What is Europe?
Europe is first a part of the Earth: a continent. But people also say “Europe” when they mean the European Union. It is not quite the same thing!
A continent
Europe is a continent, like Africa or Asia. It has about fifty countries: this site covers 50 of them.
A club of countries
The European Union, the EU, is a group of 27 countries that decided to work together and take some decisions jointly.
Not everyone
Some European countries are not in the EU, such as Switzerland, Norway or the United Kingdom. They are still neighbours and often work with the EU.
A flag
The European flag is blue with a circle of 12 golden stars. The number 12 does not change when new countries join: it is a symbol of unity.
Source : european-union.europa.eu
Little quiz
Question 1 of 3
Europe is…
Europe is a continent with about fifty countries.
Question 2 of 3
How many countries are in the European Union?
There are 27 countries in the EU. 12 is the number of stars on the flag!
Question 3 of 3
Is Switzerland in the EU?
No, but it has signed many agreements with the EU.