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Panoramic photo by Noel Jenkins , Taken 12:31, 11/07/2009 |
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Limestone Pavement above Malham CoveThe World > Europe > UK > England |
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A view from the top of Malham Cove, Yorkshire Dales National Park. Enthusiasts of karst landscapes will recognise the particularly well-developed area of limestone pavement that separates the "dry valley" to the north from the sheer drop into the Cove.
The impressive 80m high walls at Malham Cove were formed at the end of the last ice age from glacial ...
Gordale Scar is a magnificent gorge with overhanging walls that gradually narrow to the north where a...
The Ribblehead Viaduct crosses the Cumbria and North Yorkshire Moors at the head of the River Ribble....
The Ribblehead Viaduct crosses the Cumbria and North Yorkshire Moors at the head of the River Ribble....
Semerwater is the largest natural lake in North Yorkshire, England. It is half a mile (800 m) long an...
Brimham Rocks Some 320 million years ago, a huge river washed down grit and sand from granite mountai...
Brimham Rocks These rock formations at Brimham in Nidderdale, Yorkshire are located over some 50 acre...
Europe is generally agreed to be the birthplace of western culture, including such legendary innovations as the democratic nation-state, football and tomato sauce.
The word Europe comes from the Greek goddess Europa, who was kidnapped by Zeus and plunked down on the island of Crete. Europa gradually changed from referring to mainland Greece until it extended finally to include Norway and Russia.
Don't be confused that Europe is called a continent without looking like an island, the way the other continents do. It's okay. The Ural mountains have steadily been there to divide Europe from Asia for the last 250 million years. Russia technically inhabits "Eurasia".
Europe is presently uniting into one political and economic zone with a common currency called the Euro. The European Union originated in 1993 and is now composed of 27 member states. Its headquarters is in Brussels, Belgium.
Do not confuse the EU with the Council of Europe, which has 47 member states and dates to 1949. These two bodies share the same flag, national anthem, and mission of integrating Europe. The headquarters of the Council are located in Strasbourg, France, and it is most famous for its European Court of Human Rights.
In spite of these two bodies, there is still no single Constitution or set of laws applying to all the countries of Europe. Debate rages over the role of the EU in regards to national sovereignty. As of January 2009, the Lisbon Treaty is the closest thing to a European Constitution, yet it has not been approved by all the EU states.
Text by Steve Smith, please go to my profile page for contact info.
