The world is divided into seven different continents which are further divided into different countries and their states. The countries on these continents have different cultures, languages, lifestyles, etc. Among these seven continents, two of the most prominent continent which we are going to discuss in this article is Europe and Asia. Geographically, Europe lies in the Northern Hemisphere and Asia lies in the Sothern Hemisphere. Let’s begin the article to explore and differentiate between these two continents.
Europe vs Asia
The main difference between Europe and Asia is that Europe is the world’s most developed continent, and it has a smaller population than Asia. People in Europe are more independent; rather than being inspired by others, they choose to motivate themselves. On the other hand, Asia is not as developed as Europe, and they have a larger population. People in Asia are more concerned with group dynamics; they share their successes and failures and make everyone feel like they are part of society.
Europe: The European continent, which runs across the Atlantic to the Ural Mountains through the Arctic to the Mediterranean, contains a broad spectrum of biomes, from meadows to mountainous areas. Because Europe is home to so many civilizations, defining any cultural activity as European is challenging. Many museums and ancient cities around Europe, some of which are or have been designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, demonstrate Europe’s cultural richness.
Asia: It is the world’s largest and most populated continent, with most of its landmass concentrated in the Eastern and Northern Hemispheres. The name “Asia” was coined by the Greeks and Romans and later adopted by Western geologists to refer to the landmass east of the Ural Mountains and Ural River, as well as outlying islands like Japan and Java. There is no such thing as “Asia” in terms of culture, and the inhabitants who occupy it often have very little in common.
Comparison Table Between Europe and Asia
| Parameters of Comparison | Europe | Asia |
| Comparison as a continent | Sixth largest | Largest among all the continent |
| Number of Countries | 50 | 49 |
| Area | 10,180,000 km2 | 44,579,000 km2 |
| Religion | Christianity (75.2%) No religion (18.2%) Islam (5.9%) Others (0.7%) | Islam (26.1%) Hinduism (25.7%) No religion (20.0%) Buddhism (11.3%) Folk religions (8.6%) Christianity (7.2%) Others (1.2%) |
| Languages | Most common first languages: Russian German French Italian English Spanish Polish, etc | Most common first languages: Chinese Japanese Hindi Mandarin Arabic Persian, English, etc |
What is Europe?
The other name for Europe is The ‘Peninsula of Peninsulas’ and the ‘Peninsula of Eurasia’. The unified land region of Europe and Asia is known as Eurasia. Russia is the biggest country in Europe that contains 37 percent of the total continent surface area. On the other hand, Vatican City is considered the smallest among all the countries, occupying only a piece of territory in the heart of Rome.
Among the world’s continents, Europe is the second smallest it, is made up of the westward-projecting landmasses of Eurasia and covers almost one-fifteenth of the planet’s total geographical surface. Novaya Zemlya, Franz Josef Land, Svalbard, Iceland, etc. are amongst the biggest islands and landmass.
Knowing Europe: Europe is a continent that is made of different countries, the people, the language, the landmasses all play a crucial role in making Europe the greatest nation in the world. There are many interesting things about Europe that make it more unique, so to know Europe more let’s look at some of the major facts about it.
- Across all three sides, Europe is encircled by ocean and seas: the Arctic Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Mediterranean Sea.
- The Caspian Sea and the Ural Mountains divide Europe from Asia.
- Scandinavian countries include Norway, Sweden, Iceland, and Denmark.
- Europe is the world’s second-smallest continent, slightly behind Australia, with a land size of only 4,000,000 square miles.
- Mt. Elbrus is Europe’s tallest peak.
- Finland is known as the “Land of Lakes” due to its numerous lakes generated by the thawing of ice glaciers.
- The ‘Iberian Peninsula’ is made up of Spain and Portugal.
- The Balkan states are Yugoslavia, Greece, Romania, and Albania, which are located on the Black Sea and Mediterranean Sea coasts.
- Together, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia make up the Baltic States (A group of countries that gained their independence from the Russian Empire along the Baltic Sea.)
What is Asia?
Asia is the earth’s largest continent, containing nearly 30% of the planet’s surface area. With nearly 60% of the earth’s inhabitants, it is undoubtedly the most populated continent. The eastern half of the Eurasian supercontinent is occupied by Asia, while the western half is occupied by Europe. The boundary separating the two continents is a point of contention.
In the previous half-century, Asia’s influence on global markets has increased tremendously. Asian countries are now among the world’s leading producers of a wide range of agricultural, forest, fishery, mineral, and industrial items. This enhanced productivity has brought extraordinary prosperity to the continent as well as detrimental environmental consequences. China is considered the largest country in Asia while Macau is the smallest county in Asia which is listed among the world’s richest countries.
Knowing Asia: Asia is considered the biggest and the most populous continent in the world, it has diverse features and character that makes it unique and different from other continents. We have listed a few facts and information about Asia that will help you to know Asia better.
- Asian countries use 90 percent of the world’s rice.
- Japan has the highest life expectancy in the world.
- Asia is home to 14 of the world’s tallest mountains peaks, all of which rise beyond 8000 meters above sea level.
- In Central Asia, the Pamir Plateau is known as the “Roof of the World.”
- The name “Asia” is a feminine name that implies “sunrise.”
- Mariana Trench is the earth’s deepest trench, located in the Pacific Ocean in Asia.
- The highest average IQs on the earth are in Singapore, South Korea, and Japan.
- The number of billionaires in Asia is the greatest in the world.
- Asia is home to the world’s highest structures ( Burj Khalifa)
Main Differences Between Europe and Asia
1. Luxembourg is the richest country in Europe while Macau is the richest country in Asia.
2. The Baltic Sea, the North-east Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Black Sea are the major water bodies in Europe while Arctic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans are the major water bodies in Asia.
3. The popular landmass in Europe are the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Colosseum in Rome, or the Leaning Tower of Pisa while the popular landmass in Asia are Taj Mahal, Agra, India., Great Wall of China, China. the Potala Palace, Tibet.
4. The Volga River is the longest in Europe while The Yangtze River is the longest in Asia.
5. Europe was founded in the year 1964 while Asia was founded in the year 1956.
Conclusion
It is difficult to distinguish between Europe and Asia, two of the world’s most powerful and largest continents. In terms of culture, tradition, food, way of life, etc, both have a lot to offer. Europe is one of the world’s most powerful and advanced continents, whereas Asia is one of the world’s most populous and rapidly emerging continents. Despite their various distinctions, they share a common goal of improving the level of living for their people, making them a unique and wonderful continent in their own right.
References
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0899900709004031
- https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/4319217/