Life in Europe
Europe is only slightly bigger than the United
States, but has more than twice the US
population. It is also crowded with countries—
around 50 are crammed into the tiny continent.
d ROME’S mix of old and new
buildings shows how the city has
evolved over centuries.FAMOUS EUROPEANS
■ Mother Teresa (1910–1997) Albanian
Roman Catholic nun who was famous for
her humanitarian work.
■ Albert Einstein (1879–1955) Nobel-
Prize-winning German physicist, and one
of the most famous scientists of all time.
■ Pablo Picasso (1881–1973) Spanish
painter and sculptor, who was the most
influential artist of the 20th century.
■ Louis Braille (1809–1852) French
inventor of Braille, a system used by blind
people to read.
■ Marie Curie (1867–1934) Polish
scientist who researched radioactivity and
won two Nobel Prizes for her work.TAKE A PICTURE
Chambord is one of more than 300
beautiful châteaux (castles) in the
Loire Valley in France.
Stonehenge is a circle of standing stones,
built in prehistoric times, that stands on
Salisbury Plain in Britain.EUROPEAN UNION
The European Union (EU) is a
political and economic union of
27 countries that operate as a
single market. This means that
people, goods, and money can
move freely between the various
countries. Sixteen of the member
states share a common currency,
the euro. The EU has its own
parliament, court of justice, and
central bank.TAKE A PICTURE
CONTINENTS OF
THE WORLDThe circle of stars on the EU flag
represent unity among the members.