DESCRIPTION
Europe is the westernmost peninsula of the land mass known as Eurasia. The 3rd most populous of 7 continents on Earth; Europe, is known as the birthplace of Western culture. Although its boundaries are not clearly defined, Europe is located with the Ural Mountains and Asia to its east, the Arctic Ocean to its north, Atlantic Ocean to its west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. Europe consists of just fewer than 50 States, with a population in 2005 of 731 million people, which was almost 10% of the world’s population. The majority of Europe’s countries are members of the European Union (EU). Many currencies are used throughout Europe, but the most popular used money is the Euro. Europe is comprised of a large diversification of geography, with mountainous areas in the southern region such as the high Alps, Pyrenees, and Carpathians; while the northern regions are flatter, and includes the Great European Plain and the North German Plain. A few of the largest cities in Europe are Paris, London, Milan, Barcelona, Athens, Berlin, Madrid, Moscow, Istanbul, Rome, and Baku. The Gulf Stream influences this continents climate making it warmer than other locations at similar latitudes around the world, resulting in the climate to classified as temperate, however it is subject to prevailing westerlies. The majority of most travel enthusiasts consider traveling to Europe as prerequisite and a must for everybody to visit.