WHAT’S EUROPE LIKE?

Europe stretches all the way from the Arctic in the north to the Mediterranean Sea in the south, and from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to Asia in the east. It has many rivers, lakes and mountain ranges. The highest mountain in Europe is Mount Elbrus, in the Caucasus mountains, on the border between Russia and Georgia. Its highest peak is metres above sea level.

The Arctic fox and European brown bears Most of Europe has a ‘temperate’ climate – neither too hot nor too cold. Europe’s weather is very changeable, and in many places it can rain at almost any time of year.

Oranges are grown in warm countries like Spain In Norway, glaciers have carved the coast into steep- sided valleys called fjords.

People in Europe speak many different languages. Most of these languages belong to three large groups or ‘families’: Germanic, Slavic and Romance. The languages in each group share a family likeness because they are descended from the same ancestors. For example, Romance languages are descended from Latin – the language spoken by the Romans.

There are 27 countries in Europe, at the moment and Turkey is waiting for its turn. Europe has its own flag and its own anthem – the ‘Hymn to Joy’ from Beethoven’s 9th symphony. The original words are in German, but when used as the European anthem it has no words – only the tune. Now copy this link and test your knowledge quiz.jsp