DENSITY: 183.0 persons per sq. mi
MAIN LANGUAGES: Russian, German, French, English, Italian, Ukrainian, Polish, Spanish, Romanian, Dutch, Serbo-Croatian
MAIN RELIGIONS: Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Protestantism, Judaism
LARGEST CITIES: Moscow, London, Istanbul, St. Petersburg, Berlin
It can easily dazzle you beyond belief. Though it is the second smallest continent it has centuries of interesting history and has been home to some of the strongest nations of all time. It had power from the ancient times when the Greeks and Romans were making a name for themselves, to the great nations of the 1700's, Spain, France, and England. It has been the land of ancient empires, medieval kings, and two world wars. What is this land you may ask? It is Europe.
Though Europe is the second smallest continent, it has the second largest population. Its name comes from either Ereb, which is the Phoenician word for sunset or Europa, the daughter of the Phoenix in Greek mythology. It has a diverse culture and many different kinds of people. Europe really has something for everyone.
King Arthur, Merlin, Fairy princesses and courageous knights, are all things that can be found in European fable. Many of the most known fairy tales come from Europe. Jack and the Beanstalk, Cinderella, and Little Red Riding Hood are just a few examples. Stories in Europe were passed down from generation to generation. Then two men, the brothers Grimm, decided that these stories should be written down so that they wouldn't be forgotten and lost forever. The brothers walked all over Germany just collecting these stories. Now you can find these stories at any library. Just look for fairy tales by the Grimm Brothers. European fable is a very interesting part of their culture.
History
Ancient Times:
In ancient times the Greeks and Romans were the most prominent civilizations in Europe. They had great empires, and greatly influenced many cultures that came after them. Both spread their power to the far reaches of the known world at that time. One of the most important things that they left behind that greatly influences American society today is the fact that the Romans had on of the first democracy. Though both empires rose and fell, their effects are still felt. The Greeks and Romans controlled much of Europe in ancient times.
Middle Ages:
After the decline of the Roman Empire, Europe was dominated by Christian kingdoms, wrongly thought by the Romans to be "barbarians". These kingdoms were gradually forged into countries.
For a time, these countries used the feudal system. The feudal system is what many people think of as medieval times. In the feudal system, there was a feudal lord who would rule like a king over his estate. The feudal lord had a "right" to anything on his estate. The feudal lord got his position because somewhere along the line he or one of his ancestors found favor with the King. Each lord would swear loyalty to his King in exchange for the land and power his position received. Each lord in turn gave land, called a feif, to his knights. Peasants also lived on the feif with the knights. The peasants paid rent to live on the land and had to also work and fight for the knight. The lowest class of the peasants were slaves, with no possessions. The first countries to use the feudal system were France and Germany. It spread to England, and the Holy land later on. Feudalism was also used briefly in parts of Spain and Italy.
As would be expected in such a society, rebellion set in. People began to dislike the fact that only the king could make the decisions that mattered. In England the lords insisted that their king to agree to what they called the "Great Charter". This allowed the nobles to set up a counsel of advisors that the king was to refer to. Other countries followed this example.
The Vikings were the terror of the sea to the people of medieval Europe. They lived in Norway, Denmark, and Sweden, and were a race of traders and pirates. Since they lived in a cold climate with meager farmland, the vikings became traders and raiders. The Vikings made many raids on the French coast, and for a time, they even controlled part of France, Normandy named because the Vikings were also know as the Norse. The Vikings told famous stories called sagas. Through these sagas, modern historians know that the Vikings even went to America long before Columbus ever did! The Vikings were adventurous people, but however were pirates.
Industrial Revolution:
In the year 1790, Europe had changed little from the middle ages. The population was small, and most people lived in rural areas. The individual states, or kingdoms, were passed down from one generation to the next, staying in the same family. The Holy Roman Empire in Germany was divided into 350 principalities, duchies, counties, and bishoprics. The ordinary people seldom had any say in their government. In the late 18th century, "takeoffs" into industrial growth were experienced. Machines started being used instead of people, and new inventions sprang up everywhere. Class barriers began to break down, and the poor people, who before had almost been slaves, now had a more prominent place in society. The industrial revolution was a breakthrough that seperated medeival times from the modern world.
Europe Today
Many things that we think of today as American really originated in Europe. Baseball for instance has its European counterpart in Cricket. Apple pie, another thing that we think of with the old USA was made by European housewives hundreds of years before England thought of making a colony on America. Even blue jeans were invented by a European, (a German), Levi Strauss! If all Americans traced back their roots far enough, many would find that they had ancestors in Europe. Many movie stars today are European in origin, like Arnold Schwarzeneger and Sandra Bullock. Some aspects of America are a lot more European than you might think.
Climate
Europe's climate varies greatly like America, but they all experience different seasons, and face cold winters, and hot summers. The more north you go, the colder it gets however.
FACT:
Europe borders Asia, and some people consider it one continent and call it, Eurasia.
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