THE PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY of EUROPE

What makes it a Region?Located in the Northern

HemisphereGenerally mild climateMany languages and culturesDreadful common past (wars, famines, etc)Powerful and emerging economies

The LandKey Terms:

GlaciationLoessDike

PolderFjord

Places of InterestAlpsRhine RiverPo RiverNorthern European PlainBaltic Sea

North SeaMediterranean SeaBritish IslesAegean SeaDanube RiverBlack Sea

The Land: Main IdeaEurope’s Landscape has shaped the lives and settlement patterns of Europeans

Northwestern mountains rounded by erosion and glaciation (how glaciers form and spread)

Ex: Ben Nevis- highest peak in British Isles

Central Uplands (Iberian Peninsula to Eastern Europe)Meseta- SpainMassif Central- France

Southern Europe (Jagged mountains)Pyrenees and AlpsAlps- S. France to Balkan PeninsulaMont Blanc- Highest peak in Alps (15, 771 ft)Po and Rhine head waters in the Alps

Southern Europe (cont)Carpathian Mountains

Eastern Europe- from Slovakia to Romania

Northern European PlainFertile = farming1800s- discovery of mineral depositsParis, and Berlin located there

Other point of interestGreat Hungarian Plain

The Alps

Seas, Peninsula’s and IslandsMost of Europe is about 300 miles from the sea

coastGood and bad

Netherlands25 % of it is under sea levelForced to build dikes to hold back waterPolder- land between dikes

Europe’s Peninsula’sNorthern Peninsula- largestScandinavian Peninsula-

Caused by glaciationFjords- steep sided inlets

Southern PeninsulaMain feature = Mediterranean Sea

Europe’s IslandsIceland

Volcanoes, hot springs, and geysersHot springs provide natural heating for homes

British IslesGreat Britain, Ireland, and many small islandsRocky cliffs; steep bays

Mediterranean SeaSicily, Corsica, Sardinia, Crete, Cyprus

Water SystemsRivers flow from the mountains to the coastUsed for transport, irrigation, and hydroelectric powerDifferent regions, different systems

Scandinavian Peninsula = short and not connectedIberian Peninsula = narrow and shallowEngland (Thames) = ships can reach the Port of London

RhineMost Important in Western EuropeSwiss Alps to France, Germany, and the NetherlandsConnects industrial cities to the Port of Rotterdam in the Black Sea

Water Systems (cont)Danube

Links southern Germany to Hungary and Romania

Natural ResourcesInfluence economic activity in EuropeIron and coal led to the modernization of Europe

Coal, Iron, Oil, Natural Gas, Nuclear and Hydroelectric powerFrance, Sweden, Ukraine – Iron Ore

Rhine River

The Danube

Climate and VegetationKey Terms:

Permafrost, timberline, mistral, sirocco, foehn, avalanche

Main IdeaLatitude, mountain barriers, wind patterns, and distance from large bodies of water influence Europe’s climateVary from cold and barren to warm and shrub covered

Western and Southern Climate

Maritime winds shape itNorth Atlantic Current – leads to mild climateEastern and Northern

Colder because of distant from the Atlantic Ocean

Climate RegionsCold in the North to dry steppe in the SouthWind, ocean currents, latitude, and landforms, all shape Europe’s climatesHigh – Latitudes

Cold winter; short summerTundra regions = have permafrostSubarctic = coniferous

EXCEPTIONWestern Norway, Iceland, and SwedenWarmer because they are on the water90 inches of rainfall annually, because of the Norwegian, and North Atlantic Currents

MidlatitudesMarine West Coast

Mild winters, cool summers, abundant rainfallShaped by the Gulfstream and North Atlantic CurrentsDeciduous (leaves fall in Winter) and coniferous trees

Southern EuropeMediterranean ClimateHot, dry Summer; mild rainy Winter

Other forcesMistral – strong wind from Northern Alps; bitterly cold windsSiroccos – dry winds blowing in from Africa; heat wave

Eastern EuropeHumid – continental

Cold, snowy winters; hot summers

AlpsHighland ClimateFoehns- winter winds that cause avalanches

Dry RegionsParts of S.E. and S.W. Europe

Dry steppe climateDry cold grassland from Hungary, Serbia, Montenegro, and RomaniaHot Summer; Extreme Winter

Meseta81,000 sq. miMadrid is at its center

Meseta