Physical Geography of Europe
Mountains ranges of Europe
• The mountains can be viewed as walls because they stop the spread of people, goods, and ideas through out Europe.
• There are The Alps, The Balkan Mountains, The Pyrenees, and The Apennine Mountains
The Alps
• The Alps are the longest mountain range in Europe.
• The Alps arc across Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and the northern Balkan Peninsula.
• They cut of Italy from the rest of Europe.
• The tallest mountain in the alps is Mont Blanc
The Balkan Mountains
• The Balkan Mountains extend from Yugoslavia across Bulgaria.
• Additional ranges run through Albania, Greece and Macedonia.
• The tallest mountain is Mt.Botev
• The most famous mountain in this range is Mount Olympus
The Pyrenees
• The Pyrenees mountains form the natural border between France and Spain.
• They go from the Bay of Biscay to the Mediterranean Sea.
• The tallest mountain in the Pyrenees is Mt. Pico de Aneto
The Apennine Mountains
• The Apennine Mountains run the entire length of the Italian Peninsula, ending on the island of Sicily.
• Corno Grande is the tallest mountain.
Peninsulas
• A Peninsula is a peace of land surrounded on three sides by water
• Europe is a large peninsula stretching to the west of Asia.
• Europe itself has many smaller peninsulas coming off of it
• There are five major peninsulas two in the north and three in the south
Northern Peninsulas
• There is the Scandinavian peninsula which is occupied by Norway and Sweden.
• The Scandinavian peninsula is surrounded by the Norwegian sea, the North sea, and the Baltic sea.
• There is also the Jutland peninsula which is occupied by most of Denmark and part of Germany.
Southern Peninsulas
• The Iberian peninsula is home to Spain and Portugal. The Pyrenees mountains block this peninsula off from the rest of Europe.
• The Italian peninsula is home to Italy, and extends into the Mediterranean sea.
• The Balkan Peninsula is surrounded by the Adriatic, Mediterranean, and Aegean seas.
Islands of Europe
• A Island is a piece of land surrounded on all sides by water.
• There are many islands in Europe.
• The larger islands include Great Britain, Ireland, Iceland, and Greenland
• The smaller islands include Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, and Crete.
Rivers of Europe
• There are many rivers traversing Europe. This rivers transport goods and ideas to different pats of the world.
• Through out history these rivers have helped connect Europeans to the rest of the world encouraging trade and travel.
The Rhine/ Danube rivers
• The Rhine flows 820 miles north through the interior of Europe to the north sea.
• The Danube rivers flows through the heart of Europe 1,771 miles west to east
• The Danube rivers connects Europeans to the black sea.
Europe's plains
• One of the most agricultural regions in the world is the Northern European Plain. It is relatively flat and has produced vast quantities of food throughout history.
• The Northern European Plain stretches across France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, and Poland.
• Smaller fertile plains are used for farming in Sweden, Hungary, and part of northern Italy.
Natural Resources
• Europe has a abundant supply of coal and iron ore.
• Bands of coal deposits stretch across The United Kingdome, Belgium, The Netherlands, France, Germany, Poland.
• Many of these coal deposits have iron ore deposits near them. Having both of these resources makes it possible to produce steel.
• In parts of Germany, France, and part of the United Kingdome are heavily industrialized because these minerals are found there and good transportation exist.