It is often said that Europe is the place where Western civilization was born and developed.
The continent that borders Asia to the east is called Europe ; with the Atlantic Ocean to the west; with the Arctic Ocean to the north; and with the Mediterranean Sea to the south. It is part of the Eurasian supercontinent and is located in the northern hemisphere of planet Earth .
With an area of just over 10,530,700 square kilometers, Europe is the second smallest continent. Only Oceania has a smaller territorial area. In terms of population, Europe ranks behind Asia , Africa and America , surpassing Oceania and Antarctica .
European countries
The number of countries that can be identified in Europe depends on several factors. There are States that are not unanimously recognized at the international level, while there are also autonomous territories and non-European zones that are part of European nations, for example.
Typically, 50 sovereign states in Europe are mentioned, such as Germany , Spain , France , Italy , Portugal and Russia , among many others. Abkhazia , Northern Cyprus and Kosovo , meanwhile, are States with limited recognition. We can also refer to dependent territories such as the Faroe Islands and dependent territories such as Gibraltar .
It is interesting to note that Vatican City is the sovereign State with the smallest surface area in Europe and even in the world. At the other extreme, Russia is the country in Europe and in the world with the largest area .
The European Union made possible the integration of most European countries into a community bloc.
A supranational union
In 1993 , the Maastricht Treaty came into force, formally establishing the creation of the European Union . This supranational entity currently integrates 27 European countries.
The European Union constitutes a block of enormous importance on an international level. In the geopolitical context, it functions as a counterweight to the United States and China .
Seven institutions provide it with the appropriate framework to fulfill its mission . These are the European Council , the European Parliament , the European Commission , the Council of the European Union , the European Court of Auditors , the European Central Bank and the Court of Justice of the European Union .
The importance of Europe
For Western civilization , Europe is a key region. It is often expressed, in fact, that Europe is the place where the so-called Western culture was born due to the importance of Ancient Greece .
With the debacle of the Western Roman Empire , the so-called Ancient Age ended and the Middle Ages began. The advances brought about by the Renaissance and the explorations that took Europeans to America made it possible to enter the Modern Age , where the countries of Europe acquired a central role.
It cannot be omitted to mention that, with the colonization that began in the 16th century, the powers of Europe came to control large areas of America , Africa , Asia and Oceania ; Despite the subsequent processes of independence, European influence remained, especially on a cultural and economic level.
Although with the world wars the hegemony of Europe was reduced (and the relevance of the United States and, at the time, of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics grew), with the European Union the continent regained a leadership position, although shared.