We want to welcome you to EJLS. EU. This first entry intends to show the spirit of our site and project. We want to bring the most exciting European statistics in the hope that the world will see our continent with new eyes.
Every year, many people travel to Europe visiting the most popular countries like Spain, Italy, France, or Germany. Sites like the Eiffel Tower, El Prado Museum, the leaning tower of Pisa, or the Berlin wall are well known by many. Practically anyone would recognize any of these sites in a photograph. But we want to show an entirely new side of Europe. This is our primary goal.
Interesting statistics in Europe
Europe is a continent with 50 countries. There are 24 official languages, but 200 are spoken across the continent. There is also a wide variety of ethnic groups with 87 indigenous peoples.
With the variety of ethnicities, we can also find different religious beliefs. Because the Roman Catholic Church was established here, Catholicism is the most popular religion in Europe. Statistics show that nearly 51% of the population has embraced Christianity.
On the other hand, 43% of the people consider themselves ‘unaffiliated’. This means they don’t belong to any particular creed. Like in many other places, the number of ‘unaffiliated’ is increasing in Europe.
Islam is practiced mainly in Turkey, Albania, and Azerbaijan. Since two of these countries have territories in Europe and Asia, this can be considered a cultural border between the old continent and the Middle East. However, recent migration has brought an increase in the Muslim faith in other parts of Europe.
Judaism is practiced in some of the largest countries, but, like Islam, is still considered a minority religion. Lastly, Buddhism and Hinduism are very scarce.
As we can see, Europe is much more than the Roman coliseum. With our blog, we want to show you a whole other side of this continent.
Facts about Europe
Largest country: Russia. Although Russians don’t consider themselves Europeans, one part of their territory geographically belongs to this continent. This portion is bigger than any other European state as a whole.
Smallest country: Vatican City. Located in the heart of Rome, this independent state is smaller than an average city. This is where the pope lives and has only 1,000 inhabitants. Since half of Europe is catholic, it makes sense that the heart of this church is located inside one of Europe’s most beautiful cities.
Largest capital city: Moscow. This city saw some of the world’s most powerful monarchy regimes be born and thrive. Now, it’s the largest capital in Europe and one of the world’s meccas for artists and intellectuals.
Smallest town: With only 30 inhabitants, Hum, in Croatia, is the smallest city in Europe and the world. The country with the highest population density: Monaco. Monaco is one of the richest and smallest countries in the world. It also has a high population density with 18,960 inhabitants per square kilometer.
Highest mountain: Mount Elbrus. This is a 5,642-meter-long peak located in the Caucasus Mountain range, in Russia.
Longest river: Volga. The longest river in Europe is also in Russia. It provides incredible landscapes to cities like Nizhny Novgorod and is 3,692 kilometers long.
Surprising facts about Europe
- There are no mosquitoes in Iceland. Thanks to its cold weather, Iceland is said not to have any mosquitos.
- Receive a letter from Queen Elizabeth. Residents of the British Commonwealth can get a letter from the Queen of England herself on their 100th and 105th birthdays.
- Don’t clink glasses when visiting Hungary. For Hungarians, clicking glasses brings painful memories. When they lost to Austria in 1848, the victors clinked glasses to celebrate.
- In Switzerland, mowing your grass on a Sunday is illegal. While Swiss people are hard-working, they take their resting time very seriously. People are not allowed to perform noisy and annoying household tasks on Sundays. This includes hanging clothes out to dry, mowing the lawn, or washing your car.
- Europe has one rainforest. There is one rainforest in Europe that works as the main lung of the continent. It’s located in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Seeing Europe with brand new eyes
These are the types of facts that we want to share with you through our blog. We are excited to see Europe from a different perspective. We hope that our passion for statistics helps us write the most informative pieces.
Many of the topics presented in this welcome letter are likely to be developed in further entries. Yet, we welcome our readers’ comments and suggestions. We will be happy to write about those topics that interest our audience.
Visit our blog, leave your comments, and share the content to make our community bigger! Welcome on board!