Europe Physical Geography

The Land Europe stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Ural Mountains and from the Artic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea. 2 nd smallest Continent by land area, but within Europe’s small area is a complex variety of landforms.

Europe can be divided into 4 major landform regions: 1)Northwest Highlands 2)Northern European Plain 3)Central Uplands 4)Alpine Mountain System

Topography The Northwest Highlands is an ancient eroded region of rugged hills and low mountains Fjords are found in this area. A fjord is a steep, narrow, u-shaped valley that is carved out by a glacier. They are found in Norway on the Scandinavian Peninsula because this area had many glaciers during the last ice age.

Fjords

Topography Northern European Plain, most of this plain is less than 500 feet above sea level. Many rivers flow across it into the sea. River towns have been formed around it. Paris and Berlin are examples Europe's most important farming area Most densely populated area

Many rivers, and smooth terrain have made human contact relatively easy in this area Paris along the SeineBerlin along the Rhine

Topography Central Uplands is an area of hills and small plateaus, with forested slopes and fertile valleys. Old eroded region, as a result low mountains and hills are often rounded. Large coal deposits

Bohemian Highlands and Jura Mountains

Topography The Alpine Mountain System is the youngest region. Includes all major mountain ranges of Europe: Alps, Pyrenees, and Apennines

Alps

Peninsulas Europe has five major peninsulas: A. Scandinavian Peninsula B. Jutland Peninsula C. Iberian Peninsula D. Italian Peninsula E. Balkan Peninsula

Scandinavian Peninsula The Scandinavian Peninsula is in Northern Europe. Norway, Sweden, and part of Finland are on the Scandinavian Peninsula. The peninsula is surrounded by the Barents Sea, Baltic Sea, Norwegian Sea, and North Sea.

Jutland Peninsula The country of Denmark is on Jutland.

Iberian Peninsula The countries of Portugal and Spain are on the Iberian Peninsula.

The Italian Peninsula Italy is on the Italian Peninsula.

The Balkan Peninsula The Balkan Peninsula is surrounded by the Adriatic Sea, Aegean Sea, and Black Sea. This area is known as the Balkans.

Strategic Waterways A strategic waterway is a narrow body of water on an important transportation route or sea lane. Some examples are: A. The English Channel B. The Strait of Gibraltar C. The Dardanelles and Bosporus

The English Channel The English Channel separates the island of Great Britain from France. The narrowest point is the Strait of Dover, which is 21 miles wide.

The Chunnel The Chunnel is a tunnel that runs underneath the English Channel and connects Britain to France. Began construction in 1988 and opened in 1994

The Chunnel Eurostar Train Tunnel Boring Machine

At its lowest point it is 250 ft deep. At 23.5 mi, the Channel Tunnel has the longest undersea portion of any tunnel in the world

Interesting Channel Facts Matthew Webb is the first known person to swim the channel from Dover to Calais. It took him 21 hours and 45 minutes. In 1979, Bryan Allen crossed the Channel in a human powered aircraft. Yea, that is right, he pedaled for three hours in order to fly.

Strait of Gibraltar The Strait of Gibraltar connects the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. The strait also separates the continents of Europe and Africa. At the strait’s narrowest point it is eight miles wide. Ferries cross between the two continents every day in as little as 35 minutes.

The Strait from space

Gibraltar The Rock of Gibraltar or Gibraltar is actually an overseas territory of the United Kingdom. It has been part of the U.K. for 300 years.

The only wild monkeys in Europe live on the Rock of Gibraltar.

The Bosporus and Dardanelles The Bosporus and Dardanelles separate Europe from Asia Minor (Turkey).

Islands Some islands in Northern Europe are: A. Great Britain B. Ireland C. Iceland *Great Britain and Ireland are the two major islands in an archipelago. Together they are called the British Isles.

Great Britain Great Britain is the name of an island. The United Kingdom refers to a country that is located on Great Britain and Ireland. The United Kingdom is composed of: A. Wales B. Scotland C. England D. Northern Ireland

Islands Some islands in the Mediterranean Sea are: A. Sicily B. Corsica C. Sardinia D. Crete

Mountains The major mountain ranges of Europe are:  The Alps (N. Italy, Switzerland)  The Pyrenees (Iberian Peninsula)  Carpathians (Eastern Europe)  Apennines (Italy)

Mountains The Alps are located in Northern Italy, Switzerland, Austria, and France. The Alps are not very long and the tallest mountain is Mont Blanc (15,774ft).

Mountains The Pyrenees separate the Iberian Peninsula from France. The highest point is Aneto Peak, elevation 11,169 ft (3,404 m).

Interesting Fact Hannibal was a general from Carthage, a city in North Africa. He took an army from Spain to Italy to fight the Romans. On the way he crossed the Pyrenees and the Alps. His army had over 30,000 men and over 30 elephants.

Rivers Europe’s long, irregular coastline has hundreds of good natural harbors. Most harbors are located near the mouths of navigable rivers. A navigable river is one wide and deep enough for shipping

Rivers Europe’s two most important rivers are: Rhine Starts in the Alps, and empties into the North Sea (West Europe) Danube Starts in the Alps and ends in the Black Sea (East Europe)

Rhine River

The Danube

Climate and Vegetation Europe is in the middle and high latitudes, therefore, Europe has many different types of climates. A. In Northern Europe there is Tundra and Sub- arctic climates. B. Most of Western Europe has a Marine West Coast climate zone. C. Southern Europe has a Mediterranean climate.

Climate The factors that affect climate are: A. Topography B. Wind Currents C. Ocean Currents D. Zones of Latitude E. Elevation

Climate Wind currents and ocean currents have a large impact on the climate of Europe. A. The North Atlantic Drift is an ocean current that warms Europe. B. Europe is also warmed by wind currents called the Westerlies.

North Atlantic Drift

Natural Resources Some of Europe’s Natural Resources: Rich soils Fishing Coal Hydroelectricity Iron Ore

RUSSIA, UKRAINE, BELARUS Physical Geography

The Land Russia is a large country that is located in Europe and Asia. Russia is so long that it spans 11 time zones. The dividing line between Europe and Asia is the Ural Mountains.

Map

The Land The part of Russia located in Asia is called Siberia. This area is isolated, sparsely populated, and extremely cold in the winter time. This area has long been used for exile of political opponents of the communist party.

Siberia

The Land The Northern European Plain extends into Western Russia. This area has a type of fertile soil called chernozem. Chernozem means black earth and the soil is dark in color.

The Land Comparison of arable land The United States173,450 India160,519 China142,615 Russia122,559 * unit in thousands of hectares Arable land is land that can be used for farming.

Mountains The Urals are the longest mountain range in Russia. The Caucasus Mountains run from the Black Sea to the Caspian Sea and they generally divide Russia from Georgia and Azerbaijan.

The Ural Mountains split Russia

Caucasus Mountains lie between the Black and Caspian Seas

Water Features Russia has many long rivers such as the Volga, Ob, and Amur. The Amur River forms part of the border between Russia and China. Some rivers flow northward to the Arctic Ocean. The Caspian Sea is the world’s largest body of enclosed water. Large reserves of oil have been found on the bottom of the lake.

Caspian Sea

Rivers

Climate and Vegetation Russia is in the middle and high latitudes but it is not warmed by ocean currents and wind currents like Europe, so it is much colder. Western Russia has a humid continental climate zone but most of Siberia has a sub arctic climate zone. The northern part of Russia is tundra.

Climate and Vegetation Differences in climate cause plant life to vary from north to south Tundra in the north – low shrubs, moss Taiga in the south – forest of evergreen trees (covers half of Russia) Steppe – most southern area of Russia, dry grassland with chernozem

Vegetation The Northern European Plain extends into Western Russia. This area has a type of fertile soil called chernozem. Chernozem means black earth and the soil is dark in color.

Taiga

Tundra

Steppe

Natural Resources Taiga provides an abundance of wood Gold and Diamond mines in E. Siberia Coal, and oil are the main energy resources

Natural Resources Diamond Mines of Siberia