Europe is the world’s second smallest continent, second only to Australia. Its land mass is approximately 10.2 million km², covering about 2% of the world’s surface and 6.8% of the total land area of the planet. Its population makes up approximately 11% of the people of the world, making it the third largest. Russia is the largest country and the Vatican is the smallest country. The largest city is Moscow. European boundaries are the Atlantic Ocean in the West, the Arctic Ocean in the North, the Mediterranean Sea in the south, and the Black Sea with its waterways and the Caucasus Mountains in the south-east. It is responsible for some of the most influential periods of world history including being the “cradle of Western culture”, the influential Roman Empire, the birthplace of both world wars.
