Intro to the European countries

Are you certain you want to visit the sights of Europe with Global Grad, or are you curious about the places you could visit during their European semester? Before confirming your place, it’s always best to do a little research! Students who join Global Grad will be given guides upon visiting each new location, but here’s a brief introduction to the three main study hub locations- Czech Republic, Hungary and Portugal- as well as the places you will see on your road trip.

Note: All climate data is from the capital city of the country.

MAIN STUDY HUB LOCATIONS

CZECH REPUBLIC

Capital City: Prague

Population: 10.7 million

Main ethnic groups: 64% Czech, 5% Moravian, 1.5% Slovak

Main language: Czech (spoken by 98.8% of the population)

Main religions: 45% undeclared, 34.5% irreligious, 11% Catholic

Climate (January semester): The coldest period of the year, averaging 1 Celsius.

Climate (September semester): Still fairly warm and dry, averaging around 14 Celsius.

You will be staying in: Prague

HUNGARY

Capital City: Budapest

Population: 9.7 million

Main ethnic groups: 98.3% Hungarian, 3.2% Romani, 1.8% German-Hungarian

Main language: Hungarian (spoken by 99% of the population)

Main religions: 39% Catholic, 18.2% irreligious, 13.8% Protestant

Climate (January semester): The driest period of the year, averaging 6 Celsius.

Climate (September semester): One of the rainier periods of the year, with temperatures of around 12 Celsius.

You will be staying in: Budapest

PORTUGAL

Capital City: Lisbon

Population: 10.2 million

Main ethnic groups: 95.3% Portuguese, 1.4% Brazilian, 1.2% other European

Main language: Portuguese (spoken by 95.6% of the population)

Main religions: 81% Catholic, 8.3% undeclared, 6.8% irreligious

Climate (January semester): A notable amount of rainfall, averaging 16/17 Celsius.

Climate (September semester): The rainiest part of the year, averaging 12 Celsius.

You will be staying in: Lisbon

 ROAD TRIP LOCATIONS

 THE NETHERLANDS

Capital City: Amsterdam

Population: 17.1 million

Main ethnic groups: 77.4% Dutch, 9.9% Other European, 2.3% Turkish

Main language: Dutch (spoken by 97.5% of the population)

Main religions: 51% irreligious, 24% Catholic, 15% Protestant

Climate (January semester): One of the rainiest parts of the year, averaging 3 Celsius.

Climate (September semester): Fairly rainy, averaging 15 Celsius.

You will be staying in: Amsterdam

 GERMANY

Capital City: Berlin

Population: 83.5 million

Main ethnic groups: 76.4% German, 3.4% Turkish, 2.6% Polish

Main language: German (spoken by 94%of the population)

Main religions: 36% irreligious, 31.7% Protestant, 31.2% Catholic

Climate (January semester): Cold and slightly rainy, averaging -1 Celsius.

Climate (September semester): Hit and miss rain, averaging 15 Celsius.

You will be staying in: Berlin

 AUSTRIA

Capital City: Vienna

Population: 9 million

Main ethnic groups: 81.1% Austrian, 6.3% ex-Yugoslav, 2.7% German

Main language: German (spoken by 96.9% of the population)

Main religions: 56.9% Catholic, 8.8% Orthodox, 3.3% Protestant

Climate (January semester): Potential light showers, averaging 1 Celsius.

Climate (September semester): Potential light showers, averaging 10 Celsius.

You will be staying in: Salzburg, Vienna

 POLAND

Capital City: Warsaw

Population: 37.9 million

Main ethnic groups: 96.8% Polish, 1.1% Silesian, 0.2% Kashubian

Main language: Polish (spoken by 95.2% of the population)

Main religions: 87.8% Catholic, 2.4% irreligious, 1.3% other religions (notably Orthodox and Protestant)

Climate (January semester): Coldest part of the year, averaging -3 Celsius. However, unlikely to rain.

Climate (September semester): Potential light showers, averaging 14 Celsius.

You will be staying in: Krakow

 CROATIA

Capital City: Zagreb

Population: 4.1 million

Main ethnic groups: 90.4% Croat, 4.4% Serb, 2% ex-Yugoslav

Main language: Croatian (spoken by 95% of the population)

Main religions: 86.3% Catholic, 4.4% Orthodox, 1.5% Islam

Climate (January semester): Unlikely but moderate rain, averaging 9 Celsius.

Climate (September semester): Rainiest part of the year, averaging 5 Celsius.

You will be staying in: Split

 ITALY

Capital City: Rome

Population: 60.6 million

Main ethnic groups: 91.5% Italian, 1.6% Romanian, 0.8% Albanian

Main language: Italian (spoken by 97.4% of the population)

Main religions: 74% Catholic, 23% Irreligious, 2.5% Orthodox

Climate (January semester): Very unlikely rain, averaging 14 Celsius.

Climate (September semester): Italy’s rainy season, but dry compared to other countries, averaging 13 Celsius.

You will be staying in: Venice, Rome, Florence

 FRANCE

Capital City: Paris

Population: 65.1 million

Main ethnic groups: 93% French, 2.2% Algerian/Moroccan, 1.9% Italian

Main language: French (spoken by 96.3% of the population)

Main religions: 42.3% Catholic, 40% irreligious, 6% Islam

Climate (January semester): Potential showers, averaging 11 Celsius.

Climate (September semester): Potential showers, averaging 7 Celsius.

You will be staying in: Nice

 SPAIN

Capital City: Madrid

Population: 46.7 million

Main ethnic groups: 45% Spaniard, 28% Catalonian, 8.2% Galician 

Main language: Spanish (spoken by 94% of the population)

Main religions: 67% Catholic, 22% irreligious, 2.5% Protestant

Climate (January semester): Rainy, although nothing substantial, averaging 11 Celsius.

Climate (September semester): Rainy, although nothing substantial, averaging 10 Celsius.

You will be staying in: Barcelona, Madrid

About the author

Jasmin Dawling is one of Global Grad’s January 2019 students and is completing a full-time Bachelor’s degree with the Open University in International Studies. While this is her first time formally blogging, she has had plenty of writing experience in the past, from novel writing since the age of six to working on the school newspaper. Apart from seeing the sights of South East Asia and working on her degree, Jasmin spends most of her time either procrastinating or writing down her novel ideas, be it on her travelling-inspired new ideas or the 7-part series she’s been toying with for almost ten years.

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