Europe
From Wikipedia
Europe (Listeni/ˈjʊərəp/
EWR-əp or /ˈjɜrəp/
YUR-əp) is, by
convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost
peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia by the watershed
divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and
Black Seas, and the waterways connecting the Black and Aegean Seas. Europe is
bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the
Mediterranean Sea to the south, and the Black Sea and connected waterways to
the southeast. Yet the borders of Europe—a concept dating back to classical
antiquity—are somewhat arbitrary, as the primarily physiographic term
"continent" can incorporate cultural and political elements.
Europe is the
world's second-smallest continent by surface area, covering about 10,180,000
square kilometres (3,930,000 sq mi) or 2% of the Earth's surface and about 6.8%
of its land area. Of Europe's approximately 50 states, Russia is by far the
largest by both area and population, taking up 40% of the continent (although
the country has territory in both Europe and Asia), while the Vatican City is
the smallest. Europe is the third-most populous continent after Asia and
Africa, with a population of 733 million or about 11% of the world's population.
Europe, in
particular Ancient Greece, is the birthplace of Western culture. It played a
predominant role in global affairs from the 15th century onwards, especially
after the beginning of colonialism. Between the 16th and 20th centuries,
European nations controlled at various times the Americas, most of Africa,
Oceania, and large portions of Asia. In 1900, Europe's share of the world's
population was 25%. Both World Wars were largely focused upon Europe, greatly
contributing to a decline in Western European dominance in world affairs by the
mid-20th century as the United States and Soviet Union took prominence. During
the Cold War, Europe was divided along the Iron Curtain between NATO in the
west and the Warsaw Pact in the east. European integration led to the formation
of the Council of Europe and the European Union in Western Europe, both of
which have been expanding eastward since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.
European Internet Foundation
The European
Internet Foundation (EIF) is an independent, non-profit body supporting Members
of the European Parliament (MEPs) in their efforts to shape policy and
regulation relating to the internet.
The organization
exists to promote understanding among MEPs of developments in information and
communication technologies. It hosts a continuous programme of live debates,
special projects and interactive communication activities, featuring speakers
from around the world, largely from the European Parliament's location in
Brussels, Belgium.
History and membership
The EIF was founded in March 2000
by MEPs James Elles, Erika Mann and Elly Plooij-van Gorsel. The current Chair
is Pilar del Castillo.
It is led and
governed by its Political Members, all of whom are elected Members of the
European Parliament (MEPs). Membership in the European Internet Foundation is
open to all current MEPs. The Foundation is financed primarily through
membership fees charged to Business and Associate Members, including a core of
prominent European e-companies. Membership is open on a progressive,
non-discriminatory fee basis to any duly constituted commercial entity or
interest group pledging support for the foundation's founding principles.
Economy
As a continent,
the economy of Europe is currently the largest on Earth and it is the richest
region as measured by assets under management with over $32.7 trillion compared
to North America's $27.1 trillion in 2008. In 2009 Europe remained the
wealthiest region. Its $37.1 trillion in assets under management represented
one-third of the world’s wealth. It was one of several regions where wealth
surpassed its precrisis year-end peak. As with other continents, Europe has a
large variation of wealth among its countries. The richer states tend to be in
the West; some of the Eastern economies are still emerging from the collapse of
the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia.
The European
Union, an intergovernmental body composed of 27 European states, comprises the
largest single economic area in the world. 16 EU countries share the euro as a
common currency. Five European countries rank in the top ten of the worlds
largest national economies in GDP (PPP). This includes (ranks according to the
CIA): Germany , the UK , Russia , France , and Italy .
There is huge
disparity between many European countries in terms of their income. The richest
in terms of GDP per capita is Monaco with its US$172,676 per capita (2009) and
the poorest is Moldova with its GDP per capita of US$1,631 (2010). Monaco is
the richest country in terms of GDP per capita in the world according to the
World Bank report.
Sovereign states
Recognised states
Recognised states
Albania,
Andorra, Armenia[b], Austria*, Azerbaijan[b], Belarus, Belgium*, Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Bulgaria*, Croatia, Cyprus*[c], Czech Republic*, Denmark*[f],
Estonia*,Finland*, France*, Georgia[b], Germany*, Greece*,Hungary*,Iceland,
Ireland*, Italy*, Kazakhstan, Latvia*, Liechtenstein, Lithuania*, Luxembourg*,
Macedonia, Malta*, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland*,
Portugal*, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia*, Slovenia*, Spain*, Sweden*,
Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Vatican City.
Please send us inquiry by filling up the form below if you wish one of
our sales team to contact and provide you more information.
