European Union Page
The
European Union is a political and economic union of twenty-seven countries,
founded in 1956 and spreading across continental Europe over the following
decades, and is now home to more than 500 million people. It is based on the free movement of people,
goods, services and money between its member states,
and it stretches from the United Kingdom and Ireland to Greece and Bulgaria,
and from Portugal and Spain to Finland and Poland. The Schengen Treaty
abolished passport controls between many of the member states, allowing travel
across international borders as easily as between Canadian provinces or
American states. Most of the EU members
are also members of the Eurozone, an economic and
monetary union of states that have adopted the Euro as a common currency.
Public
transportation is very well developed in the EU and some of the world’s largest
transit agencies are located in the EU’s major cities. In fact, two of the oldest subway systems in
the world operate in London and Paris.
There are also high-speed rail connections connecting several of the
countries, allowing passengers to travel hundreds of kilometres in a few
hours. For instance, Paris, the capital
and largest city in France, is located about 450 km from London, U.K., and
about 800 km from Marseille, in the south of France. However, the TGV train, reaching speeds of up
to 320 km/h (200 MPH) can connect
the Paris to London in two hours, and Paris to Marseille in three hours.
London,
United Kingdom, and Paris, France, are two of the largest cities in Europe and
have extensive public transit systems, operating subways, suburban railways and
thousands of buses to serve their inhabitants.
London, which was the largest city in the world between 1831 and 1925,
is still the largest city in the EU and second largest in Europe (after Moscow)
with a city population of 7.5 million and a metropolitan population of 13.7
million. Paris, the largest city in
France, has 2.2 million people living within its city limits and 12.2 million
people in its metropolitan area. Click
on the links below to see photos of public transit in London and Paris.
Transport for London (15 photos)
Régie autonome
des transports parisiens (12 photos)