Europe - body, water, Earth, form, system, plant, waves, change, surface Europe Europe Photo by: Arid Ocean Europe is the world's sixth largest continent. Together with its adjacent islands, it occupies an area of about 4,000,000 square miles (10,360,000 square kilometers), roughly 8 percent of the world's land area. Geographically, Europe can be seen as a peninsula of the single great continent called Eurasia (Europe and Asia combined). However, because Europe has such a distinctive history and culture, it is considered a separate continent. The boundaries of the European continent are recognized as the Ural Mountains and the Ural River in the east; the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus Mountains in the southeast; and the Black Sea and the Bosporus and Dardenelle Straits in the south. The Mediterranean Sea and the Strait of Gibraltar separate Europe from the African continent, while the Atlantic Ocean borders it in the west and the Arctic Ocean borders it in the north. Numerous islands around the continental landmass are considered to be a part of Europe. More than 40 independent counties lie within the boundaries of the European continent.

The highest point on the continent is Mount Elbrus in the Caucasus Mountains, which rises 18,481 feet (5,633 meters) above sea level. The lowest point occurs at the surface of the Caspian Sea, 92 feet (28 meters) below sea level. Chief rivers and lakes Europe's longest river is the Volga, which runs for almost 2,300 miles (3,700 kilometers) in central and western Russia before emptying into the Caspian Sea. It drains an area of about 533,000 square miles (1,380,470 square kilometers). Europe's second longest river, the Danube, runs through the heart of the continent. About 1,770 miles (2,850 kilometers) long, it drains an area of roughly 320,000 square miles (828,800 square kilometers). A third prominent river is the Rhine, which winds through west-central Europe for 820 miles (1,320 kilometers) before emptying into the North Sea.

Other chief European rivers include the Elbe in central Europe; the Dnieper and Don in Russia; the Garonne, Loire, and Rhône in France; the Tagus in Spain; and the Oder and Vistula in Poland. The Caspian Sea, with an area of 143,550 square miles (371,795 square kilometers), is the largest inland body of water in the world. The largest lake within the boundaries of Europe proper is Russia's Lake Ladoga, which covers approximately 7,000 square miles (18,100 square kilometers). Other large European lakes include Geneva and Zurich in Switzerland; Constance on the border of Switzerland, Germany, and Austria; Balaton in Hungary; Como, Garda, and Maggiore in Italy; and Vättern and Vänern in Sweden. Major physical regions Europe may be divided geographically into four physical regions: the Northwestern Uplands, the Central Plain, the Central Uplands, and the Alpine mountain chain. Words to Know Bedrock: Solid rock lying beneath the soil on the surface of Earth. Bog: Area of wet, spongy ground consisting of decayed plant matter.

Fjord: Long, narrow, steep-sided inlet of the sea. Glacier: Large mass of ice slowly moving over a mountain or through a valley. Moor: Broad stretch of open land, often with boggy areas. Moraine: Mass of boulders, stones, and other rock debris carried along and deposited by a glacier. Northwestern Uplands. Uplands—high plateaus, rugged mountains, and deep valleys—stretch along Europe's northwest coast from western France through the United Kingdom to the Scandinavian peninsula. Farming in this area is often difficult because of the rocky soil, and the climate is often rainy. Moors and bogs (areas of wet spongy ground) dominate in the northern sections. Europe. (Reproduced by permission of The Gale Group .) During the last Ice Age, which ended about 11,000 years ago, glacial ice covered much of the far northern areas. When the ice retreated, it left deep valleys along the shores into which ocean water flowed. These narrow arms of the sea—called fjords—reach far inland and are bordered by steep mountains. Central Plain.

The most densely settled part of Europe, with its largest cities and manufacturing sites, is the Central Plain. Starting at the Atlantic coast of France, it spreads out in a V-shape, growing wider as it extends west. At the Ural Mountains, it stretches from the Arctic Ocean to the Black Sea. Except for being perfectly flat in the Netherlands, the plain features occasional hills and isolated ridges. Much of the plain holds fertile agricultural soil. Around the Baltic Sea, Ice Age glaciers left mounds of boulders, stones, and other rock debris they had carried along. These remaining hills, called terminal moraines, mark the leading edge of these glaciers. Glaciers subject earth materials beneath them to the most intense kind of scraping and scouring. An alpine glacier has the power to tear bedrock (solid rock beneath soil) apart and move the shattered pieces miles away. These are the forces that shaped the sharp mountain peaks and U-shaped mountain valleys of modern Europe. Many European mountain ranges bear obvious scars from alpine glaciation, and the flat areas of the continent show the features of a formerly glaciated plain. Central Uplands. Between the Central Plain and the Alpine mountains lies a band of uplands.

It stretches from Spain's Atlantic coast through France and Germany to Poland. Important mountainous and wooded plateaus in this band include the Meseta (in Spain), the Massif Central (in France), the Ardennes (across Belgium, Luxembourg, and France), the Black Forest (in Germany), and the Bohemian Forest (along the northern Czech-German border). Alpine mountain chain. Southern Europe from Spain to the southern part of western Russia is dominated by the Alpine mountain chain. Beginning at the western edge, the mountains forming this chain are the Sierra Nevada range in Spain, the Pyrenees between Spain and France, the Alps in south-central Europe, and the Apennines in Italy. The Sierra Nevada range in southern Spain runs parallel to the Mediterranean Sea for about 60 miles (100 kilometers). The highest peak in the range is Mulhacén, which rises to a height of 11,411 feet (3,478 meters). The Pyrenees form an effective barrier between the Iberian Peninsula (on which Portugal and Spain lie) and the rest of Europe.

They extend 270 miles (435 kilometers) in an almost straight line from the Bay of Biscay on the west to the Gulf of Lions on the east. The highest peak in the Pyrenees is Pico de Aneto, 11,168 feet (3,404 meters) above sea level. The Alps are Europe's great mountain system. They stretch in an arc for almost 660 miles (1,060 kilometers) from the Mediterranean coast between France and Italy into Switzerland and along the northern boundary of Italy, through southwest Austria, before ending in Slovenia. The Alps, composed of more than 15 principal mountain ranges (all of which have offshoot ranges), cover an estimated 80,000 square miles (207,200 square kilometers). They form a barrier between southern Europe and western and central Europe. The highest peak in the Alps is Mont Blanc, 15,771 feet (4,807 meters) in height.

Many peaks in the Alps rise above the snowline, 8,000 to 10,000 feet (2,440 to 3,050 meters), and thus are permanently snowcapped. The Apennines run the entire length of the Italian peninsula. They extend about 840 miles (1,350 kilometers) from the Ligurian Alps (which they resemble geologically) in northwest Italy south to the Strait of Messina. The highest peak in the Apennines is Monte Corno, which stands 9,560 feet (2,914 meters) above sea level. Most rivers in Italy find their source in the Apennines. The central and southern portions of the The Matterhorn in Switzerland, at 14,690 feet (4,480 meters), was carved by alpine glaciers. (Reproduced by permission of JLM Visuals .) mountain system are marked by crater lakes and volcanoes. Two of those volcanoes—Vesuvius and Etna—are still active. It was Vesuvius that erupted on August 24, A.D.

Europe Europe Andorra Andorra, a tiny landlocked principality in southwestern Europe, is situated in the eastern Pyrenees Mountains, bordered on the north and east by France and on the south and west by Spain. It comprises a region of 7 narrow valleys and the adjacent peaks reaching heights of more than 2,700 meters (about 8,860 feet) above sea level. Armenia Armenia is located in the southwest Caucasus Region, neighboring on Georgia and Azerbaijan to the north, Iran and Turkey to the south, and a separate province of Azerbaijan in the southeast. The total area of the country is 29,800 square kilometers (11,505 square miles), making it about the size of Maryland. Austria Austria is a landlocked country situated in southern Central Europe. Slightly smaller than Maine, it occupies a territory of approximately 84,000 square kilometers (32,000 square miles), which includes much of the mountainous territory of the eastern Alps and the Danube region. Belarus Belarus is a landlocked state in Eastern Europe bordering Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia to the west; Ukraine to the south; and Russia to the east and north.

It has a total border of 3,100 kilometers (1,900 miles), with almost one-third of its border (960 kilometers, or 600 miles) touching Russia. Bulgaria The Republic of Bulgaria shares its borders with 5 other countries in southeastern Europe and has a coastline on the Black Sea. Romania lies to the north, Turkey to the southeast, Greece to the south, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the southwest, and Serbia (with Montenegro part of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia) to the west. Croatia The Republic of Croatia is located in southeastern Europe, with a long coastline on the Adriatic Sea to the south, and borders with Slovenia and Hungary to the north, and Yugoslavia and Bosnia and Herzegovina to the east. It has an area of 56,538 square kilometers (21,829 square miles), approximately the size of West Virginia. Germany Located in western Central Europe, Germany has an area of 357,021 square kilometers (137,810 square miles), which makes it slightly smaller than the state of Montana.

The country is bordered by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea to the north; Poland and the Czech Republic to the east; Austria and Switzerland to the south; and France, Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands to the west. Greece Greece is located on the southernmost point of the Balkan Peninsula and is flanked by 3 large bodies of water: the Aegean Sea, the Ionian Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea. Greece is bordered to the north by Albania, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (F.Y.R.O.M.), and Bulgaria. Iceland A small volcanic island located between the Greenland Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean in the Arctic, Iceland is the westernmost European country. Found between Greenland and Europe, just northwest of the United Kingdom, Iceland has an area of 103,000 square kilometers (39,768 square miles) of which 100,250 square kilometers (38,707 square miles) is land and 2,750 square kilometers (1,062 square miles) is water.

Ireland The Republic of Ireland constitutes 26 out of the 32 counties that make up the island of Ireland, with 6 northern counties under the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom. Situated in Western Europe, it is bordered on the east by the Irish Sea from the United Kingdom and bordered on the west by the North Atlantic Ocean. Latvia Located in the Baltic region of Eastern Europe, Latvia is bordered by Estonia (339 kilometers; 211 miles), Russia (217 kilometers; 135 miles), Belarus (141 kilometers; 88 miles), Lithuania (453 kilometers; 281 miles), and the Baltic Sea (531 kilometers; 330 miles). Slightly larger than the state of West Virginia, Latvia has a total area of 64,589 square kilometers (40,136 square miles). Liechtenstein The independent principality of Liechtenstein is located in central Europe and bordered on the east by Austria and on the south, west, and north by Switzerland. It is one of the smallest countries in the world, with a total area of only 160 square kilometers (62 square miles).

Lithuania An East European country bordering on the Baltic Sea, Lithuania has an area of 65,200 square kilometers (25,174 square miles) and a total coastline of 99 kilometers (62 miles). Lithuania is a mid-size country by European standards and is about the size of West Virginia. Luxembourg Luxembourg is a landlocked nation in Western Europe, at the intersection of Belgium, France, and Germany. It is one of the smallest nations in the world with an area of 2,586 square kilometers (998 square miles), which makes it slightly smaller than Rhode Island. Macedonia Located in southeastern Europe, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (generally referred to as Macedonia) is a completely landlocked country, covering an area of 25,333 square kilometers (9,781 square miles). It is bounded on the north by Serbia and Montenegro (collectively the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia)—mostly by the province of Kosovo—on the east by Bulgaria, on the south by Greece, and on the west by Albania.

Malta Malta consists of a series of small islands in the Mediterranean Sea, 97 kilometers (60 miles) south of the Italian territory of Sicily and 288 kilometers (179 miles) north of Africa. It is at the crossroads of Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. Moldova Located in southeastern Europe and bordered on the west by Romania and on all other sides by Ukraine, landlocked Moldova has an area of 33,843 square kilometers (13,067 square miles), making it slightly larger than Maryland. Moldova's border totals 1,389 kilometers (864 miles). Monaco Monaco, a small independent hereditary principality in Western Europe, is located on the Mediterranean Sea along the southern coast of France, which is also known as the French Riviera or Côte d'Azur. Monaco is 18 kilometers (11 miles) east of the French city of Nice, near the border with Italy. Norway Norway is situated in the western and northern parts of the Scandinavian Peninsula in northern Europe.

It is bordered on the north by the Barents Sea (an arm of the Arctic Ocean), on the northeast by Finland and Russia, on the east by Sweden, on the south by Skagerrak Strait and the North Sea, and on the west by the Norwegian Sea. Poland Located in Central Europe, Poland is bordered on the west by Germany, in the north by the Baltic Sea, in the north-east by Russia and Lithuania, in the east by Belarus and Ukraine, and in the south by Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Poland covers a total area of 312,685 square kilometers (120,728 square miles), making it slightly smaller than the state of New Mexico. Portugal Located in southwestern Europe in the western part of the Iberian Peninsula, Portugal borders Spain to the north and east and the Atlantic Ocean to the south and west. The total area of the country—including the overseas territories of Azores (2,247 square kilometers/868 square miles) and the Madeira Islands (794 square kilometers/307 square miles), both autonomous regions of Portugal—is 92,345 square kilometers (35,655 square miles).

Romania Located in southeastern Europe on the Black Sea, Romania covers an area of 238,500 square kilometers (92,085 square miles), making it slightly smaller than Oregon. It borders Hungary, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Moldova, and Ukraine, and has a coastline of 225 kilometers (140 miles). San Marino San Marino is an enclave lying wholly within northern Italy. It surrounds the 3-peaked Mount Titano (739 meters/2,425 feet) in the central Apennine Mountains, east of the city of Florence, Italy, and southwest of the city of Rimini, Italy, near the Adriatic Sea. Slovakia The Slovak Republic is a land-locked nation in the eastern portion of Central Europe, with access to the Black Sea via the Danube River. Its neighbors are the Czech Republic to the northwest, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, and Austria to the west.

Slovenia Located in southeastern Europe, bounded on the north by Austria, on the northeast by Hungary, on the southeast and south by Croatia, and on the west by Italy and the Adriatic Sea, Slovenia has an area of 20,253 square kilometers (7,820 square miles), slightly smaller comparatively than New Jersey, and a coastline of 46.6 kilometers (29 miles). The capital city, Ljubljana, is situated on the Sava River in the central part of the country; the second major city is Maribor on the Drava River in the northeast. Sweden Located in northern Europe, in the eastern part of the Scandinavian peninsula, Sweden is bordered on the west and northwest by Norway, on the northeast by Finland, on the east by the Baltic Sea and its arm, the Gulf of Bothnia, On the southwest, Sweden is separated from Denmark by the Skagerrak, Kattegat, and Ôresund straits that connect the Baltic and the North Seas. The fourth largest country in Europe, Sweden has an area of 449,964 square kilometers (173,731 square miles), slightly larger than California.

Switzerland Located in west central Europe, bordered on the north by France and Germany, on the east by Austria and Liechtenstein, on the south by Italy, and on the west and south-west by France, this landlocked alpine country has an area of 41,290 square kilometers (15,942 square mi), making it slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey. The capital, Bern, is situated on the Aare River in the north-western part of the country; the largest city is Zürich in the north; other major cities include Geneva and Lausanne in the south-west, Basel in the north, and Lugano in the south. What countries border the Atlantic Ocean? | Reference.com What countries border the Atlantic Ocean?

A: Quick Answer Countries that border the Atlantic Ocean include: Antigua and Barbuda, Angola, Barbados, Benin, Brazil, the Bahamas, Cuba, Cameroon, Canada, Cote d'Ivoire, Cape Verde, Dominican Republic, Spain, France, French Guiana, Gabon, the United Kingdom, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Equitorial Guinea, Guyana, Ireland, Iceland, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Liberia, Morroco, Namibia, Portugal, Argentina, Congo, Chile, Guinea, Haiti, Mauritania, Uruguay, South Africa, Togo, Suriname, Senegal, Sao Tome and Principe, Trinidad, Tobago and the United States. Full Answer In addition, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Western Sahara, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Venezuela and Zaire also border the Atlantic Ocean. In total there are 52 different nations that have shorelines along this ocean. This includes nations in Africa, Europe, North America and South America. The Atlantic Ocean has a total area of 72,762 square km and has 111,866 km of coastline.

This makes the ocean slightly smaller than 6.5 times the size of the United States. The Atlantic Ocean's lowest point is -8,605 m below sea level at the Milwaukee Deep in the Puerto Rico Trench. This sea contains some of the most heavily traveled routes between the Eastern and Western hemispheres. Economic activity in the Atlantic ocean includes fishing, dredging for argonite sands and the production of oil and natural gas. Atlantic Ocean: Physical Geography Physical Geography Extent and Seas The Atlantic Ocean extends in an S shape from the arctic to the antarctic regions between North and South America on the west and Europe and Africa on the east. It is connected with the Arctic Ocean by the Greenland Sea and Smith Sound; with the Pacific Ocean by Drake Passage, the Straits of Magellan, and the Panama Canal; and with the Indian Ocean by the Suez Canal and the expanse between Africa and Antarctica. The shortest distance across the Atlantic Ocean (c.1,600 mi/2,575 km) is between SW Senegal, W Africa, and NE Brazil, E South America.

The principal arms of the Atlantic Ocean are Hudson and Baffin bays, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea in the west; the Baltic, North, Mediterranean, and Black seas in the east; and the Weddell Sea in the south. More large rivers, including the Mississippi, the Congo, and the Amazon, drain into the Atlantic than into any other ocean. Islands The Atlantic has relatively few islands, with the greatest concentration found in the Caribbean region. Most of the islands are structurally part of the continents, such as the British Isles, Falkland Islands, Canary Islands, and Newfoundland. Iceland, the Azores, the islands of Cape Verde, Ascension, the South Sandwich Islands, the West Indies, and Bermuda are exposed tops of submarine ridges. The Bahamas are low coral islands that sit on the Blake Plateau, while the Madeiras are high volcanic islands. Ocean Floor The floor of the Atlantic has an average depth of c.12,000 ft (3,660 m).

It is separated from that of the Arctic Ocean by a submarine ridge extending from SE Greenland to N Scotland; part of the floor (c.3,000 ft/910 m deep) is known as "telegraph plateau" because of the network of cables laid there. A shallow submarine ridge across the Strait of Gibraltar separates the Mediterranean basin from the Atlantic and limits the exchange of water between the two bodies. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge (c.300–600 mi/480–970 km wide), a submarine mountain range extending c.10,000 mi (16,100 km) from Iceland to near the Antarctic Circle, generally follows the trend of the coastlines of the continents. It rises to an average height of c.10,000 ft (3,050 m), and a few peaks emerge as islands. The ridge, which is the center of volcanic activity and earthquakes, has a great rift that is constantly widening (see seafloor spreading ) and filling with molten rock from the earth's interior. As a result the Western Hemisphere and Europe and Africa are moving away from each other.

The Mid-Atlantic Ridge divides the floor of the Atlantic Ocean into eastern and western sections that are composed of a series of deep-sea basins (abyssal plains). The greatest depth (c.28,000 ft/8,530 m) is the Milwaukee Deep, in the Puerto Rico Trench, N of Puerto Rico. Scientific knowledge of the ocean floor dates from the Challenger expedition (1872–76). Sections in this article: The 7 Continents The 7 Continents What are the 7 Continents? North America What are the 7 Continents? North America South America Africa Europe Asia Australia Antartica The 7 Continents Time for a Song! North America North America is the third largest of the seven continents. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. North America is dominated by its three largest countries: Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Central America and the Caribbean are usually considered part of North America, but they have their own section. North America is the third largest of the seven continents. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west.

North America is dominated by its three largest countries: Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Central America and the Caribbean are usually considered part of North America, but they have their own section. North America Where in the WoRlD is North America? {} Where in the WoRlD is North America? South America South America is the fourth largest continent in size and the fifth largest in population. It is located primarily in the southern hemisphere. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. The geography of South America is dominated by the Andes Mountain Range and the Amazon River (second longest river in the world). South America is the fourth largest continent in size and the fifth largest in population. It is located primarily in the southern hemisphere. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. The geography of South America is dominated by the Andes Mountain Range and the Amazon River (second longest river in the world). South America Where in the WoRlD is South America? {} Where in the WoRlD is South America? Africa The continent of Africa borders the southern half of the Mediterranean Sea.

The Atlantic Ocean is to the west and the Indian Ocean is to the Southeast. Africa stretches well south of the equator to cover more than 12 million square miles making Africa the world's second largest continent. Africa is also the world's second most populous continent. Africa is one of the most diverse places on the planet with a wide variety of terrain, wildlife, and climates. The continent of Africa borders the southern half of the Mediterranean Sea. The Atlantic Ocean is to the west and the Indian Ocean is to the Southeast. Africa stretches well south of the equator to cover more than 12 million square miles making Africa the world's second largest continent. Africa is also the world's second most populous continent. Africa is one of the most diverse places on the planet with a wide variety of terrain, wildlife, and climates. Africa Where in the WoRlD is Africa? {} Where in the WoRlD is Africa? Europe Europe is the sixth largest continent in size and the third largest in population. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, Asia to the east, and the Atlantic Ocean to the West. Europe is a wealthy continent and is the center of the West and Western Democracy.

Europe is the sixth largest continent in size and the third largest in population. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, Asia to the east, and the Atlantic Ocean to the West. Europe is a wealthy continent and is the center of the West and Western Democracy. Europe Where in the WoRlD is Europe? {} Where in the WoRlD is Europe? Asia The continent of Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent with over 4 billion people calling Asia home. Asia also contains the world's most populous country, China, and the world's largest country, Russia. Asia borders Africa and Europe to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the east. The continent of Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent with over 4 billion people calling Asia home. Asia also contains the world's most populous country, China, and the world's largest country, Russia. Asia borders Africa and Europe to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the east. Asia Where in the WoRlD is Asia? {} Where in the WoRlD is Asia? Asia is SO BIG... The continent of Asia is so large and diverse that it often is divided into sub-regions (see map below).

Northern Asia Parts of Asia Australia The region of Australia includes the continent of Australia as well as many surrounding island countries. It is located to the southeast of Asia. Australia is the smallest continent by size and the second smallest in terms of population. Australia are surrounded by the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. The region of Australia includes the continent of Australia as well as many surrounding island countries. It is located to the southeast of Asia. Australia is the smallest continent by size and the second smallest in terms of population. Australia are surrounded by the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. Australia Where in the WoRlD is Australia? {} Where in the WoRlD is Australia? Antartica Antarctica is located at the South Pole and is surrounded by the Southern Ocean. Over 98% of Antarctica is covered by ice. It is the driest and coldest continent on earth. Antarctica is the fifth largest continent based on size, but it is the smallest in population with an official population of 0 (although some people do visit for scientific research). Antarctica is located at the South Pole and is surrounded by the Southern Ocean. Over 98% of Antarctica is covered by ice. It is the driest and coldest continent on earth.

Antarctica is the fifth largest continent based on size, but it is the smallest in population with an official population of 0 (although some people do visit for scientific research). Antartica Where in the WoRlD is Antartica? {} Where in the WoRlD is Antartica? Test yourself! Map of England Fun Map of England When planning a vacation to England, research is vital and good idea is to have a reliable and accurate travel map of England, the are not only useful but truly invaluable . England has a long established tourism industry, mainly based on it’s long a rich heritage. You will need a good tourist map, when discovering it’s wonders. Some obvious destinations are the town of Bath (a lovely Roman town), the obligatory Stonehenge, Salisbury plains and it’s wonderful prehistoric sites, the lakes district, York and Cambridge. Make sure you get Travel Insurance. A vacation without travel insurance is just not worth it. The peace of mind you get, knowing that if your luggage gets lost or a flight gets cancelled you are covered by a good insurance policy that will get you into a hotel and replace the luggage you have lost.

Although England is considered almost the centre of the civilised world, you can never be sure what will happen. Always be prepared. Here are some facts about England England is part of the UK . Other countries in the UK are Scotland and Northern Island. It is situated in the West of Europe and only bordered by Ireland. The Seas and oceans that border England are : Atlantic Ocean, North Sea, English Channel and the Irish Sea. The land mass is 130,395 km/squared and a population of approximately 50.3 million people. The capital city is London and the political system is a constitutional monarchy. The official language is obviously English When visiting London a tour of all the political establishments is a must do. There are double decker bus rides that take you passed all these places and many other non political monuments and historical landmarks. If you are interested in travel Europe then make sure you investigate all the cheapest options as thoroughly as possible. Europe’s Continental Boundaries | Counter-Currents Publishing Europe’s Continental Boundaries Europe by night 4,475 words Of the Earth’s seven continents, Europe is the second smallest in total area—only Australia is smaller. In terms of population density it is the second largest after Asia.

Geographically, Europe is a peninsula of Eurasia. It has been described as a peninsula of peninsulas and islands. The surprising difficulty of defining Europe as a continent can be seen not only in differing definitions of its boundaries, or the bewildering number of candidates for its most extreme points north, south, east, and west, but even in disagreements over which locale constitutes the geographical center of Europe. The answers to all of these questions seem completely undeterminable in any precise kind of way. Fortunately, the broad outlines are clear. The “boundaries of Europe” discussed here concern only Europe as a continent ending (or beginning) at the Ural Mountains. This creates a formalistic and artificially truncated political and racial horizon. Europe: One of the most commonly used continental boundaries Notably, it ignores the Russian Federation as a unitary racial/political/social entity—a nation, including Russia-in-Asia, extending across much of northern Eurasia and constituting the world’s largest country in total area. Its 6.6 million square miles include one-eighth of the Earth’s inhabited land area—1.7 x the land area of Canada or 2 x the size of the Roman Empire at its greatest extent.

Moreover, some countries still possess overseas territories outside Europe that are integral parts of the homeland. With the exception of Greenland and a few small islands close to Europe, such territories will not be discussed here. Due to Europe’s peninsular structure, the most difficult boundary to define is the eastern one, dividing continental Europe from continental Asia. Whether various countries or portions of countries are grouped geographically with Europe or Asia varies according to the sources consulted. Because the major maritime boundaries that separate the continent of Europe from the Earth’s other continents—the Mediterranean Sea on the south, the Atlantic Ocean on the west, and the Arctic Ocean on the north—have well-defined coastlines, the close analysis of such boundaries primarily involves the allocation of various islands to Europe or some other continent. The Boundary of Europe and Asia The Southeastern boundary between Europe and Asia Evidently the first man to define the eastern continental boundary between Europe and Asia pretty much as it exists today is Philip Johan von Strahlenberg (1676–1747), a Swedish army officer, explorer, and scholar of German descent.

As defined in his book Das nord- und ostliche Theil von Europa und Asia (The north and east part of Europe and Asia) (Stockholm, 1730), which was translated into English, French, and Spanish, Strahlenberg’s border followed the chain of the Ural Mountains north-to-south, then the Emba River to the north coast of the Caspian Sea before passing through the Kuma-Manych Depression to the Black Sea. This Depression, named after two rivers, lies just north of the Caucasus Mountains which are today regarded as the true boundary. The continent’s eastern boundary cuts Russia in two—European Russia and Asian Russia. There is a strikingly uneven distribution of human and natural resources between the Asian and European regions. Asian Russia, about the size of China and India combined, occupies roughly three-quarters of Russian Federation territory. But the quarter of the country west of the Urals—a major portion of continental Europe—is home to more than 75% of Russia’s population and most of its industry and agriculture. It was in European Russia that the Russian nation took shape. Despite governmental efforts to resettle Russians in sparsely populated Asian areas with abundant natural resources, the imbalance persists.

The Urals boundary The watershed divide of the Ural Mountains forms the natural land boundary between the continents of Europe and Asia. The range, averaging 3,000–4,000 ft. in height, extends about 1,640 miles north-south from the Arctic Ocean to the northern steppe of Kazakhstan. At 6,214 ft., Mount Narodnaya in the northern Urals is its highest peak. The densely forested central portion of the range, the Middle Urals, is broader and lower in altitude, a plateau region of 1,000–2,000 ft. Several low east-west passes provide major transportation routes through the Urals to the East (Asia). A glance at a map shows that from the Urals the continental boundary broadly follows the unnavigable Ural River that rises at the mountains’ south end and empties into the northern end of the Caspian Sea to the south. However, this segment of the land border is indeterminate, as one scholar has noted: For most of its length, the eastern border of Europe, namely the Ural mountains, is beyond contention.

But between the southern end of the Urals (from, say, the city of Orsk where the Ural river turns westwards) and the Caspian Sea there is a gap from north-east to south-west of some 400 km.[249 mi]. Here there is no agreement as to where Europe ends and Asia begins and at least three “natural” lines have been suggested, namely: (i) the Volga river, which however seems too far west and, moreover, divides a number of constituent republics of the Russian Federation between the two continents; (ii) the Emba river, which, of all major waterways, continues the most directly the line of the Urals in a broadly south-westerly direction towards the Caspian; this, however, would divide the Republic of Kazakhstan, usually considered as an Asian state, between Asia and Europe and there seems no good reason to accept the Emba as constituting the border; (iii) between the Volga and the Emba is the Ural river which, if we were to decide on a “natural” border, would be the most satisfactory of those proposed; this, however, would still leave a substantial part of Kazakhstan in Europe.

(Glanville Price, Encyclopedia of the Languages of Europe, 2000, p. xii.) The author opts for the existing Russian-Kazakhstan border. The downside with such a choice is that political borders change constantly. Political boundaries of Southeastern Europe, the Black and Caspain Seas The next major segment of the boundary is formed by the Caspian Sea, bordered in Europe by Russia and in Asia by Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran, and Azerbaijan. 746 mi. long and 270 mi. wide, it is the largest completely enclosed body of water, or inland sea, on Earth. It is fed by the Volga, Ural, and Emba rivers from the north. This sea was known to the ancient Greeks, Romans, and Persians. The border of Russia with Georgia and Azerbaijan runs along Caucasus Mountains watershed. The European portion of the 700-mi. east-west mountain range between the Caspian and Black Seas is Ciscaucasia on the north. The Asiatic part, Transcaucasia, lies to the south. The range’s highest peak, Mt. Elbrus (18,481 ft.) is often counted as Europe’s highest.

The Caucasus are crossed by several high passess, the two best known of which are Mamison Pass in the center, and Daryal (or Darial) Pass, which was fortified as early as 150 BC and has vertical rock walls 5,900 ft. high. The Black Sea, Caucasus Mountains, and Caspian Sea The Black Sea (ancient Euxine Sea) between Europe and Asia has been joined since ancient times with the Aegean Sea (part of the Mediterranean), and through it the Atlantic Ocean, by the Bosporus/Sea of Marmara/Dardanelles waterway. The Black Sea is connected to its own northern arm, the 200-mi. long Sea of Azov, by the Kerch Strait. Russia’s mighty Don River empties into the Sea of Azov at Azov, near the ancient site of Tanais, a Greek colony. Azov was captured by Vladimir I in the 900s AD and by the Genoese, who made it a trading port, in the 1200s.

Sacked by the Mongol conqueror Tamerlane in 1395, it was held alternately by Russians and Turks until it was finally secured by Russia in 1739. It was Vladimir I who established the Orthodox Eastern Church as the state religion c. 989 AD, thereby linking Russia religiously and culturally to the Eastern Roman Empire throughout the medieval period. Major European rivers flowing into the Black Sea are the Danube, Dniester, Bug, Dnieper, and Kuban. The steppe region north of the Black Sea has been proposed by some scholars as the original homeland (Urheimat) of the Proto-Indo-Europeans. Others contend that the heartland was further east toward the Caspian Sea, and still others that it was in Anatolia (present-day Turkey). Legendarily, the Black Sea was sailed by Jason and the Argonauts. In a sacred grove in ancient Colchis (contemporary Georgia) on its eastern shore, the Greek heroes sought the Golden Fleece.

In ancient times the Black Sea was crossed by Hittites, Carians, Thracians, Greeks, Persians, Cimmerians, Scythians, and Romans, and later by the East Romans (Byzantines), Goths, Huns, Avars, Bulgars, Slavs, Varangians (East Vikings), European Crusaders, Venetians, and Genoese. The large peninsula extending into the Black Sea on its northern shore, framed on the east by the Sea of Azov, is the Crimea, site of the Crimean War (1854–1856). In the 8th century BC it was inhabited by the Cimmerians, who were expelled by the Scythians in the 7th century. The southern coast of the Crimea was settled in the 6th century BC by Greek traders who maintained extensive trade ties with Athens. In WWII Germans occupied the peninsula from 1941–1944. At Yalta in 1945, FDR and Churchill handed Eastern Europe to the Communists.

The Mediterranean Boundary The Mediterranean Sea: Europe to the North, Africa to the South, Asia to the East To the south Europe is separated from Africa and Asia by the Mediterranean Sea and the Strait of Gibraltar. Very unlike Europe north of the Alps, the Mediterranean climate has hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters. European nations with a Mediterranean shoreline are Spain, France, Monaco, Italy, the island of Malta, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Greece and Turkey. Traditionally, “Turkey” refers to “European Turkey” or “Easterm Thrace”—the 3% of Turkey situated north of the Dardanelles/Sea of Marmara/Bosporus waterway and regarded as geographically part of Europe, distinguished from “Asiatic Turkey” (Anatolia or Asia Minor), the 97% of Turkey geographically situated in Asia. The Dardanelles, Sea of Marmara, and Bosporus waterways Navigable since ancient times, the strategic significance of this interlinked waterway between the Black and Mediterranean Seas was a factor that led Roman Emperor Constantine the Great to found Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) there in 330 AD.

It became the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, which endured for more than a thousand years. Historically significant Greece, 80% mountainous and slightly smaller than the state of Alabama, has between 1,200–6,000 islands (depending upon how “island” is defined), 227 of them inhabited. The largest are Crete, Euboea, Rhodes, and Lesbos. Its many island chains and peninsulas and are extensions of its mountain ranges. Due to its highly indented shoreline and numerous islands, Greece boasts the twelfth longest coastline in the world, 8,498 miles. The main subdivisions of the Mediterranean Sea, all European, are the Adriatic, Aegean, Tyrrhenian, Ionian, and Ligurian Seas. The Mediterranean as a whole stretches 2,300 miles from east to west. Due to the narrow Strait of Gibraltar on the west, the Mediterranean has very low tides. European rivers flowing into the sea, all sources of fresh water, are the Ebro, Rhone, and Po. The Nile in Egypt, the world’s longest river, also empties into the Mediterranean.

Oceanographically, evaporation greatly exceeds precipitation and river runoff in the Mediterranean, a fact that is central to the water circulation within the basin. Evaporation is especially high in its eastern half, causing the water level to decrease and salinity to increase eastward. This pressure gradient pushes relatively cool, low-salinity water from the Atlantic across the basin; it warms and becomes saltier as it travels east, then sinks in the region of the Levant and circulates westward, to spill over the Strait of Gibraltar. Thus, seawater flow is eastward in the Strait’s surface waters, and westward below; once in the Atlantic, this chemically distinct “Mediterranean Intermediate Water” can persist thousands of kilometres away from its source. (“Mediterranean Sea,” Wikipedia, citing Paul R. Pinet, Invitation to Oceanography, 3rd ed., 1996, 202–207.) Islands in the Mediterranean are allocated to Europe, Asia, or Africa respectively.

Most of the major islands in the Mediterranean—Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, Crete, Cyprus, Balearic Islands, Dodecanese, Cyclades, Sporades, Ionian Islands, and Malta—are associated with adjacent European countries. Of those that are not, the greatest number belong to Asian Turkey. (However, some definitions of Europe include Asian Turkey.) Five islands are associated with Tunisia in Africa, and one, Arwad, with Syria in Asia. Cyprus, with a population of 1.1 million, lies south of Turkey off the coast of Syria, north of Israel. Technically in Asia, it is a member of the Council of Europe and the European Union. The UN classification of world regions places Cyprus in Western Asia, the CIA’s World Factbook in the Middle East.The earliest known human activity on the island dates to the 9th millennium BC. Copper, of which Cyprus was the ancient world’s primary source, was named after the island (Greek Kypros). Copper and its alloy bronze are of enormous significance in the study of European prehistory and archaeology.

In a dispute with Greece, Turkey partitioned Cyprus in 1974, establishing the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus on 40 percent of the island, a de facto state recognized only by Turkey. International entities regard the entire island as a single independent republic, the Republic of Cyprus, which controls the remaining 60 percent of the island. In modern times Greek and Turkish Cypriots have been at loggerheads. The population is divided between Greek (80%) and Turkish (20%) ethnic groups differentiated by language (Greek, Turkish), nationality, and religion (Greek Orthodox, Sunni Islam). Leaving aside substantial recent foreign immigration, it is doubtful that the two sharply-defined ethnic groups differ racially. Malta, an independent European state situated south of the Italian island of Sicily, is the main island of the (three) Maltese Islands. Originally a Phoenician and Carthaginian colony, it was captured by Rome in 218 BC. During WWII it became the world’s most bombed spot, undergoing more than 1,200 air raids. It achieved its indpendence from Great Britain in 1964.

Looking East: The Strait of Gibraltar, Europe on the left, Africa on the right, the Mediterranean in the middle The Strait of Gibraltar separating Spain from Africa in the western Mediterranean is an 8–23 mile wide, 36-mi. long passage linking the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean. Ownership of the “state” of Gibraltar, the 2.5 sq. mi. British territory on Spanish soil, is disputed by Spain. The towering, limestone Rock of Gibraltar and Mount Acho (ancient Abila) at Ceuta, a Spanish exclave in Morocco, Africa, form the classical Pillars of Hercules, which were crowned with silver columns by ancient Phoenician mariners to mark the limits of safe navigation for the Mediterranean peoples. The Semitic (not Jewish) Phoenicians, however, sailed well beyond them, quite possibly circumnavigating the southern tip of Africa and turning north on the other side. The Atlantic Boundary In the west, Europe’s boundary is defined by the Atlantic Ocean, with which the Irish, North, Baltic, Mediterranean, and Black Seas are all connected.

This coastline is much warmer than it would otherwise be due to the warming effect of the Gulf Stream, the ocean current which originates in the Gulf of Mexico and joins the North Atlantic Drift to carry warmth to Europe’s shores. The Atlantic coast can be viewed to some extent as an interlinked geographical-anthropological region. Weather and physical conditions are relatively uniform, resulting in common landscapes, plants, and animals. Via waterborne contact, prehistoric Atlantic peoples presented certain common traits as indicated by artifacts and architectural styles. An example is the European Megalithic Culture . Sir Barry Cunliffe , an English archaeologist and prehistorian, has written a book from such a perspective, Facing the Ocean: The Atlantic and Its Peoples 8000 BC–AD 1500 (2001). Some genetic studies also seem to interrelate specific groups of people from different parts of Atlantic Europe. Europe's Atlantic coast As with Europe’s Mediterranean boundary, the allocation of islands between continents is significant along the Atlantic periphery. Nevertheless, the situation is complex, and any treatment is to some extent arbitrary.

The Canary Islands, a Spanish possession and Outermost Region of the European Union, lies 62 miles off the coast of Morocco and Western Sahara in northwest Africa. The Canaries are the Fortunate Isles of antiquity. They were visited by the Phoenicians, the Greeks, and the Carthaginians. As described by Roman scholar Pliny, large numbers of wild dogs (Latin canes), roamed the islands, which he therefore named Canaria. The indigenous population, the Guanche, a Berber people, eventually became extinct. The present population of 2.1 million is 86% Spanish and 14 % Negro/Moor/Berber. About 250 miles north of the Canaries and 440 miles from the coast of Africa (Morocco) is Madeira, an autonomous region of Portugal and Outermost Region of the EU. It was uninhabited at the time of its discovery by the Portuguese in 1420. Prince Henry the Navigator began colonization of the islands and established sugar plantations there which became the prototype for the plantation system developed in the Portuguese colonies in the Americas after 1550. Internationally recognized Madeira wines remain an important export.

Madeira’s present population of 268,000 is classified as ethnic Portuguese, but has a marked degree of West African Negro and North African Berber admixture. North of Madeira is another autonomous region of Portugal and EU Outermost Region, the Azores, lying 800 miles off the coast of Portugal. The vast majority of its 245,000 inhabitants are an admixture of Portuguese, Sephardic Jews, Moors, Flemish, French, Spaniards, and other European populations. As with the Canaries and Madeira, emigration from the islands has been substantial. By the 1990s more Azoreans resided in the US and Canada than in the archipelago. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge Most of Europe’s Atlantic islands, including the Canaries, Madeira, and the British Isles, lie well to the east of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a 9,300-mile long submerged mountain chain on the ocean floor extending from the Antarctic Circle in the south to the Arctic Circle in the north, situated midway between the Western Hemisphere and Europe-Africa.

From the seafloor, mountains rise 3,300 to 9,800 ft. and measure 930 mi. wide from east to west at their base. A few peaks in the ridge break the ocean’s surface, forming islands or groups of islands. The Azores and Iceland are both situated atop such peaks. Greenland, geologically associated with North America to the west, is not. In terms of geographically allocating islands to the North American or European continents, the boundary is usually drawn between Greenland and Iceland, with Greenland on the American and Iceland on the European side. But although Greenland (Danish Grønland) is geographically part of North America, it is historically, politically, and culturally tied to Europe. Greenland formally withdrew from the European Economic Community (EEC) in 1985, but as an overseas territory of the Kingdom of Denmark with extensive home rule, its citizens possess EU citizenship. The largest island in the world, it lies mostly north of the Arctic Circle and is separated from Canada on the west by Davis Strait and Baffin Bay and Iceland on the east by the Denmark Strait. There are numerous islands along its coast, which is deeply indented by fjords.

Eighty-five percent of its total area is ice cap. Most of the country’s population lives in villages along the mountainous coastal fringe. The island was discovered and settled around. 982 AD by outlaw Norwegian chieftain Eric the Red, whose Icelandic-born son, Leif Ericsson, later discovered America by sailing west from Greenland. Greenland was uninhabited at the time of the Norse arrival—the Inuit did not arrive until more than 200 years later, c. 1200 AD. In the 1200s the island fell under Norwegian and, subsequently Danish, rule. The Norse colonists mysteriously vanished around 1435, probably due to a climate change known as the Little Ice Age. Archaeological remains and written records indicate malnourishment among the last white inhabitants. Hvalsey Church, the best-preserved Norse ruins in Greenland. The last written records of the Norse Greenlanders are of a marriage ceremony conducted in this church in 1408 Jewish pop anthropologist Jared Diamond offered a typically racist “explanation” for the Greenlanders’ disappearance. They “chose” to fail by destroying the environment and practicing violence against the Inuit.

Their selfish classism and Christian bigotry also contributed to their destruction. Diamond’s pseudo-scholarship is representative of the deep-seated anti-white hatred insinuated into every nook and cranny of contemporary society. A few centuries later, European explorers rediscovered the island, which was recolonized by Norway beginning in 1721. In 1815 it became part of Denmark. After Germany’s invasion of that country in 1940, the US occupied Greenland until war’s end. Today, Greenland’s population of 57,000 consists of 88% Inuit or Inuit-Danish hybrids and 12% Europeans, mostly Danish. The Danes occupy positions as administrators, professionals, academics and skilled tradesmen. Interestingly, the word “Inuit” does not appear in my American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1973), nor in my unabridged Webster’s Third New International Dictionary (1981)—the heavy tome you see on its own stand in most libraries.

Instead, “Eskimo”—originally the Algonquian Indian term for the northern natives—was still used, along with variants such as Eskimoid, Eskimology, and Eskimologist. The word “Saami,” for Lapps, also does not appear. Settled by Norwegians around 850–875 AD, Iceland is the westernmost state of Europe (Greenland is not a state), located 570 miles west of Norway and 155 miles southeast of Greenland. Indented by many long fjords, it measures about 300 mi. wide from east to west. It has many active volcanoes. Geothermal energy from hot springs is employed for heating. The country possesses one of the most advanced population genetics and geneaological research facilities in the world. deCODE genetics, a private firm, has funded the creation of a genealogy database called Íslendingabók, which attempts to cover all of Iceland’s known inhabitants. The Icelandic parliament, the Althing, first convened in 930 AD, is the oldest representative assembly in Europe. Old Norse literature attained its greatest flowering in Iceland between 1000 and 1350 AD.

Grœnlendinga saga and Eiríks saga describe the discovery and settlement of Greenland and Vinland (Newfoundland). Norwegian rule was imposed in 1261, and thereafter Iceland belonged alternately to Norway and Denmark. Occupied by the US and Britain during WWII, it became independent in 1944. Icelandic, the official language, has changed less from Old Norse than any of the other Nordic languages. The Arctic Boundary The Arctic Ocean defines Europe’s continental boundary on the north. European portions of the ocean identified by specific names include the Norwegian and Greenland Seas north of Scotland, the Barents Sea north of Scandinavia and Russia, and the Kara Sea north of Russia’s Ural Mountains. The Arctic Ocean boundary, Greenland to Novaya Zemyla Regions within the Arctic Circle were first explored between 800–1100 AD by Norse Vikings who discovered Iceland, Greenland, North America, and, in Russia, the White Sea at which they had arrived by 800, and where their influence remained strong for centuries.

The White Sea, an inlet of the Barents Sea in Russia whose main port is Arkhangelsk, is connected by a system of canals to the inland Baltic Sea at Leningrad. The notorious White Sea-Baltic Canal, built between 1931 and 1933 at tremendous human cost by over 100,000 concentration camp political prisoners (at least 9,000 of whom perished), is too shallow (minimum depth 11.5 ft.) to accommodate ocean-going vessels. The Jewish overseers of the project, Genrikh Yagoda, Deputy Chairman of the OGPU, Matvei Berman, head of the GULAG during the 1930s, Semyon G. Firin, Chief of Construction and head of the White Sea Baltic Corrective Labor Camp Directorate, Naftaly Frenkel, the Chief of Works, Lazar Kogan, chief of the BBK Construction Directorate and his deputy Yakov Davidovich Rappoport, were awarded medals by the Politburo upon the canal’s completion, July 15, 1933.

Due to climatic conditions, Europe’s Arctic shores are sparsely populated. Non-white residents include the Mongolid Inuits of Greenland and the pastoral, reindeer-herding Mongolid Saamis (Lapps—about 55,000 people) of northern Norway, Sweden, Finland, and the Russian peninsula of Kola. Both groups have experienced significant white admixture. Few large towns exist. The largest cities are in Russia—Arkhangelsk (350,000), Murmansk (over 300,000), Norilsk (130,000), and Vorkuta (75,000); in Norway, Trondheim (165,000) and Tromsø (60,000). Other towns typically consist of small agglomerations of less than 5,000 residents. Constantin Korovin, "Hammerfest: Aurora Borealis," 1894–1895.

Oil on Canvas The northernmost city in mainland Europe is Hammerfest, Norway, population 9,300, which annually experiences uninterrupted daylight from May 17–July 29, and no sun at all from November 21–January 21. Hammerfest was attacked and looted by the British navy during the Napoleonic Wars, and occupied by the Germans and bombed by the Soviet Air Force during WWII. The Norwegian Svalbard archipelago in the Arctic Ocean includes the Spitsbergen group, 360 mi. north of Norway. Probably known to the Vikings, Spitsbergen was discovered in 1596 by Dutch navigator Willem Barents, who commanded several expeditions that reached Novaya Zemlya in the course of his search for a northern passage to East Asia. Barents Island and the Barents Sea are named in his honor. During WWII the Germans and Allies fought here. Svalbard Airport, Longyear provides the main point of contact with the mainland. No roads link the settlements of its 2,800 inhabitants, who travel by snowmobile, aircraft, and boat.

Covered with ice northeast of Svalbard, the 191 islands making up Russia’s Arctic archipelago of Franz Josef Land, about 600 miles from the North Pole, is the most northerly land in Europe and the Eastern hemisphere. Though Norwegian sealers may have reached the archipelago in 1865, its official discovery is attributed to the Austrian polar explorers Julius von Payer and Karl Weyprecht in 1873. They named the archipelago in honor of Austro-Hungarian emperor Franz Joseph I. In 1931 the German airship Graf Zeppelin made an historic flight from Berlin to Hooker Island in Franz Josef Land, and while there conducted an aerial survey of the archipelago as far north as Rudolf Island. Turning south and slightly east from Franz Josef Land, we connect with the two large islands known as Novaya Zemlya (New Land), which extend northward from the northern end of the Ural Mountains and are a continuation of that chain into the Arctic Ocean.

A population of 50–300 reindeer-herding Nenetses (Mongolian Samoyed), who subsisted by fishing, trapping, herding, and hunting, was resettled to the mainland by the Soviets in 1952. On Novaya Zemlya on October 30, 1961, the Soviets exploded, by dropping from an aircraft, Tsar Bomba (“King of Bombs”) , the largest and most powerful nuclear weapon ever detonated on Earth. The hydrogen bomb yielded the equivalent of 50 megatons of TNT—after being scaled down from its original design of 100 megatons! As mentioned, Novaya Zemlya is a continuation of the northern Urals to the south, thus completing our circuit of Europe’s external boundaries. Europe’s influence extends well beyond its formal geographic borders. European explorations, colonization, social, political, intellectual, artistic, and scientific innovations, empires, and revolutions, have transformed the world. While it is needful to comprehend Europe as a continent, the true geography of the Europeans extends to the far corners of the Earth—and beyond.

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Question: Which ocean borders the west of Europe?
Answer: Atlantic Ocean