Physical Geography of Europe

SSWG6a. Describe the location of major physical features and their

impact on Europe.

Mountains/Highlands

• Major features: Alps, Pyrenees, Balkan, Caucus, Ural

• Ural Mountains form the border between Asia & Europe

• Alps & Pyrenees are world renown for skiing & other winter sports

Mountains

Alps Ural

MountainsMt. Elbrus in the Caucus Mts. Balkan Mts.

Plateaus

• Major Feature: Central Siberian Plateau• Takes up good part of central Russia• Rocky in some places, green in others• People here are primarily herders

Plateaus

Central Siberian Plateau Native family

Rivers

• Seine River, Rhine River, Rhone River, Danube River, Volga River, Ob River

• Europe is made of rivers & have been primary shipping routes for centuries

• Danube River is the longest and connects eastern & western Europe—begins in the Black Forest of Germany

• Canals connected the Volga to the Baltic Sea

Rivers

Danube River Seine River

Seas

• North Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Baltic Sea, Caspian Sea, Black Sea, Aral Sea,

• Mediterranean waters are vital to the economies of 20 European countries, supporting tourism and other industries

• The human population has increased & Black Sea is suffering. Urban & industrial development has poured increasing amounts of waste into the Black Sea & rivers around it.

• Aral Sea is shrinking at an alarming rate

Seas

Mediterranean Sea Black Sea Pollution

Additional Water Features

• Major Features: Strait of Gibraltar, English Channel, Lake Baikal

• Strait is close enough to see to the other side to Africa.

• English Channel separates the UK and the rest of mainland Europe

• Lake Baikal is the deepest lake in the world

Additional Water Features

Strait of Gibraltar English Channel

Plains

• Major Feature: North European Plain (also called Great European Plain)

• Greatest uninterrupted expanses of plain on the Earth’s surface

• From France through Russia• Narrow in the west, broader in the east• Lowest elevation on any continent

Plains

GEP wind power Wheat harvest in Ukraine

Additional Land Features

• Major Features: Iberian Peninsula, Scandinavian Peninsula, Italian Peninsula, Jutland Peninsula, Balkan Peninsula