What countries are included in Europe? Divided Europe In which part of the mainland is Western Europe located?

Europe is one of the smallest continents on earth. About 40,000 years ago in Europe, modern humans supplanted the Neanderthals, and European civilization has since begun. According to ancient Greek mythology, Europe was the daughter of the Phoenician king Agenor and Telefassa, who was kidnapped by Zeus. Subsequently, Europa became the wife of Zeus.

Geography of Europe

Europe is washed by the waters of the Arctic Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, as well as the Mediterranean, Black and Caspian Seas. The eastern border of Europe runs along the Ural Mountains.

The continent of Europe includes numerous islands, peninsulas and archipelagos. The coastline of continental Europe covers 38,000 kilometers. The total area of Europe is 9.938 million square meters. km (this is 2% of the Earth's territory). Europe is part of the Eurasian Peninsula.

The climate in most of Europe is temperate, in southern Europe it is Mediterranean and even partially subtropical with warm, humid winters and hot summers. On the Svalbard archipelago, which geographically also belongs to Europe, the climate is subarctic and arctic.

The longest river in Europe is the Volga (3645 km), which flows through Russia. The list of the largest European rivers also includes: the Danube (2960 km), the Dnieper (2201 km), the Don (1870 km), the Kama (1805 km), the Dniester (1352 km), the Rhine (1233 km), the Elbe (1165 km) , Ural (2428 km), Vistula (1047 km), Tahoe (1038 km), Loire (1012 km), Oder (854 km) and Neman (937 km).

In Europe, there are several very large, and also very beautiful, lakes. Among them are Lake Ladoga, Peipsi and Onega in Russia, Lake Vänern in Sweden, Lake Balaton in Hungary and Lake Geneva in Switzerland and France.

Approximately 17% of the territory of Europe is occupied by mountains - the Pyrenees, the Alps, the Apennines, the Carpathians, the Balkans, the Caucasus, the Urals and the Scandinavian mountains. The highest mountain of this continent is Elbrus (Russia), its height is 5642 meters.

European population

At the moment, the population of Europe already exceeds 842 million people. This is about 13% of the total population of the Earth. Most Europeans live in Eastern Europe.

Almost the entire population of Europe belongs to the Caucasoid race, which is divided into several smaller races:

Atlanto-Baltic race (Great Britain, Ireland, Scandinavia, Iceland, northern Germany, the Netherlands, Estonia and Latvia);
Central European race (central regions of Western Europe, most of the territory of Eastern Europe, Ukraine and the European part of Russia);
Balkan-Caucasian race (Albania, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, northern Greece, Bulgaria, southern Austria and northern Italy);
Indo-Mediterranean race (Spain, Italy, France, southern Greece, Cyprus and Malta);
White Sea-Baltic race (northern territories of Russia, Lithuania and partly Latvia).

Countries of Europe

At the moment, there are 56 countries in Europe (of which 6 countries are the so-called unrecognized republics). The largest European country is Russia (its territory occupies 17,098,242 sq. km), and the smallest is the Vatican (0.44 sq. km). By the way, more than 291 million people now live in Russia.

Regions of Europe

Sometimes Europe is divided into 5 regions (Western, Eastern, Northern, Southern and Central), which in turn are divided into seven geographical sub-regions:

Scandinavia (Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark);
British Isles (Great Britain and Ireland);
Western Europe (France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Monaco);
Southern Europe (Portugal, Spain, Andorra, Italy, Malta, San Marino and the Vatican);
Central Europe (Germany, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary);
Southeast Europe (Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Albania, Macedonia, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece and the European part of Turkey);
Eastern Europe (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Russia, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan).

Many cities in Europe were founded before our era. Now the most densely populated city in Europe is Istanbul, the former capital of Turkey, which is home to more than 12.2 million people.

Other major cities in Europe are Moscow, London, St. Petersburg, Berlin, Madrid, Rome, Kyiv, Paris, Bucharest and Budapest. However, some European cities that play a significant political and cultural role in the world have relatively few inhabitants. These cities include Athens, Oslo, Brussels, Copenhagen and Geneva.

The division of Europe into "new" and "old" is most of all connected with the situation in "old" Europe and depends rather little on both the direct US policy and the change of governments in the new EU countries. "New Europe" remains pro-American, nothing fundamentally changed here and will not change. The division into two Europes has lost its relevance due to the new wave of Atlanticism in the old EU members. Unfortunately, Europe is now more united than ever, this is due to the approach of its "old" part to the "new" one, and not vice versa. The current crisis can make some adjustments to this situation, but it is unlikely that any turning point can be expected in the coming years.

Will the Czech Republic change EU policy?

It is known that the President of the Czech Republic is a Euroskeptic. The same position is taken by the country's Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek, on whom foreign policy depends even more than on the president. Although, at the same time, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of his cabinet, Karel Schwarzenberg, against the general background, looks more like a Euro-optimist, which became especially noticeable after his speeches in defense of the Lisbon agreements. In general, I would not attach much importance to Czech Euroscepticism. The Czech Republic next year needs to prove its worth as a member of the EU, so it will not be up to active demonstrations of negative sentiments.

Czech skepticism concerns plans for further integration, but does not extend to already established forms. Meanwhile, the Czech Republic (as well as other countries of the Central European region) have not yet had time to take advantage of the opportunities that have presented themselves. The main content of the policy of the Czech Republic as the EU presidency will be precisely the promotion of European integration in the sense of pulling Central Europe to Western Europe. This goal has already been officially announced: Deputy Prime Minister for EU Affairs Alexander Vondra formulated the main priority of the Czech Republic as "taking the necessary measures to fully implement the principles of freedom of movement and labor mobility in the EU, especially in relations between old and new member states."

The Czech Republic is too small a country to really influence the policy of the entire EU. A tradition has already begun to take shape in Europe: one of the major players in the EU, the one who was the chairman before them, helps small countries in fulfilling the duties of the chairmanship. It is unlikely that the Czech Republic will really take over the presidency, but its role will inevitably be minimized in favor of Paris. And this will concern, first of all, foreign policy issues that do not belong to the Czech priorities. The slogan chosen for the Czech presidency is "Europe without borders!" – this is exactly what Prague will do. Vaclav Klaus does not want the EU flag to fly over his residence during his presidency. I think they will meet him. This will end Prague's Euroskepticism, at least until the next six months.

However, the Czech Republic is still interested in something in foreign policy: it is unlikely that it will simply want to give it to Polish initiatives. Rather, out of a sense of national pride, it will try in some respects to "put Poland in its place." Vondra has already expressed a negative attitude towards initiatives such as the Union for the Mediterranean. It is clear that this attitude most of all concerns the Polish initiative to create the Eastern Partnership, which has a clear anti-Russian character. The goal of the Czech Republic will be to establish the most conflict-free relations between the EU and Russia.

Is Central Europe united?

In our country, the "new" Europe is often called Eastern, but if we proceed from concepts that are relevant for the region itself, then we should say not Eastern, but Central Europe. Eastern Europe is considered to be the CIS countries, and when Russian political scientists try to call Poland or the Czech Republic "countries of Eastern Europe", this is quite seriously taken as an insult and a manifestation of imperialist inclinations, because this is seen as a desire to at least verbally annex these countries to Russia.

The idea of Central Europe as a special region was very popular in the 1980s, but in practice it failed. In 2004, after the region acquired a new status, a new attempt was made to gain unity, at least at the level of foreign policy activity, but this, too, remained mostly in words. The central and strongest country in the region - Poland - pursues such a peculiar foreign policy that participation in it is simply unprofitable for other countries of the Visegrad Group. Of Poland's foreign policy proposals, energy security initiatives have been the most successful, but they are still far from bringing the region together politically. It is possible that Czech ideas about building a "Central European vertical" will find some expression during its EU presidency, but they are unlikely to create a new geopolitical reality now.

There is no unity among the countries of the region on the issue of attitudes towards Russia and the post-Soviet space, and they are divided not only among themselves, but also internally. At the same time, in the countries of Central Europe, the power of certain political forces is very unstable, it is easily and often replaced. As a result, one can now speak about this region only through a description of the most common features and problems.

Is it possible to "Finlandize" Russia's relations with Central Europe?

Finland's relations with Russia do not imply any specific approach to history. Finnish memory of Finnish-Russian relations is not negative - the period of existence as part of the Russian Empire is more likely to be remembered with a plus sign than a minus one. In fact, only the memory of the 1938 war and the Karelian question hinders a positive attitude towards Russia.

The time for the possible adoption of the Finnish model by Central Europe has passed - it has already joined NATO. But some features of this model may be relevant for Western Europe, and for Lithuania and Latvia (however, this is hard to see now), and, of course, for Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. For Poland, it is not relevant in principle. Russophobia here is the backbone of national identity. It's hard to be a Christian without believing in hell, it's hard to be a Pole without believing in "evil Russia". There are other concepts here, and they must be reckoned with. Polish foreign policy is maximally ideologized, and the differences between different political parties in this regard should not be overestimated - they are minimal.

How influential is the Polish lobby?

The new US president is Barack Obama, a senator from Illinois, in which the Polish lobby has the strongest positions. Chicago is the capital of the Polish diaspora in the United States, the headquarters of the Polish American Congress, the Polish National Alliance, the Polish Roman Catholic Union, the Polish Women's Alliance in America and many other Polish diaspora organizations are located here. It is no coincidence that Obama's adviser is one of the most famous American Poles - Zbigniew Brzezinski.

In this case, it is worth considering a number of "buts". Traditionally, it is considered that the Polish lobby is much stronger in the Democratic Party. However, in the last elections, according to research, most of the Polish diaspora voted for the Republicans. Now the younger generation of Polish Americans voted for Obama, while the older generation preferred McCain. There is also no doubt that McCain is much closer and more understandable to the modern president of Poland - his Law and Justice party has the closest relations with the Republicans. In Poland, Obama's victory was controversial, and the statements of some leaders of both ruling parties have already put Poland in a rather awkward position.

Europe is a part of the world, which is located in the northern hemisphere of our planet, it is washed by numerous seas and, together with Asia, forms Eurasia. In ancient Greek mythology, Europe is a Phoenician princess who was treacherously kidnapped by Zeus and taken to the island of Crete.

There is a hypothesis that this name comes from the Greek word, which the Greeks used to designate all territories located to the west of the Aegean Sea. There are other theories regarding the origin of this name.

General information

Today, more than 740 million people or 10% of the total population of the Earth live here. The total territory is more than 10 million square kilometers.

The shores of Europe are washed by two oceans: the Atlantic and the Arctic, as well as numerous seas. The coast is strongly indented, a large area is occupied by numerous peninsulas. Most of Europe is occupied by vast plains.

There are a large number of rivers and many large lakes. The climate is temperate, in the western part - oceanic, in the eastern part - continental. Europe is rich in minerals and other natural resources. It is here that the countries with the most developed economies are located.

This part of the world has played an important role in human history. It should be noted the great richness and diversity of European cultures.

Borders

The borders of Europe have changed in different periods of human history, the debate around them does not subside to this day. The ancient Greeks considered the northern part of their country to be Europe. Gradually, people got to know their world better, and the borders gradually moved further east.

However, people mastered more and more new territories, went further to the east. The famous Russian historian Tatishchev proposed to divide the mainland at the foot of the Ural Mountains. This point of view was first adopted in Russia, and then by foreign geographers.

However, even at the moment there are controversial points regarding the exact boundaries of this part of the world. They are not global. Now there are several options for drawing borders. This issue plays an important political role, because where the border of Europe passes depends on which countries are included in it.

The border in the north runs along the coast of the Arctic Ocean, the western border - along the Atlantic Ocean, the eastern border - along the foot of the Ural Mountains, along the Emba River to the Caspian Sea and along the Manych and Kuma rivers to the mouth of the Don. Then the border goes along the northern coast of the Black Sea and the Black Sea straits.

According to another opinion, the border runs along the Caucasus Range. There are other options for drawing the border, which transfer it to the south of the Caucasus Mountains.

Countries that are part of Europe

Europe is often divided into Eastern and Western, Southern and Northern, although such a division is somewhat arbitrary. It has more to do with political and cultural characteristics. On the European political map, you can find both large states (Russia, Ukraine, France) and very tiny ones. Several countries are only partially located in Europe.

In total, this part of the world includes (in whole or in part) 49 countries. Of these, several states are not always included in Europe. There are also several territories with undetermined status. They declared independence, but it was not recognized by the world community.

The borders of European states have changed over the centuries as a result of numerous wars and revolutions.

So, which countries are considered European today? We have prepared a list for you, dividing it into four parts: the states of Western Europe, the countries that are in its north, the countries of Southern and Eastern Europe. As well as those countries that are only partially located in this part of the world.

West Side:

France
Great Britain
Austria
Belgium
Germany
Ireland
Luxembourg
Liechtenstein
Monaco
Switzerland
Ireland

East End:

Bulgaria
Romania
Ukraine
Poland
Slovakia
Hungary
Czech
Moldova
Belarus

If you do not take into account dependent regions and not fully recognized states, then Europe for 2017 covers 44 powers. Each of them has a capital in which not only its administration is located, but also the highest authority, that is, the government of the state.

In contact with

States of Europe

The territory of Europe stretches from east to west for more than 3 thousand kilometers, and from south to north (from the island of Crete to the island of Svalbard) for 5 thousand kilometers. The European powers are, for the most part, comparatively small. With such small sizes of territories and good transport accessibility, these states either closely border on each other or are separated by very small distances.

The European continent is divided territorially into parts:

western;
eastern;
northern;
southern.

All powers located on the European continent belong to one of these territories.

There are 11 countries in the western region.
In the east - 10 (including Russia).
In the north - 8.
In the south - 15.

Let's list all the countries of Europe and their capitals. We will divide the list of countries and capitals of Europe into four parts according to the territorial and geographical position of the powers on the world map.

Western

List of states belonging to Western Europe, with a list of main cities:

The states of Western Europe are washed mainly by the currents of the Atlantic Ocean and only in the north of the Scandinavian Peninsula border on the waters of the Arctic Ocean. In general, these are highly developed and prosperous powers. But they are distinguished by an unfavorable demographic situation. This is a low birth rate and a low level of natural increase of inhabitants. In Germany, there is even a decline in population. All this led to the fact that developed Western Europe began to play the role of a subregion in the global system of population migration, it turned into the main center of labor immigration.

Eastern

List of states located in the eastern zone of the European continent and their capitals:

The states of Eastern Europe have a lower level of economic development than their Western neighbors. However, they better preserved cultural and ethnic identity. Eastern Europe is more of a cultural and historical region than a geographical one. The Russian expanses can also be attributed to the eastern territory of Europe. And the geographical center of Eastern Europe is located approximately within Ukraine.

Northern

The list of states that make up northern Europe, including capitals, looks like this:

The territories of the states of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jutland, the Baltic States, the islands of Svalbard and Iceland are included in the northern part of Europe. The population of these regions is only 4% of the entire European composition. Sweden is the largest country in the G8 and Iceland is the smallest. The population density in these lands is less in Europe - 22 people / m 2, and in Iceland - only 3 people / m 2. This is due to the harsh conditions of the climatic zone. But the economic indicators of development distinguish northern Europe as the leader of the entire world economy.

South

And finally, the most numerous list of territories located in the southern part, and the capitals of European states:

The Balkan and Iberian Peninsulas are occupied by these South European powers. Industry is developed here, especially ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy. The countries are rich in mineral resources. In agriculture, the main efforts focused on the cultivation of food products, such as:

grape;
olives;
pomegranate;
dates.

It is known that Spain is the world's leading country in the collection of olives. It is here that 45% of all olive oil in the world is produced. Spain is also famous for its famous artists - Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso, Joan Miro.

European Union

The idea of creating a single community of European powers appeared in the middle of the twentieth century, or rather after the Second World War. The official unification of the countries of the European Union (EU) took place only in 1992, when this union was sealed by the legal consent of the parties. Over time, the number of members of the European Union has expanded, and now it includes 28 allies. And states that want to join these prosperous countries will have to prove their compliance with the European foundations and principles of the EU, such as:

protection of the rights of citizens;
democracy;
freedom of trade in a developed economy.

Members of the EU

The European Union for 2017 includes the following states:

There are now applicant countries to join this foreign community. These include:

Albania.
Serbia.
Macedonia.
Montenegro.
Türkiye.

On the map of the European Union, you can clearly see its geography, the countries of Europe and their capitals.

Regulations and prerogatives of EU partners

The EU has a customs policy under which its members can trade with each other without duties and without restrictions. And in relation to other powers, the adopted customs tariff applies. Having common laws, the EU countries created a single market and introduced a single monetary currency - the euro. Many EU member states are part of the so-called Schengen zone, which allows their citizens to move freely through the territory of all allies.

The European Union has common governing bodies for member countries, which include:

European Court.
European Parliament.
European Commission.
The audit community that controls the EU budget.

Despite unity, the European states that have joined the community have full independence and state sovereignty. Each country uses its own national language and has its own governing bodies. But for all participants there are certain criteria, and they must meet them. For example, coordination of all important political decisions with the European Parliament.

It should be noted that since its founding, only one power has left the European community. It was Danish autonomy - Greenland. In 1985, she was outraged by the low quotas introduced by the European Union for fishing. You can also recall the sensational events in 2016 referendum in the UK, when the population voted to leave the country from the European Union. This suggests that even in such an influential and seemingly stable community, serious problems are brewing.

Europe is a part of the world with an area of about 10 million km² and a population of 740 million people (about 10% of the world's population). Together with Asia, it forms the continent of Eurasia.

Etymology

Europe is named after the heroine of the ancient Greek mythology of Europe, the Phoenician princess, abducted by Zeus and taken to Crete (at the same time, the epithet of Europe could also be associated with Hera and Demeter). The origin of this name itself, as the French linguist P. Chantren concludes, is unknown. The most popular etymological hypotheses in modern literature were proposed in antiquity (along with many others), but are controversial:

One etymology interprets it from the Greek roots Hebrew- and Ops- as "wide-eyed".

According to the lexicographer Hesychius, the name Europia means "the country of sunset, or dark", which was compared by later linguists with Western-Sem. ‘rb “sunset” or Akkad. erebu with the same meaning. M. West assesses this etymology as very weak.

Borders

The name Europe for part of the world is absent in ancient Greek literature (in the Homeric hymn to the Pythian Apollo, only Northern Greece is called Europe) and was first recorded in the “Description of the Earth” by Hecateus of Miletus (end of the 6th century BC), the first book of which is devoted to Europe.

The ancient Greeks initially considered Europe to be a separate continent, separated from Asia by the Aegean and Black Seas, and from Africa by the Mediterranean Sea. Convinced that Europe is only a small part of the vast continent, which is now called Eurasia, ancient authors began to draw the eastern border of Europe along the Don River (such ideas are already found in Polybius and Strabo). This tradition dominated for almost two millennia. In particular, at Mercator, the border of Europe runs along the Don, and from its source - strictly north to the White Sea.

In the 15th century, when the Muslims were forced out of almost all of Spain, and the Byzantines from Asia (by the Turks), Europe briefly became almost synonymous with Christendom, but now most Christians live outside of its territory. In the 19th century, almost all of the world's industry was in Europe; today, most of the production is made outside of it.

V. N. Tatishchev in 1720 proposed to draw the eastern border of Europe along the ridge of the Ural Mountains, and further along the Yaik River (modern Ural) up to the mouth that flows into the Caspian Sea. Gradually, the new border became generally accepted, first in Russia, and then beyond its borders. At present, the border of Europe is drawn: in the north - along the Arctic Ocean; in the west - along the Atlantic Ocean; in the south - along the Mediterranean, Aegean, Marmara, Black Seas; in the east - along the eastern foot of the Ural Mountains, the Mugodzhar mountains, along the Emba River to the Caspian Sea, from it along the Kuma and Manych rivers (Kumo-Manych depression) to the mouth of the Don (in particular, according to encyclopedias: Great Soviet Encyclopedia and Encyclopedia Britannica) or , less often, along the Caucasian ridge to the Black Sea). The further passage of the border between Europe and Asia along the Black Sea and the Black Sea straits is supported by all sources.

Due to these circumstances, the inclusion of Azerbaijan and Georgia in the list of European countries is based primarily on partial geographical location, as well as political, economic and cultural considerations, and is not unambiguous. Cyprus is part of the European Union, but geographically located in Asia. A number of Greek islands, located near the coast of Turkish Anatolia, can also be attributed to Asia.

Despite the fact that geographically Armenia is located in Asia, it has close political and cultural ties with Europe.

Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev wrote in 1906:

“The separation of Europe from Asia is in every respect artificial and will certainly smooth out over time and probably even disappear.”

Bernard Henri Levy

"Europe is not a place, but an idea."

Geography

Europe is washed by the Atlantic and Arctic oceans and their seas.

The area of the islands is about 730 thousand km². The peninsulas account for about 1/4 of the territory of Europe (Kola, Scandinavian, Pyrenean, Apennine, Balkan, etc.).

The average height is about 300 m, the maximum (if you draw the border of Europe along the Kuma-Manych depression) - 4808 m, Mont Blanc, or (when you draw the border of Europe along the Caucasus Range) - 5642 m, Elbrus, the minimum is currently approx. . −27 meters (Caspian Sea) and changes along with fluctuations in the level of this sea.

Plains prevail (large - East European, Central European, Middle and Lower Danube, Paris basin), mountains occupy about 17% of the territory (the main ones are the Alps, the Caucasus, the Carpathians, the Crimean, Pyrenees, Apennines, the Urals, the Scandinavian mountains, the mountains of the Balkan Peninsula) . There are active volcanoes in Iceland and the Mediterranean.

In most of the territory, the climate is temperate (in the west - oceanic, in the east - continental, with snowy and frosty winters), in the northern islands - subarctic and arctic, in southern Europe - Mediterranean, in the Caspian lowland - semi-desert. On the islands of the Arctic, in Iceland, the Scandinavian mountains, the Alps - glaciation (area over 116 thousand km²).

Major rivers: Volga, Danube, Ural, Dnieper, Western Dvina, Don, Pechora, Kama, Oka, Belaya, Dniester, Rhine, Elbe, Vistula, Tahoe, Loire, Oder, Neman.

Large lakes: Ladoga, Onega, Peipsi, Venern, Balaton, Geneva.

On the islands of the Arctic and along the coast of the Arctic Ocean - arctic deserts and tundras, to the south - forest-tundras, taiga, mixed and broad-leaved forests, forest-steppes, steppes, subtropical Mediterranean forests and shrubs; in the southeast - semi-deserts.

The largest sandy desert in Europe, Ryn-Sands (40,000 km²), is located between the Volga and Ural rivers (on the territory of Kazakhstan and Russia); in Western Europe, the Tabernas massif in Spain is sometimes considered close to the semi-desert type of communities. In addition, there has been desertification of vast areas in Kalmykia, Russia, as a result of human activities in the industrial extraction of water from natural sources and irrational land use. In the zone of dry steppes in eastern Europe, there are a number of sandy massifs in Russia on the lower Don (Archedinsky-Don sands, Tsimlyansk sands, etc.), the borderlands of Kalmykia, Dagestan and Chechnya (Nogai steppe), as well as on the territory of Ukraine (Alyoshkov sands).

History of Europe

Europe remained uninhabited by humans for quite a long time. Where man came to Europe is debatable. We only know that Europe was not the birthplace of mankind. There are versions that the first hominids came to Europe from India. This is consistent with genetic studies. But the most developed is the hypothesis of the arrival of hominids to Europe from Africa through Asia Minor. There is an assumption that this happened in the middle of Villafranchian time. Before Homo Sapiens, Neanderthals inhabited Europe and Western Asia.

The Heidelberg man and his likely direct descendant, the Neanderthal man, truly populated Europe, the latter being a specialized form adapted to the European climate.

The earliest appearance of humans of the modern physical type (Homo sapiens) in Europe, known at the moment, dates back to 35 thousand years ago, and 28 thousand years ago, the Neanderthal probably finally disappeared.

Countries of Europe

43 states have the recognition of the majority of UN members, 2 states (territories) have limited recognition.

Western Europe

Austria
Belgium
Great Britain
Germany
Ireland
Liechtenstein
Luxembourg
Monaco
Netherlands
France
Switzerland

Eastern Europe

Belarus
Bulgaria
Hungary
Moldova
Poland
Russia
Romania
Estonia
Ukraine
Czech

Northern Europe

Denmark
Iceland
Latvia
Lithuania
Norway
Finland
Sweden
Macedonia

Southern Europe

Albania
Andorra
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Vatican
Greece
Spain
Italy
Malta
Portugal
San Marino
Serbia
Slovenia
Croatia
Montenegro

Partly in Europe

Azerbaijan (from 0% to approx. 10% of the territory)
Georgia (from 0% to approx. 5% of the territory)
Kazakhstan (up to 14% of the territory)
Russia (from 22% to 23% of the territory)
Türkiye (3% of the territory)

Unrecognized or partially recognized

Republic of Kosovo
Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic

States and territories maintaining close political and cultural ties with Europe

Armenia (member of the Council of Europe)
Greenland (part of Denmark)
Cyprus (EU member)
South Ossetia (partially recognized state)
Abkhazia (partially recognized state)
Azerbaijan[ (member of the Council of Europe)
Georgia (member of the Council of Europe)

European dependencies

Åland Islands
guernsey
Gibraltar
Jersey
Isle Of Man
Faroe islands
Svalbard
Jan Mayen

Partially recognized religious order

Order of Malta

Division of Europe

Europe is usually divided into Northern and Southern, Western and Eastern, as well as Central. This division is rather arbitrary, especially since not only purely geographical, but also political factors come into play here. Some countries, depending on the point of view, may be assigned to different groups of states.

In Soviet times, the division of Europe into East and West often had a political connotation - Eastern Europe included the GDR, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Yugoslavia and the USSR - the socialist countries, or, as they were also called, "countries of people's democracy ". All other states belonged to Western Europe. At the same time, Spain, Portugal, the south of France, Italy, Malta, Cyprus, Greece and Turkey were also called Southern Europe, and Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland - Northern Europe.

Currently, after the collapse of the USSR, Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia, Central Europe includes Austria, Switzerland and Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, the countries of the former Yugoslavia, Romania, Hungary, which were previously included in Eastern Europe, sometimes the Baltic countries (the latter are more often included in Northern Europe) . To Eastern Europe - physiographically Russia (only a part in Europe), Ukraine, Belarus, Azerbaijan (only a part in Europe), Georgia (only a part in Europe), Kazakhstan (only a part in Europe), Moldova, including unrecognized Transnistria. To Western Europe - Great Britain, Ireland, France and other countries, including the physical and geographically Central European Germany. Some sources retain the old division.

Political situation

In the post-World War II period until 1989-1991, Europe was the central scene of the Cold War between the Western (capitalist) and Eastern (socialist) blocs. Most of the countries of Western Europe at that time, in military and political terms, united within the framework of NATO. Social and legal integration was provided by the Council of Europe, economic - by the European Economic Community. In the east of the continent, the Warsaw Pact Organization acted as a military integration structure, the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance acted as an economic one; in both, the USSR played a dominant role.

After the collapse of the socialist regimes, the situation changed markedly. Most of the countries of the former "socialist camp" reoriented towards Western structures. Currently, more than half of the states of Europe are members of the European Union and NATO, and almost all the rest declare their desire to join these organizations. On the one hand, this created the preconditions for the EU to become a political player on a truly global scale. On the other hand, the heterogeneity of the composition of the Union has a negative impact on its ability to develop common positions on certain issues.

The leaders of political processes in Europe are Germany, France, Great Britain and Italy. A significant role in the integration processes is played by the small countries of Western Europe (the Benelux countries, the Scandinavian states, Ireland), which have largely benefited from the development of the EU. A special place is occupied by the former socialist countries, which hope to improve their economic situation through participation in the European Union. The Balkan Peninsula remains a hotbed of instability, where the conflict situations that arose during the collapse of Yugoslavia have not yet been resolved. The political and economic future of the former Soviet republics, including those in the Caucasus, remains unclear. There is ambiguous attitude in Europe towards the desire of a predominantly Muslim Turkey to become more involved in European affairs.

Major international associations in Europe

European countries are members of various international organizations, most of which are organizations of an economic and political nature. The main international associations in Europe are listed below.

The Council of Europe is the only pan-European organization whose members are practically all the countries of Europe. Currently, 47 states are members of the Council of Europe. The goals of the Council of Europe are programs to smooth out contradictions between the legislative bases of European countries in such areas as human rights, citizenship, private international law, protection of the environment and cultural heritage, protection of the rights of national minorities, etc.

European Union

The European Union, the abbreviated name of the EU, is a supranational association of 27 European states. Within the framework of the Union, many programs are supervised. Within the framework of the EU, there is a single market, which includes a customs union, a monetary union (a single European currency - the euro, operates on the territory of 17 of the 27 members of the European Union), a common policy in the field of agriculture and fisheries. The European Union is also taking measures to coordinate the actions of member countries in the field of policy. There are also tendencies towards coordination of actions in the field of defense and common foreign policy. The Union is gradually evolving from an economic organization to a supranational one. At present, the combined GDP of the European Union is the largest in the world at US$15.849 trillion.

Also within Europe there are the following associations:

Eurozone
Schengen Area
Customs Union
European Economic Area
European Free Trade Association

Commonwealth of Independent States

The Commonwealth of Independent States is an organization consisting of 11 former republics of the Soviet Union (except for the Baltic countries and Georgia). The CIS does not have supranational powers and is more of a symbolic organization operating in the field of coordinating interaction between the member countries of the Commonwealth. The main goals of the CIS are the implementation of cooperation in the political, economic, environmental, humanitarian, cultural and other fields; peaceful resolution of disputes; interstate cooperation and integration; protection of the rights and freedoms of citizens of member countries. The main topics of discussion are plans to create a single market like the EU, as well as the fight against cross-border crime.

NATO

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is a military alliance whose members are mainly European countries, but also the United States and Canada. NATO was created as an organization to rally the Western European countries under the command of the United States against the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and its allies. The basis of the organization is an agreement on collective defense in the event of an attack on any of the member states.

OSCE

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe is the largest regional security organization, which includes 56 states of Europe, Central Asia and North America.

The organization aims to prevent conflicts in the region, resolve crisis situations, and eliminate the consequences of conflicts.

The Nordic Council (founded in 1952) and the Nordic Council of Ministers (founded in 1971) are an organization for coordinating cooperation between the parliaments and governments of the Nordic countries. Member countries: Denmark, Finland (since 1956), Iceland, Norway, Sweden. The governing bodies are located in Copenhagen.

CEAST

The Central European Free Trade Association is an international organization that is the successor to the Visegrad Agreement between countries that are not members of the EU, signed on December 21, 1992. At the moment, the members of this organization are: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, the Republic of Kosovo. Prior to joining the EU, the members of the organization were: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.

Benelux

Benelux is a political, economic and customs union of Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, created on February 3, 1958. It has its own parliament and court, which includes representatives of three states.

GUAM

The organization was founded in 1997 by four countries: Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Moldova (GUAM) The headquarters is located in the capital of Ukraine - Kyiv. From April 1999 to 2006, the organization also included Uzbekistan and it was called GUUAM.

EurAsEC

The Eurasian Economic Community is an international economic organization of a number of post-Soviet states that is engaged in the formation of common external customs borders, the development of a common foreign economic policy, tariffs, prices and other components of the functioning of the common market.

CSTO

Collective Security Treaty Organization - the organization includes Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan.

Within the framework of the CSTO, joint military exercises are being held. The purpose of the organization is to jointly repel aggression in the event of an attack on any state party to the treaty.

The Arctic Council is an international organization established in 1989 at the initiative of Finland to protect the unique nature of the northern polar zone. The Arctic Council includes eight subarctic countries: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Canada, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the USA. Observer countries: Great Britain, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain.

Baltic Assembly

The Baltic Assembly is an advisory body for cooperation between the parliaments of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, founded in 1991. The Assembly coordinates actions, advises the parliaments of the three countries and declares agreed positions in the form of resolutions, decisions and recommendations.

Council of the Baltic Sea States - was established on March 5-6, 1992 in Copenhagen at the conference of foreign ministers of the Baltic Sea countries. It included Germany, Denmark, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Russia, Finland, Sweden, Estonia, as well as the Commission of the European Communities.

Forum of Regional Cooperation. The Barents Euro-Arctic Council (BEAC) was established in 1993. It included as permanent members Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Finland and Sweden, as well as the Commission of the European Communities (CEC). Nine states - Great Britain, Germany, Italy, Canada, the Netherlands, Poland, France, the USA, Japan - have the status of observers.

Union State of Russia and Belarus

A confederal union of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus with a single political, economic, military, customs, currency, legal, humanitarian, cultural space organized in stages.

Eurasian Customs Union

The Customs Union of the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Republic of Kyrgyzstan and the Russian Federation is an interstate agreement on the creation of a single customs space, signed by Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. Later, Kyrgyzstan joined the union.

Geographic center

The location of the center depends on the definition of the boundaries of Europe and is mainly determined by the calculation method chosen, as well as whether the outlying islands are included in the list of extreme points of Europe or not. Thus, several places claim the title of the geographical center of Europe.

A variant of the calculation by Belarusian scientists Alexei Solomonov and Valery Anoshko: 55 degrees 30 minutes north latitude, 28 degrees 48 minutes east longitude.

Ukraine, Lithuania, Slovakia, Germany and Poland also claim the title of the geographical center of Europe.

The Guinness Book of Records recognizes the village of Purnuškiai, 26 kilometers north of Vilnius, as the "official" geographic center of Europe.

The name "Europe" is also given to an island located in the strait between the coast of Africa and Madagascar, named after the British ship "Europe", which on Christmas Eve 1774 correctly determined the coordinates of the island for the first time.
Both world wars started in Europe.
The name "Europe" also bears one of the moons of Jupiter, named after a character in ancient mythology.

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