Europe

Welcome!

Europe is the second smallest continent by land area, the two dividers being the Urals and the Caucasus. But, because the border of Europe doesn't naturally stop (the eastern part follows the Ural river and the Caspian Sea) and Asia and Europe belong on the same tectonic plate, it is sometimes grouped as a peninsula or sub-continent, part of Asia. By convention, Europe is considered a continent because it has a distinct culture/history/traditions (to name a few) from Asia.

East

The East are inhabited by Slavs, the largest of which are the Russians who have historically dominated in the region with the Russian Empire, a self-proclaimed protector of the Slavs. The Empire later dissolved and become the Soviet Union, spreading communism to most of Eastern Europe after the Soviet Union set up satelliete states that adhered to Soviet ideology after the Second World War. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, communism fell in Eastern Europe with it.

North

Northern Europe has had a long history of Viking culture and pagan roots. Today, the Nordic countries are considerd to be a group of welfare states (countries which actively protect the health of its citizens) and overall have a high quality of life. This is largely because of 'Folkhemmet' (Home of the People in Swedish), pushed on by social democrats who wanted a state who cared for their citizens like a family. The idea of social benefits like pensions already existed in Nordic countries, but social democrats expanded them with reforms. The ideas spread to surrounding countries as well with the rise of social democrats.

South

Rome and Ancient Greece flourished in antiquity and are two of the major European classical civilizations. Roman Catholicism dominates in Southern Europe (with the exception of Greece, which follows the Orthodox faith) and it is also the seat of the Pope, head of the Catholic Church. Portugal, located in Southern Europe, was one of the earliest kingdoms of Europe to go beyond the shores of Africa and reach (and trade with) Asia.

West

Western Europe is the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, causing early industrialization in the U.K. and Germany. It is also considered to be the place where modern democracy was created, with England's Magna Carta as a stepping stone (a paper which limited the power of the absolute monarchy, revolutionary in 1215) and where early colonial empires with the rise of the British, (Spanish & Portuguese in Southern Europe), Dutch and French colonial empires formed.