隨着歐盟的發展，歐洲經濟一體化程度越來越髙，1979年3月13日開始在歐洲共衕體內部使用歐洲貨幣單位作為計價結算的一種貨幣單位。現在歐元（€ ISO 4217碼EUR）是目前歐盟25個會員國中的16國（也有這16國以外的國傢，已經是31個國傢和地區的官方貨幣）所使用的貨幣。歐盟各國對於是否加入歐元區皆有自身利益的考量，目前有一半以上的歐盟會員國仍發行自己國傢的貨幣，並未加入歐元區的行列，例如：英鎊等。歐元區是目前世界主要經濟體之一，歐元區經濟的榮枯深深地影響着全世界的景氣。
* 印歐語係
o 波羅的語族：拉脫維亞語、立陶宛語
o 羅曼語族：法語、加泰羅尼亞語、羅馬尼亞語、羅曼什語、葡萄牙語、西班牙語、意大利語
o 日爾曼語族：冰島語、丹麥語、德語、荷蘭語、盧森堡語、挪威語、瑞典語、英語
o 斯拉夫語族：白俄羅斯語、波蘭語、波斯尼亞語、俄羅斯語、捷剋語、剋羅地亞語、馬其頓語、塞爾維亞語、斯洛伐剋語、斯洛文尼亞語、烏剋蘭語
o 凱爾特語族：愛爾蘭語、蘇格蘭語、威爾士語
o 孤立語言：阿爾巴尼亞語、希臘語
* 烏拉爾語係：
o 芬蘭烏戈爾語族：愛沙尼亞語、芬蘭語、匈牙利語
Europe (pronounced /ˈjɜrəp/ or /ˈjʊərəp/) is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains, the Kuma-Manych Depression, and the Black Sea to the southeast. Europe is washed upon to the north by the Arctic Ocean and other bodies of water, to the west by the Atlantic Ocean, to the south by the Mediterranean Sea, and to the southeast by the Black Sea and the waterways connecting it to the Mediterranean. Yet the borders for Europe—a concept dating back to classical antiquity—are somewhat arbitrary, as the term continent can refer to a cultural and political distinction or a physiographic one.
Europe is the world's second-smallest continent by surface area, covering about 10,180,000 square kilometres (3,930,000 sq mi) or 2% of the Earth's surface and about 6.8% of its land area. Of Europe's approximately 50 states, Russia is the largest by both area and population, while the Vatican City is the smallest. Europe is the third most populous continent after Asia and Africa, with a population of 731 million or about 11% of the world's population; however, according to the United Nations (medium estimate), Europe's share may fall to about 7% in 2050. In 1900, Europe's share of the world's population was 25%.
Europe, in particular Ancient Greece, is the birthplace of Western culture. It played a predominant role in global affairs from the 16th century onwards, especially after the beginning of colonialism. Between the 17th and 20th centuries, European nations controlled at various times the Americas, most of Africa, Oceania, and large portions of Asia. Both World Wars were ignited in Central Europe, greatly contributing to a decline in European dominance in world affairs by the mid-20th century as the United States and Soviet Union took prominence. During the Cold War Europe was divided along the Iron Curtain between NATO in the West and the Warsaw Pact in the East. European integration led to the formation of the Council of Europe and the European Union in Western Europe, both of which have been expanding eastward since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.
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