European Union European Union The European flag has

European Union

European Union • The European flag has a circle of 12 golden stars on a blue background which symbolise unity, solidarity and harmony among the European member countries. • These countries came together to make things better, easier and safer for people. They agreed to work together and help each other. • There are 27 countries in the European Union.

Austria Capital: Vienna Language: German Population: 9 million approx Interesting Fact: Austria is one of the most peaceful countries in the world.

Belgium Capital: Brussels Language: Dutch, French and German Population: 10. 5 million approx Interesting Fact: Belgium holds the world record for the longest time without a government.

Bulgaria Capital: Sofia Language: Bulgarian Population: 7 million approx Interesting Fact: Bulgaria is the oldest country in Europe.

Croatia Capital: Zagreb Language: 4. 28 million approx Interesting Fact: Croatia is home to the worlds smallest town.

Cyprus Capital: Nicosia Language: Greek and Turkish Population: 1. 17 million approx Interesting Fact: Cyprus has a very low crime rate making it one of the safest places in the world.

Czech Republic Capital: Prague Language: Czech Population: 10. 65 million approx Interesting Fact: Czech has the most castles in Europe (over 2, 000)

Denmark Capital: Copenhagen Language: Danish Population: 5. 5 million approx Interesting Fact: Lego is from Demark.

Estonia Capital: Tallinn Language: Estonian and Russian Population: 1. 4 million approx Interesting Fact: Estonia is one of the cleanest places to breath on earth with 50% of the country been forests.

Finland Capital: Helsinki Language: Finnish and Swedish Population: 5. 5 million approx Interesting Facts: Finland has its own culture and language which is different from Norway, Demark and Sweden. Forests cover most of the country and many people work as loggers. Children in Finland don’t start school until they are seven. Finland’s nickname is “ Land of the Thousand Lakes” it has 50, 000 lakes. Santa Claus has his workshop in Northern Finland.

France Capital: Paris Language: French Population: 67. 2 million approx Interesting Facts: France is home to some of the most famous landmarks in the world, Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Arc the Triomphe and the Louvre French is the second most studied language after English. The President of France Emmanuel Macron became the youngest president in history at 39 years of age. “Tour of France” is the world’s most famous cycle race. France is the largest country by land area in the

Germany Capital: Berlin Language: German Population: 83 million approx. Interesting Fact: Since Brexit Berlin has the biggest city with a population of 3. 7 million living there. Germany is home to a lot of famous people including Albert Einstein, Bach an Beethoven.

Greece Capital: Athens Language: Greek Population: 11 million approx Interesting facts: Greece is one of the sunniest countries in the world. It is famous for the creation of the Olympic Games, beautiful islands and ancient Greek Gods.

Hungary Capital: Budapest Language: Hungarian Population: 10 million approx Interesting Fact: Hungary is a land locked country, there is no access to the sea.

Ireland Capital: Dublin Language: English and Irish Population: 4. 8 million approx Interesting Facts: Ireland is known as the “Emerald Isle” because so much of the land is green growth and forests. The President is Michael D. Higgins. Guinness is made in Ireland. The country side has many hills, bogs and lakes and is famous for its beautiful scenery. Ireland is divided into two areas, Northern Ireland which is part of the UK and southern Ireland or “Eire”. Ireland has hundreds of different accents. Ireland is a fantastic country full of amazing facts. For such a small country it has a huge amount of culture, history and has had a big impact on the world.

Italy Capital: Rome Language: Italian, German and French Population: 62 million approx Interesting Facts: Italy is one of the founding countries of the EU. It borders six other countries. Its easy to find Italy on a map because its shaped lake a boat. Italy is famous for its art, architecture, fashion and its food. Pizza originated in Naples in the 18 th century, and spaghetti originated in Italy too. The thermometer is an Italian invention and Italy is home to the Vatican City where the Pope lives. The most active volcanoes in Europe are in Italy.

Latvia Capital: Riga Language: Latvian and Russian Population: 2 million approx Interesting Facts: Latvia has the widest waterfall in Europe called Ventas Rumba at 360 feet wide. Over half of Latvia is covered in forests. Latvia is WIFI paradise it has the worlds fourth fastest internet connections. Latvian born Jacob Davis invented denim, that we all wear in our jeans today.

Lithuania Capital: Vilnius Language: Lithuanian Population: 3. 5 million approx Interesting Facts: It was after WW 1 that Lithuania was freed from Russia and they now can live freely and enjoy a better peaceful life after their hardships with Russia. The Lithuanian people take pride in their country and their economy is one of the fastest growing in the world. The Lithuanian language is one of the oldest in the world today.

Luxembourg Capital: Luxembourg City Language: Luxembourg Population: 583, 000 approx Interesting Facts: Even though its very small, Luxembourg is one of the worlds richest countries. It has the lowest unemployment rate in Europe and is one of the safest countries in the world.

Malta Capital: Valletta Language: Maltese and English Population: 425, 000 approx Interesting Facts: Malta is the smallest country in the EU by land area and smallest population. There is almost no trees and very little plants. Malta has no permanent natural lakes or rivers. They have very hot dry summers even their winters are mild. Because its so small no one is more than 30 minutes away. It is a very religious country.

Netherlands Capital: Amsterdam Language: Dutch Population: 17 million approx Interesting Facts: The Netherlands is one of the most densely populated countries in Europe. Dutch men are the tallest in the world. Their national anthem is the oldest in the world. It is famous for its windmills, tulips and its promotion of green energy.

Poland Capital: Warsaw Language: Polish Population: 38. 1 million approx Interesting Facts: Poland 9 th largest country in Europe. For centuries Poland suffered from invasions and wars, during WW 2 Warsaw was almost completely destroyed and had to be rebuilt. But the Polish people always kept their language and culture. Hitlers armies built a concentration camp called Auschwitz in Poland where at least a million people were killed. Millions of people from all over the world visit Auschwitz every year. One of Poland’s major tourist attractions is the salt mine, which has an underground town. They also have the worlds biggest castle.

Portugal Capital: Lisbon Language: Portuguese Population: 10. 6 million approx Interesting Facts: Today Portugal is one of the poorest countries in Western Europe. Its on the Iberian Peninsula and its beaches are a major tourist destination. It is one of the oldest countries. Portugal is famous for some of the worlds best soccer players including Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Figo. It is also home to the longest bridge in Europe the Vasco de Gama Bridge in Lisbon

Romania Capital: Bucharest Language: Romania, Hungarian and German Population: 19. 7 million approx Interesting Facts: There is a bit of everything in Romania from farms to ancient cities, mountain slopes full of ski resorts, huge lakes, several types of mines and many different caves to explore which have several species of bats. A famous place in Romania is Transylvania. The story of Dracula originated here.

Slovakia Capital: Bratislava Language: Slovak Population: 5. 4 million approx Interesting Facts: Slovakia was once part of Czechoslovkia and broke away from it in 1993. Slovakia is green land with hills, woods and fields. There are many ancient castles and walled villages with wooden houses. More than 6, 000 caves have been discovered in Slovakia so far it also has no access to the sea it is surrounded by land on all sides it is the geographical midpoint of Europe.

Slovenia Capital: Ljubljane Language: Slovene Population: 2. 1 million approx Interesting Facts: Slovenia was ruled by Austria for almost 1, 000 years, then it became part of Yugoslavia. Today it is an independent country. They always kept their own language.

Spain Capital: Madrid Language: Spanish Population: 48 million approx Interesting Facts: Spain is also on the Iberian Peninsula and has many beaches and a warm climate so the tourism industry is one of the largest in the world bringing in billions of Euros to the Spanish economy. Two groups of the Mediterranean islands the Balearics and the Canaries also belong to Spain. With a rich history, beautiful landscapes fascinating culture and delicious food. Spain is a very popular destination.

Sweden Capital: Stockholm Language: Swedish Population: 9. 98 million approx Interesting Facts: Sweden is a long narrow country that sits between Norway and Finland. Greta Thunberg is from Stockholm, she has become one of the world’s leading climate change activists. Sweden is famous for the group Abba and the world famous IKEA store.

Facts on the European Union • • • The EEC was created in 1957 and the EU was formally established on the 1 st of November 1993 at Maastricht treaty. The capital of the EU is Brussels in Belgium. Why it was founded: After WW 2 the countries in Europe wanted to live peacefully together and help one another’s economies. Who founded the EU: Konrad Adenauer of Germany, Alcide De Gasperi of Italy and Robert Schunman of France. The 1 st name of the EU: European community/ EEC Initial members: Germany, Netherlands, France, Belgium, Italy and Luxembourg Policies of the EU: EU policies aim to ensure free movement of people, goods, services, justice and security for its member states. The EU motto: “United in Diversity” The EU flag: Blue flag with 12 golden stars When is Europe day: 9 th of May every year, this celebrates peace and unity in Europe Anthem: The anthem is a melody composed by Ludwig Van Beethoven it is part of his 9 th symphony and called “Ode to Joy”. The anthem only consists of music, there are no words. Its played at official ceremonies of the EU.

• Commission president: Ursula Von der Leyen • The European Commission: The European Commission runs the day-to-day running of the EU and writes laws, like the government. The Commission has one President and 27 Commissioners, selected by the European Council. • The European Parliament: The Parliament has a total of 785 members called MEP’S. They are elected in their countries every five years by the citizens of the European Union member countries. The Parliament can approve, reject or change proposed laws. • The European Council: Is the decision making group in the EU. The cabinet minsters of the members countries meet and discuss issues that are important to them. • Court of Justice: Of the EU makes sure that EU law is applied in the same way in all EU countries and settles legal disputes between national governments. • European Central Bank: The EU Central Banks headquarters is in Frankfurt Germany. The role of the European Central Bank is to manage the euro, keep prices stable which supports economic growth and job creation. It performs many tasks to help the economy do well. • MEP: An MEP is a member of the European Parliament who was elected to serve as a representative for their country. The main task is to vote on European legislation like working hours and other working conditions for employees through the EU. • Local MEP: Mairèad Mc Guinness

• What the EU does: As European citizens no matter where we live the EU has an impact on out daily lives, our health care and our security making Europe safer by fighting terrorism by strengthening Europe’s external borders. In 1999 January 1 st the EU introduced its new currency the Euro, which made travel easier by removing the need for exchanging money. Goods can travel more easily across borders making the EU work more efficiently. • The EU policies protect natural habitats, keep air and water clean, improve knowledge about toxic chemicals and help businesses move towards a sustainable economy. They have some of the world’s highest environmental standards. In 2012 the EU was awarded the Noble Peace Prize for its contribution to peace, reconciliation democracy and human right in Europe.