• Europe is made up of several peninsulas with varied land regions and climates
• Large Peninsula- Western Eurasian
• Smaller Peninsulas
– Italian
– Scandinavian
– Iberian

• Europe also consists of many significant islands
– Great Britain
– Ireland
– Iceland
– Greenland
– Sicily & Crete
– Corsica

• Four major land regions of Europe
– Western Uplands – stretch from the
Scandinavian peninsula to Spain and Portugal
– Northern European Plain- lowlands that reach across northern Europe
– Central Uplands
– Alpine- consists of the Alps and several other mountain ranges

• Europe has a mostly a humid temperate climate. Factors that influence that climate:
– North Atlantic Drift- warm water current
– Sirocco winds- winds that blow across
Mediterranean Sea that bring wet weather to southern Europe
– Mistral winds- cold, dry winds that blow across
France

• Mediterranean – western Europe has hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters; provides an extended growing season
• Humid Continental- eastern Europe has warm, wet summers and long cold winters
• Polar- Iceland, Greenland, and northern
Scandinavia have cool summers and long, cold winter; very short growing season

• Trade- goods, ideas and religions have been moved throughout the world from the many ports of Europe
• Industry- fishing, ship building, harbors and even agriculture( polders).
• Exploration- around the world for wealth, religion and empires
• Settlement- almost every continent

• Mountains
– Alps- Switzerland, Germany and France
– Pyrenees- separate France and Spain
– Apennines- run along the Italian peninsula
– Carpathian- extend through Poland, Romania, and Ukraine
– All of these mountains provide natural resources( forestry, mining and agriculture)

• Many navigable rivers used for transportation and trade
• Danube – flows through ten countries from the Alps to the Black Sea
• Rhine- flows from the Alps of Switzerland and Germany to the North Sea
• Canals have been built to connect rivers and form waterways across Europe

• Northern European Plain – stretches from
France all the way to Russia
– Provides fertile soil
– Many large farms
– Location of most large cities in Europe

•
Human activities have a negative affect:
– Over fishing
– Pollution
– Over development of coast- erosion
• What’s being done?
– Marine reserves
– Fishing quotas
– Stricter pollution controls