Abstract
Europe has always played a major role in the development of the world, and, this, from the end of the Middle Ages, allowing it to conquer the Americas. Europe is one of the most diverse continents, it is the birthplace of the occidental civilization and it is an amazing mix of a lot of very different countries and cultures. The first part will describe Europe's spatial diversity. Then, the second part of this essay will evaluate to what extent spatial legacies still determine Europe's internal disparities. First, the west-east divide will be discussed, with the situation in the old communist countries and in Western Europe. Then, the help of the European Union and the polarization of cores will be opposed to that first argument. To finish, a short conclusion will balance the two opinions.
