The Global Phoenix - Issue 2 April - June 2017 | Page 26

EUROPE- A BRIEF
INTRODUCTION
Sarah Langmead; COSMOS Consult
Europe is a continent made up of some 51
countries* with 5 being transcontinental countries
that are located partly in Europe and partly in
Asia.**
Covering some 10 million km², the continent is
the second smallest (Oceania being the smallest).
According to the National Geographic Society,
Europe can be divided into four major physical
regions, running from North to South: Western
Uplands, North European Plain, Central Uplands
and Alpine Mountains. Each region has its own
specific characteristics and holds its own allure.
Every area also has its own climate, varying from
arctic in the north of Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden,
Denmark, Finland and Iceland) to mediterranean in
the south (Spain, Italy, Cyprus and Greece). Climate
influences lifestyle, and lifestyle influences the
outlook and interests of the population.
A MELTING POT OF CULTURES
The population of Europe come from various
origins. This, together with political and religious
influences, impacts on the unique culture of each
country.
While it is important to avoid stereotypes, and
acknowledge that individual personality types exist
in all cultures, consider a couple of examples:
The ‘Latin’ Europeans, the Spanish, the Italians and
the Portuguese are characterised by their warmth
and enthusiasm; they show their emotions freely
and tend to be more ‘boisterous’ and spontaneous
than their Northern European neighbours. In a
group setting they tend to all try to talk at once,
raising the volume to speak over each other; to
speak to someone while they are engaged in
conversation with another person is not viewed
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