The most common definition of continental Europe excludes the Greek Islands, Cyprus, Malta, Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, the Balearic Islands, Iceland, Ireland, the United Kingdom and its dependencies. The Scandinavian peninsula is sometimes also excluded, mostly historically speaking, owing to its near physical detachment from the rest of the continent. Most definitions extend the boundaries of the continent to its standard boundaries: the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, and the Caucasus Mountains.[citation needed]
