The Physical Geography of Europe Unit 4 – Chapter 11

I. Section I The Land

A. Seas, Peninsulas, and Islands Struggle with the sea Most of Europe lies within 300 miles of a seacoast In the Netherlands, about 25% of the land lies below sea level Dutch (people of Netherlands) have built dikes With these dikes, they have reclaimed lands, called polders

Seas, Peninsulas, and Islands (Cont.) The Northern Peninsulas Europe is a large peninsula made up of smaller peninsulas Scandinavian Peninsula – northern Europe Glaciation occurred here and formed fjords Jutland Peninsula – mainland part of Denmark

A. Seas, Peninsulas, & Islands (cont) The Southern Peninsulas Iberian Peninsula – SW edge of Europe – Spain & Portugal Only 20 miles of water (Straight of Gibraltar) separates this peninsula from Africa Apennine Peninsula – Italy – shaped like a boot Peninsula is named after the Apennine Mountains located here (they include a volcano named Mt. Vesuvius) Balkan Peninsula – SE Europe – Greece, Albania, Macedonia, Bulgaria, European part of Turkey

A. Seas, Peninsulas, & Islands (cont) Europe’s Islands Iceland British Isles – Great Britain & Ireland (& many small ones) Great Britain vs. United Kingdom vs. England – what is the confusion? Islands in the Mediterranean Sea Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, Crete, Cyprus, and many smaller ones

B. Mountains & Plains Mountain Regions Pyrenees Alps Highest Peak – Mont Blanc Some major rivers originate here Carpathians Apennine Plains Regions North European Plain (or Great European Plain) Great Hungarian Plain

C. Water Systems Europe’s Rivers Provide transportation links between major cities Irrigate farmland Provide electricity Major Rivers Thames Rhine – most important river in Western Europe Danube – most important river in Eastern Europe Others – Seine, Rhone, Loire, Elbe, Vistula, Po, Dnieper

D. Natural Resources Coal – UK, Germany, Ukraine, & Poland Iron Ore – N. Sweden, NE France, SE Ukraine Bauxite, Zinc, Manganese Peat – read paragraph on pg. 276

II. Section II Climate & Vegetation

A. Water & Land Large variation in climates Answer: What things could cause this? Answer: Northern Latitude Relationship to the sea Elevation

B. Western Europe Mostly Marine West Coast Climate Trees & Highlands Deciduous & Coniferous trees Timberline – mountain areas where the elevation is too high for trees to grow Foehns – dry winds Foehns can trigger avalanches

C. Southern Europe Mostly Mediterranean Climate Some Humid Subtropical & Steppe Mistral – strong north winds from the Alps Siroccos – high, dry winds from North Africa May bring high temperatures into the region Chaparral – shrubs & small trees that grow here

D. Eastern & Northern Europe Mostly Humid Continental Climate Cold winters, hot summers Mixed forests and some grasslands Some Subarctic & Tundra Climate Far northern areas Permafrost located here Obviously, little to no vegetation