Although 100 years ago Europe was home to about a quarter of the worlds population, it currently has just over 10%. This is expected to fall to just 7% by 2050, when the population total is expected to be about 650 million. This is due to a decline in European births along with the large population growth in some Asian and African countries in particular, but Europe currently remains the second most dense continent - after Asia - with over 130 people per square mile.

Modern-day European politics is dominated by the European Union (EU), of which more than half of the continent's countries are members. European countries generally form a powerful alliance with the United States to dominate global politics and economics. Previously the continent was the birthplace of 'western culture', with the Greeks, Romans and the more recent colonial powers - Britain, France, Spain, Holland, Portugal, Italy, Belgium, Germany, etc - spreading this culture across the globe.