GEOGRAPHY PROJECT

INTRODUCTION & LOCATION OF EUROPE

Europe 6th largest continent,10,360,000 sq km including adjacent islands (1992 est. pop. 512 million).
It is actually a vast peninsula of the great Eurasian land mass. By convention, it is separated from Asia
by the Urals and the Ural River in the east; by the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus in the southeast; and
by the Black Sea, the Bosporus, the Sea of Marmara, and the Dardanelles in the south. The
Mediterranean Sea and the Strait of Gibraltar separate it from Africa. Europe is washed in the north
by the Arctic Ocean, and in the west by the Atlantic Ocean, with which the North Sea and the Baltic
Sea are connected.

CLIMATE OF EUROPE
The climate of Europe varies from subtropical to polar. The Mediterranean climate of the south is dry
and warm. The western and northwestern parts have a mild, generally humid climate, influenced by the
North Atlantic Drift. In central and eastern Europe the climate is of the humid continental-type with
cool summers. In the northeast subarctic and tundra climates are found. All of Europe is subject to
the moderating influence of prevailing westerly winds from the Atlantic Ocean and, consequently, its
climates are found at higher latitudes than similar climates on other continents.

FACTORS EFFECTING THE CLIMATE OF EUROPE

The factors that influence the climate of Europe are:

 The Latitudinal Factor

 The North Atlantic Drift
 The Westerly Winds

The Latitudinal Factor

The land has a moderating influence of the surrounding seas. It becasue the peninsular shape of the
continent with numerable bays and gulfs extending in to the land.

The North Atlantic Drift

the warm The North Atlantic Drift increases the temperature of the coastal regions which helps in
keeping the harbours ice free.

The Westerly Winds

The Westerly Winds blow over the North Atlantic Drift they carry moisture and bring rainfall.
TYPES OF CLIMATE AND VEGETATION

Climate and natural vegetation of each region

Climate plays a major role in the distribution of vegetation. The major climatic regions of European
continent can be divided into 5 types.

Maritime Type
In this region the summers are warm and winters are cool. rainfall occurs throughout the year. The
annual range of temperature is low. This type of climate is found in UK, Western France, Parts of
Germany, Holland, Belgium and Denmark.

 Temperate and mixed deciduous is the natural vegetation found here. Coniferous trees are
available on the cooler slopes of the hills.

Continental Type
This region has hot summers and cold winters. Rainfall occurs during summer.
The annual amount of rainfall is low because the westerlies become dry in when they reach the
interior. This type of climate is found in central and Eastern Europe.

 In this region, there is no thick vegetation due to low annual rain fall. The grasslands in this
region are called Steppes.

Mediterranean Type
In this region the summers are hot and dry and winters are warm and wet. Rain occurs during winter
while summers are almost dry. In winters, due to shifting of pressure belts to the south the on-shore
westerlies bring rain fall to this region whereas summers dry as the south east trade winds are
offshore.

 The vegetation of this region is evergreen. Olive, pine, cork oak, laurel, lemon, orange and grape
vines are grown in this region. Herbs and shrubs like lavender grow which are used for making
perfumes.

Cold Temperate Type

Here winters are very cold and long while summers are just warm and and of short duration. This type
of climate is found in the coniferous forest belt of Norway, Sweden, Finland and northern Russia.
  Pine, Spruce and fir are the main trees of this region. These forests are available and provide
soft wood and they are evergreen.

Tundra Type
Here the winters are long and bitterly cold. Summers are short and cool. This climate prevails in the
highlands of Norway, Sweden and northern parts of Finland and Russia.

 This region is tree less some mosses and lichens grow, which can remain alive under the snow.
These regions are called cold deserts because of the barren land and scanty rainfall.

WILDLIFE OF EUROPE

Golden eagle
This bird of prey, worshiped by native Europeans, was used as a symbol on banners of Roman legions.

Brown bear

There are nearly fourteen thousand Brown Bears that now live in Europe in ten separate populations.
Their habitat spans from the west of Spain to the east of Russia and from the north of Scandinavia
to southern Romania and Bulgaria

Grey wolf

At present there are few wolves in Western Europe and hunting makes their numbers even smaller.
They are very rare in the Balcans, Scandinavia and Eastern Europe.

Polar bears

Polar bears are the biggest predators in the world and the biggest out of eight types of bears. At
present they are endangered due to global warming which, in the Arctic, has a negative influence on
their natural habitat.

European bee-eater
Although this vari-coloured bird might as well be living in exotic forests of Amazonia or Central
Africa rather than Europe, his home is Central and Southern Europe.

European Bison

A few of the last european bisons living in zoos and private breeds are preserved, which is why
European Wildlife has bison as its emblem.

Moose
This present inhabitant of Northern forests of Europe originally lived across most of the continent.

Badger
Distinctive features

European badgers are omnivores.

They are powerfully built mammals that have a short, fat body and short, sturdy legs well suited for
digging. The bottoms of their feet are naked and they have strong claws that are elongated with a
sharp end honed for digging.

They have small eyes and small ears and a long head. Their skull is heavy and elongated and they have
an oval braincase. Their fur is grayish and they have black faces with white stripes on their top and
sides of their face and neck.

European badgers are social animals that live in colonies of 6 to 20 individuals. European badgers are
burrowing mammals that create a network of underground tunnels known as a sett or den

Location
European badgers are found throughout the British Isles, Europe and Scandinavia. Their range
extends westward to the Volga River (west of the Volga River, Asian badgers are common).

Golden Eagle

Distinctive features
Aquila chrysaetos chrysaetos sometimes referred to as the European golden eagle.
 1. The golden eagle is the UK’s second largest bird of prey and has a
2. wing span of around 2 metres.
3. Males weigh-in at about 3.5kg but females are heavier at about 5kg.
4. Adult golden eagles are predominantly dark brown with paler feathers around the back of the
head giving the species its name.
5. Juvenile golden eagles are a richer chocolate brown with conspicuous white wing and tail
patches.
Location
It is found almost throughout Europe including the British Isles (mainly in Scotland), a lion’s share of
Scandinavia, southern and northernmost France, Italy and Austria. In Eastern Europe, the race is
found from Estonia to Romania, Greece, Serbia and Bulgaria in southeastern Europe.
 Europe Africa Asia

N America S America Aus

Antartica