| The smallest continent after Australia, Europe has a wide variety of climates and landscapes. The
tundra of the far north gives way to a cool, wet, heavily forested region. The North European
Plain is well-drained, fertile,and rich in oil, coal,and natural gas. The shores of the
Mediterranean are generally warm, dry, and hilly, ideal for cultivating olives, citrus fruit, and
grapes. A great curve of mountain ranges, including the Pyrenees, Alps, and Carpathians, divides
north from south. To the east, the rolling plains of European Russia and the Ukraine, clad in
coniferous forests or cultivated for wheat, run up to the Ural Mountains. Europeans are mainly
Christian - Catholic, Orthodox, or Protestant - and speak a variety of languages, most of which
spring from Latin (Romance), Germanic, or Slavic roots.
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