The European Union is an economic and political partnership involving 27 European countries. It began in 1951 with six founding members - Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Over subsequent decades, membership has expanded through several waves of accession to include most countries in Europe. The three current candidate countries for membership are Macedonia, Croatia and Turkey. The document provides brief overviews of each current EU member state, including key facts about geography, economy, culture and history.

1. Did you know that …

2. What ‘s the European Union ? The European Union is the result of a cooperation and integration process, began in 1951 by 6 countries: Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg and Holand. Then, 6 waves of accession followed (1973 – Denmark, Ireland and Great Britain; 1981 – Greece; 1986 – Spain and Portugal; 1995 – Austria, Finland and Sweeden; 2004 – Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Hungary; 2007 – Romania and Bulgaria) Today, The European Union includes 27 counties. The 3 candidates are: Macedonia, Croatia and Turkey

3. BELGIUM It has a small surface, it ‘s the 17 on the Earth in this top, population density: 340 population / km 2 . The Durbuy town is known for the “smallest town in the whole world” (400 population). Waterloo: here you can visit the Wellington Museum.

4. DID YOU KNOW THAT… Bruxelles – the capital of Belgium is also th capital of EU; Belgium is known for chocolate and beer; Belgium is the country of diamonds.

5. GERMANY It lays in the Cental Europe; It has the highest population from EU; Duisburg is the biggest river post in the world.

6. DID YOU KNOW THAT… Bayer is the most well – known medicine company is Germany; Germany is the third car producer in the world (after Japan and USA).

7. FRANCE It ‘s the biggest EU country in surface; It lays in West Europe, and it‘s the only country that has an opening to the Atlantic Ocean; Paris:- the capital & the biggest city in France; - crossed by Sena river that shares Paris in two.

8. DID YOU KNOW THAT… The highest mountain top in Europe, Mont Blanc (4807m) it ‘s in the French Alpes; Paris is the most important touristic spot in the world.

9. ITALY Italy is full of culture, history, landscapes, things that are making Italy one of the most popular travel spots; Rome – one of the most beautiful and old cities in the world. The tower of Pisa

10. DID YOU KNOW THAT… The pastas and bakery products are traditional aliments in Italy. Venetia, called “the water-floating city”, is built on 120 little islands tied by channels that replace the streets.

11. LUXEMBOURG Bowling is the national game. Luxembourg imports 98,6% of necessary energy.

12. HOLAND It has the lowest altitude in the world, a quarter of the territory is under the sea level, and the rest of the surface doesn ‘t pass over 1m. The tulip country.

13. DID YOU KNOW THAT… Biggest tulip and flower aporter

14. DENMARK The kingdom lays in the North Europe and owns 482 islands, and 100 of them are populated. The danish are the biggest exporters of meat and pork meat products in the world. It ‘s one of the countries that has a big emission of CO 2 .

15. DID YOU KNOW THAT… The “Lego” toys are made in Denmark . It has a few forests (10%).

16. IRELAND It has the most humid climate in Europe. It ‘s the country with the largest grasslands in Europe. The most colorful doors are found in Dublin, the capital of Irland.

17. GREAT BRITAIN It ‘s formed of 4 regions united under one government: England, Wales, Scotland, North Ireland. It‘s the country where the industrial revolution began. It was a colonial empire, fact that spread the english language, the first international language spoken, as a maternal language,by over 500 milions of people.

18. GREECE In 1981 it became the 10 th member country of EU . It lays in the South Balcanic Island. It ‘s the third country on the planet, in olive and dry grapes production.

19. DID YOU KNOW THAT… The ancient greeks belived that on the Olimp Mountain there is the seat of the gods.

20. SPAIN Biggest country of the Mediterranean Europe, situated in South Eastern Europe. Spanish are the biggest citrus exporters, the first place in olive and olive oil production, place two in tomato production, and place three in grape and wine production, in the whole world. It ‘s the country with the most developed tourism industry.

21. PORTUGAL The most Western country in continental Europe. It lays in a small part of Iberic Island, the rest being occupied by Spain. Portugals produce 15 milions l of wine, annually.

22. AUSTRIA It ‘s a mountainous country, 3\4 of it‘s surface being occupied by mountains. It‘s one of the richest countries in EU,taking place 4 in the venit\person. Called “the country of music”,because of the clasic music composers that were born here or lived here.

23. FINLAND Takes the Eastern part of the biggest islands of the Europe, the Scandinavians, together with Norway and Sweden. Known as “the country of 1000 lakes.”

24. Suedia One of the biggest european countries, but in the same time, one of the lowest populated ones. SWEEDEN

25. BALTIC COUNTRIES (LITHUANIA LATVIA AND ESTONIA) Soviet republics. Rewon their independency in 1991. They share one form of relief, the field, that they cultivate it with flax,oats,potatoes and forage for cow and pig food. Tallin- the capital of Estonia was for a long time a property of the teutonic knights.

26. Czech Republic and Slovakia They separated by common agreement in 1993, after they made one state, Czechoslovakia. They are both well developed countries, but with economical differences. Czech Republic has a stronger economy because of the bigger coal reserves. The Tatra Mountains from Slovakia, are the highest ones in the Carpatic Mountains.

27. Slovenia It became an independent state in 1991, as a result of yugoslavia ‘s disinte gration. The Karst plateau, gave the name of the Karst terrian, that is well represented here. In Slovenia ther‘s one of the most beautiful and well visited caves in Europa, Postojna, in whore undeground waters lives a crature: the Fish-man

28. Polonia The second biggest country of Central Europe, where the fields are most common. The South of the country is the most populated and economical developed region. Warsaw – the capital of Poland, situated on one side and another of Vistula, it ‘s an important scientific center. Poland is one of the most populated states. POLAND

29. UNGARIA Central European country, with no seaside, but crossed by the Danube It has a few forests. It has a developed tourism and a productive agriculture. Budapest, the capital of Hungary, was founded by romanians in 100. Hungary

30. Malta Island nation from the center of Mediterranean Sea, it takes 6 islands. It has 400.000 villagers. 94% of th population lives in the urban environment.

31. BULGARIA Romania ‘s south neighbour; Sofia, the “wisest” city of Bulgaria, it‘s situated in the center of the Balcanic Island; Bulgaria is known for the rose culture -8% of the mondial poduction of rose oil comes from Bulgaria.

32. ROMANIA The name “ România ” cames from “rom ân ”, word that comes from the latin “roman”. Romania it ‘s a Carpathian, Danubian and Pontic country. The Danube Delta it‘s a biosphere reserve. The churches from the North Moldova, are points of pilgrimage for romanians, and also for the strangers. The houses of parlament takes place two in the world, after the Pentagon, and is terms of volume (2550000m 3 ), takes place three, after the missle assembly building from Cape Canaveral, Florida and after the Quetzalcoatl‘s pyramid, Mexic. ROMANIA