I hope you had a very productive week at school. I hope you are intensifying your studies. As you know, your examination is fast approaching. Please take time to revise all your subjects, work with your personal study timetable and your study journal. Use your journal to paraphrase work given by your teachers, try to practice past examination questions, this would help greatly in preparation for NGSA.

Topic: Continents of the world

Sub-Topic: Europe

In our last lesson we looked at the continent of Asia. We discussed that Asia is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometers, about 30% of Earth’s total land area and 8% of Earth’s total surface area.

This week we are going to learn all about the continent of Europe. Specifically, we will:

1) Discuss key facts about the continent of Europe.

2) Identify Countries in Europe.

3) Highlight important landmarks in Europe.

Let’s Discuss Key Facts about Europe!

Europe is the second-smallest continent. The name Europe, or Europa, is believed to be of Greek origin, as it is the name of a princess in Greek mythology. The name Europe may also come from combining the Greek roots eur- (wide) and -op (seeing) to form the phrase “wide-gazing.”

Europe is often described as a “peninsula of peninsulas.” Europe is a peninsula of the Eurasian supercontinent and is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and the Mediterranean, Black, and Caspian seas to the south.

Vocabulary Building: Do You Know What a Peninsula is?

A peninsula is a piece of land surrounded by water on three sides. Europe’s main peninsulas are the Iberian, Italian, and Balkan, located in southern Europe, and the Scandinavian and Jutland, located in northern Europe. The link between these peninsulas has made Europe a dominant economic, social, and cultural force throughout recorded history.

Did You Know?

Europe’s physical geography, environment and resources, and human geography can be considered separately.

Europe can be divided into four major physical regions, running from north to south:

1) Western Uplands

2) North European Plain

3) Central Uplands

4) Alpine Mountains.

Today, Europe is home to the citizens of Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland), and Vatican City.

1) Cultural Geography

Europe has a long history of human development and is considered the birthplace of Western Civilization. Today, this cultural wealth is used to solidify the European Community and is exported to the rest of the world as one of the continent’s greatest global assets.

2) Historic Cultures

Indigenous cultures shaped, and were shaped by, the varied geography of Europe. Physical features, weather-related phenomena, and local resources had a deep impact on how historic European cultures prospered, interacted, and believed their world worked.

Let’s Look At Famous Landmarks in Europe!

1) Eiffel Tower in Paris

2) Colosseum in Rome

3) The Louvre in Paris

4) The Sistine Chapel in Vatican City 5) Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy 6) Acropolis & Parthenon in Greece 7) Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba in Spain

The Eiffel Tower is the ultimate symbol of Paris, towering over the city with its distinctive lattice structure that curves upwards towards the sky. Once the tallest building in the world, the Eiffel Tower became a symbol of ingenuity and modernity during the 20th century. Since then, it has been the inimitable, historical icon of Paris, attracting millions of tourists every year. It can also be seen from much of Paris, making it an important emblem for the people who live there.

More Interesting Facts about The Eiffel Tower

1) It was designed by Gustave Eiffel 2) It took 22 months to complete

3) The Eiffel Tower is made of iron 4) The Eiffel Tower has three floors 5) It’s as heavy as an entire freight train