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'Continental 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 English usage, the term means Europe excluding the UK. One general definition of "Continental Europe" is ''the European landmass excluding the UK, Ireland and Iceland.'' However, different areas of Europe have their own ideas on what the term actually means.

Contents

Use in the UK

The Nordic concept

Mediterranean islands

References

See also

Use in the UK

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".^[1][2]

The Nordic concept

In Nordic usage, UK, Ireland, Scandinavia, Iceland, and Finland are excluded.

Mediterranean islands

In the Mediterranean context, "The continent" may refer to the continental part of Italy (as opposed to Sardinia, Sicily) or the continental part of France (as opposed to Corsica).

References

1. Barry Manilow: From kitsch to cool?
2. Europe no star as election issue

See also

★ Mainland