The Physical Geography of Europe and Russia

Landforms (4 major regions): Northwest Highlands: rugged hills & low mountains, Iberian Peninsula is part of this (fjords) Northern European Plain: broad coastal plain (from coast of France to Urals) Central Uplands: hills, small plateaus & fertile valleys Alpine Mountains System: includes a series of ranges that stretch across Europe

Mountain Ranges: Alpine Mountain System – across southern Europe to the Balkan Peninsula Ranges such as the Alps, Apennines, Pyrenees, and Carpathians make-up this system (cover most of Switzerland and Austria – parts of Italy and France).

Mountain Ranges: Ural Mountains Divide the region Areas west are part of Europe, to the east, Asia

Peninsulas: The Northern Peninsulas: Scandinavian Peninsula = Norway and Sweden Fjords: long, steep-sided glacial valley now filled by seawater Jutland = Denmark

Peninsulas (cont.): The Southern Peninsulas: Iberian Peninsula = Spain and Portugal (semi-arid plateau) Apennine Peninsula = Italy (mountainous) Balkan Peninsula = former Yugoslav republics, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey - very mountainous

Scandinavian Peninsula

Iberian Peninsula Apennine Peninsula

Major Water Features: Mediterranean Sea: lies to the south of Europe (connected to the Black Sea and Bosporus) North Sea: along the shores of northern Europe (south of the Scandinavian Peninsula & northeast of the British Isles) – key for trading and fishing Atlantic Ocean: lies to the west of the European continent

Water Features:

Rivers: Rhine – most important river in western Europe – flows from Switzerland to the North Sea Danube – flows 1,776 miles from Germany to the Black Sea Thames – allows oceangoing ships to reach the port of London Rhone – runs through Switzerland and France towards Lake Geneva

Rivers of the Region: The Rhone The Danube near the Romanian – Siberian border The River Thames

The Volga River: Located in the southwestern part of Russia near Volgograd South flowing river Plays a major role in the shipping industry as well as a source of hydroelectric power

Siberia: is a vast region on the eastern and North-Eastern part of Russia It extends eastward from the Ural Mountains to the Pacific Ocean, and southward from the Arctic Ocean to the hills of north-central Kazakhstan and the national borders of both Mongolia and China

Siberia: