User:(WT-en) Professorbiscuit/Sandbox/Europe

Europe is the second smallest continent, with an area of 400,000 km² (4,000,000 square miles). Its borders are much disputed, reflecting cultural and political factors instead of geographical ones. There is much here for the traveller to enjoy, with a bewildering array of diversity and culture, cosmopolitan cities and spectacular scenery.

Europe defies easy categorisation, with its compact size and complex history. The following are five (loosely defined) regions.




 * British Isles - coloured in red - consisting of the United Kingdom, Isle of Man, Channel Islands and the Republic of Ireland.


 * Western Europe - coloured in blue - consisting of Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, France, Germany, Spain, Andorra, Portugal, Italy, San Marino, Monaco, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria and Greece.


 * Eastern Europe - coloured in yellow - consisting of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Turkey and Malta.


 * Scandinavia - coloured in green - consisting of Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Faroe Islands and Iceland.


 * Russia and the Caucasus - coloured in purple - consisting of Russia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia.

See also: European Union, 25 European states in various stages of economic and political union.

Get around
There are no border controls between countries that have signed the Schengen Agreement. Likewise, a visa granted for any Schengen Agreement signatory country is valid in all other countries that signed the treaty.

These countries are: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden. Note that not all EU members have signed the Schengen treaty and not all Schengen treaty countries are members of the European Union.

At some airports, airlines will still insist on seeing your id-card or passport. Travel to and from a Schengen Agreement country to any other country will result in the normal border checks.

Europa Europe

Europe Europe