Europe is the cradle of Western culture. The Republic of Belarus is an ancient Slavic country with protected forests and picturesque lakes. Vienna State Opera

Authoritative American travel magazine& Leisure has published a list of the most visited tourist destinations in Europe. Based on the observations made and the presentation of statistical data, Most Popular on the basis of the largest number of visits by tourists. If you are going to have an unforgettable holidays in Europe, this article will surely help you in choosing your destination. So, .

Cologne Cathedral, Cologne,- 6,000,000 visitors per year. Monumental work on it was carried out in the 13th and 19th centuries, and more than 600 years have passed since the start of construction, until the cathedral appeared in the form in which it is now. It has three naves, 144 m long, 86 m wide and up to 157 m high. At the time of opening it was the most tall building on the ground.

Shrine of Our Lady in Lourdes, France- 6,000,000 visitors per year. French Lourdes, located on the river Gave de Pau in the foothills of the Pyrenees in the southwestern part of France, is famous for its pilgrimage tourism. Here, on the site of the apparition of the Virgin Mary, a neo-Gothic basilica was built. Thousands of tourists come here in search of miraculous cures for diseases, and, according to official figures, more than 7 thousand cases of miraculous healing have already occurred.

Sanctuary of Padre Pio in San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy- 6,000,000 visitors per year. It consists of an old monastery and a temple and a new church of God's Grace. The new church was built according to the design of one of the most famous modern architects, Renzo Piano - amazing original form.

Palace of Versailles, France- 5900000 visitors per year. Castle Louis XIV- a baroque marvel that no other can provide. Appearance the building may not be something extraordinary, but inside you will be simply amazed by the luxury and beauty. Versailles is also one of the most beautiful parks in the world.

British Museum, London,– 5,800,000 visitors per year. The British Museum has collected more than seven million exhibits ancient history- large exhibitions of objects from different eras and different cultures. You can also see: sarcophagi, mummies, masterpieces of art. In addition to impressive collections The British Museum boasts the largest indoor courtyard in the world. Free admission.

Italy - about 5-6 million visitors per year. St. Mark's Basilica is the largest and most important church in Venice. As Charles Dickens said, “this place is a must see (...) dark incense smoke full of treasures from precious stones and metals glittering behind iron bars, the holy relics of dead saints. Entrance to the cathedral is free, but you will pay if you want to go to the Museum of Saint Mark.

Church of San Francesco in Assisi, Italy– 5,500,000 visitors per year. Impressive basilica- main temple the Franciscan order is one of the most significant Catholic churches, consists of two churches - lower and upper, under which there is a vault.

Europe is one of the smallest continents on Earth. About 40 thousand years ago in Europe modern people ousted the Neanderthals, and since then European civilization has begun. According to ancient Greek mythology, Europe was called the daughter of the Phoenician king Agenor and Telefassa, who was kidnapped by Zeus. Subsequently, Europa became the wife of Zeus.

Europe is washed by the waters of the Arctic Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, as well as the Mediterranean, Black and Caspian Seas. The eastern border of Europe runs along the Ural Mountains.

The continent of Europe includes numerous islands, peninsulas and archipelagos. Coastline continental Europe covers 38,000 kilometers. The total area of ​​Europe is 9.938 million square meters. km (this is 2% of the Earth's territory). Europe is part of the Eurasian Peninsula.

The climate in most of Europe is temperate, in southern Europe it is Mediterranean and even partially subtropical with warm, humid winters and hot summers. On the Svalbard archipelago, which geographically also belongs to Europe, the climate is subarctic and arctic.

The most long river in Europe - the Volga (3645 km), flowing through Russia. The list of the largest European rivers also includes: the Danube (2960 km), the Dnieper (2201 km), the Don (1870 km), the Kama (1805 km), the Dniester (1352 km), the Rhine (1233 km), the Elbe (1165 km) , Ural (2428 km), Vistula (1047 km), Tahoe (1038 km), Loire (1012 km), Oder (854 km) and Neman (937 km).

In Europe, there are several very large, and also very beautiful, lakes. Among them are Ladoga, Chudskoe and Lake Onega in Russia, Lake Vänern in Sweden, Lake Balaton in Hungary and Lake Geneva in Switzerland and France.

Approximately 17% of the territory of Europe is occupied by mountains - the Pyrenees, the Alps, the Apennines, the Carpathians, the Balkans, the Caucasus, the Urals and the Scandinavian mountains. The most high mountain of this continent - Elbrus (Russia), its height is 5,642 meters.

On this moment The population of Europe already exceeds 842 million people. This is about 13% of the total population of the Earth. Most Europeans live in Eastern Europe.

Almost the entire population of Europe belongs to the Caucasoid race, which is divided into several smaller races:

Atlanto-Baltic race (Great Britain, Ireland, Scandinavia, Iceland, northern Germany, the Netherlands, Estonia and Latvia);
- Central European race ( central regions Western Europe, most of territories of Eastern Europe, Ukraine and the European part of Russia);
- Balkan-Caucasian race (Albania, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, northern Greece, Bulgaria, southern Austria and northern Italy);
- Indo-Mediterranean race (Spain, Italy, France, southern Greece, Cyprus and Malta);
- White Sea-Baltic race ( northern territories Russia, Lithuania and partly Latvia).

At the moment, there are 56 countries in Europe (of which 6 countries are the so-called unrecognized republics). The biggest European country- Russia (its territory occupies 17,098,242 sq. km), and the smallest is the Vatican (0.44 sq. km). By the way, more than 291 million people now live in Russia.

Sometimes Europe is divided into 5 regions (Western, Eastern, Northern, Southern and Central), which in turn are divided into seven geographical sub-regions:

Scandinavia (Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark);
- British Isles(UK and Ireland);
- Western Europe (France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Monaco);
- Southern Europe(Portugal, Spain, Andorra, Italy, Malta, San Marino and the Vatican);
- Central Europe(Germany, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary);
- Yugo- Eastern Europe(Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Albania, Macedonia, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece and European part Turkey);
- Eastern Europe (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Russia, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan).

Many cities in Europe were founded before our era. Istanbul is now the most densely populated city in Europe. former capital Turkey, which is home to more than 12.2 million people.

Other Largest cities Europe - Moscow, London, St. Petersburg, Berlin, Madrid, Rome, Kyiv, Paris, Bucharest and Budapest. However, some European cities, which play a prominent political and cultural role in the world, have relatively few inhabitants. These cities include Athens, Oslo, Brussels, Copenhagen and Geneva.

The sights of Europe are those objects cultural heritage Lands that do not need to be advertised or argued about the importance of visiting them. Europe has always been a place that many tourists dream of visiting. It is part of and washed by the seas of two oceans - the Atlantic and the Arctic. In addition, there are more than 40 states in Europe, in which approximately one eighth of the world's population lives. Therefore, there are various outstanding places just abound. And each of them is a separate story, life, universe. Every resident has heard about these architectural masterpieces, and many of them simply break records in terms of attendance. After all, how can you not want to see the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben or the Roman Colosseum? Therefore, let's not waste time in vain, but let's go to the place where breathing stops, the heartbeat quickens, and the mind is transferred to the distant, distant past.

Western Europe and the sights of this part of the world

Journey through European capitals

The capitals of Europe are something unique: London, Paris, Stockholm, Kyiv, Sofia or Prague leave unforgettable impressions in the memory of tourists. Each of these cities strikes the imagination with its grandeur; here the breath of history is felt at every step. And the sights of the capitals of Europe are unique masterpieces of architecture, rich museums and unsurpassed towers and castles. What only stands one Stockholm, which is the capital of Sweden. This city attracts people with a high standard of living, beaches and monuments of history and modernity.

Arriving in Stockholm, you will not immediately understand all the sights. But you can start the tour, for example, from the Kaknastornet television tower. It was created in 1967 and designed by Bengt Lindros. The height of the sculpture reaches 155 meters without taking into account the antenna. With it, this figure will increase to 170 meters.

It is also recommended to visit the ABBA Museum. These are two places that make up the best attractions in Europe today. In addition to them, there are many more objects included in this category, but we will only remember these. In 1974, she blew up the music world. And in 2013, a museum dedicated to the work of this group was opened on the island of Djurgården. Here are the outfits of musicians that visitors have the opportunity to try on for themselves.

Belgian Brussels

Another city in which many sights of foreign Europe have gathered. The heart of the capital, and of the whole country, is the Grand Place. Immortal Victor Hugo called this place the most beautiful square among all European squares. And his words have a right to exist.

Grand Place in translation means "big market". There are two more equally important and wonderful masterpieces here: the King's House and Previously, there were swamps on the territory of the square. And in the XII century, on the site of these dried-up reservoirs, the Grand Place arose. A little later, in 1402, its construction began.

Brussels is also famous for the Mini-Europe park, where in just a few hours you can see all the main sights of Europe. So, on an area of ​​24 thousand meters there are 80 cities and 350 buildings. There is the Eiffel Tower, reaching the height of a three-story building, a four-meter Big Ben, as well as smaller copies of the most memorable monuments of the European Union.

West to East

Western Europe is not the whole of Eurasia. Famous places this part European continent no less amazing than the sights of Eastern Europe. The states of these borders include: Belarus, Moldova, Slovakia, Ukraine, Hungary and other countries. And let architectural masterpieces there are not many here, but they are all of great historical value.

Take, for example, Hungary, almost the entire territory of which is saturated with natural, cultural and historical objects planetary significance. Hungary, or as it is also called - Pannonia, in the old days served as the eastern border of the Roman Empire. The tribes of Slavs, Romans and Germans lived here. The Hungarian tribes arrived only in 896. The city of Szekesfehervar is famous for its museum called the Ruins of Gorzium, and Szolnok is unimaginable without an archaeological museum.

Landmarks that everyone has heard of

There are some sights of European countries, which are known to every person on Earth. These include the English Stonehenge. This monument was built in prehistoric times, and it is located in Wiltshire. This is one of the most mystical and mysterious structures. Stonehenge belongs to the Bronze and Neolithic eras, it includes hundreds of burial mounds.

In Belgium, the most visited attraction is the Atomium. At the end of 1950, the World Exhibition took place in the capital of the country. The Belgians, in honor of this event, built a huge monument resembling nine atoms, which are combined into a crystal lattice of iron. It is magnified 165 billion times.

Eiffel Tower

Well, how can you describe the sights without mentioning one of the symbols of Paris - the Eiffel Tower? It is simply impossible not to recognize this design, unless you were frozen several millennia ago, and you just woke up. The author of the object was Gustav Eiffel. He created his masterpiece in honor of the centenary of the French Revolution of 1789. It was decided to celebrate this date with the World Exhibition in Paris. And the 360-meter metal tower became its main exhibit in the nomination of the newest technical achievements.

There are several curious cases associated with eiffel tower. And here is one of them: Franz Reichel, a tailor, in order to check how his own made parachute cloak works, jumped from a 60-meter height of the first tier of the tower. Naturally, the unfortunate fell to death.

Europe is the smallest and at the same time the most “closed” part of the world in the world. Its nearest neighbor is Asia, and together they form the largest continent, Eurasia. But today the focus is on foreign Europe.

General information

There are different approaches to dividing Europe into regions. Until the end of the 80s of the last century, in history and geography, the term "Western Europe" was understood as a set of independent European states who, after the end of the Second World War, continued capitalist development. There were 32 of them, and the countries of the socialist camp - Eastern Europe - served as a counterweight to them. In 1991, after the collapse of the USSR and the formation of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), a new concept of "Foreign Europe" appeared.

It unites 40 countries located on the territory of Europe, except for those that are part of the CIS.

Geographical position of Foreign Europe

Speaking about the physical and geographical position of Foreign Europe, it should be said that it occupies a fairly compact scale the globe territory: her total area is 5.4 million square meters. km. The island of Svalbard is extreme point in the north and the island of Crete in the south. The length of the region from north to south is 5000 km, and from west to east - 3000 km. Foreign Europe is washed on three sides by the waters of the Atlantic and North arctic oceans and their seas. The coastline is very indented. Most of the territory is dominated by plains, and only about 17% is occupied by mountains. Among them, the main ones are the Alps, the Pyrenees, the Apennines, the Carpathians, the mountains in the Balkan and Scandinavian peninsulas. IN this region four dominate climatic zones, which gradually replace each other from north to south:

• arctic (Arctic islands of Europe): the maritime arctic climate “rules” here with very frosty winters and cold summers;
• subarctic (Iceland and north coast mainland Europe) : characterized by the predominance of the maritime subarctic climate type with cold, sometimes mild winters and cool summers with strong westerly winds;
• moderate (British Isles, most of mainland Europe): two types of climate are distinguished here - temperate marine and temperate continental.
• subtropical (southern Mediterranean part of Europe): typical for these latitudes, the type of climate is Mediterranean with warm winter and dry, hot summers.

Rice. 1 Regions of Foreign Europe

Regional division

Geographically, Foreign Europe is divided into four regions according to the cardinal points: Northern, Southern, Western and Eastern. However, in Lately in addition to Northern, Southern and Western Europe, new terms appeared in the everyday life of geographers - Central-Eastern and Eastern Europe. The latter just includes Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova and Russia - countries that are members of the CIS. How many states, and to which regions of Foreign Europe are "credited", is summarized in the following table:

Rice. 2 Modern leaders of the G7 countries

Economic development

Overseas Europe is one of the most economically developed regions in the world. Both in political terms and in the sectoral and territorial structure of the economy of the region, there is diversity and richness. If foreign Europe is presented in the form of a large four-story apartment building, then the countries with economies in transition will be at the bottom: Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia. On the second and third - developed countries with market economies: Spain, Greece, Denmark, Norway, Iceland and others. However, their level of economic and social development has not yet reached the high level of leaders, which include the "neighbors" from the top floor - Great Britain, Germany, France and Italy. They account for about 70% of the total GDP. They are also members of the "Group of Seven" or "Big Seven" - an association of seven leading economic developed countries(USA, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Japan.

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The leaders of these states gather annually to discuss not only the problems of foreign Europe, but the pressing issues facing humanity: political, military (universal security, terrorism, causes of aggravation of local conflicts), social (protection of human rights, support and conditions for cooperation with developing countries) , environmental (global warming, climate change) and economic (science and finance, market regulation, imports and exports).

Peculiarities

Among the many features of Europe abroad, it is worth noting one important thing - the presence of the "Central Axis of Development". This term refers to the Western European part with a length of 1600 km, which, in fact, is the center, the core of the Old World with the largest concentration of population (300 people per 1 km2) and the main sectors of the economy. The conditional border of the "axis" originates from Manchester, then "rushes" through Hamburg, Venice, Marseille and returns to Hamburg again, forming a banana-shaped loop. It covers a large section of Europe, including the following parts: the regions of Great Britain, the western lands of Germany, the north and south of France, Switzerland and the north of Italy.

If you look at the map of Europe, you can see that on the territory of the "Central Axis of Development" there are "world centers" - London and Paris, each of which houses about thirty headquarters of the largest corporations. In addition, it is the place where more than half of the entire industrial potential of Europe is concentrated: coal and metallurgical enterprises, general engineering, automotive, chemical industry enterprises, the latest high-tech industries, port industrial complexes and much more.

Rice. 3 Europe's “central axis of development”

What have we learned?

Features of foreign Europe - under the gun of our attention. After considering this topic in geography for grades 10 and 11, we come to the following conclusion: a relatively small area on vast continent is one of the most successful, developed in terms of the quality of life of the population, the structure of production, the scale of economic activity and the level of technological development. Many factors contributed to this: geographical position, favorable natural conditions, the small size of countries and their close proximity, and much more.

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Undoubtedly, Europe is a continent that has the largest number the most popular and visited monuments in the world. In this regard, we present to your attention the best attractions in Europe.

Included in architectural complex famous square Wonder declared object world heritage UNESCO in 1987, leaning tower of pisa is one of the most important and visited attractions in Europe. Due to her attractiveness, she even "starred" in the movie "Superman". If you visit this landmark of Italy, be sure to take a typical photo against its background.

Located in the city of Versailles (France), this palace is one of the most beautiful in the world. Its construction began on the orders of Louis XIV, and the result was an imposing and majestic building, with over 800 hectares of the most beautiful gardens in the world.

The Palace of Versailles is of great artistic value. Of particular importance is the "Gallery of Mirrors" - an impressive hall that is 73 meters long and has 375 mirrors. It is also the place where in 1919 the First World War signing the Treaty of Versailles. This magnificent palace is a World Heritage Site and one of the finest monuments in Europe.

The medieval castle of Neuschwanstein has been awarded the first place in the ranking of the most impressive castles in the world. In addition, it is one of the most important and visited attractions in Europe and the most photographed building in Germany, which inspired Walt Disney to create famous castle Cinderella.

Neuschwanstein Castle is located on a rock in the Bavarian Alps in the Füssen region. It was built by order of the Bavarian King Ludwig II in 1866.

The Sagrada Familia is a cathedral in Barcelona, ​​Gaudí's masterpiece and the finest example of Catalan modernist architecture. Its construction began in 1882 and today is still not completed. The work done by Gaudí, i.e. the façade of the Nativity and the crypt, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005. Today it is one of the most famous attractions in Spain and Europe.

Stonehenge is a megalithic monument from the Late Neolithic (XX century BC). Located near the town of Amesbury in Wiltshire, England. It is not known for sure what it was before - a burial place, an observatory, etc., but we know one thing for sure - Stonehenge is important landmark of Europe.

Here we want to note not only the impressive St. Peter's Cathedral - the most important temple of Catholicism and one of the most beautiful in Europe, in the construction of which such famous architects like Bramante, Michelangelo and Carlo Maderno. But also the Apostolic Palace, which is the official residence of the Pope in the Vatican, and includes the Vatican Museums and the Vatican Library, including the famous Sistine Chapel with frescoes by Michelangelo.

Located in the heart of the city of Berlin, the Brandenburg Gate is the symbol of Germany. They were built by the architect Carl Gottgard Langgans between 1788 and 1791 during the reign of King Frederick William II of Prussia and are modeled after the main entrance to the Acropolis in Athens. During the Second World War, the attraction was badly damaged, and the Chariot was almost completely destroyed. During construction Berlin Wall in 1961, the Brandenburg Gate was left in no man's land, with no access to either East or West. Because of its history and beauty, this gate deserves to be among the best attractions in Europe.

8. Old Town Square in Prague

The Old Town Square in Prague is one of the most charming and beautiful squares in Europe. This is the location beautiful monuments, such as the Gothic Tyn Church with two towers over 80 meters high, the Church of St. Nicholas and the Town Hall, the facade of which is decorated with the most famous and beautiful medieval astronomical clock built in 1490

Basil's Cathedral is undoubtedly the most symbolic sight of Russia and one of the most famous in Europe. This Orthodox church located on Red Square in Moscow. Known worldwide for its colorful onion-shaped domes. Its construction was started by order of Tsar Ivan the Terrible in honor of the conquest of the Kazan Khanate, and continued between 1555 and 1561. The cathedral consists of nine separate chapels dedicated to each of the saints on whose holidays Ivan the Terrible won battles.

Big Ben is famous tower Palace of Westminster, seat of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. This peculiar building with a height of 96 meters, built in 1858, has become the main symbol of London, and is considered the third largest clock tower in the world. The hero of countless films, Big Ben is definitely one of the best in all of Europe.

For centuries, Hagia Sophia has been a symbol of the Byzantine Empire. Any traveler will remember this building forever, seeing the grandeur of its dome and other parts that are visible from all over the Bosphorus. After the Ottoman conquest of the city, the cathedral was turned into a mosque, and then into a museum by the decree of Kemal Ataturk. Today it is the most famous and photographed landmark of the city of Istanbul.

The Eiffel Tower is a wrought iron structure built by the French engineer Gustave Eiffel, designed by Émile Nougier and Maurice Koechlin, for the World Exhibition in Paris in 1889. the eiffel tower is most visited attraction in the world, and for 41 years, with its 330 meters, was also the highest on the planet. This is a symbol not only of Paris, but of the whole of France.

Alhambra - built by Muslims palace complex With beautiful gardens on the hill of Granada, where the monarch of the Emirate of Granada was located. This architectural ensemble, including luxurious palaces, the delightful gardens of the Generalife and the fortress. The beautiful Andalusian interior style and hillside location make the Alhambra one of the most beautiful and popular attractions in Europe and the world.

2. Acropolis of Athens

The Acropolis is not only considered an important monument of Europe, it was also one of the main contenders for the title of the new seven wonders of the world. It is located on a hill 156 meters above sea level in Athens. Most of the main temples of the acropolis were built under the direction of Pericles during the Golden Age of Athens (460-430 BC). Inside you can see the Temple of Nike Apteros and the famous Parthenon. At the end of the Acropolis is an outstanding architectural monument Erechtheion.

Along with the Trevi Fountain, the Colosseum is a great symbol of the city of Rome. With a history of 2000 years and measuring 188 meters long, 156 meters wide and 57 meters high, it is the largest and oldest Roman amphitheater, and one of the best preserved. Here, more than 50,000 people could enjoy gladiator fights, executions of prisoners, etc. The theater remained active for over 500 years, until the sixth century, when the last games were held. Considering that the Roman Colosseum is considered one of the seven new wonders of the world, it deservedly takes the first place in our ranking. the best attractions in Europe.