Short answers, pulled from the story.
Continental Europe refers to the contiguous mainland landmass excluding all surrounding islands. Modern definitions exclude Greek islands, Cyprus, Malta, Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, the Balearic Islands, Great Britain, Ireland, Novaya Zemlya, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, and Svalbard.
Sebastian Munster published his Europa Regina map in 1570 showing Sicily clasped by Europe like a globus cruciger while omitting much of Fennoscandia. This historical document illustrates early geographical struggles regarding how to draw lines around water.
Britain physically connected to continental Europe for the first time in 1994 through the opening of the undersea Channel Tunnel. That tunnel accommodates passenger traffic between the island and northern France while maintaining border controls on each side.
The Great Belt Bridge opened in 1998 providing direct physical connection from the Scandinavian Peninsula to Danish Jutland. The Øresund Bridge followed in 2000 linking Copenhagen to the Continent as noted by New York Times headlines.
French people refer to l'Hexagone describing the approximate hexagonal shape of continental France excluding Corsica and overseas territories. These regional identities reflect unique cultural perspectives shaped by geography rather than political boundaries alone.