May 9: Europe Day | European Union

Europe Day held on 9 May every year celebrates peace and unity in Europe. The date marks the anniversary of the historic ‘Schuman declaration’. At a speech in Paris in 1950, Robert Schuman, the then French foreign minister, set out his idea for a new form of political cooperation in Europe, which would make war between Europe’s nations unthinkable.

His vision was to create a European institution that would pool and manage coal and steel production. A treaty creating such a body was signed just under a year later. Schuman’s proposal is considered to be the beginning of what is now the European Union.

Europe is divided into the southern, northern, eastern, and western hemispheres. According to the United Nations, there are currently 44 countries in Europe. Twenty-seven of these countries are part of the EU. The largest and most populous country in Europe is Russia. There are nearly 146 million people in Russia. The next most populous country is Germany with nearly 84 million people. Europe is also comprised of four dependencies or territories. These include the Channel Islands, Isle of Man, Faeroe Islands, and Gibraltar.