Everything about Mainland Europe totally explained
Continental Europe, also referred to as
mainland Europe or simply
the Continent, is the
continent of
Europe, explicitly excluding European
islands and, at times,
peninsulas. Notably, in
British English usage, the term means Europe excluding the
United Kingdom,
Isle of Man,
Ireland and
Iceland. One general definition of "Continental Europe" is
the European landmass excluding the UK, Ireland and Iceland. However, in other areas of Europe different ideas on what the term actually means prevail.
Some definitions of continental Europe extend the boundaries of the continent to its geographical boundaries, thus including nations that are within the elevated boundaries of the
Ural Mountains and the
Caucasus Mountains.
What might seem to be a simple matter of geographical definition, though, has profound social and political ramifications. Some definitions of continental Europe include the
Transcaucasian nations of
Georgia and
Armenia - which are predominantly
Christian - while excluding such predominantly
Muslim nations as
Azerbaijan and
Turkey.
Use in the United Kingdom
In the
United Kingdom,
the Continent is used to refer to the mainland of Europe. A famous, perhaps
apocryphal, British newspaper headline once read "Fog in Channel; Continent Cut Off".
INVESCO doesn't include the
United Kingdom or
Ireland in its definition of continental Europe, while the
United Nations includes these nations in its definition of continental Europe.
Use in Nordic countries
In
Nordic usage,
Finland,
Norway and
Sweden are also excluded from Continental Europe.
Mediterranean islands
In the Mediterranean context, "the continent" may refer to the continental part of
Italy (as opposed to
Sardinia and
Sicily) or the continental part of
France (as opposed to
Corsica).
Further Information
Get more info on 'Mainland Europe'.
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