Europe – Cultural Characteristics Quick Facts

Europe is the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. Beginning around 1760, Europe began its transition to a highly industrialized society (factories) with the transition to new manufacturing processes. Think mass production (producing a lot of things at one time).

There are many ethnic groups in Europe – languages, religions, and customs. For example, in Switzerland, the official languages are German, French, Italian, and Romansh. The population is a mixture of Christians, Jews, and Muslims among other religions. Additionally, in Switzerland, the closer you live to the country that borders you (i.e. Germany), the more likely you are to affiliate with that country’s traditions and customs).

There has been sporadic conflict among groups (wars, revolutions). Some famous examples include World War I (which involved 15 countries in Europe alone), World War II (which involved over 20 countries in Europe alone), the Holocaust (which was a Nazi German effort to kill all the Jewish people in Europe), the Bosnian Genocide (an ethnic cleansing event in Southeast Europe in 1995), and today’s ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

Western Democracy, the style of government that the United States follows, was born in Greece and Rome. These ancient civilizations were considered to be among the greatest and most advanced civilizations to ever inhabit the Earth!

European culture has spread to many other parts of the world (recall exploration [rivers, seas], colonization [North America, Latin America, Africa, and Asia], and imperialism [the British Empire – the sun never sets].

Europe is a highly urbanized region of the world. Many of the world’s largest and great cities are located in Europe.

Europe is also one of the world’s most densely populated areas. There are over 500 million people living on the European continent. A great portion of Europe could fit in just the states that make up the central, Great Plains of the United States. In comparison, the entire population of all 50 US states is only about 320 million.

Europe is involved in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Similar to an agreement like the European Union, this alliance (between many European countries and the United States and Canada) serves the purpose of mutual defense. If any country of the alliance is attacked, it is considered an attack on all members and all members of NATO are required to respond.

There are many great cities in Europe that are considered to be centers of culture and trade. They include:

Berlin, Germany; London, UK; Paris, France; Madrid, Spain; Rome, Italy; Athens, Greece; and Warsaw, Poland.

The cultural landscape of Europe can best be captured in the images found below:

Notre Dame Cathedral – Paris, France

Arc de Triomphe – Paris, France

The Louvre – Paris, France

The Eiffel Tower – Paris, France

The Colosseum – Rome, Italy

The Leaning Tower of Pisa – Pisa, Italy

St. Peter’s Basilica – Vatican City (Which is inside Rome, Italy)

The Parthenon - Athens, Greece

The Pantheon – Rome, Italy (Thomas Jefferson was SO creative when he built his Rotunda at UVA)

Westminster Abbey – London, UK

Big Ben and the Parliament Building – London, UK (Big Ben is the clock tower portion)

Windmills in the Netherlands (visual approximation)

Castles in Germany and literally everywhere else