Europe

Europe, the second-smallest continent at 10.18 million square kilometers, stretches from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Ural Mountains in the east, and from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Mediterranean Sea in the south. The continent features extraordinary geographical diversity: the towering Alps mountain range (including Mont Blanc at 4,808m) spans France, Switzerland, Italy, and Austria; the Pyrenees separate France from Spain; the Carpathians arc through Central Europe. Major rivers like the Rhine, Danube, Seine, and Thames have shaped civilizations and trade routes for millennia.

The climate varies dramatically from the Mediterranean warmth of southern Italy and Greece, to the temperate oceanic climate of Western Europe, the continental climate of Central Europe, and the subarctic conditions of Scandinavia. The landscape encompasses sun-drenched Mediterranean coastlines, rolling French countryside, Swiss Alpine peaks, Dutch polders below sea level, German Black Forest, Italian lakes, and Scandinavian fjords. This remarkable diversity allows travelers to experience multiple climates, terrains, and ecosystems within relatively short distances.