MALVEAUX: Hours after voters in the UK decided to dump the European Union, many of them took to Google with big questions about what happened. According to the Google trends, "What is the EU?" was the second most popular question in Britain after the results were officially announced. London correspondent Max Foster explains the history and the origins of the European Union.</s>MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): What is the E.U.? The European Union is a group of countries that work together to create a single market, to allow goods, capital, services and people to move between the member states, as long as they follow the rules and they pay the entry fee. But we're getting ahead of ourselves. To start this story, we need to go right back to the end of World War II. After six years of fighting, Europe was disseminated. Economies were collapsing and mistrust was rife as old enemies face the prospect of recreating trade ties. France and previous occupiers Germany faced the difficult task of creating a unity for profit. So, they started talking, mainly about steel and coal. In 1951, a total of six countries, France, Belgium, West Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands reached their first accord by uniting the steel and coal industries, creating the European Coal and Steel Community, or the ECSC. They later introduce the European Economic Community, EEC, in 1958. These two organizations are seen as the origin of the modern European Union, that wouldn't adopt its new name (OFF-MIKE).</s>MALVEAUX: West Virginia that is underwater. And, California, high temperatures, dry winds are making it hard for firefighters to get a handle on a monster blaze. We're going to take you there. You are live with CNN NEWSROOM.
"What is the EU?" Trends on Google in UK.