Physical Geography of Europe SSWG6a. Describe the location of major physical features and their impact on Europe.

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 =vital to the economies of 20 European countries, supporting tourism and other industries

• Black Sea is suffering overpopulation. 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 (Spain & Portugal)– Scandinavian Peninsula (Norway & Sweden)– Italian Peninsula (Italy)– Jutland Peninsula (Denmark)– Balkan Peninsula (Greece)