Europe

Author: Zhou Min, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-08-01
Features: Overview: Europe is a shortened form of the continent of Europa, located in the northwest of the Eastern Hemisphere. Continental Extent: East to the Ural Mountains (66° 50′ E, 67° 46′ N), south to Cape Malacca (5° 36′ W, 36° N), west to Cape Roca (9° 31′ W, 38° 47′ N), and north to Cape Nordkyn (27° 42′ E, 70° 8′ N). Bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south (separating it from Africa), and Asia to the east, it is separated from Asia by the Ural Mountains, Ural River, Caucasus Mountains, Bosphorus Strait, and Dardanelles Strait. With an area of 10.4 million square kilometers (including adjacent islands), it accounts for approximately 6.9% of the world's total land area, making it the world's sixth-largest continent. Currently, Europe consists of thirty-two countries. The Balkan Peninsula in Southern Europe has Albania, Romania, Bulgaria, and Yugoslavia. The Italian Peninsula has Italy, San Marino, and the island nation of Malta. The Iberian Peninsula has Spain, Andorra, and Portugal. Western Europe includes the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, and Monaco. Central Europe has Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, the German Democratic Republic, the Federal Republic of Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Luxembourg. Northern Europe has Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Iceland. Eastern Europe includes the Soviet Union. Population: 700.5 million (1970, including the entire population of the Soviet Union), accounting for approximately 19.4% of the world's total population. The majority of Europe's population belongs to the Caucasian race (the European race). European ethnic groups are typically classified based on linguistic proximity: Indo-European Languages: Ethnic groups belonging to the Albanian language family are primarily found in Albania; Germanic language families are mainly distributed in western Central Europe, Northern Europe, and the United Kingdom; Latin language families (Romance language families) are primarily found in Romania, France, Spain, Portugal, and Italy; Slavic language families are primarily found in the Soviet Union, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, and Yugoslavia. Uralic Languages: Ethnic groups belonging to this language family are primarily found in Hungary, Finland, and the Soviet Union. III. Caucasian Languages: Ethnic groups belonging to this language family are primarily found in the Caucasus region of the Soviet Union. Natural Environment: Europe is characterized by numerous peninsulas and islands, resulting in a fragmented overall outline. Its coastline is more than any other continent, with many deep bays, gulfs, and straits extending into the mainland. Plains cover a vast area, accounting for approximately 60% of the continent's total area. The average elevation of the continent is 300 meters above sea level, making it the continent with the lowest average elevation. Geographically, it is divided into Southern Europe, Western Europe, Central Europe, Northern Europe, and Eastern Europe. Natural Resources: Coal and iron are relatively abundant. Coal is primarily found in the Donbas, Upper Silesia, Ruhr, Saar, Lorraine Plateau, and central England, all of which are world-famous coal mining regions; iron ore is mainly distributed in northern Sweden, the Lorraine Plateau, and the Ural Mountains; iron ore is also found in Albania and the Soviet Union; oil is primarily found in the western foothills of the Ural Mountains and Romania; natural gas is mainly distributed in the Volga River Basin and the Carpathian Mountains region. Albania is a world-famous producer of natural asphalt. Additionally, minerals such as mercury, bauxite, manganese, magnesite, potassium salt, lignite, and graphite are also abundant. The shallow seas in the northwest are renowned fishing grounds. Economic Status: Europe has a developed economy with high industrial production levels, ranking first among all continents in terms of gross production value. The level of agricultural mechanization is relatively low. The continent cannot produce enough food to feed itself, and most countries rely on imports for their grain supply. Europe's capitalism is highly developed, with capital consolidation and concentration reaching unprecedented levels. The industrial production of Germany, the United Kingdom, and France ranks among the top in the world's capitalist industrial production, but most of the raw materials used in industry are supplied by other continents.