Physical Geography of Europe

Where does Europe STOP?

Europe and Asia are both continents, although they are both located on the same great landmass Eurasia!" These t#o continents are separated by the $ral %ountains and the &osphorus Strait #hich separates the &lac' Sea ( the %editerranean Sea"!

Western Europe )s" Eastern Europe

The term Western Europe gre# out of history rather than geography" After World War **, the continent #as di)ided" The countries of Western Europe remained free of So)iet control"

Europe: A Peninsula of Peninsulas?

Europe: An Asian Peninsula?

Northern Peninsulas
Scandinavian Peninsula

Jutland Peninsula

The Northern Peninsulas The Scandinavian Peninsula (occupied by Norway and Sweden) in northern Europe is mountainous. Ice Age glaciers melted here leaving thousands o! la"es. #ther glaciers carved out !$ords along the coastline. %$ords& are '&shaped valleys that connect to the sea and that !ill with sea water. (utland the peninsula on which mainland )enmar" lies is mostly !lat.

Southern Peninsulas

Iberian Peninsula

Crimean Peninsula Italian Peninsula Balkan Anatolean Peninsula Peninsula

The Southern Peninsulas

The Iberian Peninsula home to Spain and Portugal. It separates the *editerranean Sea !rom the Atlantic #cean through the small passage "nown as the Strait o! +ibraltar. *ost o! the peninsula is a plateau but the Pyrenees *ountains !orm a barrier between it and the rest o! Europe.

The Strait o! +ibraltar is appro,imately - miles wide at its narrowest point. It separates the Iberian Peninsula !rom A!rica and connects the Atlantic #cean and the *editerranean Sea. This ma"es it a very important body o! water !or shipping and travel.

The Apennine or Italian Peninsula is a long thin boot&shaped piece o! land on which the country o! Italy lies. The Apennines mountain range which includes the active volcano *ount .esuvius e,tends down the center o! the peninsula. #nly about /0 percent o! the Apennine Peninsula is plains.

The 1al"an Peninsula is bordered by the Adriatic *editerranean 2 Aegean Seas. +reece is !ound on the southern tip. It is a tangle o! mountain ranges and valleys. #verland travel in this region is di!!icult.

1 o d i e s o! 3 a t e r

Arctic #cean

Atlantic #cean

North Sea
h4 s i l g En el n n ha

1altic Sea

1ay o! 1iscay )ardanelles Strait Aegean Sea 1lac" Sea

ria Ad

4aspian Sea

Strait o! +ibraltar

Tyrrhenian Sea

*editerranean Sea

tic a Se

 &ecause of the continent+s shape, no place is more than ,-- miles from the sea" .o# do you thin' this affects the cultural geography and mo)ement of the region?

About /0 percent of the 1etherlands lies belo# sea le)el" The 2utch reclaimed land from the sea, to create more room for their gro#ing population" The 2utch ha)e built di'es to hold bac' the #aters" They ha)e gained ne# land by draining la'es and flooded areas"

3and that has been reclaimed from the sea is called a Polder" Since most of the land is lo# lying the 2utch built di'es to hold bac' the destructi)e impact of the sea" These di'es pro)ide safety during floods and high tides" They also built #indmills to po#er pumps that drain the land"

The Mediterranean Sea

Strait o! +ibraltar

/,4-- miles long ( 5,--- miles #ide 67rossroads of , 7ontinents8

Islands Europe5s largest islands are !ound in the North. These include6 +reat 1ritain Ireland Iceland 2 +reenland. Iceland an island south o! the Arctic 4ircle in the North Atlantic #cean !eatures volcanoes hot springs and geysers. The 1ritish Isles7 primarily Ireland and +reat 1ritain7are cool hilly and rainy.

*celand is 'no#n as the island of ice and )olcanoes"

Europe5s smaller islands are !ound in the *editerranean Sea. The !ive large islands7 Sicily 4orsica Sardinia 4yprus and 4rete 7all have rugged terrain and volcanic mountains. +reece5s nearly 8 000 islands in the Aegean Sea have rugged landscapes and a sunny climate that attracts tourists.

Mediterranean Islands
Generally rugged & mountainous.
Sardinia

4yprus

*alta

9 i v e r s

9 .olga .

) on
p ie )n

Thames 9.
in Se e
.

. a9 ul st . .i r9 de #

El be

e in 9h 9.

9.

9 er

:oire 9

. 9

)a

Po 9. Tagus 9. Ebro 9.
Ti be r 9.

nu b

9.

The anu!e "i#er

;<<0 mile s

The anu!e "i#er

9lo#s through5- countries: Germany, Austria,

Slo)a'ia, .ungary, Serbia, 7roatia, &ulgaria, ;omania, $'raine, and %oldo)a"

$hy are most of the %apitals of Europe on ma&or ri#ers??

'apitals on the "i#ers ()*

3ondon on the Thames

Paris, right ban' of the Seine

;ome on the Tiber

<ienna on the 2anube

Ans+er:
They are Europe,s lifeline-

* o u t a i n s 2 P e a " s
Py re nn es *
4arp athia n * ts .

4aucasus *ts.

'r a l* ts.

Alps *ts.
ts.

)i

Ap e

na ric

s* *t. .esuvius = ts. *t. #lympus =

nn

ine

Al ps

*t. Etna =

The Alps

'o#er most of S+it.erland/ Austria/ and parts of Italy and 0ran%e.

Mt. 1lan% in the Alps

2ighest mountain in the Alps: )3/44) feet

Mt. Etna/ Si%ily

An acti)e )olcano

Mt. 5esu#ius/ Italy

Pompeii, >= 7E .erculaneum, >= 7E

5=44 eruption

Western Europe
Pyrenees?forms a mountain #all bet#een the *berian Peninsula and the rest of Europe" They are not as tall as the Alps, but are )ery rugged"

The Northern European Plain 667 An In#asion "oute into Asia (& 5i%e 5ersa?*

Plains One of the most fertile agricultural regions in the #orld is the 1orthern European Plain" ,,@ of Europe+s land is suitable for agricultural use, this is high compare to the #orld a)erage of 55@" 3oess, a fine, rich, #ind?borne soil, is found here" Oli)es, fruits, and )egetables gro# in southern areasA grains and li)estoc' are raised in northern areas"

Ruhr River in Germany industrial center

'limate

7limate
9our maBor climate types in Europe:
C %arine West 7oast 1orthern ( Western Europe! C .ighlands C .igh 3atitudes C .umid 7ontinental *nterior Scandina)ia south to the &lac' Sea! C %editerranean Southern EuropeD by the %editerranean SeaE!

A *arine 3est 4oast 4limate e,ists in much o! 3estern Europe. A current o! warm water !rom the tropics "nown as the North Atlantic )ri!t !lows near Europe5s west coast. The Prevailing 3inds pic" up the current and carry it over Europe. The regions that live !ar !rom the Atlantic #cean do not get the bene!its o! its warming e!!ects.

http:FF###"destination,G-"comFeuropeFgermanyFcastles"php

A >ighland climate e,ist in areas o! high elevation. The Alps have a highland climate with colder temperatures and more precipitation than nearby lowland areas. #ccasional dry winds can trigger avalanches.

The mild *editerranean 4limate !ound around the sea a!ter which it was named is warm and dry. The Alps bloc" moist Atlantic winds so less precipitation !alls in southern Europe than in northwestern Europe. The *istral an Alpine wind occasionally blows bitter cold air into southern %rance. Siroccos7high dry winds !rom North A!rica7sometimes bring hot weather to Europe.
http:FF###"destination,G-"comFeuropeFitalyFnaples"php

3arm Atlantic currents have less in!luences on climates in these areas !arther !rom the Atlantic #cean. As a result summer and winter temperatures vary more widely in eastern and northern Europe than in the rest o! Europe. *uch o! Eastern Europe e,periences a humid continental climate with ? seasons and a variety o! vegetation including grasslands and mi,ed !orests.

1atural ;esources
%ost forests #ere cleared to ma'e room for to#ns" Good use is made of soil C for good commercial agriculture" %aBor farming centers: Po ;i)er <alley in *taly ( GuadalHui)ir ;i)er <alley in Spain" Oranges, grapes, oli)es, potatoes, goats, hogs, and sheep" 9ishing along coasts

;esources cont"
;ely hea)ily on mineral imports" 2O ha)e a lot of coal" Oil ( natural gas from the 1orth Sea *reland lac's energy resources so the *rish cut peat and burn it as fuel" Peat is partially decayed plant matter found in bogs.

North Sea oil rig

Ma&or En#ironmental isasters & Pollution Pro!lems

A%id "ain

In the ;@A0s people saw that trees in +ermany5s 1lac" %orest were discolored losing needles and leaves and dying. Scientists !ound that one cause o! tree death was acid rain. Europe5s !actories emit sul!ur dio,ide and nitrogen o,ide. These combine with water vapor and o,ygen to !orm acid rain or snow. 3inds carry the emissions to other parts o! Europe. It is estimated that one&!ourth o! European !orests have been a!!ected. The e!!ects o! acid precipitation are especially severe in eastern Europe where lignite coal is still burned !or !uel

<enice, *taly, is made up of about 5/- islands and part of the *talian mainland" The people of <enice depend on the more than 50- canals that sna'e around and through the islands to mo)e people or goods" <enice began #hen people escaping in)aders too' shelter on a cluster of islands in a lagoon" Though the land #as s#ampy and inhospitable, the location on the Adriatic Sea made it a good site for a port" Trade helped <enice gro#"

To build .enice wooden pilings were sun" into the ground to support buildings. The weight o! the buildings has compressed the underlying ground. This is one reason why .enice is slowly sin"ing. #ther reasons include rising sea levels and pumping o! too much ground water.

Industrial waste and sewage have created severe water pollution in .enice. Pollution plus saltwater are eating away the !oundations o! buildings. %loods also threaten the city.
http:FF###"destination,G-"comFeuropeFitalyFponte?del?lo)o"php