Schengen Area

The Schengen Area is a region encompassing 29 European countries that have abolished border controls at their mutual borders, functioning as a single jurisdiction under a common visa policy for international travel purposes. It includes 25 of the 27 EU member states, as well as four microstates and several European Free Trade Association member states. The area has a population of over 450 million people and an area of 4,595,131 square kilometers, with over 1.7 million people commuting to work across internal European borders each day. The Schengen Area was established through the 1985 Schengen Agreement and the 1990 Schengen Convention, and has led to a significant decrease in the cost of trade, with an estimated 0.42% to 1.59% decrease in trade costs depending on geography and other factors.learn more on wikipedia