Download Chapter 11 – The Physical Geography of Europe

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
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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
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- 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
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> 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
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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
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> 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
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> 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)
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- 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
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