Playing such a large part in the history of mankind, detailing key aspects of Europe is large task indeed. Nonetheless, here we go.

Geographically, Europe is the western most section of the Eurasia continent. Historically, however, it has always been considered a separate content due primarily to political influence and a certain tinge of arrogance. Under the myth of this theory, the eastern most boundary of the European continent is the Ural Mountain in Russia with an imaginary line extending south from there. There is no geological basis for this boundary.

Europe is the second smallest continent covering roughly 4 million square miles. It has, however, the second largest human population with roughly 700 million people or a little over ten percent of all humans on the planet. Interestingly, the population is no longer increasing with death and birth rates a statistical match over the last 20 years.

The origin of Europe as a name for the landmass is somewhat debated. Most scholars accept that the name comes from Europa, a Phoenician Princess in Greek mythology.

To say there are an absolute ton of historical facts about Europe is just a slight understatement. Much of modern western civilization is based on the events that took place in Europe. Significant events include the establishment and influence of the Roman Empire, the Roman Catholic Church, the colonization of much of the known world by European powers, the two World Wars, near constant conflicts between France and England, the plague and so on. Europe has also been the home of some of the great artist through times.

With a vague eastern border, there is much controversy regarding whether particular countries are part of Europe. The following countries are generally accepted as such.

Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom and Vatican City.

Europe can be summarized as relatively small landmass that has dominated much of the modern world. Even with its colonization efforts ended, the economic and military power of Europe is remarkable compared to larger continents such as North America and Eastern Asia. With the creation of the European Union, Europe should continue to be an influential force in the world for many years to come.

Richard Monk is with FactsMonk.com - a site with facts about everything.