throughout Europe, but their numbers
were greatly reduced in the Holocaust
carried out by Nazi Germany during
WorldWar II. Muslims live in many
European countries and form the majority
in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
and Turkey.
Europe is a world leader in education
and health. European governments generally
provide health care to all citizens,
and on average Europeans live longer
than people in many other parts of the
world.
Economy
The economies of many European
nations are based mostly on services,
such as trade, tourism, banking, insurance,
and shipping. But producing
goods is still very important, and Europe
is one of the world’s major industrial
regions. European factories produce
machine and metal products, chemicals,
appliances, textiles, drugs, and a great
variety of other goods.Western Europe
has the most highly developed industries,
while southern Europe has less
manufacturing than the other regions.
Minerals extracted in Europe include
coal, iron, iron ore, copper, zinc, lead,
aluminum, mercury, titanium, potash,
and sulfur.
In most of Europe farming contributes
less to the economy than services and
manufacturing do. But European farms
are very productive. The continent is a
great producer of cereals, roots, edible
oils, fibers, fruit, and livestock. From
Europe comes most of the world’s rye,
more than half of the oats, and more
than a third of the potatoes and wheat.
History
European civilization first arose in
ancient Greece. The Greeks developed
ideas about government, philosophy,
and the arts and sciences that were followed
by many other later societies.
According to tradition, the city of Rome
(now part of Italy) was founded in 753
BC.Within about 700 years Rome controlled
a vast empire. The Romans con-
Facts About
EUROPE
Area
3,844,905 sq mi (9,958,258 sq km)
Population
(2008 estimate) 696,933,440
Largest Country by Area
European portion of Russia: 1,526,200 sq
mi (3,952,840 sq km)
Smallest Country by Area
Vatican City: 0.2 sq mi (0.4 sq km)
Largest Country by Population
European portion of Russia: (2008 estimate)
103,560,740
Smallest Country by Population
Vatican City: (2008 estimate) 930
Largest Cities
Moscow, Russia; London, England; Saint
Petersburg, Russia; Berlin, Germany;
Madrid, Spain
Longest River
Volga River, Russia: 2,193 mi (3,530 km)
Largest Lake
Caspian Sea (Europe/Asia): 143,000 sq mi
(370,000 sq km) [off map]
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Europe 163
quered the Greeks but spread many
aspects of Greek culture. Beginning in
the AD 300s the Romans also spread
Christianity. The empire itself spread to
the east. In the 400s the western part of
the empire, still based in Rome, fell
apart.
The Middle Ages lasted from the fall of
Rome to about 1500. In place of Roman
central government there arose a system
of local government called feudalism. A
ruler named Charlemagne created a new
empire in about 800. Later, from the
remains of his empire rose many of the
nations of modern Europe.
The Middle Ages were a time of deep
religious belief. In 1054 Christianity
split into the Roman Catholic church
and the Eastern Orthodox church.
The 1500s and 1600s saw a period of
arts and learning known as the Renaissance.
Meanwhile, many people broke
away from the Roman Catholic church
during the Protestant Reformation. In
the 1700s a period called the Enlightenment
stressed the importance of reasoning.
Its ideas helped fuel the French
Revolution of 1789. This revolution
helped spread ideas about democracy.
Further change came during the Industrial
Revolution, which began in
England in the 1700s. Machines made it
easier to produce goods. Several European
countries also set up large overseas
empires. Europe grew wealthy from its
industries and its colonies. It came to
dominate much of the world.
The first half of the 1900s brought two
world wars. Both began in Europe and
pitted Germany and its allies against
otherWestern countries. Both brought
huge destruction and loss of life.
Following the end ofWorldWar II in
1945, most European nations fell into
one of two opposing groups. These were
the Communist countries of eastern
Europe, which were led by the Soviet
Union, and the democracies of western
Europe. In the early 1990s the Soviet
Union broke apart. The countries of
eastern Europe began to change to
democratic systems.
Beginning in the mid-1900s the countries
of Europe created a variety of organizations
to help them become more
unified. In 1993 one of these organizations
became the European Union
..More to explore
Empire • Enlightenment • European
Union • Feudalism • Industrial
Revolution • Reformation • Renaissance
The Swallow’s Nest Castle perches on a cliff
above the Black Sea in the Ukrainian city of
Yalta.
164 Europe BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
European Union
The European Union (EU) was formed
to bring together the countries of
Europe. The EU helps its member countries
with issues such as trade, security,
and the rights of citizens. By 2007 the
group had 27 member countries.
Structure
The European Union has five main
parts. The European Parliament makes
laws. The voters of EU countries elect its
members. The Council of the European
