The idea of presenting Europe by giving general data on its geographical/political features came to us after reading through the 'Handbook for teachers' provided by the eTwinning European Community.
Have a look at the link below!
http://europa.eu/cultural-heritage/about_en
It is well known that Europe is a unique continent, not surrounded by water from all directions, and an overland border with the neighbouring Asia.
Physiographically, it occupies the northwestern part of the large landmass known as Eurasia and surrounded:
- from the north by the Arctic Ocean,
- from the west by the Atlantic Ocean, from the south by the Mediterranean Sea
- from the southeast by the Black Sea.
The big question for geographers and politicians throughout the centuries has been to give definition to correct border between two continents. Nowadays it is commonly delineated by
- the Ural Mountains in Russia,
- the Caspian Sea and Caucasus Mountains.
Totally now Europe includes 51 independent states.
Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey are transcontinental countries, partially located in both Europe and Asia.
Politically, Armenia and Cyprus are considered European countries, though geographically they are located in the West Asia territory.
Europe's largest country is Russia (37% of total continent area) and the smallest one is Vatican City, which occupies only a small area in the center of Rome.
The most visited travel destination in our continente is France with its capital Paris as the best place of interest, followed by Spain, Italy, the United Kingdom and Germany.
What about the European Union?
The link below will help you get a most exhaustive presentation!
https://europa.eu/european-union/about-eu/countries/member-countries_en