The geography of Europe

The continent of Europe stretches from the Russian Islands of Franz Joseph past the Arctic Circle to the North to the Southerly tip of Crete to the South. The most westerly point is Bjargtengar in Iceland and according to several sources the northeast tip of the Russian Islands of Novaya Zemlya is Europe's most easterly point.

As far as to where exactly Europe ends, especially in the southeast, is open for discussion. When I first contacted the Guinness Book of Records they told me the following:

"There is very considerable disagreement among geographers, politicians and others about where Europe ends in the Caucasus. Many physical geographers would place the boundary of the continent along the highest ridge of he Caucasus; others would opt for a line further north along the valley of the River Manych to the mouth of the Don. However, for some purposes, popular usage suggests a line to the south to include Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia within Europe (all three Transcaucasian republics are in membership of various European organisations from OSCE to UEFA.) So, I would include not only Azerbaijan and Georgia in Europe but also Armenia. There have been changes but that has been necessary so as to correctly define a record."

I also even went as far as researching where in Iceland the continental plate is, I got this reply "Iceland is not half in Europe and half in North America. The country is always regarded as being entirely in Europe despite the fact that it straddles the Mid-Atlantic Ridge."

There are many mountain Ranges scattered around Europe and you will need to visit most of them in order to fulfil this project. Mount Blanc in the Alps is often wrongly described as the tallest mountain in Europe. Although at 4807 metres it is the greatest peak in the Alps the 5642-metre Mount Elbrus in the Caucasus is officially the highest mountain in Europe.

By the Caucasus one means the mountain chain that stretches from the Black Sea in the northwest to the Caspian Sea in the southeast. Altogether the high Caucasus is nearly 1000 miles long with the breadth of the main range and adjoining ridges in the central part being 60 or so miles wide.

Just how many countries there are in Europe is not an easy question to answer and what seems remarkable is that even today the number is under constant review and updating. The last 10 years or so have seen countries disappear off the map but many more have been created; the collapse of both the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia suddenly created 11 more countries in Europe. To date the Guinness Book of Records lists 47 countries in Europe and 6 other territories.

The question must be 'what constitutes a country?' The dictionary the definition describes it as a region, district or territory of a nation. The status of the countries in Europe creates a long list varying in names from Kingdoms, Republics, Federations, Principalities, Ecclesiastical States, Self Governing Island States and Grand Duchies. Add to this the many enclaves within the former Soviet Union and those other 'territories' that are fighting for independence there could well be upwards of 50 extra autonomous regions or so called countries.

People the world over are fighting for their independence and none more than around Europe. People are willing to die, and are dying, for their beliefs in their nation. In terms of its number of countries and its people this must make Europe on of the most diverse continents of the world. People come together as a nation; this for me is what judges and defines a country.

The research goes on, as does the fight for independence for many people. There is a religious group in Northern Italy that claims its own independence and even a man in England who once claimed that his own house as a separate country to that of the state. I feel it will be some time until the list is finally completed and finalised.