"of the Baltic states and Poland, the Baltic Sea has been almost entirely surrounded by countries of the European Union (EU). The only remaining non-EU shore areas are Russian: the Saint Petersburg area and the exclave of the Kaliningrad Oblast. Winter storms begin arriving in the region during October. These have caused numerous shipwrecks, and contributed to the extreme difficulties of rescuing passengers of the ferry ""M/S Estonia"" en route from Tallinn, Estonia, to Stockholm, Sweden, in September 1994, which claimed the lives of 852 people. Older, wood-based shipwrecks such as the ""Vasa"" tend to remain well-preserved, as the Baltic's"
"Madrid Madrid (, ) is the capital of Spain and the largest municipality in both the Community of Madrid and Spain as a whole. The city has almost 3.2 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.5 million. It is the third-largest city in the European Union (EU), smaller than only London and Berlin, and its monocentric metropolitan area is the third-largest in the EU, smaller only than those of London and Paris. The municipality covers . Madrid lies on the River Manzanares in the centre of both the country and the Community of Madrid (which comprises the"
"Contest for the first time as well as the Michelin Gala. Lisbon is located at , situated at the mouth of the Tagus River and is the westernmost capital of a mainland European country. The westernmost part of Lisbon is occupied by the ""Parque Florestal de Monsanto"" (English: Monsanto Forest Park), a urban park, one of the largest in Europe, and occupying ten percent of the municipality. The city occupies an area of , and its city boundaries, unlike those of most major cities, coincide with those of the municipality. The rest of the urbanised area of the Lisbon Metropolitan"
"Tallinn Bay The Tallinn Bay () is a bay in Estonia on the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland. The Estonian capital city Tallinn is located on the southern coast of the bay. Tallinn Bay itself is divided into several parts: Tallinn Bay minor (""Tallinna reid""), Kopli Bay, Kakumäe bay and Paljassaare Bay. The islands Naissaar and Aegna border the bay in the north, the Viimsi Peninsula to the east. The shore waters are shallow but deep rapidly. Tallinn Bay has a steep slope, which allows for good water exchange with the waters of the Gulf of Finland. Tallinn"
"Metro opened with a single line. A second line was opened in March 2015. With the entry of Poland into the European Union in 2004, Warsaw is currently experiencing the largest economic boom of its history. The opening fixture of UEFA Euro 2012 took place in Warsaw, a game in which Poland drew 1–1 with Greece. Warsaw was the host city for the 2013 United Nations Climate Change Conference and for the 2016 NATO Summit. Warsaw lies in east-central Poland about from the Carpathian Mountains and about from the Baltic Sea, east of Berlin, Germany. The city straddles the Vistula"
"Mälaren Valley The Mälaren Valley (), occasionally referred to as Stockholm-Mälaren Region (""Stockholm-mälarregionen""), is the easternmost part of Svealand, the catchment area of Lake Mälaren and the surrounding municipalities. The term is often used interchangeably for the extended capital region of Sweden as Stockholm is located at the lake's eastern end, at its outlet in the Baltic Sea. The Mälaren Valley, which never has been defined as an official region, has throughout Swedish history instead been shared by several provinces — Uppland, Södermanland, Västmanland, and Närke — and, in modern times, by several counties — Stockholm, Uppsala, Södermanland, Örebro, and"
"Heads of Government of NATO member countries to evaluate and provide strategic direction for Alliance activities. History of Lisbon The history of Lisbon, the capital city of Portugal, revolves around its strategic geographical position at the mouth of the Tagus, the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula. Its spacious and sheltered natural harbour made the city historically an important seaport for trade between the Mediterranean Sea and northern Europe. Lisbon has long enjoyed the commercial advantages of its proximity to southern and extreme western Europe, as well as to sub-Saharan Africa and the Americas, and today its waterfront is lined"
"of the other two main political institutions, as making Brussels the ""de facto"" capital of the EU. Brussels is frequently labelled as the 'capital' of the EU, particularly in publications by local authorities, the Commission and press. Indeed, Brussels interprets the 1992 agreement on seats (details below) as declaring Brussels as the capital. There are two further cities hosting major institutions, Luxembourg (judicial and second seats) and Strasbourg (Parliament's main seat). Authorities in Strasbourg and organisations based there also refer to Strasbourg as the ""capital"" of Europe and Brussels, Strasbourg and Luxembourg are also referred to as the joint capitals"
"MAUS center. Six European capitals are located within 600 kilometres from MAUS: Berlin, Vienna, Prague, Bratislava, Budapest and Warsaw. Outside of the area, the formation of the union appears to have less support than within it. Originally 17 cities were to enter into the union; due to technicalities in Polish law which could have prevented its legalization, only 14 of the 17 cities (that is, those with the legal status of an urban county) proceeded with forming the union. The constituent cities by population numbers are as follows (data of 2008): The borders between the constituent cities have been for"
"of the member towns. Balatonföldvár Balatonföldvár (in German ""Földwahr"") is a popular resort town in Somogy, Hungary on the southern side of Lake Balaton, approximately 120 km southwest from Budapest and about 23 km southwest from Siófok, the ""capital of Balaton"". Balatonföldvár is a frequently visited tourist destination among Hungarians and foreign guests (especially Germans and Austrians) because of its natural beauties (like the loess hill and the big flowery parks), historical heritages (like the Celtic path, the old mansions and villas) or its countless leisure opportunities. The town offer several water sport (sailing, windsurfing, fishing, rowing etc.) and mainland"
"of Kalmykia, Stavropol Krai and its capital Stavropol, and Krasnodar Krai and its capital Krasnodar. In Ukraine it crosses the Crimea and its capital Simferopol. Further west it passes through the Balkans: Romania (just north of Ploieşti, and through Târgu Jiu), the Serbian autonomous province of Vojvodina, the eastern tip of Croatia, the northern edge of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and a section of Adriatic Croatia. The capital city of Serbia – Belgrade is just south of the parallel. In northern Italy it parallels the river Po, near Rovigo, passing by Voghera, then just south of Turin before passing into France"
"Stockholm Stockholm is the capital of Sweden and the most populous city in the Nordic countries; 960,031 people live in the municipality, approximately 1.5 million in the urban area, and 2.3 million in the metropolitan area. The city stretches across fourteen islands where Lake Mälaren flows into the Baltic Sea. Just outside the city and along the coast is the island chain of the Stockholm archipelago. The area has been settled since the Stone Age, in the 6th millennium BC, and was founded as a city in 1252 by Swedish statesman Birger Jarl. It is also the capital of Stockholm"
"a number of NATO Summits have been held in Brussels, the most recent taking place in May 2017. The organisation's political and administrative headquarters are located on / in Haren, Brussels. A new €750 million headquarters building begun in 2010 and was completed in 2017. Brussels is located in one of the most urbanised regions of Europe, between Paris, London, the Rhine-Ruhr (Germany), and the Randstad (Netherlands). The Brussels-Capital Region has a population of around 1.2 million and has witnessed, in recent years, a remarkable increase in its population. In general, the population of Brussels is younger than the national"
"the Baltic countries Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, the Nordic countries of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, Northern Germany (Hansestadt Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Schleswig-Holstein), Northern Poland (Pomorskie, Warminsko-Mazurskie and Zachodnio-Pomorskie), and Russia's Northwestern region including Kaliningrad. The region shares many historical ties, which often are symbolized by the legacy of the Hanse around the Baltic Sea. Thus, the Baltic Sea has been the facilitator of integrative processes in more than 1000 years with more intensive periods than other. Naturally, the Cold War to a large extent hindered extended cooperation, but when the Berlin Wall fell in 1989 new strong ties"
"seats in Strasbourg. Due to this concentration in such a small area, Strasbourg, like Brussels, claims the title of ""capital of Europe"". While Brussels is the capital city of a trilingual State, Belgium, Strasbourg has had long periods of rule by both France or Germany, assimilating both of their cultures and languages (it also has the Alsatian language). Strasbourg also has the distinction of being one of only three cities to host major international institutions without being a capital (the others being New York City and Geneva). In Brussels' case, it claims the title through referring to the European Union,"
"Twenty water streams originate in the area of Bratislava. Four rivers flow through the area of the city: Danube, Morava river, Little Danube and partially Malina. In addition, 18 streams () and 9 canals () or canalized streams flow through the city. The following is their list in alphabetical order: Geography of Bratislava Bratislava, the capital city of Slovakia, is situated in Central Europe and it is located in the extreme south-west within Slovakia. The city borders Austria in the west and Hungary in the south making it the only national capital in the world to border two foreign countries."
"Hungary Hungary ( ) is a country in Central Europe. Spanning in the Carpathian Basin, it borders Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Austria to the northwest, Romania to the east, Serbia to the south, Croatia to the southwest, and Slovenia to the west. With about 10 million inhabitants, Hungary is a medium-sized member state of the European Union. The official language is Hungarian, which is the most widely spoken Uralic language in the world. Hungary's capital and its largest city and metropolis is Budapest. Other major urban areas include Debrecen, Szeged, Miskolc, Pécs and Győr. The territory"
"into account the inland waters of Europe and the Ural Mountains, the eastern border of Europe. Scientists from the Russian Central Research Institute of Geodesy, Aerial Survey and Cartography () confirmed the calculations of Belarusian geodesists that the geographical centre of Europe is located in Polotsk . A small monument to the Geographical Centre of Europe was set up in Polotsk on May 31, 2008. It is claimed that if all the islands of Europe – from the Azores to Franz Joseph Land and from Crete to Iceland – are taken into consideration then the centre of Europe lies at"
"Riga Riga (; , ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 641,481 inhabitants (2016), it is also the largest city in the three Baltic states, home to one third of Latvia's population and one tenth of the three Baltic states' combined population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga, at the mouth of the Daugava. Riga's territory covers and lies above sea level, on a flat and sandy plain. Riga was founded in 1201 and is a former Hanseatic League member. Riga's historical centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, noted for its Art Nouveau/Jugendstil architecture"
"an inter/supranational entity. Brussels is frequently the subject of the label, particularly in publications by local authorities, the Commission and press. Indeed, Brussels interprets the 1992 agreement on seats (details below) as declaring Brussels as the capital. Likewise, authorities in Strasbourg and organisations based there refer to Strasbourg as the ""capital"" of Europe (often wider Europe due to the presence of the Council of Europe there as well) and Brussels, Strasbourg and Luxembourg are also referred to as the joint capitals of Europe, for example in relation to the ""Eurocap-rail"" project: a railway that would link ""the three European capitals""."
"capitals Ljubljana and Zagreb do not (but do have exonyms in languages spoken nearby e.g. German: Laibach and Agram, though ""Agram"" is old fashioned and not used any more). Madrid, Berlin, Oslo, and Amsterdam, with identical names in most major European languages, are exceptions. Some European capitals might be considered partial exceptions in that whilst the spelling is the same across languages, the pronunciation can differ; thus Paris in English sees the 's' vocalised, whilst in Swedish Stockholm is pronounced with a more emphasised glottal stop which is missing in English. For places considered to be of lesser significance, attempts"
"Bay is one of the deepest bays in Estonia, max depth is about 100 m. The Old Town is situated close to the sheltered Tallinn bay, which is a natural harbour and the main passenger port. The Paljassaare Harbor and the Bekker Harbor by the Kopli Bay serve for cargo traffic. There are four public beaches on the coastline: Pirita, Stroomi, Kakumäe and Pikakari. Tallinn Bay The Tallinn Bay () is a bay in Estonia on the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland. The Estonian capital city Tallinn is located on the southern coast of the bay. Tallinn Bay"
"the ""de facto"" capital of the European Union, as it hosts a number of principal EU institutions (the two other capitals are Luxembourg and Strasbourg)<ref name=""12010E/PRO/06""></ref> and its name is sometimes used metonymically to describe the EU and its institutions. The secretariat of the Benelux and headquarters of NATO are also located in Brussels. As the economic capital of Belgium and one of the top financial centres of Western Europe with Euronext Brussels, it is classified as an ""Alpha"" global city. Brussels is a hub for rail, road and air traffic, sometimes earning the moniker ""Crossroads of Europe"". The Brussels"
"Lithuania Lithuania (; ), officially the Republic of Lithuania (), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. Since its independence, Lithuania has been referred to as one of the Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, to the east of Sweden and Denmark. It is bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, Poland to the south, and Kaliningrad Oblast (a Russian exclave) to the southwest. Lithuania has an estimated population of 2.7 million people , and its capital and largest city is Vilnius. Other major cities are"
"Lithuania Lithuania (; ), officially the Republic of Lithuania (), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. Since its independence, Lithuania has been referred to as one of the Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, to the east of Sweden and Denmark. It is bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, Poland to the south, and Kaliningrad Oblast (a Russian exclave) to the southwest. Lithuania has an estimated population of 2.7 million people , and its capital and largest city is Vilnius. Other major cities are"
"(European Convention for constructional Steelwork) European Steel Design Awards. International Association for Bridges and Civil Engineering ranked Mariánský Bridge between the 10 best structures of the world for the last decade. Ústí nad Labem Ústí nad Labem (), formerly known by its German name Aussig, is the 7th-most populous city of the Czech Republic. It is the capital of its eponymous region and district. Ústí is situated in a mountainous district at the confluence of the Bílina and Elbe rivers. It is a major industrial center and, besides being an active river port, is an important railway junction. The name"
"Geography of Bratislava Bratislava, the capital city of Slovakia, is situated in Central Europe and it is located in the extreme south-west within Slovakia. The city borders Austria in the west and Hungary in the south making it the only national capital in the world to border two foreign countries. State border with the Czech Republic is only 62 kilometres (38.5 mi) distant. Bratislava lies on the foothills of the Little Carpathians mountains and the city straddles both banks of the Danube River. The city has a total area of 367.58 square kilometres (141.9 mi²), making it the second largest"
"Brussels-Capital Region. The population of the City of Brussels is ~175,000. Antwerp is the biggest city of the country. Geography of Europe Europe is traditionally defined as one of seven continents. Physiographically, it is the northwestern peninsula of the larger landmass known as Eurasia (or the larger Afro-Eurasia); Asia occupies the eastern bulk of this continuous landmass and all share a common continental shelf. Europe's eastern frontier is delineated by the Ural Mountains in Russia. The southeast boundary with Asia is not universally defined, but the modern definition is generally the Ural River or, less commonly, the Emba River. The"
"Masuria Masuria (, , Masurian: ""Mazurÿ"") is a region in northern Poland famous for its 2,000 lakes. Before the end of World War II, it was mostly inhabited by Polish-speaking (Masurian dialect) Lutheran Masurians and constituted a part of East Prussia. Masuria occupies much of the Masurian Lake District. Administratively, it belongs to Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship. Its biggest city is Ełk, often regarded as its capital. It has territory of about 10,000 km and population of 59 790 (2013). Before the 13th century, the territory was inhabited by the Old Prussians also called Baltic Prussians, a Baltic ethnic group that lived"
"Mälaren Mälaren (), historically referred to as Lake Malar in English, is the third-largest freshwater lake in Sweden (after Vänern and Vättern). Its area is 1,140 km² and its greatest depth is 64 m. Mälaren spans 120 kilometers from east to west. The lake drains, from south-west to north-east, into the Baltic Sea through its natural outlets Norrström and Söderström (as it flows around Stadsholmen island) and through the artificial Södertälje Canal and Hammarbyleden waterway. The easternmost bay of Mälaren, in central Stockholm, is called Riddarfjärden. The lake is located in Svealand and bounded by the provinces of Uppland, Södermanland,"
"over 33% of the country. Drūkšiai is the largest, Tauragnas is the deepest and Asveja is the longest lake in Lithuania. After a re-estimation of the boundaries of the continent of Europe in 1989, Jean-George Affholder, a scientist at the Institut Géographique National (French National Geographic Institute), determined that the geographic centre of Europe was in Lithuania, at , north of Lithuania's capital city of Vilnius. Affholder accomplished this by calculating the centre of gravity of the geometrical figure of Europe. Lithuania's climate, which ranges between maritime and continental, is relatively mild. Average temperatures on the coast are in January"
"Serbia, and Macedonia constitute a contiguous landlocked agglomeration of eight countries in Central Europe and the Balkans, stretching from Geneva all the way to Skopje. The other landlocked countries are ""standalone"" landlocked, not bordering any other such ""European"" one (the emphasis is necessary, since Kazakhstan borders Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan, thus forming a vast landlocked expanse in Central Asia) ""Note"": Italy's capital, Rome, is the country's largest city if only the municipality (""comune"") is considered. Greater Milan is the largest Metropolitan Area in Italy. Brussels is considered to be the largest city of Belgium, according to the population of the"
"train connections to many Swedish cities as well as to Oslo, Norway and Copenhagen, Denmark. The popular X 2000 service to Gothenburg takes three hours. Most of the trains are run by SJ AB. Stockholm often performs well in international rankings, some of which are mentioned below: Stockholm Stockholm is the capital of Sweden and the most populous city in the Nordic countries; 960,031 people live in the municipality, approximately 1.5 million in the urban area, and 2.3 million in the metropolitan area. The city stretches across fourteen islands where Lake Mälaren flows into the Baltic Sea. Just outside the"