. To the south of these, and trending generally in a west-east direction, are a series of geologically young mountain systems containing Europe's highest elevations and most rugged relief. These mountain ranges include (from west to east) the Sierra Nevada, Pyrenees, Alps, Apennines, Carpathians, and the Balkan Mountains. The southern fringe of Europe is characterized by fragmented mountains, peninsulas, and islands.

   Europe is a well-watered continent with many rivers. Most of the continent's drainage finds its way to the Atlantic Ocean via a number of master river systems, whose watersheds interlock in a most complex manner. The Volga River is the continent's longest 3.529 km river and has the largest drainage basin 1.359.750 square km. Other major rivers are the Danube, Dnieper, Don, Rhine, Vistula, Elbe, Rhône, and Oder. Many of the major European rivers serve as transportation routes and are interconnected by networks of canals.

   Lakes, covering less than 2 percent of Europe's surface, are mostly of glacial origin. Lake Ladoga in northwestern Russia is the continent's largest freshwater lake 17.678 square km. Glaciers cover an area of about 116.000 square km, mostly in the north.

   Lying south of the Arctic Circle and north of the tropics, Europe exhibits a wide range of climates. The almost continuous mountain belt trending west-east across the continent impedes the interchange of tropical and polar air masses. Four major regional climate types can be distinguished: the maritime climate of the west with abundant rainfall and mild temperatures both in the winter and summer; the transitional climate of central Europe with 500 to 1,000 mm of annual rainfall, cold winters, and warm summers; the continental climate of the northeast with 250 to 500 mm of annual rainfall, long and cold winters, and hot summers; and the Mediterranean climate of southern coastal Europe with moderate rainfall, mild and wet winters, and hot and dry summers.

Geographic Map

Area: 10.149.253 Km²
Population: 700.990.000
Density: 69 pop/Km²

Major City: Paris (11.175.000 pop.)
Highest Mountain: Mont Blanc 4810 m
Longest River: Volga 3531 Km
Largest Lake: Ladoga 18.400 Km²
Largest Island: Great Britain 229.885 Km²


Countries and Territories

Principal Mountains
Principal Islands
Principal Rivers
Principal Lakes

Major Cities
Order of Area, Population, Density
Demographic Statistics