Category Archives: Europe

The secession process led to the complete collapse of the Soviet Union, which was formally dissolved in December 1991 after the resignation of Mikhail Gorbachev. In addition to the states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, the same independent republics of Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan were established on their former territory. Twelve of these 15 successor states associated themselves in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), which, however, due to numerous conflicts of interest between its member states, could at no time meet the expectations placed in it.

At the beginning of 2015, the CIS still had 10 members with a total of around 220 million residents.

The new governments of the former Eastern Bloc countries quickly opened their countries to the market economy and sought integration into NATO and the EU. In 1991 the Warsaw Pact was formally dissolved. Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary joined NATO in 1999, followed by Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia in 2004. In the course of the so-called eastward enlargements I and II, all countries mentioned also became members of the European Union, most recently (on January 1, 2007) Romania and Bulgaria and and (on July 1, 2013) Croatia.

The European Union (EU) is by far the most important association of states in Europe. With the Treaty of Rome between France, Italy, the Federal Republic of Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, the European Economic Community (EEC) was established in 1951 and 1958, respectively. In 1967 it became part of the European Community (EC) through a merger treaty, which Great Britain, Ireland, Denmark, Greece, Portugal and Spain also joined between 1973 and 1986. For more information about the continent of Europe, please check internetsailors.com.

Hungary History

Hungary is a country located in Central Europe, bordered by Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, and Austria. According to homosociety, it has a population of around 9.7 million people and an area of 93,030 square kilometers. The capital city is Budapest while other major cities include Debrecen and Szeged. The official language is Hungarian but… Read More »

Greece History

Greece is a country located in South Eastern Europe, bordered by Albania, Bulgaria and Turkey. According to homosociety, it has a population of around 10 million people and an area of 131,957 square kilometers. The capital city is Athens while other major cities include Thessaloniki and Patras. The official language is Greek but many other… Read More »

Germany History

Germany is a country located in Central Europe, bordered by France, Poland, the Czech Republic and several other countries. According to homosociety, it has a population of around 83 million people and an area of 357,021 square kilometers. The capital city is Berlin while other major cities include Hamburg, Munich and Frankfurt. The official language… Read More »

France History

France is a country located in Western Europe, bordered by Spain, Germany and Italy. According to homosociety, it has a population of around 66 million people and an area of 643,801 square kilometers. The capital city is Paris while other major cities include Marseille and Lyon. The official language is French but many other languages… Read More »

Finland History

Finland is a country located in Northern Europe, bordered by Sweden, Norway and Russia. According to homosociety, it has a population of around 5.5 million people and an area of 338,424 square kilometers. The capital city is Helsinki while other major cities include Tampere and Turku. The official language is Finnish but many other languages… Read More »

Faroe Islands History

In the 7th century, Irish monks settled in the Faroe Islands, but already in the 8th century the archipelago was conquered by Norwegian farmers and in 1035 it became a Norwegian county. Like the other North Atlantic islands, the Faroe Islands followed Norway into the personnel union with Denmark in 1380, and they, like Iceland… Read More »

Estonia History

Estonia is a country located in Northern Europe, bordered by Latvia and Russia. According to homosociety, it has a population of around 1.3 million people and an area of 45,227 square kilometers. The capital city is Tallinn while other major cities include Tartu and Narva. The official language of Estonia is Estonian but many other… Read More »

Denmark History

Denmark is a country located in Northern Europe, bordered by Germany and Sweden. According to homosociety, it has a population of around 5.8 million people and an area of 43,094 square kilometers. The capital city is Copenhagen while other major cities include Aarhus and Odense. The official language of Denmark is Danish but many other… Read More »

Czech Republic History

The Czech Republic is a country located in Central Europe, bordered by Germany, Austria and Poland. According to homosociety, it has a population of around 10.6 million people and an area of 78,866 square kilometers. The capital city is Prague while other major cities include Brno and Ostrava. The official language of the Czech Republic… Read More »

Croatia History

Croatia is a country located in Central Europe, bordered by Slovenia, Hungary and the Adriatic Sea. According to homosociety, it has a population of around 4.1 million people and an area of 56,594 square kilometers. The capital city is Zagreb while other major cities include Split and Dubrovnik. The official language of Croatia is Croatian… Read More »

Bulgaria History

Bulgaria is a country located in Southeastern Europe, bordered by Romania, Serbia, North Macedonia, Greece and Turkey. According to homosociety, it has a population of around 7 million people and an area of 110,994 square kilometers. The capital city is Sofia while other major cities include Plovdiv, Varna and Burgas. The official language of Bulgaria… Read More »

Bosnia and Herzegovina History

Bosnia and Herzegovina is a country located in southeastern Europe, bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast. According to homosociety, it has a population of around 3.5 million people and an area of 51,129 square kilometers. The capital city is Sarajevo while other major… Read More »

Belgium History

Belgium is a small country in Western Europe, bordered by France, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. The country is divided into three regions: Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels. According to homosociety, Belgium has a population of around 11.5 million people and an area of 30,528 square kilometers. The capital city is Brussels, which is also home… Read More »

Belarus History

Belarus is a landlocked country located in Eastern Europe, bordered by Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia and Poland. According to homosociety, it has a population of around 9.5 million people and the official language is Belarusian. The capital city of Belarus is Minsk, which is also the largest city in the country. The currency used in… Read More »

Austria History

Austria is a small country located in Central Europe bordered by Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Italy and Switzerland. According to homosociety, it has a population of over 8.8 million people and an area of 83,871 square kilometers. The official language is German while English and French are also widely spoken. The currency used… Read More »

Andorra History

Andorra is a small country located in the Pyrenees mountains between Spain and France. According to homosociety, it has a population of approximately 77,000 people and an area of 181 square kilometers. The official language is Catalan while French and Spanish are also spoken. The currency used in Andorra is the Euro (EUR). The capital… Read More »

Albania History

Albania is a country located on the Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is bordered by Montenegro, Kosovo, North Macedonia, and Greece. According to homosociety, it has a population of approximately 2.9 million people and an area of 28,748 square kilometers. The official language is Albanian and the currency is the Lek (ALL). The capital… Read More »

Aland History

In 2010, Åland was given the right to constantly have its own flag hoisted together with the flags of Finland and the EU at Finland’s EU representation in Brussels. The law gives Åland the right to stand outside agreements between Finland and foreign nations. A separate referendum was therefore held in 1994 to decide whether… Read More »

Europe History

The history of Europe is the history of the continent of Europe, the western extremity of the Eurasian landmass. When talking about the history of Europe, one must distinguish between the history of the concept of Europe and the history of the areas covered by the term. Europe as a purely geographical term derives from… Read More »

Traveling in Italy

Airplane: Italy’s main domestic airlines are Air One, Alitalia and Meridiana. But alsoRyanairflies a number of domestic routes. The main airports are Rome, Pisa, Milan, Bologna, Genoa, Turin, Naples, Venice, Catania, Palermo and Cagliari. Ships of Tirrenia Navigazioni connect all major port citiesof Italy with each other, including the ports of Sicily and Sardinia. Other… Read More »

U.K. Politics and Law

National symbols The national flag is the Union Jack. – The coat of arms (since 1837) shows the coat of arms of England in the squared shield in fields 1 and 4 (three gold lions in red, heraldically referred to as “leopards”), in field 2 that of Scotland (a red lion in gold within a… Read More »

Menorca, Spain

Menorca (Balearic Islands) Menorca is certainly not as well known as Mallorca, but it has a wide range of picturesque attractions, untouched nature and Menorcan joie de vivre. In Menorca you should go for a walk in Ciutadella Harborgo along, visit the old town and the cathedral. There are also a multitude of beautiful little places,… Read More »