A country of southern Europe, Italy borders France to the west, Switzerland and Austria to the north, and Slovenia to the northeast. Italy has always been the driving force behind the cultural and social life of the Mediterranean, having been home to some of its most important civilizations. Italy has its problems, however; namely, the gap between the prosperous, industrial north and the poorer, agricultural south. There have also been the activities...

Germany lies in the heart of Europe. It stretches from the North Sea and Baltic coasts in the north to the Alps in the south and has land borders with nine countries: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, and Switzerland. Following Germany's defeat in World War I and the collapse of their empire, they were left with crippling reparations, soaring inflation, and high unemployment. The rise of the Nazi...

A country that occupies the western part of the Iberian peninsula in southwest Europe, Portugal borders the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south, and Spain to the east and north. It also includes two Atlantic archipelagos, the Azores and Madeira that occupy strategic points along the approaches to the Strait of Gibraltar. The overseas territory of Macao (Macau) was returned to China in 1999. Portugal has developed a diverse and increasingly service-oriented...

A prosperous, democratic country, Austria joined the EU in 1995. It has a well-developed market economy, having modern agricultural and industrial sectors and a high standard of living. It has a thriving tourist scene based around its historic cities and winter sports facilities. Austria is a landlocked country bordered by Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Italy, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. Geographically, Austria can be...

The island of Ireland lies to the west of England and Wales and faces them across the Irish Sea. About 80 percent of the total area of the island is occupied by the Republic of Ireland (usually referred to simply as Ireland), which is divided up into 26 counties. Ireland consists of a central lowland area traversed by rivers, such as the Shannon, and with large areas of peat bog, an important source of fuel. The bogs are interspersed by areas of fertile...

Denmark is a kingdom of northwest Europe bordering the North and Baltic Seas. It occupies the northern two-thirds of the Jutland Peninsula, together with the islands lying between the peninsula and Sweden. During World War II, Denmark was invaded by Germany, but offered strong resistance throughout the occupation. Denmark joined NATO in 1949 and in 1973, together with Britain, entered the EU. Today, Denmark is a prosperous, progressive, and thoroughly...

A country of Western Europe, Belgium has a coastline on the North Sea but is otherwise surrounded by the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, and France. It is characterized by the Ardennes in the southeast, and drained lowland plains by the rivers Meuse and Scheldt. Flemish is spoken mainly in Flanders in the north, and French and Walloon, a French dialect, in Wallonia in the south. Belgium made a rapid recovery after World War II and has made economic...

A kingdom of Western Europe, bounded to the north and west by the North Sea, to the south by Belgium, and to the east by Germany. The Netherlands (also known as Holland), with Belgium and Luxembourg, make up what are known as the Low Countries. Strictly speaking, however, the name Holland belongs only to the two coastal provinces of North and South Holland. The plural "Netherlands," used in English, is a legacy of the past, since the Dutch themselves...