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Climate
Surface temperature of the Gulf Stream in the western North Atlantic; bottom left Florida and
Cuba
The continent is mainly in temperate latitudes. The climate is milder due to the influence of the
relatively warm Gulf Stream in Europe compared with the same latitude areas in other parts of
the world. The average annual temperature of Bordeaux for example, is 12.8 C, while lying on
almost the same width Canadian Halifax (Nova Scotia) reached only 6.3 C.
In large parts of Western Europe mild winters are cool summer against. In areas that are far from
the sea, thus also of the climatic influence of balance, the temperature differences in different
seasons are stronger. In most parts of Eastern Europe, the climate is predominantly continental in
close proximity by the absence of the sea. Cold winters and hot summers are predominant in
these regions.
Due to the Earth's rotation and the deflecting force associated winds come mainly from the west.
Since therefore winds blow predominantly in the coastal areas of Western Europe from the
Atlantic Ocean, it is almost year-round rain. In Eastern and Central Europe, the rainfall, however,
is relatively low because again the influence of the sea on these regions to low. Mountains also
affect the rainfall strong. To include parts of the northwestern Alps to the wettest areas in Europe,
while central alpine valleys are relatively dry. The Alps in this case act as a barrier to rain fronts.
In areas near the Mediterranean predominantly Mediterranean climate prevails, that is dry and
hot summers, while it is mild and wet in winter. In summer there are mainly winds from the
north in winter bring westerly winds coming from the Atlantic Ocean on the other hand frequent
precipitation with. In Northern Europe, an Arctic climate, on the southeast by the Volga prevails,
however, continental climate with hot summers and low rainfall. So it may be,. As well as that
there is still snow in Lapland, while being sued in Sicily over the summer heat, it rains constantly
in the Shetland Islands and Andalusia is plagued by years of drought.
See also: consequences of global warming in Europe and list of weather events in Europe
Flora
Flore areas in Europe by Wolfgang Frey and Rainer deletion
The vegetation in Europe can be divided on the basis of the climate roughly into four zones:
arctic, boreal, temperate and Mediterranean. Over thousands of years use the original vegetation
of Europe is destroyed in the temperate and Mediterranean zone down to tiny remnants. In the
north of Europe are found in the arctic tundra only shrubs, mosses and lichens. Further south,
close in Scandinavia and northern Russia boreal forests (mainly of spruce and pine) are
embedded in the vast bogs. In the temperate zone between the Atlantic Ocean and the
Carpathians would grow under natural conditions mainly by beech trees dominated deciduous
forests, in the warmest lowland and those with deciduous oak and hornbeam. East of the
distribution area of beech, approximately from the Vistula and the Dniester to the southern Ural
Mountains, forests were formed in which English oak, small-leaved lime, Scots pine and Spruce play the most important role - in the transition to the north subsequent coniferous forest
zone. To the south connects these mixed forest zone north of the Black Sea region to where
would be formed under natural conditions steppe vegetation.
The cities and municipalities are the smallest administrative units in the administrative structure
of the states. Lisbon was one of the first cosmopolitan cities in the modern era, since it was the
center of a large colonial empire in the age of imperialism. In 1950, there were four cities in the
European Union today among the 20 largest in the world, since barely growing European cities,
lose part to population figures. These four largest current EU cities were London in second place
behind New York, Paris in fourth place behind Tokyo and Milan and Naples, the number 13 and
19 occupied.
But in the second half of the 20th century brought the city to the rest of the world, especially the
developing countries, eg. As Mexico City, Manila and So Paulo, with the number of inhabitants
and run now the table of the world. Despite stagnation in older cities, there are numerous other
processes in the spatial development of the 21st century, such. As the gentrification of inner
cities.
The problem is the comparison of the cities, there is often polycentric metropolitan areas, in
which the core cities compared to the metropolitan area are very small (eg. B. Rhine-Ruhr, the
Upper Silesian industrial district or central England). Therefore, they dive, even if they are
sometimes very large, not in the table at the bottom.
Cities with more than 1.5 million people in Europe are:
Rank
City State Residents'
number in millions
Population
with agglomeration
million in foundation year (after the act or mention)
1 Moscow Russia Russia 10.4 13.8 1147
2 London United Kingdom United Kingdom 7.4 12.0 47 n. Chr.
Turkey Turkey Istanbul 3 * 6.9 ** 16.0 660 v. Chr. *** As Byzantium
4 St Petersburg Russia Russia 4.8 5.3 1703
5 Berlin Germany Germany 3.5 4.3 1230
6 Madrid Spain 3.3 5.3 1083
7 Kiev Ukraine Ukraine 2.8 3.3 840
8 Rome Italy 2.7 3.8 753 v. Chr.
9 Paris France 2.1 11.5 53 v. Chr.
Belarus Belarus Minsk 10 1.7 2.7 1067
11 Bucharest Romania 1.9 2.6 1459
12 Vienna Austria Austria 1.8 2.6 881
13 Hamburg Germany Germany 1.7 2.6 early 9th century
14 Budapest Hungary Hungary 1.7 2.4 89 n. Chr.
15 Warsaw Poland 1.7 2.4 1281
16 Barcelona Spain 1.6 3.9 230 v. Chr.
* Istanbul is on the border between Europe and Asia, the old center is part of the European part.
** Number of inhabitants of the European part of Istanbul, on the European side ***.
See also: List of capitals of the world and List of largest cities in Europe
History
Main article: History of Europe
Reconstruction of stilt houses from the Neolithic period
Oldest Evidence of the Homo genus currently comes from the Sierra de Atapuerca in Spain and
are up to 1.2 million years old. [7] Even older fossils from Georgia (outside the currently valid
boundaries of Europe) are 1.8 million years old and are referred to as "Homo georgicus". In
Europe north of the Alps the oldest horizon with Homo heidelbergensis starts about 600,000
years ago.
Only about 40,000 years ago Homo sapiens arrived to Europe (see FIG. Early human migrations)
and gradually replaced the Neanderthals. With the Neolithic and the Bronze Age began in
Europe a long history of great cultural and economic achievements, first in the Mediterranean,
then in the north and east.
Since the 15th century European nations (particularly Spain, Portugal, Russia, the Netherlands,
France and the United Kingdom) built colonial empires with large possessions on all other
continents. Europe is the continent with the other parts of the world most affected (for example,
by Christian missionary, colonies, slave trade, exchange of goods and culture).
Europe in 1899
After the Second World War and the Cold War, Europe was divided into two major politicaleconomic blocs: Socialist nations in Eastern Europe and capitalist nations in Western Europe.
They also spoke of the Iron Curtain that divided the states of Europe apart. In between, there
were some neutral countries. Only perestroika and glasnost in the Soviet Union led the mid1980s to a policy change. 1989 broke the Eastern bloc, the Berlin Wall fell, the Soviet Union and
the Warsaw Pact dissolved.
Since the last decades of the 20th century the cultures of Europe grow together strengthened, as
evidenced both by institutions such as the EU, but also by demographic and economic priorities.
See also: cradle of Europe
See also: Ancient Europe (epoch)
See also: Blue Banana
See also: Historical European Regions
Policy
States of Europe
See also: List of countries in Europe
Taking the border of Europe as defined rays mountain (see: Section Geography) there are
currently 46 sovereign states that are wholly or partially in Europe. 27 of which are members of
the European Union. The EU's 28 Member States, the Republic of Cyprus counts geographically
to Asia.
Furthermore, the Republic of Kosovo is recognized by all German-speaking countries as an
independent state. About half of the Member States of the United Nations regarded the
breakaway province remains as part of Serbian territory.
In an alternative boundary of Europe along the main ridge of the Caucasus other small areas of
Georgia and Azerbaijan (including the capital Baku) were European.
Disputed Territory
Kosovo Kosovo (capital Pristina): Parliament in managed by the UN province of Kosovo
declared 17 February 2008 unilateral independence from Serbia. Serbia, whose constitution
explicitly about the Serbian province as an indivisible part of the Republic is the speech that
region considered further as part of Serbia. Kosovo is now, although the majority of countries
(including Germany, Austria and Switzerland) are recognized as its own, however, there are still
many countries, including about Russia and the EU Member States, Spain and Greece, do not
recognize Kosovo as an independent state ,
See also: International recognition of Kosovo
Transnistria Transnistria (proper name: Pridnestrovie) (capital: Tiraspol): 1992 has established
itself in Transnistria, a de facto independent state of Moldova. But he is not recognized by any
other state.
Flag of Crimea.svg Crimea (capital: Simferopol): Since 2014 dispute between Russia and
Ukraine.
Flag of Novorussia.svg New Russia: Founded On 24 May 2014 the Union Flag of the People's
Republic.svg Donetsk Donetsk People's Republic and the Flag of the People's Republic Lugansk
(Late 2014) .svg People's Republic of Lugansk, which declared independence in April 2014 ,
Under international law, they are still considered part of Ukraine.
Other areas
There are also smaller territories that are not an integral part of a state, but also are not
independent:
Guernsey Guernsey (capital Saint Peter Port)
Isle of Man Isle of Man (Douglas capital)
Jersey Jersey (capital Saint Helier)
These three areas are Crown dependencies. They are not part of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Northern Ireland.
Gibraltar Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory. As such, it may be under the sovereignty of the United
Kingdom, but is also not a part of it.
Faroe Islands (Trshavn)
The Faroe Islands, together with Greenland and the Danish mainland Denmark.
Norway Jan Mayen
Political Organizations
Membership in European organizations
In the middle of the 20th century was founded as the first institution of common European euro
Europe, including after the end of the East-West conflict 47 states. Also of great importance is
the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the (CSCE) was founded in
1975 as a time block across the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, and the next
European countries, the USA and Canada belong.
European flag
In 1951, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, Italy and France joined the monetary
union and ECSC (European Coal and Steel Community) together. Trying a European Defence
Community (EDC) and a European Political Community (EPC) to establish, failed in 1954 from
the French National Assembly. Then 1957, the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom)
and the European Economic Community (EEC) was founded with the Treaty of Rome. As of the
Merger Treaty in 1967 three European Communities (ECSC, Euratom and EEC) shared the
common institutions Commission, Council, Parliament and Court. The Treaty of Maastricht in
1993, the EEC was renamed the European Community (EC) and also established the European
Union, which included the three Communities and two intergovernmental policies extended the
Common Foreign and Security Policy and cooperation in the field of justice and home affairs. In
2002, the ECSC was dissolved and transferred its functions by the EC. After the eastern
expansion in the years 2004, 2007 and 2013, the EU currently has 28 Member States. The Treaty
of Lisbon was the EC fully December 1, 2009 in the EU.
A majority of the Member States who also founded in the 1950s, the European Free Trade
Association (EFTA) is now gone over to the EU, only Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and
Liechtenstein are members. The EFTA is different from the EU a pure free trade zone without
supranational decision-making powers.
In military terms, NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) is of great importance in Europe.
It was founded in 1949 owing to the emerging differences after the end of the Second World War
between the Western Allies and the Soviet Union. In addition to the 23 European members of the
United States, Canada and Turkey are members of NATO.
See also: European Parliament and European elections
Some states are not geographically to Europe, but members are European organizations