2. 0 EUROPE

3. Fun Facts!  Largest country- Russia (population and size)  Smallest country- Vatican City (in the world)  11% of worlds population live in Europe (3 rd most populated continent)  Western Europe was ~80-90% forest but today is ~3%  One of the lowest fertility rates in the World  The Statue of Liberty was built in France  The Mediterranean Sea was once a desert but through spreading and plate movement became a sea

4. Physical Geography of Europe  Most of Europe lies within 300 mile of the coast How do you think this affects their life? Advantages: fish, transportation, hydroelectric power Polders – reclaimed land that once was underwater, used for farming and settlement Disadvantages: floods Dikes- large banks (like a seawall) of earth and stone to hold back water: used in the Netherlands

5. Polder in Netherlands Dike or Levee

6. Peninsula of Peninsulas  Europe is a large peninsula made up of smaller peninsulas Northern Peninsulas Scandinavia Norway, Sweden Finland Permafrost Surrounded by Norwegian Sea, North Sea, Baltic Sea » Fjords- long, narrow inlets made by glaciers (Western Scandinavia) Jutland or Denmark Peninsula Surrounded by the North Sea Baltic Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, little bit of Russia

7. Southern Peninsulas Iberian Peninsula Home to Spain & Portugal Separates Atlantic from Mediterranean Sea Pyrenees mountains prevented migration or invasion for centuries Apennine Italy & Vatican City Surrounded by Mediterranean Sea Active volcano – Mount Vesuvius

8.  Balkan Peninsula Greece, Albania, & Macedonia Surrounded by Adriatic, Ionian, and Aegean Seas Rugged landscape encourages water transportation

9. Islands  Iceland Located south of the Arctic Circle in the North Atlantic Ocean Geothermal Energy- use steam from the Earth for heating and fuel Volcanoes, hot springs, geysers  British Isles Great Britain and Ireland (Emerald Isle): hills, cool temps  Mediterranean Sea Islands Sicily, Corsica, Crete Volcanoes and Earthquakes are very common Mount Etna- Highest, active volcano in Europe (Sicily)  Greece Rugged landscape

10. Great Britain, England, UK?? Which is it??  England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland are all parts  Great Britain – Island made up of England, Wales and Scotland  United Kingdom (Country) – Union of: England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, capital is London and they share the government

11. Mountain Regions  The Alps Switzerland, Liechtenstein, France, & Austria Europe’s major mountain range Snow year round due to elevation Mount Blanc 15,771 ft asl  Pyrenees Spain and France  Apennines Italy  Carpathian Mountains Romania, Slovakia, Poland, Ukraine

12. River Systems  Sharp contrasts between river systems throughout Europe Scandinavia’s rivers are short Iberia’s rivers are narrow What is a disadvantage of these characteristics? The Rhine Headway-Swiss Alps; Mouth- North Sea runs through Switzerland, France, & Germany Heavily polluted by industry along the banks

13. River Systems The Danube Runs through Germany, Austria, Hungary, Serbia, Romania, & Bulgaria Headway-Uplands of Southern Germany; Mouth- Black Sea Heavily polluted by industry on its banks What are the advantages of such long rivers? What river in the USA has this advantage?

14. The Rhine The Danube Budapest, Hungary

15. Plains Regions  North European Plain Includes SE England, W. France, Poland, Ukraine, and part of Russia Heavily populated area due to: Rich soil Loess – fine, yellowish-brown topsoil made up of particles of silt and clay, usually carried by the wind Mineral deposits  Great Hungarian Plain Agriculture Arable land – land that is useable for farming Livestock

17. Aral Sea

18. Why is it shrinking?  Rivers that fed the sea/lake were diverted for Soviet irrigation projects in the 1960’s.  Now 10% of the original size and actually 4 small lakes  Negatives: Fishing industry is destroyed leading to job loss What is left is heavily polluted Impact on local climate with hotter, drier summers and colder, longer winters  There are some efforts to begin to fix the problems but it might be too little too late

19. Climate Regions  3 major climate regions 1. Marine West Coast 2. Humid Continental 3. Mediterranean

20. Marine West Coast  Mild winters, cool summers, and abundant rain.  Found in Northern and Western Europe  Storms blow off the Atlantic Ocean and bring rain and clouds  Average rainfall= 20-80 in/year  Winters- snow/frost; Summer- Cloudy, drizzle, fog