NationMaster - Encyclopedia: European civilization

The Culture of Europe might better be described as a series of overlapping cultures of Europe. Whether it be a question of West as opposed to East; Catholicism and Protestantism as opposed to Eastern Orthodoxy; Christianity as opposed to Islam; many have claimed to identify cultural faultlines across the continent. The Maastricht Treaty introduced the concept of citizenship of the European Union. ... Cultural cooperation in the European Union has become a community competency since its inclusion in 1992 in the Maastricht Treaty. ... The European Union has over 456 million inhabitants and currently has 25 member states. ... The European Union (EU) was originally created by the six founding states in 1952, but has grown to its current size of 25 member states. ... Foreign relations of the European Union Foreign relations of Austria Foreign relations of Belgium Foreign relations of Cyprus Foreign relations of the Czech Republic Foreign relations of Denmark Foreign relations of Estonia Foreign relations of Finland Foreign relations of France Foreign relations of Germany Foreign relations of Greece Foreign relations... Justin Erdos, who goes to the Edwardsburg High School, is the biggest jew in the world. ... The European Union or EU is a supranational and intergovernmental union of 25 European states. ... Statistics in the European Union are collected by Eurostat. ... Europe is conventionally considered one of the seven continents of Earth which, in this case, is more a cultural and political distinction than a physiographic one, leading to some dispute as to Europes actual borders. ... The term Western world or the West can have multiple meanings depending on its context. ... The term Eastern world refers very broadly to the various cultures, social structures and philosophical systems of the East, namely Asia (including China, India, Japan, and surrounding regions). ... This article considers Catholicism in the broadest ecclesiastical sense. ... Protestantism is a movement within Christianity, representing the splitting away from the Roman Catholic Church during the mid-to-late Renaissance in Europeâ€”a period known as the Protestant Reformation. ... ... Christianity is a monotheistic religion centered on the New Testament accounts of the life, teachings, and actions of Jesus of Nazareth, known by Christians as Jesus Christ. ... Islam (Arabic: ; ( (helpÂ· info)), submission (to the will of God) is a monotheistic faith and the worlds second-largest religion. ...

Europe has been a cradle for many cultural innovations and movements, often at odds with each other such as Christian proselytism and Humanism, that have consequently been spread across the globe. The Renaissance of classical ideas influenced the development of art and literature far beyond the confines of the continent. The English language word proselytism is derived ultimately from the Greek language prefix pros (towards) and the verb erchomai (to come). ... Humanism is a broad category of active ethical philosophies that affirm the dignity and worth of all people, based on our ability to determine what is right using the qualities innate to humanity, particularly rationality. ... In the traditional view, the Renaissance is understood as an historical age that was preceded by the Middle Ages and followed by the Reformation. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

Faultlines

One of the major problems in defining the European culture, is where does Europe start and where does it end? Most countries share common historical experiences, but several important faultlines appear. The first one is the dividing lands that were occupied at some point by the Roman Empire, thus dividing Europe along a line that goes through Hadrian's Wall in the British Isles, along the Rhine and finally along the Danube. Another faultline is the Catholic-Orthodox divide caused by the Great Schism, which isolates Russia, Belarus, half of Ukraine (whether Uniate Ukraine is considered Orthodox or Catholic is a matter of debate) and Serbia. Yet another faultline is the one that separates the lands once occupied by the Ottoman Empire and the ones that weren't, which created the current Christian-Islam faultline, that separates Albania, Bosnia and Turkey. Another faultline was caused by Napoleon's conquests and the legacies of the Continental System and the spread of the French Revolution inspiring civil law. Also notable is the faultline that separates the parts of Europe that went through industrialization in the 19th century, including Northern Italy and Bohemia. And finally, the most recent faultline is the infamous Iron Curtain. These faultlines are key to understanding the cultural similarities and differences in Europe. They are also important for identifying what countries should be admitted into the European Union (such as in the case of Turkey or the 2004 separatist menace in Ukraine). Thus the question of "common culture" or "common values" is far more complex than it seems. For other senses of this name, see Roman Empire (disambiguation). ... Pieces of Hadrians Wall remain near Greenhead and along the route, though large sections have been dismantled over the years to use the stones for various nearby construction projects. ... The British Isles consist of Great Britain, Ireland and a number of much smaller surrounding islands. ... At 1,320 kilometres (820 miles) and an average discharge of more than 2,000 cubic meters per second, the Rhine (German Rhein, French Rhin, Dutch Rijn, Romansch: Rein, Italian: Reno) is one of the longest and most important rivers in Europe. ... The Danube bend at VisegrÃ¡d is a popular destination of tourists The Danube (German: Donau, Slovak: Dunaj, Hungarian: Duna, Slovenian: Donava, Croatian: Dunav, Serbian: Ð”ÑƒÐ½Ð°Ð²/Dunav, Bulgarian: Ð”ÑƒÐ½Ð°Ð² (Dunav), Romanian: DunÄƒre, Ukrainian: , Latin: Danuvius, Turkish: Tuna) is Europes second-longest river (after the Volga). ... The term Great Schism refers to either of two splits in the history of Christianity: Most commonly, it refers to the great East-West Schism, the event that separated Eastern Orthodoxy and Western Roman Catholicism in the eleventh century (1054). ... Serbia and Montenegro â€“ Serbia â€“ Kosovo (UN administration) â€“ Vojvodina â€“ Montenegro Official language Serbian1 Capital Belgrade Independence Declared from the Ottoman Empire Gained autonomy 1817 Independence July 13, 1878 Area â€“ Total â€“ % water 88,361 kmÂ² n/a Population â€“ Total (2002) (not including data for Kosovo and Metohia Province) â€“ Density 7. ... Imperial motto (Ottoman Turkish) Ø¯ÙˆÙ„Øª Ø§Ø¨Ø¯ Ù…Ø¯Øª Devlet-i Ebed-mÃ¼ddet (The Eternal State) The Ottoman Empire at the height of its power (1683) Official language Ottoman Turkish Capital SÃ¶ÄŸÃ¼t (1299-1326), Bursa (1326-1365), Edirne (1365-1453), Ä°stanbul (1453-1922) Imperial anthem Ottoman imperial anthem Sovereigns Padishah of the Osmanl... Motto: none Anthem: Intermeco Capital Sarajevo Largest city Sarajevo Official language(s) Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian Government Presidents Prime Minister Federal republic Sulejman TihiÄ‡1 (Bosniak) Borislav Paravac (Serb) Ivo Miro JoviÄ‡ (Croat) Adnan Terzic Independence From Yugoslavia Declared 5 April 1992 Area - Total - Water (%) 51,129 kmÂ² (124th) 19,741... For other uses, see Napoleon (disambiguation). ... The Continental System was a foreign-policy cornerstone of Napoleon I of France in his struggle against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland during the Napoleonic Wars. ... The French Revolution (1789-1799) was a period in the history of France. ... Civil law has at least three meanings. ... Bohemia. ... Countries in the Iron Curtain (marked red) Yugoslavia and Albania were communist, but isolated themselves from Russia, making them not part of the Iron Curtain The Iron Curtain is a Western term made famous by Winston Churchill referring to the boundary which symbolically, ideologically, and physically divided Europe into two...

Global influence

European culture also has a broad influence beyond the continent of Europe due to the legacy of colonialism. In this broader sense it is sometimes referred to as Western Civilization. Nearly all of the Americas were ruled by European powers at one time or another, and some parts of the New World, such as French Guiana, still are. The vast majority of the population of the Americas speak European languages, specifically Spanish, English, Portuguese, and French. Additionally the cultures of the European colonial powers (Spain, Britain, Portugal, Russia and France) exert a strong influence. World map of colonialism at the end of the Second World War in 1945. ... The term Western world or the West can have multiple meanings depending on its context. ... The Americas (sometimes referred to as America) is the area including the land mass located between the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean, generally divided into North America and South America. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...

The legacy of colonialism has spread European culture elsewhere in the world. Europe profoundly influenced on the cultures of Africa, India, Israel, Australia, and other places colonised or settled by Europeans. Culture of Africa encompasses and includes all cultures which were ever in the continent of Africa. ...

Values

In recent decades the European Union has been seeking to identify and support common European values, however this has turned out to be a highly controversial issue. Some commentators wish to classify social cohesion and solidarity as European values and contrast them with more individualist values in the United States. The distinction is not a simple one, but is perhaps most fundamentally reflected in differing attitudes to government, notably in terms of trust in the government. Social Cohesion is a state in society where the vast majority of citizens respect the law and one anothers human rights. ... Solidarity (Polish: SolidarnoÅ›Ä‡; full name: Independent Self-governing Trade Union Solidarity â€” NiezaleÅ¼ny SamorzÄ…dny ZwiÄ…zek Zawodowy SolidarnoÅ›Ä‡) is a Polish trade union federation founded in September 1980 at the GdaÅ„sk Shipyards, and originally led by Lech WaÅ‚Ä™sa. ... For judgements of value about collectivism and individualism, see individualism and collectivism. ... Look up trust in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Arts

See European art history Medieval Art Main article: Medieval art Art during Medieval times was almost exclusively concerned with Christianity. ...

Food and drink

See European cuisine ÃŠÃ‚Ã²Ã Ãˆâ‚¬Å«Â¹ Â² Â³ ÃHello ...

Language

See European languages Most of the many indigenous languages of Europe belong to the Indo-European language family. ...

Language is a very important part of culture, and Europe has a widespread variety of languages, with most countries having at least one official language. Russian is the largest language in Europe, followed by German. Many regional languages are also spoken, some enjoying a level of official status or recognition. Other minority languages are also spoken. The diversity on such a small territory is proverbial. The European Union alone uses 21 official languages, which all have the same status. The cost of translation is so high that the official language of the Union is an ongoing debate, since many MEPs are bilingual and most languages have a great level of prestige. An official language is a language that is given a privileged legal status in a state, or other legally-defined territory. ... A regional language is a language spoken in a part of a country - it may be a small area, a federal state or province, or a wider area. ... A minority language is a language spoken by a minority of the population of a country. ...

Literature

Music

The music of Europe includes the music of Western Europe, Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Northern Europe, Southern Europe. ...

Sport

Europe's influence on sport is enormous. Indeed, it is difficult to think of a modern sport, apart from basketball and related sports, that does not have its origins in Europe. European sports include: Sara Giauro shoots a three-point shot, FIBA Europe Cup for Women Finals 2005 For other uses, see Basketball (disambiguation). ...

In addition, Europe has numerous national or regional sports which do not command a huge international following outside of emmigrant groups. These include: The striker (wearing red jersey) has run past the defender (in white jersey) and is about to take a shot at the goal, while the goalkeeper positions himself to stop the ball. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my [birth]right) Englands location (dark green) within the British Isles Languages English (de facto) Capital London de facto Largest city London Area â€“ Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 kmÂ² Population â€“ Total (mid-2004) â€“ Total (2001 Census) â€“ Density Ranked... The Football Association (The FA) is the governing body of football in England (and the Crown dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man). ... Motto: Nemo me impune lacessit (English: No one provokes me with impunity) Scotlands location within Europe Scotlands location within the United Kingdom Languages English, Gaelic, Scots Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow First Minister Jack McConnell Area - Total - % water Ranked 2nd UK 78,782 kmÂ² 1. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my [birth]right) Englands location (dark green) within the British Isles Languages English (de facto) Capital London de facto Largest city London Area â€“ Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 kmÂ² Population â€“ Total (mid-2004) â€“ Total (2001 Census) â€“ Density Ranked... Image from a test-match between Ireland and the New Zealand All Blacks. ... Rugby league is a team sport, played by two teams of 13 players. ... This article covers the history of rugby union. ... United States simply as football, is a competitive team sport that is both fast-paced and strategic. ... Athletics, also known, especially in American English, as track and field or track and field athletics, is a collection of sport events, which can roughly be divided into running, throwing, and jumping. ... Antiquity means different things: Generally it means ancient history, and may be used of any period before the Middle Ages. ... Alternate meaning: Discus fish The discus throw is an athletics (track and field) throwing event. ... Look up Javelin on Wiktionary, the free dictionary Javelin can refer to several things: For the spear-like object,used as a thrown weapon in ancient times see Javelin Ancient For the modern athletic discipline see Javelin throw. ... Shot put The shot put is an athletics (track and field) event involving putting (throwing in a pushing motion) a heavy metal ball, also called the shot, as far as possible. ... Ancient Greece is the term used to describe the Greek-speaking world in ancient times. ... Olympic Games Summer Olympic Games Winter Olympic Games Olympic sports Medal counts Participating NOCs Olympic symbols Olympics WikiProject Olympics Portal Athens 2004 Torino 2006 ... A game of field hockey in progress Field hockey is a popular sport for men and women in many countries around the world. ... A common understanding of Western Europe in modern times. ... Composite satellite image of the Indian subcontinent Map of South Asia. ... Geographic scope of East Asia East Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms. ... Antipodes (from Greek anti- opposed and pous foot) means diametrically opposed, and more specifically refers to the opposite side of the Earth, the region of the antipodal point, from where one is located. ... Ice hockey, known simply as hockey in areas where it is more common than field hockey, is a team sport played on ice. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ... Golf (gowf in Scots) is a game where individual players or teams hit a ball into a hole using various clubs, and is one of the few ball games that does not use a fixed standard playing area. ... Asia is the largest and most populous region or continent depending on the definition. ... Musselburgh is a town in East Lothian, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth, six miles east of Edinburgh city centre. ... Tennis ball This article is about the sport. ... Wang Liqin winning a forehand drive against JÃ¶rg Rosskopf. ... Real tennis is the original racket sport from which the modern game of lawn tennis, or tennis, is descended. ... Team handball (also known as field handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport where two teams of seven players each (six players and a goalkeeper) pass and bounce a ball trying to throw it in the goal of the opposing team. ... Europe is conventionally considered one of the seven continents of Earth which, in this case, is more a cultural and political distinction than a physiographic one, leading to some dispute as to Europes actual borders. ... Antiquity means different things: Generally it means ancient history, and may be used of any period before the Middle Ages. ... Northern Europe is marked in dark blue Northern Europe is a name of the northern part of the European continent. ... Cycling is a recreation, a sport and a means of transport across land. ... A common understanding of Western Europe in modern times. ... The Tour de France (French for Tour of France), often referred to as La Grande Boucle, Le Tour or The Tour, is a long-distance road bicycle racing competition for professionals held over three weeks in July in and around France. ... This racing bicycle is built using lightweight, shaped aluminium tubing and carbon fiber stays and forks. ... Two-wheeled devices for human transport that require balancing have a long history, with the earliest confirmed example dating to the early 19th century, although the term bicycle was coined in France in the 1860s. ... For the insect, see Cricket (insect). ... North-West Europe is not a well defined term. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my [birth]right) Englands location (dark green) within the British Isles Languages English (de facto) Capital London de facto Largest city London Area â€“ Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 kmÂ² Population â€“ Total (mid-2004) â€“ Total (2001 Census) â€“ Density Ranked... A satellite composite image of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia. ... Antipodes (from Greek anti- opposed and pous foot) means diametrically opposed, and more specifically refers to the opposite side of the Earth, the region of the antipodal point, from where one is located. ... Composite satellite image of the Indian subcontinent Map of South Asia. ... Diagram of a rounders pitch. ... Baseball is a team sport in which a player on one team (the pitcher) attempts to throw a hard, fist-sized ball at a player on the other team (the batter), who attempts to hit the baseball with a tapered, smooth, cylindrical bat that can be made out of either...

Some sporting organisations hold European Championships. Gaelic Football action Gaelic football (Irish: peil ghaelach) is a form of football played mainly in Ireland where it is the most popular sport. ... Australian rules football (also known as Aussie Rules or Footy) is a game played between two teams of 18 players, generally played on cricket ovals during the winter months. ... Pelota (in Basque and Catalan, pilota; in French pelote, from Latin pila) is a name for a variety of court sports played with a ball using ones hand, a racket, a wooden bat (pala), or a basket propulsor, against a wall (frontón in Spanish, frontoi in Basque, front... World map showing the Americas The Americas commonly refers to the landmass of the Western Hemisphere, consisting of the continents of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions. ... On the beach at Nice, France PÃ©tanque is a form of boules where the goal is to throw metal balls as close as possible to a jack (a small wooden ball called a cochonnet in French, which means piglet). ... Boules /bul/ is a collective name for games played with metal balls. ... Irish road bowling is an ancient sport. ... A set of Bocce balls Bocce is a precision sport closely related to bowls and pÃ©tanque with a common ancestry from ancient games played in the Roman Empire. ... Skittles is the sport from which bowling originated. ... Men playing bowls Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Category:Bowls Bowls (also known as Lawn Bowls or Lawn Bowling) is a precision sport where the goal is to roll slightly radially asymmetrical balls (called bowls) closer to a smaller white ball (the jack or kitty) than ones opponent... Hurling (Irish Language, IomÃ¡int) is an outdoor team sport of Celtic origin, played with sticks and a ball. ... Shinty, also known as camanachd, or iomain, is a team sport played with sticks and a ball. ... Motto: Nemo me impune lacessit (English: No one provokes me with impunity) Scotlands location within Europe Scotlands location within the United Kingdom Languages English, Gaelic, Scots Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow First Minister Jack McConnell Area - Total - % water Ranked 2nd UK 78,782 kmÂ² 1. ... Handball (also known as Irish/Gaelic handball, court handball or wall handball) is a sport similar to racquetball and squash. ... American (or court) handball is an American form of fives played against one or more walls. ... Horse gaits are the different methods by which a horse, either naturally or through human training, moves itself. ... Southern Europe is a region of Europe. ... There are various championships held in a variety of sports on a European Level: European Figure Skating Championships (figure skating) European Football Championship (football) European Basketball Championship (basketball) European LC Championships (swimming) European SC Championships (swimming) European Mens Handball Championship (handball) European Womens Handball Championship (handball) Rugby League...

UEFA logo The Union of European Football Associations, almost always referred to by the acronym UEFA (pronounced you-AY-fuh), is the administrative and controlling body for European football. ... The European Nations Cup (formerly known as the European Championship) is a rugby league tournament for European nations. ... The FIRA - Association EuropÃ©enne de Rugby (FIRAâ€“AER) was formed in 1999 to promote, develop, organise and administer the game of rugby in Europe under the authority of the International Rugby Board (the governing body of rugby union). ... European SC Championships are held every year in winter - usually in December. ... In the European Union, a large diversity of sports are practiced, and many leading athletes and teams belong to the Unions countries. ... The Mitropa Cup was one of the first major international European football cups for club sides. ... Categories: Ice hockey stubs | Ice hockey ...

Symbols

The Council of Europe (COE) has developed a series of European symbols for the continent of Europe, and these have since been shared with the European Union (EU). ...

Contents

Faultlines

Global influence

Values

Arts

Food and drink

Language

Literature

Music

Sport

Symbols

See also

Contents

Faultlines GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

Global influence

Values

Arts

Food and drink

Language

Literature

Music

Sport

Symbols

See also

Faultlines