I. Physical Features A. Landforms and Waterways 1. Since Asia is attached to Europe, Europe is not a separate landmass. a) Eurasia 2. Europe’s landmass is framed by the Atlantic Ocean and several seas. a) Baltic, North, Mediterranean, and Black Seas. b) Only a few countries are landlocked, or they do not border an ocean or a sea. c) Long rivers give these countries access to coastal ports

I. Physical Features B. Peninsulas and Islands 3. The nearness of water have shaped the lives and history of Europe’s people. a) Fishing, sailing, trading. b) Transportation was made easy. c) Europe’s culture has been influenced by Asia, Africa, and the Americas. B. Peninsulas and Islands 1. Europe is one big peninsula with a bunch of little peninsulas branching out from it. 2. Europe has many major islands associated with it. a) Great Britain, Ireland, and Iceland in the Atlantic Ocean.

I. Physical Features C. Plains b) Sicily, Crete, and Cyprus are located in the Mediterranean Sea. 3. The large number of peninsulas and islands has affected Europe’s history. a) People were separated by rivers, seas, and mountains. b) 40 independent countries are squeezed on to the continent. C. Plains 1. Europe’s main landform is the Northern European Plain. a) Lowland stretches over the northern part of Europe.

I. Physical Features b) Belarus and Ukraine westward to France and the British Isles. 2. The plain’s rich soil makes its farms highly productive. a) Grains, fruits, and vegetables. b) Dairy cattle. 3. The Northern European Plain also has important energy and mineral resources. a) Coal, iron ore, and other minerals. 4. Because the plain is so rich agriculturally and industrially, it is densely populated.

I. Physical Features D. Mountains and Highlands a) Most of Europe’s people live here. 5. Europe has other lowlands in addition to the Northern European Plain. a) Narrow plains rim the coasts of southern Europe. b) Two larger lowlands in the East – the Hungarian Plain and the Ukranian Steppe. D. Mountains and Highlands 1. Highlands mark the northern border of the Northern European Plain. a) Europe’s highest mountain region form the Alpine Mountain System. b) Stretches from Spain to the Balkan Peninsula. c) Includes the Pyrenees (in between France and Spain) and the Carpathians (East Central Europe).

I. Physical Features 2. The Highest peak in Europe is Mont Blanc (15,771 ft) in the Alps of France. 3. Mountains have helped isolate certain countries and peoples. a) Switzerland is located in the Alps. b) Passes, or low areas between mountains, allow the movement of people and goods. 4. Europe has three older highland areas that have eroded over time. a) Uplands in the Northwest extend from Sweden through northern Great Britain to Iceland.

I. Physical Features E. Waterways b) The Central Highlands stretches from Poland to France and contains much of Europe’s coal. c) The third highland, the Meseta in Spain, is a plateau on which people grow grains and raise livestock. E. Waterways 1. Europe has an abundance of rivers, lakes, and other waterways. 2. Many European rivers are navigable, or wide and deep enough for ships to use. a) The Danube River and the Rhine River. b) Canals link these rivers, further improving Europe’s water transportation network.

I. Physical Features F. Energy Resources 3. Rivers carry rich soil downstream, creating rich farmland along their banks and at their mouths. a) Fast flowing rivers are used for hydroelectric power plants. 4. Lakes cover only a small fraction of Europe. a) Recreation and tourism. b) Northern European Plain and Scandinavia. c) The highland lakes in Great Britain and the Alps are the most visited. F. Energy Resources 1. Coal has been a major energy source in Europe for many decades. a) Europeans fueled the development of modern industry in the 1800s. b) Half of the world’s coal comes from Europe.

I. Physical Features G. Other Natural Resources 2. Petroleum and natural gas are other important energy resources found in Europe. a) North Sea controlled by Great Britain and Norway. b) Europeans tax petroleum heavily. 3. Europeans use Hydroelectric power and wind power. a) Wind turbines can be found in Germany, Denmark, and Spain. G. Other Natural Resources 1. European mines produce about one third of the world’s iron ore.

I. Physical Features 2. Forests once covered a large part of Europe. a) Ukraine has deposits of manganese. b) The UK exports a special clay to make fine china dishes. c) Marble from Italy and granite from Norway and Sweden provide fine building material. 2. Forests once covered a large part of Europe. a) Today, only small pockets of forest remain. b) Sweden and Finland have the most forests and produce the most lumber. 3. Europe has some of the most fertile land on the planet. a) Grains and potatoes.

I. Physical Features H. Air Pollution and Acid Rain 4. The waters around Europe provide very good fishing grounds. a) Salmon, cod, and other varieties of fish. H. Air Pollution and Acid Rain 1. Industrial growth in Europe has also hurt the environment – and created health risks. a) Exhaust causes breathing problems, eye irritation, and lung disease. 2. When pollutant particles mix with precipitation, acid rain falls to the Earth. a) Acid rain can harm plant life in particular, trees.

I. Physical Features I. Water Pollution b) Forests in Eastern Europe are threatened. c) Many forests have been destroyed in Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland. 3. Acid rain also falls on Europe’s waterways as well. a) Fish and wildlife are at risk. 4. Europe’s historical buildings are susceptible to acid rain. I. Water Pollution 1. Sewage, garbage, and industrial waste have all been dumped into the region’s seas, rivers, and lakes.

I. Physical Features J. Finding Solutions 2. Runoff from farms is also a problem for Europe’s waterways. a) Runoff precipitation picks up fertilizers and pesticides. b) They get into lakes and rivers and promte the growth of algae which consumes a great proportion of the oxygen that marine-life need. J. Finding Solutions 1. European leaders are trying to solve environmental problems in a number of ways. a) Limit the amount of pollutants that are released into the air.

I. Physical Features 2. Recycling is also encouraged where possible. b) Norway and Sweden are adding lime to their lakes to counteract the acid rain. c) The treatment of waste and sewage. 2. Recycling is also encouraged where possible.