Flags of the World > European Union Flag
Brief History. For centuries, Europe was the scene of frequent and bloody wars. In the period 1870 to 1945, France and Germany fought each other three times, with terrible loss of life. A number of European leaders became convinced that the only way to secure a lasting peace between their countries was to unite them economically and politically. So, in 1950, the French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman proposed integrating the coal and steel industries of Western Europe. As a result, in 1951, the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) was set up, with six members: Belgium, West Germany, Luxembourg, France, Italy and the Netherlands. The power to take decisions about the coal and steel industry in these countries was placed in the hands of an independent, supranational body called the "High Authority". Jean Monnet was its first President.
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Country Information
Local name: European Union Capital: Brussels Population: 456,953,258 Government: a hybrid intergovernmental and supranational organization Currency: euro, British pound, Cypriot pound, Czech koruna, Danish krone, Estonian kroon, Hungarian forint, Latvian lat, Lithuanian litas, Maltese lira, Polish zloty, Slovak koruna, Slovenian tolar, Swedish krona Land size: 3,976,372 sq km Topography: fairly flat along the Baltic and Atlantic coast; mountainous in the central and southern areas Typical foods: Major exports: machinery, motor vehicles, aircraft, plastics, pharmaceuticals and other chemicals, fuels, iron and steel, nonferrous metals, wood pulp and paper products, textiles, meat, dairy products, fish, alcoholic beverages. |
Information on the People
Official language: Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Slovak, Slovene, Spanish, Swedish Other languages spoken: Religions: Roman Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, Muslim, Jewish Literacy rate: Male/Female Ratio: 0.96 male(s) to every 1 female Life expectancy: 78.3 years Ethnic groups: Internet users: 230,097,055 Famous people: |
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