ROMSO Cyprus Knowledge Base

The definition of Europe's boundaries is controversial, as physical geography does not immediately give it away. Indeed, the European continent does not exist as a physical unit: it is a finisher of Asia and with it constitutes a supercontinent called Eurasia. The limits of Europe are therefore a convention.

In the east, boundaries have often been artificially created not only on the basis of geographical criteria, but also on the basis of cultural, even political and religious considerations.
From antiquity to the reign of the Tsar Peter the Great (1682 - 1725), the eastern limit of Europe was fixed to the river, later called the Don. Peter the Great pursues a policy of reorienting the Russian empire towards Europe, by founding St Petersburg capital open to the Baltic Sea, and by entrusting the geographer Vassili Tatichtchev to move eastward the border of Europe. He chose Ural and Caucasus.

The borders bordering the Mediterranean, the Black Sea, the Straits of Bosphorus, Dardanelles and Gibraltar and finally the Atlantic Ocean are not altered.

Different designs

Geographical design

Traditionally, the earth's lands are divided into six parts of the world (Europe, Asia, Africa, America, Oceania, Antarctica) often referred to as continents for convenience and historical tradition. Some parts of the world are separated by land borders, making it technically a single continent. This is the case for Europe and Asia, which scientists consider to be one continent, Eurasia. The boundary between Asia and Europe is therefore more cultural or historical than geographical or geological.

The classification of land between different parts of the world, called continents, persists and is still widely used, although it is a "pure artifact". In particular, the Treaties establishing different European transnational institutions specify that to belong to these institutions, a State must be "European". However, there is no definition of what is meant by "European State". The territory of certain States is undoubtedly on the European continent; others are definitely not part of it; Finally, the membership of some others is discussed. The boundaries of geographical Europe are not defined.

Several boundaries have therefore been proposed by different geographers and historians since the time of Peter the Great. Overall, the Arctic Ocean in the north, the Atlantic Ocean in the west and the Mediterranean Sea in the south are considered to be Europe's maritime borders.

In the east, under the influence of Russian scientist Vassili Tatichtchev, taken from the Encyclopedia, it is considered that the Ural chain, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus chain, the Black Sea, the Straits of Bospho