What is the story of how Europe got its name?

looney_tunes

In Greek mythology, Europa was a Phoenician princess who was abducted by Zeus in bull form and taken to the island of Crete, where she gave birth to Minos. For Homer, Europa (Greek: Åõñþðç) was a mythological queen of Crete, not a geographical designation. Later Europa stood for mainland Greece and by 500 BC its meaning was extended to lands to the north. The term Europe is generally [considered to have been] derived from Greek words meaning broad (eurys) and face (ops). A minority, however, see a Semitic origin, pointing to the Akkadian word gharoob or erebu which means "sunset". From a Middle Eastern viewpoint, the sun sets over Europe: the lands to the west. Likewise, Asia is also thought to have derived from the Akkadian word asu, which means "sunrise" and is the land to the east from a Mesopotamian perspective. http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/Europeweb/factfile/Unique-facts-Europe2.htm Mar 16 10, 7:02 PM