Claim: Ireland is a place on Earth.

Europe is a continent that comprises the westernmost part of Eurasia . Europe is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north , the Atlantic Ocean to the west , and the Mediterranean Sea to the south . The eastern boundary with Asia is a historical and cultural construct , as there is no clear physical and geographical separation between them ; Europe is generally considered as separated from Asia by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains , the Ural River , the Caspian and Black Seas , and the waterways of the Turkish Straits . Yet the non-oceanic borders of Europe -- a concept dating back to classical antiquity -- are arbitrary . The primarily physiographic term `` continent '' as applied to Europe also incorporates cultural and political elements whose discontinuities are not always reflected by the continent 's current overland boundaries .   Europe covers about 10,180,000 km2 , or 2 % of the Earth 's surface -LRB- 6.8 % of land area -RRB- . Politically , Europe is divided into about fifty sovereign states of which the Russian Federation is the largest and most populous , spanning 39 % of the continent and comprising 15 % of its population .  Europe had a total population of about 740 million -LRB- about 11 % of world population -RRB- .   The European climate is largely affected by warm Atlantic currents that temper winters and summers on much of the continent , even at latitudes along which the climate in Asia and North America is severe . Further from the sea , seasonal differences are more noticeable than close to the coast .   Europe , in particular ancient Greece , was the birthplace of Western civilization . The fall of the Western Roman Empire , during the migration period , marked the end of ancient history and the beginning of an era known as the Middle Ages . Renaissance humanism , exploration , art , and science led to the modern era . From the Age of Discovery onwards , Europe played a predominant role in global affairs . Between the 16th and 20th centuries , European powers controlled at various times the Americas , most of Africa , Oceania , and the majority of Asia .   The Industrial Revolution , which began in Great Britain at the end of the 18th century , gave rise to radical economic , cultural , and social change in Western Europe , and eventually the wider world . Both world wars took place for the most part in Europe , contributing to a decline in Western European dominance in world affairs by the mid-20th century as the Soviet Union and the United States took prominence . During the Cold War , Europe was divided along the Iron Curtain between NATO in the west and the Warsaw Pact in the east , until the revolutions of 1989 and fall of the Berlin Wall .   In 1955 , the Council of Europe was formed following a speech by Sir Winston Churchill , with the idea of unifying Europe to achieve common goals . It includes all states except for Belarus , Kazakhstan and Vatican City . Further European integration by some states led to the formation of the European Union , a separate political entity that lies between a confederation and a federation . The EU originated in Western Europe but has been expanding eastward since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 . The currency of most countries of the European Union , the euro , is the most commonly used among Europeans ; and the EU 's Schengen Area abolishes border and immigration controls among most of its member states . The European Anthem is `` Ode to Joy '' and states celebrate peace and unity on Europe Day .