Unit 4: Europe Physical Geography

Landforms and Resources

Peninsulas and Islands Northern Peninsulas Scandinavian Peninsula: Norway and Sweden Carved out by glaciers Fjords-steep valleys that connect to the sea Jutland Peninsula: Denmark and a little bit of Germany

Peninsulas and Islands Southern Peninsulas Iberian Peninsula: Spain and Portugal Italian Peninsula Balkan Peninsula Islands: Great Britain, Ireland, Iceland, Greenland

Mountains and Uplands Mountain Chains Alps Pyrenees Apennine Balkan

Mountains and Uplands Uplands Hills, low mountains, contain ancient mountain ranges Meseta Massif Central

Rivers Used to transport goods and people Danube and Rhine have been a highway for centuries Historically, these rivers have connected Europe to other parts of the world

Plains Northern European Plain stretches across: France, Belgium, Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Poland. Great agricultural area Has been a detriment in the past due to it being easy to invade

Resources Energy Agricultural Land Oil and natural gas North Sea 33% is suitable for agriculture Grains Grapes Olives Cork Timber

Climate and Vegetation

Westerly Winds Marine West Coast Climate North Atlantic Drift-current of war water from the tropics, flows near west coast Westerlies (wind) blow west to east, pick up warmth from North Atlantic Drift and carry it over Europe

Conditions Inland Westerlies do not benefit those living farther inland Sweden, Finland, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary have a humid continental climate Cold, snowy winters Warm, hot summers

Mediterranean Southern Spain through Italy and Greece Summers are hot and dry, little rainfall Winters are moderate, rainy Mistral-cold, dry wind from the north Sirocco-hot, steady wind from the south

Land of the Midnight Sun Along the Arctic Circle Tundra climate Winter nights are extremely long, but so are summer days Sometimes in winter: sun never rises Sometimes in summer: sun never sets

Human-Environment Interaction

Polders Land reclaimed by diking and draining Because Dutch needed more land for growing, they reclaimed land from the sea

Polders Seaworks-structures used to control sea’s destructive impact on humans Dikes-hold water back Terpen-earthen platforms, used as a way to go for safety if there was flooding

Polders Zuider Zee Arm of the North Sea, now a freshwater lake Ijsselmeer Land around the lake was drained, creating more polders and hundreds of sq. miles of land

Waterways as Highways Venice, Italy and the Canal System Originally the city was created for those escaping invasion On the Adriatic Sea, so good for a shipping port

Waterways as Highways Building the city: Required unique building strategies: sinking pilings to help support the structures above Weight of buildings is actually causing the city to slowly sink

Deforestation Humans have destroyed and damaged much of Europe’s forests due to expansion and other factors Acid rain and other pollutants are harming the remaining forests