A P ENINSULA OF P ENINSULAS
European Geography

F OUR M AJOR L ANDFORMS

Northwest Highlands



Northern European Plain
Central Uplands
Alpine Mountain System

N ORTHWEST H IGHLANDS


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

N ORTHWEST H IGHLANDS C ONTINUED


Fjords are narrow inlets of the sea set between high rocky cliffs
The glaciers left behind thin soils and thousands of lakes

N ORTHERN E UROPEAN P LAIN




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

N ORTHERN E UROPEAN P LAIN C ONTINUED


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

C ENTRAL U PLANDS


Massif Central of
France and the Jura
Mountains on the
French-Swiss border
Moves northeastward across southern
Germany to the
Bohemian highlands

C ENTRAL U PLANDS C ONTINUED


Composed of hills, small plateaus, forested slopes, and fertile valleys
Has productive coal fields which have nearby industrial towns and cities

A LPINE M OUNTAIN S YSTEM


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

A LPINE M OUNTAIN S YSTEM C ONTINUED


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

W ATER


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

W ATER


The North Sea has been an important hub for fishing and trading
The North Atlantic
Ocean has transported explorers, fishers, and merchants for centuries

E UROPE ’ S C OASTLINE

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

E UROPE ’ S C OASTLINE C ONTINUED

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

E UROPE ’ S C OASTLINE C ONTINUED

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?

R IVERS




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

C LIMATES AND B IOMES

3 major climate types:


Marine west coast
Humid continental

Mediterranean

M ARINE W EST C OAST

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

H UMID C ONTINENTAL


Includes the interior of Norway and Sweden to the Black Sea
Four distinct season, from severe winters to summer droughts in Hungary and Romania

M EDITERRANEAN



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

S MALLER C LIMATE R EGIONS

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

F OUR M AJOR B IOMES

Temperate forest



Mediterranean scrub forest
Boreal forest
Tundra

T EMPERATE F OREST

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

M EDITERRANEAN S CRUB F OREST

Composes the drier areas of southern
Europe

Small trees, shrubs, and drought resistant plants

Still has roaming wild boars and wild sheep

B OREAL F OREST

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

T UNDRA


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

N ATURAL R ESOURCES

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

N ATURAL R ESOURCES C ONTINUED

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

N ATURAL R ESOURCES C ONTINUED


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

N ATURAL R ESOURCES C ONTINUED

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

N ATURAL R ESOURCES C ONTINUED

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

N ATURAL R ESOURCES C ONTINUED

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

N ATURAL R ESOURCES C ONTINUED





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