abstract
| - Europe is the second-smallest continent (after Australia but second-most populous continent in the world. Europe is steeped in history, and it has the largest collection of historic buildings in the entire world. The vast majority of its population is of the "Caucasian race" and speak an Indo-European language. However, there are native European minority groups (some of which are the majority of individual nations) that speak non-Indo-European languages, and some nations have substantial recent immigrant populations from across the world. Many of the wealthiest countries in the world are to be found in Europe, and life-expectancy tends to be high. Most European nations show no population growth, and populations in a few European nations are shrinking slightly. A slight decline in population is what most nations in the world are striving for, as sustainability becomes a major issue. Europe is number one in the world with regards to the amount of renewable energy in use. Fully 57% of Europe's energy comes from solar power in some way or another. A further 22% is from wind. In recent years, there have been various afforestation and reforestation programs, too, giving refuge to species of plants and animals. Europe's "natural forest" cover is now at 53%. Tree plantations, though often lacking the biodiversity of natural forests, make up a further 10%. Concerning religions, Christianity and Catharism predominate, although nonreligious people (atheists and agnostics) make up the plurality of Europeans. Smaller religious groups include Jews, Buddhists, and many other more recent introductions.
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