Europe?is a?continent?located entirely in the?Northern Hemisphere?and mostly in the?Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the?Arctic Ocean?to the north, the?Atlantic Ocean?to the west and the?Mediterranean Sea?to the south. It comprises the westernmost part of?Eurasia.

Europe covers about 10,180,000 square kilometers (3,930,000?sq?mi), or 2% of the Earth’s surface (6.8% of land area). Politically, Europe is divided into about?fifty sovereign states?of which the?Russian Federation?is the largest and most populous, spanning 39% of the continent and comprising 15% of its population. Europe had a?total population?of about 741 million (about 11% of the?world population) as of 2016.[1]?The?European climate?is largely affected by warm Atlantic currents that temper winters and summers on much of the continent, even at?latitudes?along which the climate in Asia and?North America?is severe. Further, from the sea, seasonal differences are more noticeable than close to the coast.