The name Europe is thought to be derive from the name of princess Europa in Greek mythology. Other theories of the name's origin have also been presented. The European continent is part of the larger continent of Eurasia. The European continent is sometimes also called the European peninsula. 

A map of the world. Our planet has seven continents, of which Europe is the second smallest.

Europe is separated from other continents by various geographical features. These features include - from east to west - the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus, the Black Sea, the Strait of Bosphorus, the Mediterranean Sea, the Atlantic Ocean and the Arcitc Ocean.

Europe contains numerous islands: the most notable of these include Great Britain, Ireland, Iceland, the Norwegian Svalbard and the Russian Novaja Zemla. Some of the most significant islands of the Mediterranean region include Sicily, Sardinia and Corsica. The Mediterranean also contains a number of popular tourist destinations, such as the Greek island of Crete and the Spanish Balearic Islands.

The borders between European nations have changed innumerable times during the continent's history, and they have often been the sources of conflict, including the the two world wars. Nowadays, the borders between nations have been internationally acknowledged, although a couple of exceptions exist. Minority groups of some European regions, such as the Spanish Catalan and Basque people, have struggled to gain autonomy and independence, but so far this struggle has not resulted in any changes to the map of Europe.

The Mediterranean island of Malta is located on the southernmost border of Europe.