A P ENINSULA OF P ENINSULAS European Geography. F OUR M AJOR L ANDFORMS Northwest Highlands Northern European Plain Central Uplands Alpine Mountain System.

A PENINSULA OF PENINSULAS

European Geography

FOUR MAJOR LANDFORMS

Northwest Highlands Northern European Plain Central Uplands Alpine Mountain System

NORTHWEST HIGHLANDS

Make up Northwestern part of France; some of the Iberian peninsula; hills of England and Ireland; Scottish highlands; and mountains of Scandinavia

Glaciers scoured through Scandinavia and British Isles carving fjords on Norway’s coast

NORTHWEST HIGHLANDS CONTINUED

Fjords are narrow inlets of the sea set between high rocky cliffs

The glaciers left behind thin soils and thousands of lakes

NORTHERN EUROPEAN PLAIN

Ranges from the Atlantic Coast to the Ural Mountains

Made up of numerous rivers where many river towns and port cities have developed

Contains large cities like Paris and Berlin Due to its physical geography, human

contact has been relatively easy – it has many rivers, short distances, and smooth terrain

NORTHERN EUROPEAN PLAIN CONTINUED

Such a geography has promoted trade between culture groups, and traveling and migrating have not been difficult

It is Europe’s most important farming and industrial area

CENTRAL UPLANDS

Massif Central of France and the Jura Mountains on the French-Swiss border

Moves northeastward across southern Germany to the Bohemian highlands

CENTRAL UPLANDS CONTINUED

Composed of hills, small plateaus, forested slopes, and fertile valleys

Has productive coal fields which have nearby industrial towns and cities

ALPINE MOUNTAIN SYSTEM

Ranges from France’s Mediterranean Coast to the Balkan Peninsula

Alps – Europe’s major mountain range

The high mountains of this system have not deterred human interaction; not a serious barrier

ALPINE MOUNTAIN SYSTEM CONTINUED

The Alpine mountain system also includes the Carpathian mountains in Eastern Europe, the Apennines in Italy, and the Pyrenees of France and Spain

This system was formed by tectonic plates pushing against each other

WATER

Europe is a peninsula so it is surrounded by water on 3 sides

The Mediterranean is in the South; the Arctic Ocean, North Sea, and Baltic Sea are around Northern Europe; and the North Atlantic Ocean is off of Western Europe

WATER

The North Sea has been an important hub for fishing and trading

The North Atlantic Ocean has transported explorers, fishers, and merchants for centuries

EUROPE’S COASTLINE

Europe’s coastline creates many natural harbors which are usually located at the mouths of navigable rivers Navigable rivers are

deep enough and wide enough for shipping

They have made trading by sea ideal

EUROPE’S COASTLINE CONTINUED

Such a coastline has influenced Europe’s history Harbors have offered protection for ships Water offered opportunities to explore, fish,

trade, and it promoted political and military power

The Phoenicians, Greeks, and Vikings sailed and explored Europe’s coastline

Helped Rome establish a vast empire

EUROPE’S COASTLINE CONTINUED The sea also provided

global colonial and economic power Spanish and

Portuguese sailed around the world in the 1500s setting up trading posts and colonies

1700s and 1800s Great Britain was the world’s dominant colonial and sea power

How did the ability to travel the sea help establish empires?

RIVERS

The Rhine and Danube are Europe’s most important rivers

Numerous cities and industrial areas are located long the banks and both have barges constantly transporting goods

The Rhine starts in the Swiss Alps; it flows northwestward through Germany and the Netherlands to the North Sea

The Danube starts in the uplands of southern Germany and flows eastward through 9 countries in central and eastern Europe and ends in the Black Sea

CLIMATES AND BIOMES

3 major climate types: Marine west coast Humid continental Mediterranean

MARINE WEST COAST

Consists of more of northern and western Europe which includes southern Iceland, the British Isles, and it stretches from northern Spain to Poland and Slovakia It has frequent rainfall because of storms coming

off of the Atlantic Mild temperatures Cloudy, drizzly, or foggy days are common

HUMID CONTINENTAL

Includes the interior of Norway and Sweden to the Black Sea

Four distinct season, from severe winters to summer droughts in Hungary and Romania

MEDITERRANEAN Makes up most of southern

Europe Usually has mild, rainy

winters because of North Atlantic Drift and sunny summers

North Atlantic Drift is a warm ocean current from the gulf stream in North America that warms the air above it which is carried by winds to Europe, brining mild temperatures and rain

SMALLER CLIMATE REGIONS

Subarctic climate is across northern Norway, Sweden, and Finland The extreme northern part of these countries

have a tundra climate Most of Spain has a semiarid climate

FOUR MAJOR BIOMES

Temperate forest Mediterranean scrub forest Boreal forest Tundra

TEMPERATE FOREST

Most of Europe lies within this biome Trees are common Covered in fields and towns Once covered in dense forests but now there are

only remnants Badgers, deer, and a variety of birds still live

here

MEDITERRANEAN SCRUB FOREST

Composes the drier areas of southern Europe Small trees, shrubs,

and drought resistant plants

Still has roaming wild boars and wild sheep

BOREAL FOREST

Large parts of northern and central Europe Finland, Norway, and Sweden have Europe’s

remaining woodlands Provides much of Europe’s timber for building

and papermaking

TUNDRA

In the far parts of northern Europe like Iceland and northern Scandinavia

Land is frozen most of the time

Treeless but does sustain migratory birds during the summer and reindeer and foxes

NATURAL RESOURCES

Europe’s resources consist of forests, soils, fisheries, energy, and minerals Much of the original forests have been cleared

through the centuries and pollution has destroyed a lot that is left

Much of Europe has to import timber

NATURAL RESOURCES CONTINUED

Soil has been a critical asset to Europe – more than half of Europe is used for farming Northern European Plain has the best soil, some

of which is developed from loess – fine-grained, windblown soil; very fertile

Southern Europe benefits from alluvial soil that can produce a wide range of crops – areas like Italy’s Po Valley and Spain’s Guadalquivir are major farming centers

NATURAL RESOURCES CONTINUED

Some major crops include grapes, olives, potatoes, and wheat

Europe has the highest crop yields in the world because of modern technology Chemical fertilizers Crop rotations Modern machinary

NATURAL RESOURCES CONTINUED Polders

Land reclaimed by the sea

The Dutch built earthen walls called dikes along the shoreline

Windmills pumped out the seawater

Reeds are planted to draw out more water

Reeds are burned and plowed so its ready for farming

Allowed Dutch to increase amount of available farm land

NATURAL RESOURCES CONTINUED

Fishing as historically been a part of Europe’s economy Fishing villages dot Europe’s long coastline and

the water is covered in fishing boats The North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans and the

North Sea have the best fishing Some of Europe’s major fishing countries include

Iceland, Norway, Spain, and Denmark The industry is being threatened by overfishing

and pollution

NATURAL RESOURCES CONTINUED

Energy and Minerals Europe’s advanced technology requires

resources of oil, iron, and other metals that it does not have so it must import

Does have a natural abundance of coal but oil has since replaced coal as the main energy source

Beneath the North Sea there are oil and natural gas deposits which benefit Norway and Britain

Hydroelectricity is an energy source produced in the mountains of Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland

NATURAL RESOURCES CONTINUED

Ocean Tidal power and solar power are produced in France

Iceland uses geothermal energy Nuclear power is also an energy source for

some Europeans but it is considered too dangerous

Some other mineral resources include iron ore, uranium, lead, and zinc which can be found in Sweden, France, and Spain

Southern Europe mines marble for building and art