Europe

Ancient cities and the Alps

Europe is small, but it has lots of countries and many languages. It has ancient castles, the Eiffel Tower and the Roman Colosseum. People ski in the Alps in winter, and in Norway it's dark even in the daytime in winter — but the northern lights glow in the sky!

Europe is the western peninsula of Eurasia, separated from Asia by the Ural Mountains and the Caspian Sea. Small in area, it has 44 countries and more than 200 languages. Thanks to the Gulf Stream, its climate is milder than other places at the same latitude. The Alps (Mont Blanc, 4,808 m) are the main mountain range; the Volga is the longest river. Europe is the birthplace of Ancient Greece and Rome, the Renaissance and the Industrial Revolution. The European Union unites 27 countries.

Fun facts

• Vatican City is the smallest country in the world — just 60 times the size of a football pitch.
• In Iceland, volcanoes and glaciers sit side by side — it's called the 'land of fire and ice'.
• Venice has canals instead of streets — people travel by boat.
• Europe has more castles than anywhere else: Germany alone has over 25,000!