Car Rental Europe
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Europe is the world’s 6th largest continent and
includes (46) countries and a few dependencies, territories
and regions.
In geographic definitions, Europe is not really a continent,
but part of the peninsula of Euroasia, which includes
all of Europe and Asia, however, most geographers refer
to it as an individual continent . Europe is separated
from Asia by Russia's Ural Mountains in the east, and
the Caspian and Black Seas in the southeast. The highest
point in Europe is Mt. Elbrus in European Russia at
18,481 ft (5,633m), just north of the Georgia/Russian
border.
Europe's lowest point is on the surface of the Caspian
Sea, at 92 ft (28m) below sea level.
Europe has a long history of great cultural and economic
achievement, starting as far back as the Bronze Age.
The origin of Western culture is generally attributed
to the ancient Greeks, and the Roman Empire spanned
the entire continent for many centuries. Following the
decline of the Roman Empire, Europe entered a long period
of stasis, generally known as the Dark Ages, which came
to an end with the Renaissance and the New Monarchs,
marking the start of a period of discovery, exploration,
and increase in scientific knowledge. From the 15th
century European nations, particularly Spain, Portugal,
France, and Britain, built large colonial empires, with
vast holdings in Africa, the Americas, and Asia.
The Industrial Revolution started in Europe in the
18th century, leading to much greater general prosperity
and a corresponding increase in population. After World
War II, and until the end of the Cold War, Europe was
divided into two major political and economic blocks:
Communist nations in Eastern Europe and capitalistic
countries in Western Europe. Around 1990 the Eastern
block broke up.
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