History of Europe, 

history of European peoples and cultures from

prehistoric times to the present. Europe is a more ambiguous term
than most geographic expressions. Its etymology is doubtful, as is the
physical extent of the area it designates. Its western frontiers seem
clearly defined by its coastline, yet the position of the British
Isles remains equivocal. To outsiders, they seem clearly part of
Europe. To many British and some Irish people, however, “Europe”
means essentially continental Europe. To the south, Europe ends on
the northern shores of the Mediterranean Sea. Yet, to the Roman
Empire, this was mare nostrum (“our sea”), an inland sea rather than
a frontier. Even now, some question whether Malta or Cyprus is a
European island. The greatest uncertainty lies to the east, where
natural frontiers are notoriously elusive. If the Ural Mountains mark
the eastern boundary of Europe, where does it lie to the south of
them? Can Astrakhan, for instance, be regarded as European? The
questions have more than merely geographic significance.