Europe

Europe is named after a princess in Greek mythology called "Europa." The myth says that Zeus kidnapped Europa and took her to Crete, where she became the mother of King Minos (from whom Europe’s first civilization gets its name, the Minoans).

The name "Europa" was later used to describe Greece. Then, as the rest of modern-day Europe started to have cities and empires, the entire area West of the Ural Mountains came to be called "Europa".

The history of Europe is long and has many turns. Many great countries originated from Europe. Greek mythology and the beginning of western civilization came from European nations.

Some of the major periods in European history have been:

• Ancient Greece (Minoan, Mycenaean, Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic): c.2000 BC to 146 BC
• Ancient Rome (Roman kingdom, Roman Republic and Roman Empire): 753BC-476
• Middle Ages (Early, High, Late): 476 to 1492
• Early Modern Era (Renaissance, Reformation, Age of Discovery, Enlightenment): 1492-1789
• 19th Century, 20th Century and 21st Century (French Revolution, Napoleonic Wars, Industrial Revolution, Colonialism, World War 1, October Revolution, World War 2, Cold War): 1789-present.

Andreas M. Kaplan describes modern Europe as a continent where many different cultures live closely together, "embracing maximum cultural diversity at minimal geographical distances".^[2]

There are several major regions of Europe:

• Eastern Europe
• Central Europe
• Western Europe
• Northern Europe
• Southern and Southeastern Europe

Within these regions, there are up to 48 independent European countries (with the identities of 5 transcontinental countries being disputed). The largest is the Russian Federation, which covers 39% of Europe.

The European city with the largest population is Istanbul. The country with the largest population is the Russian Federation. About 15% of Europeans live in Russia.

Two European countries, the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, are on islands called the British Isles.

Most of Europe lies in temperate climate zones.

However, there are many different climates throughout Europe. For example, during the winter, it may be snowing and -30 degrees Celsius for 4–5 months in Finland. Yet it may be much warmer, with no snow at all except on high mountains, in Spain.

• Council of Europe
• European Court of Human Rights
• European Union
• Union of European Football Associations
• Warsaw Pact Organization (1955-1989)

The European Union is a confederation of 27 European countries. These countries agree to follow common laws so that their citizens can move and trade in EU countries almost the same as they do in their own. Twenty of these countries also share the same type of money: the euro.