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Europe
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Map showing the countries of Europe with national capitals and surrounding bodies of water, including the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, and Black Sea. Norway Sveti Stefan island in Montenegro, featuring stone buildings with red-tiled roofs surrounded by blue sea, connected to the mainland by a narrow causeway. Small boats docked in the harbor of Torshavn, Faroe Islands, with colorful buildings including yellow and red houses in the background reflected in the calm water. The Acropolis in Athens, Greece, with the Parthenon temple prominently situated on the rocky hill above the city and ancient ruins visible in the foreground. The Pont du Gard, a three-tiered ancient Roman aqueduct with large stone arches, spans a river near Nimes, France, surrounded by trees and rocky banks. Steep, rocky coastline of La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain, with lush vegetation in the foreground and blue ocean waves meeting the shore below. European Parliament A detailed geologic time scale chart displaying Earth's history from the Hadean Eon over 4.5 billion years ago to the present, organized by eons, eras, periods, epochs, and ages with color-coded columns and corresponding dates in millions of years. structural features of Europe
At a Glance
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Europe summary
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The flag of the European Union
Passport to Europe
Euro dollars. Monetary unit and currency of the European Union. (European money; monetary unit)
Traveler’s Guide to Europe
Front of a bullet train in the station in Zurich, Switzerland. High speed train. Hompepage blog 2009, geography and travel, science and technology passenger train transportation railroad
A Visit to Europe
Map showing the distribution of European ethnic culture areas. Thematic map.
European Atlas
Top of Brandenburg Gate, Berlin, Germany
Uncover Europe
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Map showing the countries of Europe with national capitals and surrounding bodies of water, including the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, and Black Sea.
Map of Europe showing countries, capitals, and international boundaries Political map of Europe.

Europe

continent
Written by
Thomas M. Poulsen
Emeritus Professor of Geography, Portland State University, Oregon. Author of Nations and States: A Geographic Background to World Affairs.
Thomas M. PoulsenAll
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Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
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‱History

Europe, second smallest of the world’s continents, composed of the westward-projecting peninsulas of Eurasia (the great landmass that it shares with Asia) 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...

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