Continental Europe

Continental Europe or mainland Europe is the contiguous

continent

of

Europe

, excluding its surrounding islands. It can also be referred to ambiguously as the European continent, – which can conversely mean the whole of Europe – and, by some, simply as the Continent.

The old notion of

Europe

as a cultural term was centred on core Europe (''Kerneuropa''), the continental territory of the historical Carolingian Empire, corresponding to modern

France

,

Italy

, German-speaking Europe and the

Benelux

states (historical Austrasia). This historical core of "Carolingian Europe" was consciously invoked in the 1950s as the historical ethno-cultural basis for the prospective European integration (see also Multi-speed Europe).

Usage

The most common definition of Mainland Europe excludes these continental islands: the Greek Islands,

Cyprus

,

Malta

,

Sicily

,

Sardinia

,

Corsica

, the

Balearic Islands

,

Great Britain

and

Ireland

and surrounding islands,

Novaya Zemlya

and the Nordic archipelago, as well as nearby oceanic islands, including the Canary Islands,

Madeira

, the

Azores

,

Iceland

, the

Faroe Islands

, and

Svalbard

.

The Scandinavian Peninsula is sometimes also excluded, as even though it is technically part of "mainland Europe", the ''de facto'' connections to the rest of the continent are across the

Baltic Sea

or

North Sea

(rather than via the lengthy land route that involves travelling to the north of the peninsula where it meets Finland, and then south through north-east Europe).

Great Britain and Ireland

In both

Great Britain

and Ireland, ''the Continent'' is widely and generally used to refer to the mainland of Europe. An amusing British newspaper headline supposedly once read, "Fog in

Channel

; Continent Cut Off". It has also been claimed that this was a regular weather forecast in Britain in the 1930s. In addition, the word ''Europe'' itself is also regularly used to mean Europe excluding the islands of Great Britain, Iceland, and Ireland (although the term is often used to refer to the

European Union

). The term ''mainland Europe'' is also sometimes used. Usage may reflect political or cultural allegiances. Pro-European UK citizens are much less likely to use "Europe" in ways that exclude the UK and Ireland.

Derivatively, the adjective ''continental'' refers to the social practices or fashion of continental Europe. Examples include breakfast, topless sunbathing and, historically, long-range driving (before Britain had motorways) often known as ''Grand Touring''. Differences include electrical plugs, time zones for the most part, the use of left-hand traffic, and for the United Kingdom, currency and the continued use of certain imperial units alongside the metric units which have long since displaced customary units in Continental Europe.

Britain is physically connected to continental Europe through the undersea Channel Tunnel (the longest undersea tunnel in the world), which accommodates both the Getlink (passenger and vehicle use – vehicle required) and

Eurostar

(passenger use only) services. These services were established to transport passengers and vehicles through the tunnel on a 24/7 basis between

England

and continental Europe, while still maintaining passport and immigration control measures on both sides of the tunnel. This route is popular with refugees and migrants seeking to enter the UK.

Scandinavia

Especially in Germanic studies, ''continental'' refers to the European continent excluding the Scandinavian peninsula, Britain, Ireland, and Iceland. The reason for this is that although the Scandinavian peninsula is attached to continental Europe, and accessible via a land route along the 66th parallel north, it is usually reached by sea.

("the Continent") is a vernacular Swedish expression that refers to an area excluding Sweden, Norway, and Finland but including Denmark (even the Danish archipelago which is technically not a part of continental Europe) and the rest of continental Europe. In Norway, similarly, one speaks about as a separate entity. In Denmark, Jutland is referred to as the mainland and thereby a part of continental Europe.

The Scandinavian peninsula is now connected to the Danish mainland (the

Jutland

peninsula) by several bridges and tunnels.

Mediterranean and Atlantic islands

''The Continent'' may sometimes refer to the continental part of

Italy

(excluding

Sardinia

,

Sicily

, etc.), the continental part of

Spain

(excluding the

Balearic islands

, the Canary Islands, Alboran, etc.), the continental part of France (excluding

Corsica

, etc.), the continental part of Portugal (excluding the Madeira and

Azores

islands), or the continental part of Greece (excluding the

Ionian Islands

, the Aegean Islands, and

Crete

). The term is used from the perspective of the island residents of each country to describe the continental portion of their country or the continent (or mainland) as a whole.

Continental France is also known as ''l'Hexagone'', "the Hexagon", referring to its approximate shape on a map. Continental Spain is referred to as Peninsular Spain.

See also

* Continental philosophy
* Geopolitical divisions of Europe
* Geographical midpoint of Europe
* Mainland
*

Western Europe

* Hajnal line

References

{{Authority control

Regions of Europe
Political geography