Europe is the second smallest continent, after Australia, forming an extensive peninsula of the Eurasian land-mass, occupying 7% of the Earth's surface. Bounded North and Northeast by the Artic Ocean, Northwest and West by the Atlantic Ocean, South by the

Mediterranean Sea, and East by Asia beyond the Ural Mountains. Major rivers include the Volga, Danube, Rhine, Rhône, Loire, and Tagus. Major mountain systems include the Alps, rising to 4807m at Mont Blanc; and the Pyrenees, rising to 3403m at Pico de Aneto.