Europe on the Map: Countries, Capitals and the European Union

Find Europe north of Africa and west of Asia. All of Europe lies north of the equator, in the Northern Hemisphere. The prime meridian, the line of 0° longitude, passes through Greenwich in London, France, and Spain.

Follow the water

The Arctic Ocean borders Europe to the north. The Atlantic Ocean lies to the west. The Mediterranean Sea separates Europe from Africa to the south. Spain and Morocco face each other across the Strait of Gibraltar. At its narrowest, this gap is about 14 kilometers (9 miles) wide.

Europe covers about 10 million square kilometers (3.9 million square miles). Only Australia, or the wider region Oceania in some atlases, is smaller. About 744 million people lived in Europe in 2025. That was roughly one in eleven people worldwide.

Find the joined edge

Europe and Asia share one huge landmass, Eurasia. No ocean divides them. Geographers use an agreed line through rivers, mountains, and seas. Trace it from north to south:

1. Follow the Ural Mountains south through Russia.
2. Follow the Ural River to the Caspian Sea.
3. Cross toward the Caucasus Mountains and follow their main ridge west.
4. Reach the Black Sea, then the Bosporus at Istanbul.
5. Continue through the Sea of Marmara and the Dardanelles to the Aegean Sea.

A continent's edge need not be a country's border. Russia stretches across Europe and Asia. Most Russian land lies in Asia, but most Russians live in Europe. Moscow, its capital, is in the European part. Turkey also crosses the line. Istanbul stands on both sides of the Bosporus; Ankara, Turkey's capital, lies in Asia.

Kazakhstan has land west of the Ural River. Georgia and Azerbaijan have small areas north of the main Caucasus ridge. Armenia lies south of that ridge, in Asia, though its history links it closely with Europe.

Match islands with the right idea

Iceland belongs geographically to Europe. Greenland belongs geographically to North America, though it is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Cyprus lies near Asia in the eastern Mediterranean. It belongs to the EU and is often grouped with Europe.

Try describing Greenland in two parts: "It is in North America. It is part of the Kingdom of Denmark." Geography and political links answer different questions. Being linked to a European country does not move an island across the ocean.

Maps answer different questions. A political map shows countries, borders, and cities. A physical map shows land height and water. Read the key first: green often means lowland, while brown or white marks higher ground. A capital may have a star or square.

Read Europe's shapes

A peninsula has water on three sides but joins more land. Find these large examples:

• Scandinavian Peninsula: Norway and Sweden.
• Iberian Peninsula: Spain and Portugal.
• Italian Peninsula: the boot-shaped mainland of Italy.
• Balkan Peninsula: southeastern Europe.
• Jutland: mainland Denmark and part of northern Germany.

An island has water all around it. Great Britain is Europe's largest island, followed by Iceland and Ireland. In the Mediterranean, find Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, Crete, Cyprus, and the Balearic Islands. Sicily is the largest Mediterranean island.

A landlocked country has no sea coast. Switzerland, Austria, Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, and Belarus are examples. A river or lake does not make a country coastal.

Describe a country

Locate Hungary on a political map. First place it in central Europe. Next check its edges: none meets the sea. Then find neighbors, including Slovakia to the north and Romania to the east. You can now write: "Hungary is a landlocked country in central Europe, south of Slovakia and west of Romania."

Regions help you learn nearby places together. Northern, western, central, southern, southeastern, and eastern Europe are useful groups. Atlases sometimes put a country in different groups. Poland, for example, may appear in central or eastern Europe.

Compare sizes and country counts

Russia is the largest European country, even counting only its European land. Ukraine is the largest country wholly inside Europe. France is the largest EU country. Vatican City, inside Rome, is the world's smallest country. Monaco, San Marino, Liechtenstein, Andorra, and Malta are also very small.

This tour lists 45 countries wholly or mostly in Europe. Many lists give 44 because they omit Kosovo. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008. Many countries recognize it; Serbia and some others do not. Lists that add border-crossing countries and nearby countries linked with Europe may reach about 50.

Flat world maps stretch parts of a round Earth. On some, Greenland looks nearly as large as Africa. Africa is actually about 14 times larger. Northern Europe can also look too large. Use a globe or an equal-area map when comparing areas.

A capital is a country's main political city. It is often where the government works. It need not be the biggest city. Look for the capital symbol in your map's key.

The north and west

The five Nordic countries are Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark. Norway and Sweden share much of the Scandinavian Peninsula. Denmark has the Jutland peninsula and many islands. Iceland lies out in the Atlantic.

The Baltic states are Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All three stand on the eastern side of the Baltic Sea. Find them from north to south in alphabetical order. Match Tallinn to Estonia, Riga to Latvia, and Vilnius to Lithuania.

Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg form Benelux. The name borrows the first parts of their names. France lies southwest of Belgium. Tiny Monaco sits on the Mediterranean coast beside France.

Two islands, two countries

Great Britain is the large island containing England, Scotland, and Wales. The United Kingdom includes these three nations and Northern Ireland. Its capital is London.

Each nation also has its own capital: London for England, Edinburgh for Scotland, Cardiff for Wales, and Belfast for Northern Ireland. Ireland is a separate country with Dublin as its capital. It shares the island of Ireland with Northern Ireland.

Try this match: "Belfast—Northern Ireland—United Kingdom." Then try "Dublin—Ireland." The cities sit on the same island but in different countries.

A special capital and a useful habit

Amsterdam is the Netherlands' capital. Its government and parliament work in The Hague. Also, "Holland" names two provinces, North Holland and South Holland; it is not the whole country.

Learn four pairs, cover the capitals, and say them aloud. Then cover the country names and work backward. On another day, mix those pairs with four new ones. Add location as you go: "Oslo is in Norway, west of Sweden." This gives each name a place to belong.

Keep Sweden and Switzerland apart. Sweden is northern and has Stockholm as its capital. Switzerland is in the Alps and has Bern as its federal city.

Central Europe has large countries, small mountain countries, and countries without coasts. Farther south, peninsulas and islands reach into the Mediterranean. Match each capital with its country before finding it on a map.

Central and southern pairs

Czechia is also called the Czech Republic. Both names refer to the same country. Switzerland calls Bern its federal city. Zurich is larger, and Geneva is well known, but neither is the country's political center.

Build a map around Germany

Germany has about 84 million people, the most in the EU. It touches nine countries. Start at Denmark in the north. Travel clockwise past Poland, Czechia, Austria, Switzerland, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

Now pick one neighbor to describe. Poland is east of Germany and reaches the Baltic Sea. Its capital is Warsaw. Add another pair: Czechia lies southeast of Germany; its capital is Prague, on the Vltava River.

Use shapes and rivers

Portugal lies along the west of the Iberian Peninsula. Spain covers most of the rest. Lisbon is Portugal's capital; Madrid sits near Spain's center. Barcelona is a major Spanish city, but Madrid is the capital.

Italy looks like a boot, with Sicily near its toe. Rome is Italy's capital. Milan is a major city farther north. Vatican City is a separate tiny country inside Rome. San Marino is another separate country surrounded by Italy. Malta lies in the Mediterranean south of Sicily.

Four capitals stand on the Danube. Follow them downstream: Vienna in Austria, Bratislava in Slovakia, Budapest in Hungary, and Belgrade in Serbia. Vienna and Bratislava are only about 55 kilometers (35 miles) apart.

Untangle similar names

Bern belongs with Switzerland; Berlin belongs with Germany. Slovakia lies north of Hungary and has Bratislava as its capital. Slovenia lies south of Austria, has a short Adriatic coast, and has Ljubljana as its capital.

To learn those last two, draw Hungary and Austria as anchors. Put Slovakia above Hungary and Slovenia below Austria. Add each capital only after placing its country. The two similar names now attach to different map positions.

Southeastern Europe reaches around the Balkan Peninsula and the Black Sea. Eastern Europe stretches toward the Urals. Some nearby countries cross into Asia, so check both the country and the capital's location.

The southeast and east

Greece lies at the southern tip of the Balkans. It has about 6,000 islands and islets. Crete is the largest. Many islands lie in the Aegean Sea; others lie in the Ionian Sea. Athens has been a city for thousands of years.

Romania and Bulgaria both touch the Black Sea. For a long stretch, the Danube marks their shared border. Bucharest belongs with Romania; Sofia belongs with Bulgaria. Belgrade is farther west, in Serbia, on the Danube where the Sava joins it.

Countries near the continent's edge

Turkey, Kazakhstan, Georgia, and Azerbaijan cross the agreed Europe–Asia line. Armenia and Cyprus lie geographically in Asia but have close European links. Turkey's capital is Ankara, in Asia. Istanbul is larger and crosses the Bosporus, but it is not the capital.

Read names old and new

Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, and North Macedonia were once parts of Yugoslavia. That country broke apart during the 1990s and early 2000s. Kosovo later declared independence from Serbia. Many countries recognize Kosovo, but Serbia and some others do not. An old atlas may show different borders.

North Macedonia has used that country name since 2019. Its language is Macedonian. Macedonia is also the name of a region in Greece.

English place names may look different on local signs. Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Belarusian, Serbian, and Macedonian use Cyrillic letters. Moscow appears as "Москва," said "Moskva." Sofia appears as "София." Serbia and Montenegro also use Latin letters.

Ukraine's capital is written Kyiv, following Ukrainian spelling. Older English maps may show "Kiev." Moldova's capital, Chișinău, is often typed "Chisinau." These spellings name the same cities.

Try a short route in your atlas. Start at Zagreb in Croatia, find Serbia to the east, then move toward Romania and the Black Sea. Say the country and capital at each stop. This helps separate the nearby names Belgrade and Bucharest.

Europe's coastline twists around peninsulas, islands, and bays. Learn the water names beside familiar countries. A sea is a smaller saltwater area than an ocean, often partly enclosed by land.

Travel around the coast

Start in the far north. The Barents Sea lies in the Arctic Ocean. The Norwegian Sea lies west of Norway, between the North Atlantic and the Arctic region. South of it, the North Sea lies between Great Britain and mainland Europe.

The Irish Sea separates Ireland from Great Britain. The English Channel lies between England and France. Farther southwest, the Bay of Biscay curves into France and Spain. A bay or gulf is a part of the sea reaching into land.

East of Denmark lies the Baltic Sea. Sweden, Finland, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Germany, and Denmark have shores on it. Rivers bring fresh water into the Baltic. Narrow sea passages near Denmark let relatively little ocean water enter. This makes the Baltic less salty than the open ocean. Its northern parts can freeze in winter.

Explore the southern seas

The Mediterranean lies between Europe, Africa, and Asia. Smaller parts have their own names:

• Adriatic: between Italy and the Balkans.
• Tyrrhenian: west of Italy.
• Ionian: between southern Italy and Greece.
• Aegean: between Greece and Turkey.

The Strait of Gibraltar links the Atlantic and Mediterranean. A strait is a narrow water passage joining larger waters. A channel is also a water passage between land areas; their names do not follow one exact width rule.

The Black Sea touches Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Georgia, and Russia. To leave it by sea, pass through the Bosporus, the Sea of Marmara, and the Dardanelles. You then reach the Aegean, within the Mediterranean.

The Caspian Sea is a large salty lake. It has no natural outlet to the ocean. Its name can mislead you, so check its connection with other waters.

Follow a ship and its work

Imagine a ship leaving Lisbon for Venice. Find Lisbon on Portugal's Atlantic coast. Trace south, turn east through Gibraltar, and cross the Mediterranean. Pass around southern Italy, then follow the Adriatic north to Venice. The ship cannot cross Italy's mainland.

Ports load and unload goods. Rotterdam in the Netherlands is Europe's biggest port. Fishing boats work in northern seas, and North Sea wind farms make electricity. Oil and gas also come from beneath that sea. Mediterranean beaches bring tourism jobs, linking the coast's climate with people's work.

Find a river's source, where it starts. Then trace its course to the mouth, where it enters another river, a lake, or the sea. A smaller river joining it is a tributary. At some mouths, mud and sand build a delta, where the river divides into branches.

Follow three great rivers

The Volga is Europe's longest river, about 3,530 kilometers (2,190 miles). It stays within Russia. From hills northwest of Moscow, it flows to a large delta in the Caspian Sea.

The Danube is about 2,850 kilometers (1,770 miles) long. It begins in Germany's Black Forest and flows east to the Black Sea. It passes through or beside ten countries: Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, and Ukraine. Its four capital cities are Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest, and Belgrade.

The Rhine is about 1,230 kilometers (760 miles) long. It begins in the Swiss Alps, passes through Lake Constance, and forms parts of international borders. Near Basel it turns north. It passes Cologne in Germany and enters the Netherlands. There, several branches carry its water to the North Sea near Rotterdam. Barges carry goods along this busy route.

Put cities on rivers

These pairs help you join a political map to a physical one:

Prague stands on the Vltava, Berlin on the Spree, Dublin on the Liffey, and Moscow on the Moskva. Other important rivers are the Elbe, reaching the North Sea, and France's longest river, the Loire, reaching the Atlantic. The Rhône runs from the Swiss Alps through Lake Geneva to the Mediterranean. Italy's Po flows east to the Adriatic.

Work out the direction

Imagine tracing the Vistula from inland Poland toward the Baltic. Its mouth is north of much of its course. That makes sense: water flows downhill, not toward the bottom of the map. The Rhine and Elbe also flow mainly north, while the Danube flows mainly east.

Rivers supply water for homes, farms, and factories. They carry boats and barges. Dams can use moving water to make electricity. Towns often grew near crossings and river mouths. Because a river can cross several countries, keeping it clean requires neighbors to work together.

A mountain range is a group or line of mountains. A peak is one mountain's top. A plain is broad, flat or gently rolling land. A physical map helps you spot all three.

Find the ranges

The Alps curve through France, Monaco, Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria, and Slovenia. Mont Blanc is their highest peak. A 2026 measurement put its snowy summit at about 4,807 meters (15,770 feet). Snow and ice change its height a little. The pointed Matterhorn, between Switzerland and Italy, reaches 4,478 meters (14,690 feet).

Find these other ranges by their position:

• Pyrenees: between France and Spain, with Andorra among them.
• Apennines: along the length of Italy.
• Carpathians: curving through central and eastern Europe.
• Scandinavian Mountains: through Norway and Sweden.
• Balkan Mountains: across Bulgaria.
• Urals: running north to south through Russia.
• Caucasus: between the Black and Caspian seas.

The Urals stretch about 2,500 kilometers. Their highest peak, Narodnaya, is 1,895 meters. These old mountains have been worn down by wind, rain, and ice.

Compare the highest peaks

Mount Elbrus in Russia reaches 5,642 meters (18,510 feet). With Europe's edge along the main Caucasus ridge, Elbrus lies in Europe and is its highest mountain. Mont Blanc is the highest in the Alps and western Europe.

Compare the Matterhorn with Aneto, the Pyrenees' highest peak at 3,404 meters. Subtract Aneto's height from the Matterhorn's:

The Matterhorn is 1,074 meters higher. Both heights use meters above sea level, so the comparison uses the same starting level.

Find the lower land and volcanoes

The Great European Plain stretches from France through northern Germany and Poland toward Russia and the Urals. Farms, cities, roads, and railways spread across it.

A volcano is an opening where melted rock, ash, and gas can escape. Etna stands on Sicily. Its height changes with eruptions, around 3,300–3,400 meters (roughly 11,000 feet). Vesuvius, near Naples, buried Pompeii in the year 79. Iceland also has active volcanoes. Ash from Eyjafjallajökull disrupted European flights in 2010.

Mountains shape journeys without ending them. Roads use passes and tunnels. Switzerland's Gotthard Base Tunnel carries trains about 57 kilometers (35 miles) beneath the Alps.

Weather is what happens today: a shower, sunshine, or snow. Climate is the usual pattern over many years. Scientists often use about 30 years of measurements. One snowy day does not turn Rome into an Arctic place.

Ask four questions

How far north is it? Farther north, the sun gives less heat. How close is the sea? Water warms and cools slowly, softening nearby winters and summers. What currents reach the coast? The North Atlantic Current brings warm water toward western Europe. Winds carry mild, damp air inland. How high is it? Higher land is usually colder.

These factors work together. Northern Norway's coast can stay free of sea ice in winter despite being far north. Moscow, far inland, has much colder winters than Dublin beside the Atlantic.

Recognize climate patterns

Countries can contain several climates. Northern Italy's Po Valley differs from its Alps and from Sicily. "Italy is always hot" misses those differences.

Compare temperatures

In January, Dublin averages about 5 °C (41 °F). Moscow averages about −6 °C (21 °F). Moscow is about 11 °C colder, though it is only a little farther north. Distance from the sea helps explain the gap.

In July, Tromsø averages about 12 °C (54 °F), while Athens averages about 28 °C (82 °F). Athens is about 16 °C warmer. In January, Tromsø averages about −3 °C (27 °F), while Rome averages about 8 °C (46 °F).

Air cools by about 6.5 °C per 1,000 meters of height on average. A summit 2,000 meters above a 25 °C (77 °F) valley would be about 13 °C cooler: about 12 °C (54 °F). This is an estimate; real weather varies.

Read the year

On a climate graph, bars show precipitation, such as rain or snow. A line shows average temperature. Short summer rain bars and a high temperature line suggest a Mediterranean climate.

Near the Arctic, daylight also changes greatly. North of about 66.5° N, the sun can stay up all night around midsummer. This is the midnight sun. Around midwinter, some places have polar night, when the sun stays below the horizon.

A journey across Europe takes you through many landscapes. Climate affects which plants grow. Height, rock, water, and people's work also shape what you see.

From tundra to forest

The far north has tundra, with mosses, lichens, low shrubs, and no tall trees. Much of the deep ground stays frozen. The Sámi are Indigenous people of northern Norway, Sweden, Finland, and part of Russia. Reindeer herding is one of their long-standing ways of life.

Farther south, conifer trees such as pine and spruce form the boreal forest, also called taiga. Forestry supplies timber and paper. Finland has about 188,000 lakes among its forests.

Norway's fjords are long, deep sea inlets with steep sides. Glaciers carved the valleys; the sea later filled them. Sognefjord reaches about 205 kilometers (127 miles) inland.

Lowlands and highlands

On the Great European Plain, farmers grow wheat, barley, potatoes, and sugar beets. Dairy cows graze there too. Ukraine's rich dark soils support grain farming. Flat land also makes building roads and railways easier.

About a quarter of the Netherlands lies below sea level. Dikes hold back water. Polders are low areas protected by dikes where people control water levels. Pumps remove extra water; large barriers help protect the coast. Windmills once did much of the pumping. Electric stations do this work today.

In the Alps, farmers take cattle to high meadows in summer. In winter, the cattle return to valleys. Tourism brings skiing and hiking jobs. Dams make electricity from flowing water. Alpine glaciers are shrinking as the climate warms.

Warm coasts and volcanic land

Around the Mediterranean, olives and grapevines cope with long dry spells. Oranges and lemons grow in the warmth too, but usually need summer watering. Beaches and islands draw tourists. Dry summers also bring water shortages and wildfire risk.

Iceland has lava fields, glaciers, hot springs, and geysers. Geothermal energy uses heat from inside Earth. It heats about nine out of ten Icelandic homes.

Explain a landscape's use

Suppose you see flat fields beside a wide river. The land offers space for farms and roads. The river supplies water and a transport route. Now compare steep Alpine slopes: fields are smaller, roads wind or tunnel, and snowy slopes support skiing. Look for the feature that helps explain each kind of work. One country may contain both scenes.

Europe has about 225 long-established languages. People who moved there have brought many more. A country's border does not mark the edge of just one language.

Find language relatives

A language family contains languages that grew from an older shared language. Three large branches cover many European languages:

Romance languages grew from Latin. English "three," German "drei," and Dutch "drie" sound similar. Italian "tre," Spanish "tres," and French "trois" also resemble them. These branches belong to one wider family.

Other groups matter too. Irish, Welsh, Scottish Gaelic, and Breton are Celtic languages. Latvian and Lithuanian are Baltic languages. Finnish, Estonian, and Hungarian belong to the Uralic family. Greek and Albanian each form their own branch of the wider family. Turkish is Turkic; Maltese is related to Arabic. Basque, spoken in parts of Spain and France, has no known language relatives.

Look at the letters

Most European languages use the Latin alphabet, like English. Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Bulgarian, Serbian, and Macedonian use Cyrillic. Greek uses the Greek alphabet. Euro banknotes show "EURO," "ΕΥΡΩ," and "ЕВРО."

An alphabet and a language family are different things. Polish and Russian are both Slavic, though Polish uses Latin letters and Russian uses Cyrillic. Different letters do not mean unrelated languages.

Listen within countries

Switzerland has four national languages: German, French, Italian, and Romansh. Belgium has Dutch, French, and German. Dutch is used in northern Flanders, French in southern Wallonia, and German in a small eastern area. Brussels uses Dutch and French.

Ireland has Irish and English; Finland has Finnish and Swedish; Malta has Maltese and English. Luxembourg uses Luxembourgish, French, and German. Regions also have languages, such as Catalan, Frisian, Welsh, and Sámi.

There is no single "Swiss" or "Belgian" language. Ask which language a person speaks. Many European children learn another language at school, most often English. You could start with a greeting: "bonjour" in French, "hola" in Spanish, "ciao" in Italian, "olá" in Portuguese, "cześć" in Polish, or "hej" in Swedish and Danish.

About three in four Europeans live in towns and cities. Some areas are crowded; others have few people. Learning about a country means looking beyond one famous food or landmark.

Notice where people live

The Netherlands has about 18 million people in a small area. Iceland is more than twice as large but has fewer than 400,000 people. The Netherlands has about 45 times as many people. Land area alone does not tell you how many people live somewhere.

Istanbul, Moscow, and London are huge cities with millions of people. Istanbul spreads into both Europe and Asia. Paris, Berlin, Madrid, and Saint Petersburg are also large. Athens and Rome have been cities for more than 2,500 years. Old centers may have narrow streets, castles, churches, and town walls beside newer buildings.

Look at daily life

In Spain, lunch is often around 2 p.m. and dinner around 9 p.m. In the Netherlands and Denmark, many children cycle on bike paths. Saunas are common in Finnish homes. These are examples of local habits; families within each country differ.

Food has links with land and climate. Olive oil, vegetables, and fish are traditional around the Mediterranean. Butter, potatoes, rye bread, and cabbage have long been important farther north and east. Italy is known for pasta and pizza; Spain for paella; Poland for pierogi, filled dumplings.

Explore celebrations and beliefs

Sinterklaas brings presents in the Netherlands on December 5 and Belgium on December 6. Sweden celebrates Saint Lucia's Day on December 13. In Spain, the Three Kings bring presents on January 6. National celebrations include France's July 14, the Netherlands' King's Day on April 27, and Ireland's Saint Patrick's Day on March 17.

Christian churches have shaped many towns for centuries. Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox traditions all have deep roots. Europe is also home to Muslims, Jews, people of other religions, and people without a religion. Cities may have mosques, synagogues, and temples as well as churches.

Describe people fairly

Soccer clubs play across borders, and the Eurovision Song Contest has linked countries since 1956. Migration and family links also bring many cultures into cities.

Compare two descriptions: "Everyone in Italy eats pizza every day" and "Pizza is a well-known Italian food, and families eat many kinds of meals." The second gives a useful example without turning it into a claim about every person. A stereotype treats a whole group as if everyone were the same. A city family and a farming family in one country may live very differently.

A continent map gives you the big picture. A regional study looks closely at a smaller area. Northern Italy shows how mountains, rivers, farms, cities, and daily life fit together.

Locate the region

Find Italy's boot shape, then look north. The Alps rise along its northern edge. France, Switzerland, Austria, and Slovenia are nearby. Below the mountains lie Lake Garda, Lake Como, and Lake Maggiore. Lake Garda is Italy's largest lake. The Po Valley stretches south of the lakes, with the Adriatic Sea to the east.

The Po, Italy's longest river, runs about 650 kilometers (400 miles). It flows east from the Alps to the Adriatic. Its flat valley has fertile farmland. Farmers grow rice, corn, and wheat and keep dairy cows. Rice goes into risotto, and local milk makes cheeses such as Parmesan. Italy grows more rice than any other EU country.

Connect climate and work

The Po Valley has hot, humid summers and cold, sometimes foggy winters. The Alps are colder and snowier. Southern Italy has the hot, dry summers of a Mediterranean climate.

Milan is a center for business, fashion, and design. It shared the 2026 Winter Olympics with Cortina d'Ampezzo. Turin is known for car making; Genoa is a major port. Alpine tourism supports ski resorts and summer hiking. In South Tyrol, many people speak German as well as Italian.

Look closely at Venice

Venice stands on more than 100 small islands in a lagoon, shallow coastal water partly sheltered from the sea. Canals and narrow alleys cross its old center. People walk, take water buses, or use boats. Gondolas carry tourists; ordinary car roads do not run through the old island city.

High tides can flood Venice. Since 2020, movable barriers can rise at the lagoon entrances to hold out high seawater. Tourism provides work, but large visitor numbers put pressure on the city. Fewer people now live in the old center.

Compare with home

Use the same headings for both places: location, land, climate, towns, work, food, language, and transport. Gather maps, photographs, climate data, and accounts from people who live there.

For example, compare northern Italy's farm valley with a farming area near you. Record what each grows, then connect crops with water, soil, and climate. For transport, compare a photograph of a Venice water bus with a local bus route. Both carry people, but the routes use different surfaces. Explain differences with evidence, without ranking one place as better.

You can find links with Europe in a kitchen, a family story, or a train journey. A link is a connection between places. It does not require a shared border.

Follow goods and travelers

Trade means buying and selling goods or services. A label such as "Made in Portugal" connects a product with a place. Choose a few labels at home. Mark the named countries on a map and draw lines to your home. A product's label gives evidence for that link; its familiar name alone may not tell you where it was made.

Transport carries people and goods across borders. The Channel Tunnel opened in 1994 between England and France. It carries trains through about 50 kilometers (31 miles) of tunnel beneath the English Channel. Cars and trucks ride on special trains.

The Øresund road-and-rail link opened in 2000 between Copenhagen, Denmark, and Malmö, Sweden. Ferries cross the North Sea, Irish Sea, Baltic, and Mediterranean. Planes join cities farther apart.

Follow shared water

The Rhine links Switzerland, France, Germany, and the Netherlands. Water moves downstream across borders. Pollution entering a river in one country may reach another. Countries work together to keep rivers clean. Shared seas also connect fishing, shipping, and wildlife.

Rotterdam in the Netherlands and Antwerp in Belgium handle goods for many countries. Ireland's ferries link it with Britain and France. The UK continues to trade with Europe after leaving the EU in 2020. Leaving a political partnership does not end transport or family links.

Listen for people and culture

A school language links you with places where it is spoken. Relatives abroad, sports teams, books, music, and twin towns create other connections. Twin towns are towns in different countries that build a partnership and exchange visits.

Links reach beyond Europe. Many Americans have European ancestors. English began in Europe and borrowed words such as "kindergarten" from German, "ballet" from French, and "pizza" from Italian. France gave the Statue of Liberty to the United States; it was unveiled in 1886.

Make your own links map

Put your home on a map. Choose a different color for trade, travel, family, and language. Add a line only when you can name its connection. You might write, "Our sweater was made in Portugal" or "My cousin studies in Helsinki." One place can have two colors if you have two kinds of link. Add a key so another person can read your map.

The European Union, or EU, is a partnership of 27 countries. They make some rules together. Each keeps its own government, capital, and languages. Norway and Switzerland are in Europe but are not EU members.

Why work together?

After the Second World War, from 1939 to 1945, leaders wanted lasting peace. On May 9, 1950, Robert Schuman proposed sharing coal and steel production. These industries helped make weapons. Managing them together would help former enemies trust each other.

Six countries agreed to share coal and steel in 1951: Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. In 1957, they signed the Treaty of Rome to build a shared market. The partnership later gained more tasks. It has used the name European Union since 1993.

Watch the partnership grow

The ten countries joining in 2004 were Cyprus, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia.

The UK voted to leave in a 2016 referendum and left on January 31, 2020. This is called Brexit. Ireland remained a member.

Find today's members

The 27 members are Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden. About 450 million people live in the EU. Germany has the most people; Malta has the fewest.

Read the symbols

The EU flag has 12 gold stars in a circle on blue. The stars stand for unity and harmony. They stay at 12 when membership changes. Its motto is "United in diversity." Its anthem uses Beethoven's "Ode to Joy." Europe Day is May 9.

Many meetings take place in Brussels, Belgium. The European Parliament also meets in Strasbourg, France. Voters choose its members every five years. These representatives help make shared rules.

Imagine coloring an EU map. Leave Norway uncolored even though it belongs to Europe. Color Ireland, but leave the UK uncolored. You are showing membership in a partnership, not the outline of a continent.

EU countries cooperate in trade, study, safety, and protecting nature. Three groups matter here: the EU, the euro area, and the Schengen area. They have different jobs and different members.

Share trade and opportunities

The single market helps goods, services, money, and people move between countries. EU members do not charge customs taxes on goods traded with one another. EU citizens can live, work, and study in other member countries. Erasmus+ helps people study or train abroad.

Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein also take part in the single market without being EU members. Switzerland has separate agreements. The UK has a trade agreement with the EU. Trade between Great Britain and EU countries needs customs paperwork. Countries including Ukraine, Moldova, Montenegro, and Albania have applied to join the EU.

Pay in euros

In 2026, 21 of the 27 EU countries use the euro. Bulgaria joined the euro area on January 1, 2026. Denmark, Sweden, Poland, Czechia, Hungary, and Romania use their own currencies. Euro cash began circulating in 2002.

Euro banknotes share designs. Coins have one common side and one national side. A coin made in one euro country works in the others. Some non-EU countries, including Montenegro and Monaco, also use euros.

Cross borders in Schengen

The Schengen area normally has no passport checks at its internal borders. It has 29 countries: 25 EU members plus Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. Ireland and Cyprus are EU members outside Schengen. Temporary border checks can return.

Compare three stops:

A trip from France through Sweden to Switzerland changes membership and money. Schengen participation stays the same. The borders still exist.

Work together on shared needs

EU rules protect air, water, plants, and animals. Toys sold in the EU must meet safety rules and carry a CE mark. Mobile plans covered by EU roaming rules normally charge home prices during visits to other EU countries, within fair-use limits. This does not mean phone use is free.

Members pay into an EU budget. Some of that money helps less wealthy regions improve roads, schools, railways, and internet connections.

Ireland is in the EU, while Northern Ireland is part of the UK outside it. Their land border has no routine border posts. The Common Travel Area gives British and Irish citizens rights to live, work, and travel in each other's countries. It predates EU membership and continues after Brexit.