Explicación
Europe is a continent fully located in the Northern Hemisphere, surrounded by the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans and the Mediterranean Sea. Geographically, we are also connected to Asia, sharing some parts of land.
Its population is about 710-741 million people, and covers approximately 10 million square kilometers.
It has had a crucial role in world history, from art (for example, the Renaissance was born here) or the start of democracy in Athens, if we talk about politics.
44 sovereign nations cover our map, although only 27 of them belong to the European Union.
What is the difference between Europe and the European Union? Let’s see: So, Europe, summarizing what we just said, is the physical land where we live. On the other hand, the EU is a unique economic and political union of democratic European countries, whose purpose is to promote peace, stability and prosperity to all the citizens.
the Europe Day is going to be celebrated tomorrow, 9th May, commemorating the Schumann Declaration. The French foreign minister, who had the same name, proposed this day 76 years ago to make a European Economic Community, to make ‘materially imposible’ a war between European countries. In addition, it also results that on the 8th May (one day before) 1945 the World War II ended, bringing peace again to the continent and meaning the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany.
We are now learning some more aspects of the EU. For example, the countries that make up it share ideas, projects and laws. For example, all of them protect consumer rights with policies like 14-days return, which establishes that business must permit the customers to give their product back and get a refund in the 14 days after its delivery in online purchases. Other examples are in communication, so citizens can connect to internet in the different countries without paying roaming fees, guarantee of quality in products (for example, making sure that toys are sure for children), environmental regulations (to stop climate change) or a common charging directive (USB-C).
The EU consists of several institutions. Some of them are:
The European Parliament: Elected by the citizens of every country, they supervise other institutions and legislate.
The European Council: Made up of the heads of State of the countries.
The Council of the EU: Represents all the governments of the member states, legislating with the parliament.
European Commission: Makes proposals for Europe as a whole, not each country.
Court of Justice: Ensures good application and interpretation of the laws.
European Central Bank and Court of Auditors: Both take care about the economy and budget of the EU.
20 countries of the union share the same currency, the euro (ϵ), in an area called the eurozone. It helps to share a common economy and have a unique market, making it easier to make negotiations between countries and as a whole union.
The twelve stars represent the perfect harmony between countries in Europe (this number has always had special connotations) and the blue at the bottom, that represents the blue skies that all of them share.
It is known as the ‘Ode to Joy’, and is the final of Beethoven’s ninth symphony. Its lyrics talk about peace, brotherhood and progress together.
Spain has won the Eurovision Song Contest twice. The first victory was in 1968 with Massiel and her song La, la, la. The second win came in 1969 with Salomé performing Vivo cantando. These two wins make Spain one of the few countries to win Eurovision two years in a row.
Repaso de los países de Europa, excepto euroasiáticos.