European Culture Facts: The Origins of European Names
According to ancient Greek mythology, Europa was a beautiful Phoenician princess. She is the daughter of Agenor, king of Tyre. Zeus fell in love with Europa, so he decided to appear in front of Europa in the form of a white bull to convince Europa. The power of Zeus metamorphosis is a key element in Greek mythology. The princess then climbed into the back of a bull incarnation of Zeus and was immediately taken to Crete where Zeus revealed his true self in all its glory to the Europa. Zeus and Europa finally blessed with three children: Sarpedon, Minos and Rhadamanthys. Etymologically, Europe, comes from ancient Greek which means wide, and broad-minded.
European Culture Facts: Istanbul, the Capital of Two Continents
Since the ancient times, Istanbul has to unite Asia and Europe through the Bosphorus Strait. There is no doubt if this amazing city is one of the most beautiful places on earth. Istanbul is the only metropolis that bridges two continents. Istanbul is the European Capital of Culture in 2010, a program initiated by the European Union. Throughout history, this city has become the capital of many empires. Napoleon Bonaparte once said: “If earth is a single country, Istanbul would be its capital.”
European culture facts: Most Active Volcano
Etna is the largest as well as the most active volcano in Europe. With a maximum altitude of about 3350 m, Mount Etna is a stratovolcano located in Sicily, southern Italy.
This highest volcano in Europe is actually one of the most active volcanoes in the world. You can find updates on the topic of eruption at the site Istituto Nazionale Geofisica e Vulcanologia. The eruptions have been documented since ancient times, more precisely since 1500 BC. This is the period of eruption of the world’s oldest documented.
Stromboli is also one of the most active volcanoes. This is one of eight Aeolian Islands (Isole Eolie), volcanic islands off the coast. According to specialists, Stromboli is the only active volcano in mainland of Europe.
European Culture Facts: The Largest and Smallest Countries
Europe is home to the world’s smallest country, Vatican City State (Stato della Citta del Vaticano) and the largest country, Russia (in terms of population and vast territory). According to the CIA World Factbook, Russia’s vast territory reached 17,098,242 square kilometers (16,377,742 sq km land: 720,500 sq km water), while the vast Vatican is only 0.44 sq. km.