European rivers, lakes, and plains
The slopes of European rivers
Europe is crossed by numerous rivers which are divided on three main slopes: southern,
Atlantic and Arctic. Each of these slopes in turn groups several hydrographic basins.
The rivers of the southern slope
The southern side overlooks several seas, the main ones being the Mediterranean and the
basin closed by the Caspian Sea. The rivers of the Iberian, Italian and Balkan Peninsula
flow into the Mediterranean. Most of the rivers on this side have a delta mouth, such as the
Ebro which crosses the Iberian Peninsula and the Po which crosses the Po valley. The
Tiber and the Arno also come from the Italian peninsula, the Drin from Albania. Rivers rich
in water and of considerable length flow into the Black Sea: the Danube, the Dnestr, and
the Dnepr, while the Don, one of the largest rivers in Europe, flows into the Azov Sea.
Finally, the Volga and the Ural flow into the Caspian Sea, respectively the first and the third
longest European river.
The rivers of the Atlantic side
The rivers that flow into the Atlantic Ocean and its peripheral seas almost always have their
mouths in an estuary, because the currents and tides are very strong and do not allow the
formation of a delta. They are the most important European rivers, due to the width of their
basin, but above all because they are for the most part navigable. For this reason, the major
ports in Europe are located on the Atlantic side, at the mouth of major rivers. The
Guadalquivir, the Guadiana, the Tagus and the Duero cross the Iberian Peninsula, while
the Garonne and the Loire flow from France and the Seine, which crosses Paris, flows into
the English Channel.
The North Sea is the main peripheral sea of the Atlantic and the most important rivers flow
into it for commercial traffic: the Scheldt in Belgium, the Rhine in the Netherlands, the
Weser, and Elbe in Germany, as well as the Thames, in Great Britain and through London.
Numerous rivers flow into the Baltic Sea: those coming from the Scandinavian Peninsula
have a short course because they flow down from hills near the coasts. They are not
navigable but are still exploited for dragging the timber downstream. From the continental
side instead, longer rivers flow, with important ports at their mouths: the Oder which partly
marks the border between Germany and Poland: the Vistula, the western Dvina and the
Neva. The latter two are frozen for several months of the year
The rivers of the Arctic side
Very long rivers with large basins flow into the Arctic Ocean, but they are not navigable
because they are frozen for most of the year: the Onega and the northern Dvina in the
White Sea and the Mezen and the Pechora in the Barents Sea.
The lake districts
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The European lakes are numerous and are concentrated in three main regions, called
districts
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In the Scandinavian district the lakes are of glacial origin and are found in the
valleys that furrow the mountains or at their foot: the largest are in Vänern and
Vättern (in Sweden).
The Finnish Russian district is also a territory shaped by glaciers during the
glaciations: in the remaining basins hundreds of thousands of lakes were formed, for
the most part shallow, some very large, like Làdoga and Onega in the Russian area,
the largest in Europe. The Finnish territory is scattered with small and shallow lakes
in Southern Finland. Along the Polish Baltic coasts there is the Masurian lakes area.
The lakes of the Alpine district are found in the most recently formed European
mountain ranges, therefore - in addition to the Alps - also the Pyrenees and the
Balkans. They almost always have an elongated shape because they occupy the bed
of ancient glaciers: the largest and most numerous are those scattered at the foot
of the Alps.
On the southern side there are the great Italian lakes on the northern side, the main
ones being Lake Geneva, Lake Constance and Lake Lucerne.
In Europe there are also isolated lakes: the great lake Balaton, in the centre of the
Hungarian plain, is what remains of an ancient internal sea, while between Albania
and Montenegro lies the lake of Skadar.
SUMMARY
 European rivers can be divided into 3 areas: southern (with the Volga, the longest
river in Europe), Atlantic and Arctic.
 The European lakes can be divided into 3 districts: Scandinavian, Russo-Finale and
Alpine.
European Plains
Plains divided into three large areas
Most of Europe is covered by plains. In fact, to the north in the arc of mountains that begins
at the Pyrenees, passes from the Alps, and ends in the Balkans, our continent is occupied
by flat or slightly undulating land, which extends for thousands of kilometres.
The main European plains can be divided into 3 large areas:
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Northern Europe with the northern area of the Northern Russian Plain;
Central Europe with the French lowland, the Germanic lowland and the central part
of the central Russian plain;
Southern Europe with the Po Valley, the Hungarian Plain and the southern part of
the Southern Russian Plain.
The plains of Northern Europe
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The Northern Russian Plain is a vast floodplain, unsuitable for human settlement. Beyond
the Arctic Circle, the tundra landscape dominates, temperatures exceed freezing only
during the very short summer in which a thin vegetal mantle is formed consisting of mosses,
lichens, and flowers; further south lies the taiga, a forest of conifers and birches.
The very harsh climate does not favour the development of abundant vegetation or human
settlements. In the summer, with the thaw, many small lakes form in the basins carved by
the glaciers.
The plains of Central Europe
The situation is different on the plains of central Europe:
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In the French Lowlands the Atlantic climate dominates, and the abundant rains
favour agriculture.
In the area near the North Sea, called the Germanic Lowlands, the land is flat, with
numerous dunes along the coasts. The coastal lands are below sea level, so much
so that in ancient times they were subject to frequent floods. Today they have been
protected with dikes and embankments and intensively cultivated.
Proceeding eastwards the climate becomes continental and as you go inland these
conditions are accentuated, and precipitation decreases.
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The Central Russian Plain is flat and uniform, covered with forests, exploited for
timber.
The plains of Southern Europe
The Hungarian plain is a flat expanse, interrupted here and there by slight undulations. once
it was occupied by the puszta, a prairie with low and sparse grasses that grew in sandy soils
and therefore not suitable for cultivation. In the last two centuries, however, intense
reclamation works have been carried out, which have made it possible to exploit the land
above all to produce cereals.
The immense southern area of the Sarmatic Lowland, which extends into southern Russia
and Ukraine, presents a flat and monotonous landscape: the expanses of cereals stretch for
kilometres and kilometres. Despite the scarce rainfall, the soils are very fertile because the
soil is rich in silt deposited by the rivers, which overflow in spring flooding the surrounding
territories.
SUMMARY
Plains in Europe
Northern
Northern Russian plain
Central
French lowland
Germanic lowland
Central Russian plain
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Southern
Po Valley
Hungarian plain
Southern Russian plain
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