Europe: A Peninsula of Peninsulas? Europe: A Peninsula of Peninsulas? OROR A Peninsula of Asia?

Europe: An Asian Peninsula?

Northern Peninsulas Jutland Peninsula Scandinavian Peninsula

Southern Peninsulas Iberian Peninsula Italian Peninsula Balkan Peninsula Anatolean Peninsula Crimean Peninsula

Some scholars believe the word Europe is related to an Indo-European word, Ereb, which means “the western lands,” and similarly, Asia means “the eastern land.”

European soil was divided into “Imperium Romanum” and “Germania.”

Europe was designated as Christendom to distinguish it from the Moslems and Eastern Greek Orthodox Christians.

Religious differences destroyed the unity of Christendom, encouraging the development of unique independent states.

Sovereignty of individual states was recognized. The concept of nationality had trumped the idealized unity of the Papacy.

Through the efforts of Peter the Great, by the 18 th century Russia was now included in Europe.

Since the Ural Mtns. of Russia are the first natural barriers to the east, it made sense to make Europe’s eastern boundary there.

This is why sometimes Eastern Europe is called Central Europe—these countries are sandwiched in between Russia in the east and western Europe.

The North European Plain

The Northern European Plain --> An Invasion Route into Asia (& Vice Versa?)

Is Russia a part of Europe today? What do you think?

Steppes: “Soviet” Breadbasket

World’s largest island, Greenland, is also considered a part of Europe, not North America, because it is a part of Denmark.

 27 states presently make up the European Union. However, not all countries belong and Turkey, a Moslem nation, since 2005 has been a candidate for full membership.

How would you answer the question: What is Modern Europe?

Europe’s Latitude v. US

Former Soviet Region Compared in Latitude & Area with the United States

Satellite View of Europe

3,800 square miles

REGIONSREGIONSREGIONSREGIONS REGIONSREGIONSREGIONSREGIONS

Continents by Size (sq. km.) Asia44,579,000Africa30,065,000 North America 24,256,000 South America 17,819,000 Antarctica13,209,000 Europe Europe9,938,000 Oceania (incl. Australia) Oceania (incl. Australia) 7,687,000

Europe is well defined by water to the north, west, and south.

The eastern boundary does not have any physical barrier since the North European lowland is simply renamed the Russian Plain across the Russian border.

The most important feature of European physical geography is its mild climate that is a temperate mid latitude climate.

The orientation of mountains in Europe is east- west, not north-south as is the case along the Pacific rim of the Americas. Thus the mountains do not block the westerly flow of warm moist air onto the European continent as they do in North and South America. In the Americas, the mid latitude westerly winds must be lifted over the mountains to get to the interior. Rising air cools and cooling air can't hold as much water so the west sides of the mountains are wet and the eastern side is dry. This does not happen in Europe because of the orientation of the mountains.

The prevailing westerly winds also tend to prevent bitterly cold arctic air from penetrating into Europe. Instead, polar air sweeps into Russia, which does experience bitterly cold winters. Only occasionally, due to changes in jet stream currents, does arctic air penetrate all the way to the Mediterranean. Europe is dominated by milder maritime air from the Atlantic instead of the frigid polar air of the Arctic.

The North Atlantic gyre brings warm moist air and water far to the north making ocean temperatures warmer than you would expect at this latitude. Air and water is warmed as it moves along the equator in the tropical Atlantic, Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico. The Gulf Stream and the North Atlantic drift currents bring warm moist air to the British Isles, Scandinavia, and even into the Arctic Ocean (where the Russia port of Murmansk remains open in the winter, albeit with ice breaker help, despite being located above the Arctic Circle.)

The relatively warm water of the North Atlantic Drift warms the air masses that flow into Europe from the west and provides moisture and atmospheric instability that gives much of Europe beneficial precipitation. European climate is much milder than it would otherwise be if the currents flowed somewhere else.

The other dominant climate in Europe is the Mediterranean. This climate covers much of Southern Europe including most of the Iberian Peninsula, Southern France, Southern Italy and Greece. It is characterized by hot, nearly rainless summers, and mild rainy winters. It makes for highly productive agriculture where the soil is adequate. For those of you who have not traveled to the Mediterranean the climate is like California.

 With a population of 582 million, Europe comprises about 9% of the world's population. Its land area of 2,193.6 square miles constitutes less than 5% of the world's land area. This gives Europe a population density of people per square mile. This is the third largest population density after south Asia, east Asia, and southeast Asia.

World Population by Continents Asia3,737,000,000 Africa823,000,000 Europe729,000,000 North America 486,000,000 South America 351,000,000 Oceania (incl. Australia) Oceania (incl. Australia) 31,000,000 Antarctica no permanent population

European Population Density

Population Density [People Per Square Mile] Belgium336.82Mexico52.15 Japan United States India336.62World14.42 United Kingdom Norway14.42 Italy192.96Canada 3.36 France108.09Russia 8.61

Population Growth

This is the latest population movement in Europe. Are you familiar with any earlier ones?

Major Religious Groups in Europe

Acid Rain

Major Environmental Disasters & Pollution Problems

Consider: Physical Landforms or lack thereof Climate/Weather Waterways Resources Population Movements

Sources: The Center for Learning. Advanced Placement European History I: Concept Europe. Dr. Paul Roebuck. Community College of Denver. Susan Pojer, Horace Greeley High School, Chappaqua, NY