Europe is a part of the world that is part of the Eurasia continent. There are 54 states on its territory, most of which have a relatively small area. This part of the world consists not only of continental countries, but also of islands. About a quarter of its territory falls on the peninsulas, including the Balkan, Scandinavian, Kola, Apennine and others.
To correctly determine the area of Europe, we must take into account that the border between Europe and Asia runs along the Caucasus Range, although this division is conditional. Despite the fact that such countries as Armenia and Azerbaijan are difficult to territorially attribute to this part of the world, they are still included in it due to political, moral and ethical considerations.
Total area of Europe
If we take into account all the territories that today belong to Europe, then its area is 10, 180, 000 km², of which 720 thousand km² are islands. The largest state is Russia, although it is partly located in Asia. The second and third countries in terms of area are Ukraine and France, respectively, with a difference of 30 thousand km². It should be noted that the current political situation betweenRussia and Ukraine may lead to the fact that the territory of the Crimean peninsula will pass to the first. In this case, the area of France and Ukraine will become almost the same, with a difference of only 3 thousand km², although this will not affect the area of Europe in any way.
Political divisions
Conventionally, the area of European states is divided into three parts: Eastern, Western and Central. Previously, this division was exclusively political in nature, now geographical location is also taken into account.
The largest countries that belong to Western Europe are Austria, Great Britain, Germany, France and Switzerland. The Eastern part includes such states as Russia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Ukraine and others. The states of Central Europe play a very important role in the political arena, and they include Croatia, Slovenia, Poland, Slovakia.
Historic State
Previously, such sovereign states as Macedonia, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro were the territory of one country - Yugoslavia, which collapsed in 2006. Before its dissolution, Yugoslavia was one of the largest countries in Europe, and its territory was 255 thousand km².
Dwarf states
There are also a number of dwarf states in this part of the world, which, although small in area, play important roles in political relations.
The smallest of these countries and at the same time the most influential isVatican. This city-state is an Italian enclave located in Rome. Although the independence of the Vatican is supported by all of Europe, the area of \u200b\u200bthe territory of this state is only 0.44 km². Other dwarf countries in this part of the world include San Marino, Monaco, M alta, Liechtenstein and Andorra.
Summing up, it should be noted that the area of Europe was constantly changing due to events that affected the political picture of the world. However, it has always been one of the largest and most important parts of the world.
