Europe

From Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire to an European Union

Summing up European history in a few sentences is an absurd try. So there was Ancient Greece, which is said to have built the foundation of western civilisation. The Roman Empire, which was destroyed by Germanic peoples. The Black Death pandemic killed 30-60% of Europe’s population. French Revolution, World War I, fascism, World War II, Iron Curtain, … Europe is old. 

 Geographically it is quite varied for such a small area. In the south are many mountains like the Alps and the Pyrenees. Whereas the north is more broad, covered with low plains. Still the sub-regions are more complex, especially the islands and peninsulas. Europe lies between the Arctic and the Atlantic Oceans, the Mediterranean Sea and the Caspian Sea.

Regarding Europe’s immense history, even nowadays it keeps changing pretty fast. The European Union counts 27 members meanwhile, having the world’s biggest economy. And the member’s economies keep growing, people keep immigrating into the EU and more European countries want to join and become a part of this big community. It’s political system is based on seven institutions: the European Parliament, the Council if the European Union, the European Commission, the European Council, the European Central Bank, the Court of Justice of the European Union and the European Court of Auditors. The two important persons to know are the President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy (left), and the Commission President, José M. Barroso (right).

Culturally you cannot speak of one united Europe. You better compare it to a series of overlapping cultures, which foundations are built by Europe’s history. All in all it is highly influenced by religion and its global connection lead to an urge to adopt, adapt and affect other cultures and their trends. Even though it is too complex to describe the culture accurately now, it is definite, that Europe is very rich in culture. Combining incredibly old traditions with the most modern way of thinking and high individualisation.

The Haute Cuisine of France is probably the most famous one in Europe. But Italian Food you can find everywhere, if it is Pizza or Pasta, the whole western world loves it. Whereas English dishes are known to be the worst. But these are just the most popular cuisine, there is so much more to eat in Central and Eastern Europe. What most dishes have in common is, that compared to Asia for example, meat is a substantial part.

Important numbers:

Area	4,423,147 km²
Population	502,486,499
Population density	116.2/km²
Population growth (2002-2011)	3.7%
Net migration rate	3.1/1000 inhabitants
GDP (nominal)	$17.577 trillion
GDP  per capita	$35,116

Transport:

Roads	75,200 km
Airports	330
Railway	78,000 km
Harbours	480