What is Europe?
Pronunciation: ‘yur-&p
Usage: Geographical name
Definition: A continent of the eastern hemisphere between Asia and the Atlantic Ocean
Area: 3,997,929 square miles (10,355,000 square kilometres),
Population: 741,400,000
(Sources: Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 2004
United Nations Executive Summary, World Population Prospects, The 2006 Revision)
DID YOU KNOW…
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Europe is one of the seven continents of the world
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Europe is the second smallest continent by geographic size (area = 10 355 000km sq.), BUT it has the third largest population of the seven continents (now 741.1 million)
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Europe is one fifth of the Eurasian landmass
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The name Europe is derived from the name Europa, which is the name of a goddess in Greek mythology
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Great! But, what’s actually in Europe? While the precise boundaries of Europe are still a matter of debate, our map includes the countries most commonly defined as European.
What is the EU?
On this page you will learn what the European Union actually is. Many people think it is a whole new type of political phenomenon – not a country like the United States, but also not an international organization like the United Nations. So what is the European Union? And does it offer a possible model for other parts of the world?
There are 28 countries in the European Union. These countries are called Member States. The EU did not always have 28 Member States. It grew from 6 Member States in 1952 to 28 in July 2013. CLICK HERE to find out how! The following activities will help you learn more about these Member States of the European Union.
| Activities | |
| Activity 1: | Where are the EU Countries? |
| Activity 2: | Comparing Countries in the EU |
So the European Union is composed of 28 member states. But what is the EU? Is the European Union a country? Is it a regional organization? An international organization? A federation?
These are questions that scholars, politicians and average European citizens are trying to answer. Donald Puchala is a famous scholar who studies European Integration. Check out his interpretation of how people have been trying to describe and explain the European Union.