List of Western European countries and their capitals. The border between Europe and Asia What is included in Europe

The division of Europe into “new” and “old” is most of all connected with the situation in “old” Europe and depends quite little on both the direct policy of the United States and the change of governments in the new EU countries. “New Europe” remains pro-American; nothing fundamentally has changed here and will not change. The division into two Europes has lost its relevance due to the new wave of Atlanticism in the old EU members. Unfortunately, Europe is now more united than ever, this is caused by the approach of the “old” part to the “new”, and not vice versa. The current crisis may make some adjustments to this situation, but it is unlikely that any turning point can be expected in the coming years.

Will the Czech Republic change EU policy?

It is known that the President of the Czech Republic is a Eurosceptic. The same position is taken by the country's Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek, on whom foreign policy depends even more than on the president. Although at the same time, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of his cabinet, Karel Schwarzenberg, against the general background, looks rather like a Euro-optimist, which became especially noticeable after his speeches in defense of the Lisbon Agreements. In general, I would not attach much importance to Czech Euroscepticism. Next year the Czech Republic needs to prove its worth as a member of the EU, so it will have no time for active demonstrations of negative sentiment.

The Czech Republic's skepticism concerns plans for further integration, but does not extend to already established forms. Meanwhile, the Czech Republic (like other countries in the Central European region) has not yet had time to take advantage of the opportunities that have presented themselves. The main content of the Czech Republic's policy as chairman of the EU will be precisely the promotion of European integration in the sense of bringing Central Europe closer to Western Europe. This goal has already been officially stated: the country's Deputy Prime Minister for EU Affairs, Alexander Vondra, formulated the main priority of the Czech Republic as “taking the necessary measures to fully implement the principles of freedom of movement and mobility of labor within the EU, especially in relations between old and new member states.”

The Czech Republic is too small a country to really influence the policies of the entire EU. A tradition has already begun to take shape in Europe: small countries are helped in fulfilling the duties of the presidency by one of the major EU players - the one who was the chairman before them. It is unlikely that the Czech Republic will actually be deprived of its chairmanship, but its role will inevitably be minimized in favor of Paris. And this will concern primarily foreign policy issues that are not Czech priorities. The slogan chosen for the Czech presidency is “Europe without borders!” – this is exactly what Prague will do. Vaclav Klaus does not want the EU flag to fly over his residence during his presidency. I think they will meet him. This will be the end of Prague Euroscepticism, at least until the next six months.

However, the Czech Republic is still interested in something in foreign policy: it is unlikely to simply want to hand it over to Polish initiatives. Rather, out of a sense of national pride, it will try to “put Poland in its place” in some respects. Vondra has already expressed a negative attitude towards initiatives such as the Mediterranean Union. It is absolutely clear that this attitude most of all concerns the Polish initiative to create the Eastern Partnership, which has a clear anti-Russian character. The goal of the Czech Republic will be to establish the most conflict-free relations between the EU and Russia.

Is Central Europe united?

In our country, the “new” Europe is often called Eastern, but if we proceed from the concepts relevant to the region itself, then we should say not Eastern, but Central Europe. Eastern Europe is usually considered to be the CIS countries, and when Russian political scientists try to call Poland or the Czech Republic “countries of Eastern Europe,” this is taken quite seriously as an insult and a manifestation of imperialist inclinations, because behind this there is seen a desire, at least in words, to annex these countries to Russia.

The idea of ​​Central Europe as a special region was very popular in the 1980s, but in practice it failed. In 2004, after the region acquired a new status, a new attempt was made to find unity at least at the level of foreign policy, but this remained mostly in words. The central and strongest country in the region, Poland, pursues such a unique foreign policy that participation in it is simply unprofitable for other countries of the Visegrad Group. Among Polish foreign policy proposals, the most successful are initiatives on energy security, but they are still far from uniting the region politically. Perhaps Czech ideas about building a “Central European vertical” will find some expression during its presidency of the EU, but it is unlikely that they are now capable of creating a new geopolitical reality.

There is no unity among the countries of the region on the issue of attitude towards Russia and the post-Soviet space, and they are divided not only among themselves, but also internally. At the same time, in the countries of Central Europe, the power of certain political forces is very unstable, it changes easily and often. As a result, we can now talk about this region only through a description of the most general features and problems.

Is it possible to “Finlandize” Russia’s relations with Central Europe?

Finland's relations with Russia do not imply any specific approach to history. The Finnish memory of Finnish-Russian relations is not negative - the period of existence as part of the Russian Empire is remembered more with a plus than a minus. In fact, only the memory of the 1938 war and the Karelian issue hinder a positive attitude towards Russia.

The time has passed for the possible adoption of the Finnish model by Central Europe - it has already entered NATO. But some features of this model may be relevant for Western Europe, and for Lithuania and Latvia (however, now it is difficult to see this), and, undoubtedly, for Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. For Poland it is not relevant in principle. Russophobia here is the backbone of national identity. It is difficult to be a Christian without believing in hell, it is difficult to be a Pole without believing in “evil Russia”. There are different concepts here, and they must be taken into account. Polish foreign policy is maximally ideological, and the differences between different political parties in this regard should not be overestimated - they are minimal.

How influential is the Polish lobby?

The new President of the United States is Barack Obama, a senator from the state of Illinois, where the Polish lobby has the strongest position. Chicago is the capital of the Polish diaspora in the United States and is home to the headquarters of the Polish American Congress, the Polish National Alliance, the Polish Roman Catholic Union, the Polish Women's Alliance in America and many other Polish diaspora organizations. It is no coincidence that Obama’s advisor is one of the most famous American Poles, Zbigniew Brzezinski.

At the same time, it is worth considering a number of “buts”. It is traditionally believed that the Polish lobby is much stronger in the Democratic Party. However, in the last elections, according to studies, most of the Polish diaspora voted for the Republicans. Now the younger generation of Polish Americans voted for Obama, while the older generation preferred McCain. There is also no doubt that McCain is much closer and more understandable to the modern President of Poland - his Law and Justice party has the closest relations with the Republicans. Poland had mixed reactions to Obama's victory, and statements by some leaders of both ruling parties have already put Poland in a rather awkward position.

If we do not take into account dependent regions and incompletely recognized states, then Europe in 2017 covers 44 powers. Each of them has a capital, in which not only its administration is located, but also the highest authority, that is, the government of the state.

In contact with

European countries

The territory of Europe extends from east to west for more than 3 thousand kilometers, and from south to north (from the island of Crete to the island of Spitsbergen) for 5 thousand kilometers. The majority of European powers are relatively small. With such small sizes of territories and good transport accessibility, these states either closely border each other or are separated by very short distances.

The European continent is divided territorially into parts:

• western;
• eastern;
• northern;
• southern

All powers, located on the European continent, belong to one of these territories.

• There are 11 countries in the western region.
• In the east - 10 (including Russia).
• In the north - 8.
• In the south - 15.

We list all European countries and their capitals. We will divide the list of countries and capitals of Europe into four parts according to the territorial and geographical position of the powers on the world map.

Western

List of states belonging to Western Europe, with a list of main cities:

The states of Western Europe are washed mainly by the currents of the Atlantic Ocean and only in the north of the Scandinavian Peninsula they border on the waters of the Arctic Ocean. In general, these are highly developed and prosperous powers. But they stand out as an unfavorable demographic situation. This is a low birth rate and a low level of natural increase in population. In Germany there is even a population decline. All this led to the fact that developed Western Europe began to play the role of a subregion in the global system of population migration; it turned into the main center of labor immigration.

Eastern

List of states located in the eastern zone of the European continent and their capitals:

Eastern European countries have a lower level of economic development than their western neighbors. However, they better preserved their cultural and ethnic identity. Eastern Europe is more of a cultural and historical region than a geographical one. The Russian expanses can also be classified as the eastern territory of Europe. And the geographic center of Eastern Europe is located approximately within Ukraine.

Northern

The list of states included in northern Europe, including capitals, looks like this:

The territories of the states of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jutland, the Baltic States, the islands of Spitsbergen and Iceland are included in the northern part of Europe. The population of these regions makes up only 4% of the entire European population. The largest country in the eight is Sweden, and the smallest is Iceland. The population density in these lands is lower in Europe - 22 people/m2, and in Iceland - only 3 people/m2. This is due to the harsh conditions of the climatic zone. But economic development indicators highlight northern Europe as the leader of the entire world economy.

South

And finally, the most numerous list of territories located in the southern part and the capitals of European states:

The Balkan and Iberian peninsulas are occupied by these southern European powers. Industry is developed here, especially ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy. The countries are rich in mineral resources. In agriculture the main efforts aimed at growing food products such as:

• grape;
• olives;
• pomegranate;
• dates.

It is known that Spain is the world's leading olive harvesting country. It is here that 45% of all olive oil in the world is produced. Spain is also famous for its famous artists - Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró.

European Union

The idea of ​​​​creating a single community of European powers appeared in the middle of the twentieth century, or more precisely after the Second World War. The official unification of the countries of the European Union (EU) occurred only in 1992, when this union was sealed by the legal consent of the parties. Over time, the membership of the European Union has expanded and now includes 28 allies. And states that want to join these prosperous countries will have to prove their compliance with European foundations and EU principles, such as:

• protection of citizens' rights;
• democracy;
• freedom of trade in a developed economy.

EU Members

The European Union in 2017 includes the following states:

Today there are also candidate countries to join this foreign community. These include:

1. Albania.
2. Serbia.
3. Macedonia.
4. Montenegro.
5. Türkiye.

On the map of the European Union you can clearly see its geography, European countries and their capitals.

Regulations and prerogatives of EU partners

The EU has a customs policy under which its members can trade with each other without tariffs and without restrictions. And in relation to other powers, the accepted customs tariff applies. Having common laws, the EU countries created a single market and introduced a single monetary currency - the euro. Many EU member countries are part of the so-called Schengen zone, which allows their citizens to move freely throughout the territory of all allies.

The European Union has governing bodies common to its member countries, which include:

• European Court.
• European Parliament.
• European Commission.
• The audit community that controls the EU budget.

Despite the unity, European states that have joined the community have complete independence and state sovereignty. Each country uses its own national language and has its own governing bodies. But there are certain criteria for all participants, and they must meet them. For example, coordination of all important political decisions with the European Parliament.

It should be noted that since its founding, only one power has left the European community. This was the Danish autonomy - Greenland. In 1985, she was outraged by the low quotas imposed by the European Union on fishing. You can also recall the sensational events of 2016 referendum in Great Britain, when the population voted for the country to leave the European Union. This suggests that even in such an influential and seemingly stable community, serious problems are brewing.

Europe is the part of the world that lies in the western part of the Eurasian continent in the Northern Hemisphere, and together with Asia forms a single continent. Its area is 10 million km 2, about 20% of the total population of the Earth (743 million people) lives here. Europe is the largest economic, historical and political center of great importance throughout the world.

Geographical position

Europe is washed by the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, its coastline is significantly rugged, the area of ​​its islands is 730 thousand km 2, ¼ of the total area is occupied by peninsulas: the Kola, Apennine, Balkan, Iberian, Scandinavian, etc. The border between Europe and Asia is conventionally along the eastern coast of the Ural Mountains, the Emba River, and the Caspian Sea. Kuma-Manych depression and the mouth of the Don.

Main geographical characteristics

The average surface height is 300 meters, the highest point is Mount Elbrus (5642 m, Caucasus Mountains in Russia), the lowest is -27 m (Caspian Sea). Most of the territory is occupied by plains (East European, Lower and Middle Danube, Central European), 17% of the surface is mountains and plateaus (Urals, Carpathians, Pyrenees, Alps, Scandinavian mountains, Crimean mountains, mountains of the Balkan Peninsula), Iceland and the Mediterranean islands are in a zone of seismic activity.

The climate of most of the territory is temperate (the western part is temperate oceanic, the eastern part is temperate continental), the northern islands lie in the Arctic and subarctic climate zones, Southern Europe has a Mediterranean climate, and the Caspian lowland is semi-desert.

The amount of water flow in Europe is about 295 mm, this is the second largest in the world after South America, however, due to the significantly smaller area of ​​​​the territory, the volume of water flow (2850 km 3) exceeds the readings of Africa and Antarctica. Water resources are distributed unevenly across Europe; inland water flow decreases from north to south and from west to east. Most of the rivers belong to the Atlantic Ocean basin, a smaller part to the Arctic Ocean basin and the internal drainage basin of the Caspian Sea. The largest rivers in Europe are located mainly in Russia and Eastern Europe; there are also large rivers in Western Europe. The largest rivers: Volga, Kama, Oka, Danube, Ural, Dnieper, Don, Dniester, Rhine, Elbe, Vistula, Tagus, Loire, Oder, Neman. The lakes of Europe have a tectonic origin, which determines their significant depth, elongated shape and highly indented coastline; these are the flat lakes Ladoga, Onega, Vättern, Imandra, Balaton, and the mountain lakes Geneva, Como, Garda.

In accordance with the laws of latitudinal zonation, the entire territory of Europe is located in different natural zones: the far north is the zone of arctic deserts, then there is tundra and forest-tundra, the zone of deciduous and mixed forests, forest-steppe, steppe, subtropical Mediterranean forest vegetation and shrubs, the far south is the semi-desert zone .

Countries of Europe

The territory of Europe is divided between 43 independent states officially recognized by the UN, there are also 6 officially unrecognized republics (Kosovo, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Transnistria, LPR, DPR) and 7 dependent territories (in the Arctic and Atlantic oceans). Due to their very small size, 6 states are classified as so-called microstates: Vatican City, Andorra, Liechtenstein, Malta, Monaco, San Marino. Partially in Europe there are territories of such states as Russia - 22%, Kazakhstan - 14%, Azerbaijan - 10%, Georgia - 5%, Turkey - 4%. 28 European countries are united in the national union European Union (EU), have a common currency, the euro, and common economic and political views. According to cultural, geographical and political characteristics, the entire territory of Europe is conventionally divided into Western, Eastern, Northern, Southern and Central.

List of countries in Europe

Major European countries:

(with detailed description)

Nature

Nature, plants and animals of Europe

The presence of several natural and climatic zones on the territory of Europe determines a rich and diverse flora and fauna, which, under the influence of human economic activity, have undergone a number of changes, which has led to a decrease in their biodiversity and even to the complete disappearance of some species...

In the Far North, in the Arctic climate, mosses, lichens, polar buttercups, and poppies grow. Dwarf birches, willows, and alders appear in the tundra. To the south of the tundra there are vast expanses of taiga, which is characterized by the growth of such typical coniferous trees as cedar, spruce, fir, and larch. Due to the temperate climate zone prevailing in most of Europe, significant areas are occupied by huge forests of deciduous and mixed species (aspen, birch, maple, oak, fir, hornbeam). In the zone of steppes and forest-steppes grow oak forests, steppe grasses, cereals, and shrubs: feather grass, irises, steppe hyacinths, blackthorn, steppe cherry, and wolfberry. The Black Sea subtropics are characterized by the predominance of forests of fluffy oak, juniper, boxwood, and black alder. Southern Europe is characterized by subtropical vegetation, palm trees and vines are found, olives, grapes, citrus fruits, magnolias, and cypresses grow.

The foothills of the mountains (Alps, Caucasus, Crimea) are characterized by the growth of coniferous trees, for example, relict Caucasian plants: boxwood, chestnut, Eldar and Pitsunda pines. In the Alps, pine and spruce trees give way to subalpine tall grass meadows; on the peaks there are alpine meadows, striking in the beauty of their emerald greenery.

In the northern latitudes (subarctic, tundra, taiga), where human influence on the environment is less pronounced, there are more predators: polar bears, wolves, arctic foxes. Reindeer, polar hares, walruses, and seals live there. In the Russian taiga you can still find wapiti, brown bears, lynxes and wolverines, sables and ermines; wood grouse, hazel grouse, black grouse, woodpeckers, and nutcrackers live here.

Europe is a highly urbanized and industrialized region, so large mammals are practically absent here; the largest inhabitants of European forests are deer and fallow deer. Wild boars and chamois still live in the Alps, Carpathians and the Iberian Peninsula; mouflons are found on the islands of Sardinia and Corsica, Poland and Belarus are famous for their relict animals from the bison genus, bison, which are listed in the Red Book and live exclusively in nature reserves. The lower tiers of deciduous and mixed forests are inhabited by foxes, hares, badgers, ferrets, weasels, and squirrels. Beavers, otters, muskrats and nutria live on the banks of rivers and reservoirs. Typical inhabitants of the semi-desert zone: goitered gazelles, jackals, a large number of small rodents, snakes.

Climatic conditions

Seasons, weather and climate of European countries

Europe is located in four climatic zones: Arctic (low temperatures, in summer no higher than +5 C 0, precipitation - 400 mm/year), subarctic (mild maritime climate, January - +1, -3°, July - +10°, the predominance of cloudy days with fogs, precipitation - 1000 mm/year), temperate (sea - cool summers, mild winters, and continental - long winters, cool summers) and subtropical (hot summers, mild winters)...

The climate of most of Europe belongs to the temperate climate zone, the west is influenced by Atlantic oceanic air masses, the east by continental air masses, the south by Mediterranean air masses from the tropics, and the north is influenced by arctic air. The territory of Europe has sufficient moisture, precipitation (mainly in the form of rain) is distributed unevenly, its maximum (1000-2000 mm) occurs in Scandinavia, the British Isles, the slopes of the Alps and Apennines, the minimum is 400 mm in the east of the Balkan Peninsula and the southeast of the Pyrenees .

Peoples of Europe: culture and traditions

The population living in Europe (770 million people) is diverse and has a variegated ethnic composition. In total there are 87 nationalities, of which 33 are the national majority in any given independent state, 54 are a minority (105 million or 14% of the total population of Europe)...

In Europe there are 8 groups of peoples, the number of which exceeds 30 million, together they represent 460 million people, which is 63% of the total European population:

• Russians of the European part (90 million);
• Germans (82 million);
• French (65 million);
• British (55-61 million);
• Italians (59 million);
• Spaniards (46 million);
• Ukrainians (46 million);
• Poles (38 million).

About 25 million European residents (3%) are members of the diaspora of non-European origin, the EU population (approximately 500 million people) accounts for 2/3 of the total population of Europe.

General characteristics of European countries

Currently, Europe is a large historical and geographical region in the west of the Eurasian continent. It includes $45$ states with a total area of ​​more than $10$ million $km^2$ with a population of more than $700$ million people.

European countries have a favorable physical and economic geographical position. Most of them have access to the World Ocean. An extensive transport network has been built across Europe.

The political map of Europe has been formed over a long period of time and continues to be formed now.

Regional division of European countries

The division of Europe into separate regions began after the Second World War. Initially, Europe was divided into two parts - Western and Eastern. Eastern Europe included states that took a course towards building socialism. These were Poland, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Yugoslavia, Albania, Bulgaria and the Soviet Union. The remaining European countries formed Western Europe. For a long time, this division was accompanied by confrontation, an arms race and military confrontation.

But at the end of the twentieth century there was a collapse of the world socialist system, a change in the political map of Europe, and changes in political and economic conditions. In economic geography, the approach to the regional division of Europe has also changed. New subregions were identified, taking into account the historical and economic characteristics of the territories.

Main subregions

Taking into account the current political and economic situation, the history of the formation and development of territories, Europe was conventionally divided into the following regions:

• Eastern Europe,
• Northern Europe,
• Central Europe,
• Western Europe,
• Southern Europe
• South-Eastern Europe.

Note 1

It should be noted that this division is arbitrary and does not always coincide with the views of some scientists. Therefore, there may be some discrepancies between different sources.

Eastern Europe

Historically, from the list of former countries that belonged to this region, only the East Slavic states remained - Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. Moreover, the Transcarpathian region of Ukraine is classified by some scientists as Central Europe.

These countries have a long joint history, many common economic features and mutual economic interests. All three states have approximately the same level of development, similar characteristics of the population (type of reproduction, gender and age structure, level of urbanization).

The economic specialization of Eastern European countries also has a number of common features. The leading industries are mechanical engineering, energy, and the chemical industry. But the level of intensification of the economy remains insufficiently high. Extractive industries have a significant share of GDP. Agriculture is dominated by crop production. The intensity of agricultural production leaves much to be desired. And the structure of foreign trade is dominated by the export of raw materials and the import of high-tech equipment. After the collapse of the USSR and the destruction of a single economic complex, the economies of these countries underwent crisis phenomena and a decline in production.

Central Europe

Today this subregion includes Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Austria, and Slovenia. With the exception of Austria, all of them are post-socialist countries experiencing a transition period from an administrative-command system to a market one.

The Czech Republic, Poland and Austria have particularly high economic indicators. They have highly developed modern sectors of the economy and international tourism.

Southeastern Europe

This category of countries includes Romania, Bulgaria, and the countries of the former Yugoslavia. Economically, this is the most backward region. But it has a significant potential of natural and labor resources. Favorable climatic and recreational conditions.

Southern Europe

Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece are representatives of this region. They (with the exception of Italy) embarked on the path of capitalist development somewhat later than other European countries. This explains their certain economic backwardness. They specialize in international tourism, food and light industry, growing citrus fruits and oilseeds. The Mediterranean is the “garden of Europe”.

Northern Europe

Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are united in Northern Europe. With the exception of the post-Soviet republics, these countries have high economic indicators. They have developed mechanical engineering, powerful energy and a modern chemical industry. Agriculture has a high level of intensity.

Central Europe

This is the most economically developed region. It consists of Germany, France, Great Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. The first three of these countries belong to the most highly developed countries in the world. It is all these countries that form the main economic axis of Europe and influence the economic and political life of the whole world.

Note 2

Often Northern Europe, Central Europe and the west of Southern Europe are considered as a single region - Western Europe. Germany can sometimes be classified as Central Europe.

But ongoing integration processes are gradually bringing the economies of European countries closer together, erasing their national differences and forming a single economic complex.

Not every person is able to say without thinking which mountains separate Europe and Asia. In order to correctly answer this question, it is necessary to first note that Eurasia is the largest continent on the planet. It is usually divided into two continents - Europe and Asia. From an economic point of view, from ancient times to the present day, the border between them plays a very important role for movement from East to West and vice versa. According to the ancient Greeks, it passed through the center of the Mediterranean Sea. Starting from the fifth century BC, the Don River was considered to be it and Ptolemy adhered to this opinion, so this teaching was quite firmly established and lasted until the eighteenth century. This article will discuss what separates Europe and Asia in the modern sense.

First official separation

In scientific literature, the continent was officially first divided into two continents by the Swedish famous scientist Philipp Johann von Stralenberg in 1730. Answering in his writings the question of what mountains separate Europe and Asia, he clearly noted that this is the Ural ridge. At the same time, the scientist focused on the fact that in addition to it, the border passes through the river of the same name, the Caucasus, the Yugorsky Shar Strait, the Caspian, Black and Azov Seas. Many authoritative researchers of that time supported this idea, which they wrote about in their works. There is an opinion that this idea was suggested to Stralenberg by V.N. Tatishchev, the founder of many local cities and settlements. Now in more detail about which mountains separate Europe and Asia.

Formation of the Ural Mountains

The Urals not only represents a naturally formed boundary between adjacent continents, but also serves as a watershed for the eastern and western basins. The formation of mountains began approximately 350 million years ago, in other words, during the Paleozoic era, and lasted approximately 150 million years. The total length of the ridge exceeds two thousand kilometers. As for its width, it varies in different areas from forty kilometers to one hundred and fifty. The name “Ural” itself, translated from the Bashkir language, means “hill” or “height”. Speaking about which mountains separate Europe and Asia, one cannot fail to note the interesting historical fact that on the very first Russian map they were called the “Big Stone” and were depicted as a large belt from where a significant number of rivers began. Due to the fact that the ridge is quite old, its peaks are not very high. The first official documentary recollection of him is in the Tale of Bygone Years and dates back to the eleventh century. The Urals are geographically divided into Northern, Central and Southern parts.

Natural resources

Now in the Urals you can find a large number of different minerals and minerals. There are copper and iron ores, cobalt, nickel, zinc, oil, coal and even precious stones with gold. In this regard, since the times of the Soviet Union, the mountains between Europe and Asia have been considered the largest metallurgical and mining base of the state. This is not surprising, because 48 of the 55 types of minerals that were mined throughout the country at that time were found here. Many of them, including precious and semi-precious ones, are located in close proximity to the earth's surface. There are also several minerals that are found exclusively here. A striking example of this is the dark emerald uvarovite. This also includes rich forest resources. It should be noted that excellent conditions for farming have been created in the middle and southern parts of the mountains.

Climate

The Urals are characterized by a typical mountain climate, in which precipitation is distributed unevenly. Natural conditions here can vary greatly even within the same zone. The explanation for this is quite simple. The fact is that the mountains separating Europe and Asia play the role of a kind of climate barrier. Due to the fact that the western part receives a large amount of precipitation, the climate here is milder and more humid. As for the eastern region of the ridge, the opposite is true - it is dry due to lack of precipitation.

Obelisks

The obelisks located on the local area deserve special mention. They began to be installed here in the nineteenth century. The first monuments were monuments in the form of stelae, made of wood and rectangular in shape. They were obligatorily marked with signs called “Asia” and “Europe”. In order to ensure the safety of the obelisks, small guard huts were erected next to them, in which, as a rule, forest walkers lived. Individual monuments boast their own unique history. For example, the monument, located near Mount Berezovaya, appeared in 1807. Thirty years later, in connection with a visit to the site by the imperial delegation, the wooden structure was replaced by a marble one, with the coat of arms of the king.

Border along the Ural River

The river separating Europe and Asia is the Ural. Its total length is about two and a half thousand kilometers. It should be noted that in its basin there are about eight thousand rivers of different sizes. At the source of the Urals there are five large springs located at an altitude of 637 meters above sea level. Coming together in a swampy valley, they form a rather powerful stream. The idea of ​​using a river as a border between two continents was proposed by the above-mentioned Russian scientist V.N. Tatishchev.

Istanbul

The only city on the planet that is located on two continents at the same time is Turkish Istanbul. The history of this metropolis goes back more than two and a half thousand years. All these years it has had a very important commercial importance due to its geographical location. The Mediterranean Sea, which separates Europe and Asia, also separates them from Africa. It is here that it is connected to Cherny through the Bosphorus Strait. The continents are divided in the same way. The very location of the modern city of Istanbul was often called the gateway connecting the Silk Road with the Old World.

Expedition 2010

In April 2010, the Russian Geographical Society initiated and carried out an expedition, the main task of which was to determine the true origin of the border between Asia and Europe. During the work, scientists found that the axis of the Ural ridge is lost in the Zlatoust area and is dispersed into several lines. These are some parallel arrays. In this regard, they suggested that it is not entirely reasonable to consider the border. In their opinion, it should be laid along the Caspian lowland, or more precisely, along its eastern edge. However, the research of Russian scientists to this day remains unconsidered by the relevant body - the International Geographical Union.

conclusions

From all of the above, we can safely conclude that the main border between Asia and Europe is the Ural Mountains. One of the proofs of this is even the fact that on their opposite sides the fauna and flora are noticeably different. In addition, a great difference arises even in the directions and characters of the rivers.