Europe, the second smallest continent, is densely populated and divided into many different countries which reflect the enormously varied physical, ethnic, cultural, and economic nature of the area.

Europe’s southern coast fringes the Mediterranean Sea, and it is bounded to the west by the Atlantic Ocean. The northern countries of Norway, Sweden, and Finland extend inside the Arctic Circle.

The boundaries of Europe owe as much to history and political considerations as they do to geography. Hence Russia, although a part of the European continent, is generally regarded politically as a separate entity, bordering southwards and eastwards with the countries of Asia. However, geographers usually draw the line dividing Europe from Asia down the Ural Mountains and then westwards and southwards to the Caspian and Black Seas. Since the collapse of communism, Russia’s former East European allies are now politically, as well as geographically, being regarded as more truly a part of Europe.

Europe has some very fertile land, but the continent is too small and densely populated to be self-supporting in food. It does, however, have the greatest concentration of industry of all the continents. The largest cities are Paris and Moscow, both with over eight million inhabitants, followed by London, St Petersburg, and Berlin. The western countries of Europe are among the richest countries in the world.

There is a great variety of landscapes within Europe with a lot of climate variation as a result. The highest peaks are in the Alps while north of these the land is flatter until the far north where Norway and Sweden make up the cold, mountainous Scandinavian Peninsula. Areas in the far south, such as the mountains and plateaus of Spain and the many islands that go to make up Greece, are much hotter and drier with limited rainfall.

Europe has so much to offer the traveler, from its many beautiful and varied locations with their flora and fauna to its exciting modern cities and many different cultures, to places steeped in history.