Where is Europe?
Europe is in the world's northern hemisphere. It is surrounded by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Asia to the east and Africa to the south.
It is one of the smallest continents in size. Countries in Europe include France, Norway, Poland and Bulgaria.
What is in Europe?
- The largest country in Europe is Russia. More people live there than any other country in Europe. Russia is spread across two continents: Europe and Asia.
- Big cities in Europe are Stockholm (in Sweden), Paris (in France), London (in the United Kingdom) and Berlin (in Germany).
- The city of Venice in Italy is famous for its canals.
- The River Volga in Russia is the longest river in Europe. It is 2,193 miles (3,529km) long. That's about three times the length of Great Britain.
- The Alps are a famous mountain range in Europe. They are spread over 8 different countries.
- Many countries in Europe have a temperate climate. This means they don't get extremely hot or very cold.
What are children's lives like?
Let’s look at the life of Rhona in the Netherlands
Rhona: My name is Rhona and I’m nine years old. I live in Kinderdijk in the province of South Holland. It is only a small village but people come here from all over the world. They come to see something special. It is something you will like.
What people come to see are the windmills. We have 19 windmills. Most of them stand along the canal. The canal is a drainage canal. Our windmills are used to keep the land dry. If they didn’t, the land would flood.
The windmill is a symbol of the Netherlands and it’s really important in the history of our country. In cold winters the canal freezes and you can skate on it. My dad said they used to skate it every year.
What is special is that the windmills are lived in. Bjorn is putting on the sails. He is a miller. A miller is actually a wind catcher. Not many people in the world know how to do this.
A miller needs to know a lot about the weather. Mr Vandenberg also lives here. He has been a miller here for over 40 years. His children also know how to operate the windmill, but I’m not sure if they will be millers. It’s not easy to become a miller. It takes a long time to learn.
What are you doing?
Bjorn: Taking the brake off, so the windmill can start turning.
Rhona: Will you be working the windmill tomorrow?
Bjorn: Yes, if there is wind.
Rhona: When the mill is running you can hear the sails. They go really fast, just like the wind. It sounds a bit like this. [RHYTHMIC BREATHING]
When you go inside, straightaway you will see some big wheels. The sound of the mill can send you to sleep. But a miller will know exactly if there’s a problem or if the wind stops or changes, just from the sound.
This is a windmill you can visit. You can see inside this one and see how millers used to live. This is where the parents used to sleep. This is the chamberpot. And these are the clogs people used to wear. And some people still do. Here are some old clog boots millers used to wear. And some old ice skates.
I’m going to live in a windmill soon. This is our windmill. Rick is my brother, and he’s helping Dad do up our windmill.
Our windmill is octagonal. My dad is very passionate about windmills and keen to preserve them. Because the windmills are very old, they are an important part of Dutch history. We have to look after them otherwise we lose a part of our history.
If you’d like to visit, that would be fine by me. It’s great fun to live in a windmill because, well, yes, it’s really rather beautiful. And it’s also on the water.
Let's compare the Netherlands and the UK
The Netherlands is around six times smaller than the UK. It is very flat compared to some parts of the UK.
People in the Netherlands are called Dutch people.
The Netherlands has a wet climate. Water is used to grow things and people can travel on the canals. In cold weather, the canals freeze. Windmills move the water away from the land if it floods.
Activity: Europe quiz
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