thumb|300px|right|Continental EuropeContinental Europe, also referred to as
mainland Europe or simply
the Continent, is the
continent of
Europe, explicitly excluding European
islands and, at times,
peninsulas. Notably, in
British and Irish English usage, the term means Europe excluding the
United Kingdom, the
Isle of Man, the
Channel Islands, the
Republic of Ireland and
Iceland. One general definition of "Continental Europe" is
the European landmass excluding the UK, Ireland and Iceland. Two other island nations excluded from
Continental Europe are
Malta and the
Republic of Cyprus. However, in other areas of Europe different ideas on what the term actually means prevail.
Some definitions of Continental Europe extend the boundaries of the continent to its geographical boundaries, thus including nations that are within the elevated boundaries of the
Ural Mountains and the
Caucasus Mountains.
Use in the United Kingdom
In the
United Kingdom,
the Continent is used to refer to the mainland of Europe. A famous, perhaps
apocryphal,
British newspaper headline once read "Fog in
Channel; Continent Cut Off".
Derivatively, the adjective "Continental" refers to the social practices or fashion of continental Europe, as opposed to those in Britain. Examples include
breakfast and, historically, long-range driving before Britain had
motorways.
Use in Ireland
In
Ireland, both
mainland Europe (or just
the mainland) and
continental Europe (or just
the continent) are commonly used to describe the region.
Scandinavia
Map of the Scandiae islands by
Nicolaus Germanus for a 1467 publication of
Cosmographia Claudii Ptolomaei Alexandrini.
Especially, in
Germanic studies, "Continental" refers to the European continent excluding the Scandinavian peninsula, Britain, Ireland and Iceland. The reason for this is that although the Scandinavian peninsula is technically attached to Continental Europe by
Karelia, it is in practice reached by sea, not by land (which would imply travelling north as far as
Tornio at the
66th parallel north), and has in the past been mis-identified as an island (
Scandia).
Kontinenten - "the Continent" - is a vernacular Swedish expression excluding Sweden, Norway and Finland, but including Denmark (even the Danish archipelago) and the rest of continental Europe.
Mediterranean islands
In the Mediterranean context, "the continent" may refer to the continental part of
Italy (as opposed to
Sardinia and
Sicily),
Spain with
Balearic islands,
Alboran or the continental part of
France (as opposed to
Corsica) and
Portugal although not having mediterranean islands, it has
Madeira and the
Azores.
