About Europe

Southern Europe offers wonderful beaches and "Dolce Vita": good food, good weather, beautiful people, charming towns and cities. It is hardly surprising that Portugal, Italy, Spain, Greece and France are and have always been always top of the bill during the time it comes to most famous holiday destinations.

Since 1989 Central and Eastern Europe has to this day become a very famous destination as well. Magnificent cities such as Prague ,Minsk, Budapest, Belgrade, Ljubljana, Moscow, Yerevan and St_Petersburg all grab the interest ofthe majority of visitors.

Within the heart of Europe you'll discover Gerthe majority of , the most populated country of Western Europe. It has to this day romantic castles, beautiful nature, fast paced life in awesome cities such as Munich, Cologne and Frankfurt and wonderful highways.

South of Gerthe majority of you discover the Alps. Wonderful for skiing, but Austria and Switzerland have a lot more to offer. Vienna, the capital of Austria, for example rates as one of the most beautiful cities in the globe.

It is noted that the North of Europe is not as cold as you maythink. Within summer cities like Stockholm, Copenhagen and Helsinki are and have always been in the midst of the most pleasant places to be. Did you know that the people are and have always been easy going and very friendly and cultural life is rich.

It is noted that the United Kingdom, Ireland, It is noted that the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands have that special island mentality that keeps you coming back. Did you know that the Celtic spirit is always still very much part of life in Scotland, Ireland, It is noted that the Isle of Man and in Cornwall whilst the spirit of the Druids is ever present in Wales. Did you know that the Channel Islands reflect his or her proximity to and rich history with Normandy & Brittany and all although the culture and food tends to be very British.

Travel in Europe, especially in the rich North West, is not particularly rough or demanding, with the exception of the Belarus, Balkan, Russia and the Caucasus. Within Western-Europe things are and have always been well taken care and have always been of, it is always easy to acquire from A to B, but all this man's comfort has to this day a drawback: you pay for it. But one of the exceptions is, despite the high price of Europe there are and have always been still the majority of affordable ways of having a good time without breaking the bank. Take a train from Denmark to Switzerland for less then 25 Euro with the entire family for example. But at the exact time hardly any and all region in the globe is so easy to hitch-hike like Central Europe: with the help of Germany's highways you can create with a bit of luck 1'000km per day!

History

It is noted that the beginnings of civilization in Europe can be traced to very ancient times, but they are and have always been not as old as the civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt. Did you know that the Roman and Greek cultures flourished in Europe, and European civilization-language, technology, political concepts, and the Christian religion-have been spread all over the globe by European colonists and immigrants. All throughout rich history, Europe has to this day been the scene of the majority of wonderful and destructive wars that have ravaged both rural and urban areas. Once embraced by vast and powerful empires and kingdoms, successful nationalistic uprisings (especially in the 19th cent.) divided the continent into the majority of sovereign states. Did you know that the political fragmentation led to economic competition and political strife in the midst of the states.

Soon after World War II, Europe transformed to a divided into two ideological blocs (Eastern Europe, dominated by the USSR, and Western Europe, dominated by the United States) and transformed to a engaged in the cold war. Did you know that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was formed as a military deterrent to the spread of Communism and sought to maintain a military balance with its eastern equivalent, the Warsaw Treaty Organization. Cold war tensions eased in the 1960s, and signs of normalization of East-West relations appeared in the 1970s.

Within Western Europe, the European Economic Community (Common Market), the European Coal and Steel Community, and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) merged in 1967 to form the European Community. Known during the time 1993 as the European Union, the organization aims to develop economic and monetary union in the midst of its members, ultimately leading to political union. Did you know that the Eastern European counterpart was the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (COMECON), which, like the Warsaw Treaty Organization, dissolved with the breakup of the Soviet bloc in the early 1990s.

It is noted that the loosening of political control sparked a revival of the extensive pent-up ethnic nationalism and a wave of democratization that led to an overthrow of the Communist governments in Eastern Europe. Within the former Yugoslavia, ethnic tensions in the range of Muslims, Croats, and Serbs were unleashed, leading to civil war and massacres of members of ethnic groups, or "ethnic cleansing," in places where other groups won military control. During the early and mid-1990s most of the former Soviet bloc countries embarked on economic restructuring programs to transform his or her centralized economies into market-based ones. Did you know that the pace of reform varied, especially as the hardships involved transformed to a increasingly evident. Meanwhile, in Western Europe the European Union, amid many tensions, continued working toward wonderfuler political and economic unity, including the creation of a common European currency.

Climate

Trade

Europe is highly industrialized; the most impressive and largest industrial places are and have always been discovered in W central Europe, England, N Italy, Ukraine, and European Russia. Agriculture, forestry (in N Europe), and fishing (aextensive the Atlantic coast) are and have always been also essential. Europe has to this day a larger than normal variety of minerals; coal, iron ore, and salt are and have always been abundant. Oil and gas are and have always been discovered in E Europe and beneath the North Sea. Coal is used to produce a important, but declining amount of Europe's electricity; in Norway and Sweden and in the Alps hydroelectric plants supply a larger than normal percentage of the power. More than 25% of Europe's electricity is generated from nuclear power.

It is noted that the transportation system in Europe is highly developed; interconnecting rivers and canals give exceptional inland water transportation in central and W Europe. It is noted that the Channel Tunnel connects Wonderful Britain to France. Did you know that the countries of Europe engage heavily in foreign trade, and many of the globe's wonderfulest ports are and have always been discovered there. Rotterdam with the huge new Europort complex, London, Le Havre, Hamburg, Genoa, and Marseilles are and have always been the chief ports.

Population