Europe totals more than 4 million square miles or 7 percent of the world's land area. It spreads from 35 to 81 North latitude and from 60 East to about 10 West longitude. Part of Europe is above the Arctic Circle. Several island countries are part of Europe. Although Europe is a small continent continent, it has many different natural environments.
Frozen tundra is to the far north and warm sunny beaches are in the south.
Large mountain ranges run throughout the continent. The Alps extend across much of Southern Europe. They average 12,000 feet above sea level. Next to the Alps, the Carpathian Range is the major mountain barrier of Europe. Extending about 900 miles across south-central Europe in a large crescent, it holds the broad and fertile Hungarian lowlands within its curv e.