Essay on Europe Continent

Europe: Europe 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 watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting the Black and Aegean Seas. Europe is bordered by the Arctic Ocean and other bodies of water to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and the Black Sea and connected waterways to the southeast. Yet the borders of Europe--a concept dating back to classical antiquity--are somewhat arbitrary, as the primarily physiographic term "continent" can incorporate cultural and political elements.

1. Resources

1.1 Natural Resources

Europe has substantial resources in metals. Russia and Ukraine are the main suppliers of oil, which has given them a strategic edge in international negotiating. Outside of Russia, oil is relatively scarce in Europe (except off the coast of Scotland and Norway). Timber, peat and potash are also important to the European economy, as are its well-developed fishing industry. Zinc and copper are the primary resources shared by almost all European countries. Iceland is a leader in alternative energies. Since the Baltic states are so resource poor, they depend on other powers such as Sweden for trade

2. Demographics

Since the Renaissance, Europe has had a major influence in culture, economics and social movements in the world. The most significant inventions had their origins in the Western world, primarily Europe and the United States. Approximately 70 million Europeans died through war, violence and famine between 1914 and 1945. Some current and past issues in European demographics have included religious emigration, race relations, economic immigration, a declining birth rate and an aging population

In 2005, the population of Europe was estimated to be 731 million according to the United Nations, which is slightly more than one-ninth of the world's population. A century ago, Europe had nearly a quarter of the world's population The population of Europe has grown in the past century, but in other areas of the world (in particular Africa and Asia) the population has grown far more quickly. Among the continents, Europe has a relatively high population density, second only to Asia. The most densely populated country in Europe is the Netherlands, ranking third in the world after Bangladesh and South Korea. Pan and Pfeil (2004) count 87 distinct "peoples of Europe", of which 33 form the majority population in at least one sovereign state, while the remaining 54 constitute ethnic minorities.

3. Infrastructure

3.1 Transport infrastructure

Most of these transport infrastructures have been developed under national policy premises. In order to establish a single, multimodal network that integrates land, sea and air transport networks throughout the Union, the European policymakers decided to establish the trans-European transport network, allowing goods and people to circulate quickly and easily between Member States and assuring international connections.

3.2 Energy Infrastructure

The backbone of European energy supply is the energy infrastructure, the variety and vulnerability of which has been demonstrated by three events in recent years. First, on the evening of November 4, 2006, when a high-voltage cable in Emsland, Germany was turned off to allow a cruise ship to transfer from the Papenburg shipyard to the North Sea. As a result, due to an overload in a transmission cable, more power lines collapsed "in a cascade" from north to south all over Europe, as the German Federal Network Agency reported. Over 15 million Europeans in Germany, France, Belgium, Italy, and Spain were without power for up to an hour and a half.

3.3 Gas Infrastructure of Europe

The natural gas market which is fundamentally different from the electricity market, has major own characteristics due to the physical characteristics of the molecule. Moreover the natural gas transmission market also has its own major characteristics such as:

Gas can be tracked through the network;

Over 60% of the gas are traded across at least one border within the EU;

The majority of the gas supply will be coming in the near future from outside the EU.

3.4 Communication infrastructure in Europe

Almost all modern businesses rely on digital communications systems, such as broadband and mobile phones. There are also many businesses that provide digital communications hardware, software or content

3.4.1 Mobile and wireless communications

Using wireless and mobile information and communication technology (ICT) will allow one's business to increase the speed and volume of communications it can send to and receive from customers, suppliers and other contacts across the European Economic Area (EEA).

3.4.2 Satellite communications

Satellite communications (satcoms) can help businesses in all European Economic Area states to deliver a range of digital information and services to their customers. They are particularly useful for businesses which need to reach customers in rural areas, marine and aviation environments where there is little or no access to mobile and wireless networks

3.4.3 Broadcasting and convergence

The switchover from analogue to digital TV and radio is due to be complete in 2012. TV and radio