Europe

Europe is the second smallest continent in the world, just after Australia and Oceania. It is in the Northern and Eastern hemispheres and makes up 6.8% of the Earth's land. The biggest country in Europe, both in size and population, is Russia, and the smallest and least populated is the Vatican.

Throughout ancient history, Europe has played a central role in human civilization. It was the birthplace of Ancient Greek and the Roman Empire, laying the groundwork for modern democracy and Western civilization. Europe is famous for its rich culture and significant impact on global history and politics.

To enter Europe and visit its tourist attractions, you may be required to obtain a tourist visa, e-visa or Schengen visa. You must obtain a visa for a country from the list below to be able to be in Europe.

Here are some cool things to know about Europe:

Europe has 46 countries right now.

These countries are located in both Europe and Asia.

Europe has over 200 spoken languages, but the most widely spoken languages in Europe are:

Europe doesn't have a single official language, but each European country has its own national language. Russian, French, German, and English are some of the most commonly spoken languages in the continent.

These are the countries in Europe that people visit the most:

Don't forget: Before you go to any European countries, check if you need a Schengen visa.

Europe has a lot of history, culture, and different things. It has some of the best tourist spots globally, like these:

The European Union is a group of 27 European countries, which are listed below:

The EU started in 1993 with the Maastricht Treaty. After that, the EU made a single internal market and set the same laws for all member countries.

The Schengen Zone is a group of 27 European countries that agreed to get rid of borders between them. The goal of the Schengen agreement is to make it easy for people from other countries to visit the EU by needing only one visa.

The EEA is a deal between the EU and three EFTA countries (Liechtenstein, Iceland, and Norway) that lets these nations be part of the EU's single market. However, Switzerland, also an EFTA member, has its own separate agreements and isn't part of this deal.

The European Union focuses a lot on the single market and makes sure that people from EU countries can move freely between the 27 countries. However, the Schengen area lets non-EU citizens enter its member states if they meet certain conditions set by the Schengen countries.

Out of all the European Union countries, only Ireland didn't agree to the Schengen Agreement. Meanwhile, some EU members like Cyprus, Bulgaria, and Romania haven't joined the Schengen Area yet because of technical or internal problems.

To go to Europe, you must get a Schengen visa. This visa lets you travel to any country in the Schengen Area (and outside it) for up to 90 days within a period of 180 days. Remember, this visa is for tourism only, so you can't work or do business in Europe with a short-term Schengen visa. If you plan to retire in a European country, you can look at the list of EU countries that provide retirement visas and pick the one where you want to retire.