Survey
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
Chapter 11 – The Physical Geography of Europe Section 1 – “The Land” Seas, Peninsulas, and Islands (pages 271-274) > Europe & Asia share a landmass called Eurasia - Europe is the 2nd smallest continent - the European coastline touches the Atlantic Ocean, as well as the Baltic, North, Mediterranean, Black, Adriatic, Aegean, Ionian and Norwegian Seas Struggle With the Sea > most of Europe lies within 300 miles of a seacoast - about 25% of the Netherlands lies below sea level ~ since the Middle Ages, the Dutch have built dikes: large banks of earth and stone, to hold back the waters of the North Sea ~ the dikes have allowed new land to be reclaimed from the sea called polders; these lands were once drained and kept dry by the use of windmills ~ polders provide hundreds of thousands of acres for farming & settlement ~ from time to time, the dikes are breached causing severe flooding The Northern Peninsulas > the Scandinavian Peninsula is in the far north of Europe - in the last Ice Age, glaciers formed and spread over the peninsula in a process called glaciation - they carved out fjords: long, narrow, steep-sided inlets > much of Norway & southern Sweden is mountainous, but in southern Sweden, lowlands slope to the Baltic Sea - in both countries, and Finland, glaciers from the Ice Age created thousands of lakes > the peninsula of Jutland forms the mainland part of Denmark and extends into the North Sea - glaciers deposited sand & gravel on the flat western side and carved fjords into the higher coastline on the east; the interior is made up of flat plains or low hills Page 2 The Southern Peninsulas > the Iberian Peninsula is in southwestern Europe & home to Spain and Portugal - separates the Atlantic Ocean from the Mediterranean Sea - the Strait of Gibraltar (20 miles wide) separates Europe from Africa - most of the Iberian Peninsula is a semiarid plateau w/ slender coastal plains - the Pyrenees Mountains separate the peninsula from the rest of Europe > the Apennine Peninsula, where Italy is located, extends like a giant boot into the Mediterranean - the coastline varies from high, rocky cliffs to long, sandy beaches - the Apennine Mountains are a young mountain chain that contain an active volcano-Mount Vesuvius, near Naples, Italy > in southeastern Europe is the Balkan Peninsula bounded by the Adriatic & Ionian Seas on the west and the Aegean & Black Seas on the east - contains many mountains & valleys that stretch south from the Danube River - because of the mountainous terrain, people have traditionally moved along rivers & seas here Europe’s Islands > Iceland is located south of the Arctic Circle in the North Atlantic Ocean - b/c of its location along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, Iceland has volcanoes, hot springs, and geysers Page 3 - b/c it’s so far north, glaciers are found next to the volcanoes & hot springs - grassy lowlands stretch along Iceland’s coast, but the land rises sharply to form a large inland plateau > The British Isles are made up of the large islands of Great Britain & Ireland, plus thousands of smaller islands - northern & western Great Britain has mountain ranges, plateaus, and deep valleys while the south is dominated by low hills & rolling plains - Often called the Emerald Isle, Ireland is a lush green land w/ cool temps & abundant rainfall > in the Mediterranean Sea, rugged mountains form the larger islands of Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, Crete, and Cyprus - Mount Etna, Europe’s highest volcano, rises over Sicily - smaller island groups in the Mediterranean include Spain’s Balearic Islands, the 5 islands of Malta, and the nearly 2,000 islands of Greece in the Aegean Sea - the Mediterranean islands draw millions of tourists every year Mountains and Plains (pages 274-275) Mountain Regions > the northwestern mountains of Europe have some of the earth’s most ancient rock formations - they have relatively low peaks, such as Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the British Isles (4,406 feet) - the central uplands consist of low, rounded mountains & high plateaus w/ scattered forests Page 4 > the southern mountains of Europe are geologically younger & are high and jagged - created by the crust lifting & folding, the Pyrenees Mountains rise to over 11,000 feet (border of Spain & France) - created by glaciations & folding, the Alps form a crescent from southern France to the Balkan Peninsula ~ Mount Blanc is the highest peak in the Alps @ 15,771 feet on the border of France & Italy ~ major rivers, such as the Rhine and Po, originate in the Alps > the Carpathian Mountains run through eastern Europe from Slovakia to Romania Plains Regions > the North European Plain stretches from southeastern England & western France eastward to Poland, Ukraine, and Russia - fertile soil & abundant rivers make it a major agricultural region - loess: a fine, rich, wind-borne soil makes the southern edge especially fertile - deposits of coal, iron ore, and other minerals here led to Europe’s industrial development in the 1800’s - the major cities of Paris & Berlin are located on the plain > the Great Hungarian Plain extends from Hungary to Croatia, Serbia, and Romania - in the lowlands along the Danube River farmers grow grains, fruits, and vegetables, as well as raise livestock Page 5 Water Systems (pages 275-276) > the rivers in Scandinavia are short and do not provide easy connections between cities > in the Iberian Peninsula, main rivers are generally too narrow & shallow for large ships > the Thames River in England allows oceangoing ships to reach the port of London > the Rhine is the most important river of western Europe - it flows from the Swiss Alps through France & Germany and into the Netherlands, connecting many industrial cities to the port of Rotterdam on the North Sea > the Danube is the most important river of eastern Europe - it flows from the Black Forest of Germany to the Black Sea - millions of tons of cargo are carried on it each year ~ in 1992 the Main River, a Rhine tributary, connected to the Danube when the Main-Danube Canal was built, linking the North Sea with the Black Sea Natural Resources (page 276) > Europe’s abundant supply of coal & iron ore fueled the development of modern industry > major reserves of coal are found in Britain, Germany, Ukraine, and Poland - many coalfields in western Europe are depleted or are too expensive to mine > large deposits of iron ore are found in northern Sweden, northeastern France, and southeastern Ukraine Page 6 > other mineral resources of Europe include bauxite, zinc, and manganese > Europeans burn peat in places where other fuel is scarce - peat is found in swamps & usually composed of mosses - it is dug up, chopped into blocks, and dried so it can be burned > Europeans rely mainly on coal, oil, gas, and nuclear & hydroelectric power - large oil & natural gas deposits under the North Sea provide a large energy supply - France has no oil or natural gas & has turned to nuclear power Section 2 – “Climate and Vegetation” Water and Land (pages 277-278) > western & southern Europe, which are near or on large bodies of water, benefit from maritime winds - have a generally mild climate compared with other places in the world at the same latitude > eastern & northern Europe have a colder climate b/c of their distance from the warming effects of the ocean Page 7 > vegetation varies from forests & grasslands to tundra plants & small shrubs Western Europe (pages 278-280) > much of western Europe has a marine west coast climate (mild winters, cool summers, and abundant rainfall) - the Gulf Stream and its northern extension, the North Atlantic Drift, bring warm waters to this part of Europe from the Gulf of Mexico & regions near the Equator - westerly winds blowing over these currents carry warm, moist air across Europe Trees and Highlands > natural vegetation of western Europe includes deciduous & coniferous forests - deciduous trees thrive in the marine west coast climate - coniferous trees are found in cooler mountain areas up to the timberline > the Alps have a highlands climate w/ generally colder temps & more precipitation than nearby lowlands - sudden changes can occur when dry winds called foehns blow down from the mountains into valleys & plains - foehns can start avalanches: destructive masses of ice, snow, and rock sliding down mountains Southern Europe (pages 280-281) > most of southern Europe has a Mediterranean climate (warm, dry summers and mild, rainy winters) Page 8 - several other climates are found in small areas of the region examples: humid subtropical in Italy; steppe in Spain) > the Alps block moist Atlantic winds, so less precipitation falls in southern Europe than in western Europe (rain shadow effect) - local winds sometimes cause changes in normal weather patterns - the mistral: a strong north wind from the Alps, sometimes send gusts of very cold air into southern France - siroccos: high, dry winds from North Africa that bring high temps to southern Europe - the hot, dry summers in much of southern Europe support the growth of chaparral: shrubs and small trees Eastern and Northern Europe (page 281) > generally have a humid continental climate (cold, snowy winters & hot summers) - summer & winter temps vary more b/c they are not influenced by the warm water of the Atlantic Ocean > coniferous trees are found in parts of Scandinavia and the region around the Baltic Sea > grasslands cover parts of Hungary, Yugoslavia, and Romania > Iceland, northern Scandinavia, and Finland have subarctic & tundra climates with bitterly cold winters and short, cool summers - permafrost: soil permanently frozen below the surface - tundra areas support little vegetation, with the exception of mosses, small shrubs, and wildflowers that bloom during the short summer - the subarctic supports a vast coniferous forest where Europe & Russia share a border Page 9