Take the 2-minute tour ×

As a Europhile living in England, it really bothers me when journalists refer to mainland Europe as "Europe". We're in Europe! But I appreciate that it offers a neat shorthand for referring to the continent.

Is there an alternative that doesn't offend my inclusive sensibilities?

share|improve this question

2 Answers 2

up vote 11 down vote accepted

The Continent



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.


share|improve this answer
Does 'the Continent' include Norway, Sweden, and Finland? Although the parts of the former Soviet Union that join Finland to Poland are geographically considered to be part of Europe, they are often lumped into Asia, along with the rest of the former Soviet Union. –  oosterwal Mar 10 '11 at 23:48

Continental Europe

Continental Europe, also referred to as mainland Europe or simply the Continent, is the continent of Europe, explicitly excluding European islands. Notably, in British English usage, the term means Europe excluding the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands, Ireland and Iceland.


For example, here in England you may have heard "continental breakfast" as a reference to the kind of breakfast that is common in most countries in Continental Europe: croissants, butter, coffee, etc.

share|improve this answer
as a _short_hand for "mainland Europe" this doesn't work, as it's two syllables longer... –  Seamus Oct 4 '10 at 12:15
Ok. I just posted a separate answer with the alternative "the continent". –  b.roth Oct 4 '10 at 12:37

Your Answer


