Transcript Physical Geography of Eastern Europe

Unit 6: Europe Test Review
By: Mr. Mora
Northern Europe
Landforms
Northern Europe is made up of five countries:
Norway and Sweden on the Scandinavian
Peninsula, Denmark on the Jutland
Peninsula, Finland in the eastern part of the
region, and the island country of Iceland in the
North Atlantic Ocean.
1 = Norway
2 = Sweden
3 = Finland
4 = Denmark
5 = Iceland
5
3
2
1
4
Physical Geography: Northern
Europe
• Physical geography shaped by glaciers
and plate tectonic activity.
• Commercial fishing, mining, forestry,
and energy are the main resources in
the area.
Glaciation
• Glaciation is the primary physical process by
which the landforms of Northern Europe came
to be as they are today.
• During the last ice age, ice filled the valleys and
carved out fjords that are now filled with
seawater, creating steep, rugged mountains.
Fjord
 A fjord is a long, steep-sided glacial valley
now filled by seawater.
The Sami
 The Sami are Norway’s indigenous people.
... The Sami people are sometimes referred
to as Lapps, but prefer to be called
Samis.Their culture has been developing in
Northern Scandinavia since the arrival of the
first people 11,000 years ago.
The Sami
Northwest Europe
Events: Northwest Europe
 Starting in A.D. 1000s, armies form NW Europe fought
the crusades…series of religious wars against Islamic
states to regain control of Jerusalem, the holy land.
 Industrial Revolution (mid 1700s) - transformed
manufacturing in Europe with change from human labor
to machines…Great Britain led the way and spread to
rest of Europe and United States.
Human Geography: Northwest
Europe
 Cold War - Post WWII power struggle between
the communist world (led by Soviet Union) and
non-communist world (led by United States).
 Religion – Christianity is the primary religion of
NW Europe, consisting mainly of Roman
Catholics and members of various Protestant
sects.
NW Europe: People & Their
Environment
 Fragmentation - due to roads and railways
prevents wildlife migrations and reduces the
development of healthy ecosystems…Belgium,
the Netherlands and Luxembourg have highest
levels of fragmentation in NW Europe.
 Air Pollution - Manufacturing industries and the
heavy use of vehicles are the two greatest sources
of air pollution in NW Europe.
Southern Europe
Physical Geography of
Southern Europe
 Southern Europe is made up of three
peninsulas: Spain and Portugal on the
Iberian Peninsula, Italy on the
Italian Peninsula, and Greece on the
southernmost part of the Balkan
Peninsula.
 Although important to the ecology of the
region, Southern Europe’s shallow rivers
are not viable transportation or trade
routes.
Physical Geography of
Southern Europe
 Italy’s Tiber River is the primary water
source for the capital city of Rome.
 Southern Europe is well suited for growing
grapes, olives, and shrub herbs and raising
livestock due to its proximity to the
Mediterranean Sea.
Human Geography of
Southern Europe
 The civilizations of ancient Greece and
Rome laid the foundation for Western
civilization.
 As the populations of Greece, Italy, and
Spain age and the birthrates fall, care for
the elderly is straining the social welfare
systems.
Southern Europe: People and
Their Environment
 Large algae blooms are damaging the
delicate marine biomes of the Adriatic
Sea.
 Changes in the global climate has made
weather more unpredictable.
Eastern Europe
Physical Geography of Eastern
Europe
 The area is characterized by the Carpathian
and Balkan mountain ranges, which are
extensions of the Swiss Alps.
 The Carpathian Mountains contain large
energy reserves, while areas around the
Baltic Mountains rely on water as a natural
resource.
Human Geography of Eastern
Europe
History and Government
 Eastern Europe is a shatter belt, or region
of great political instability, that drove the
area’s Balkanization, or the division of the
region into smaller hostile regions.
 Power struggles led to civil war and ethnic
cleansing, or the genocide of an ethnic
group, and Balkanization has continued
with countries declaring independence.
Human Geography of Eastern
Europe
Population Patterns
 The Roma are of Indo-European origin and
are the largest minority population in
Europe.
Human Geography of Eastern
Europe
• The family is the basic social unit and
serves to reinforce social values.
Human Geography of Eastern
Europe
Economic Activities
 As political stability has improved, the region
has become increasingly linked to Western
Europe through trade and, more recently, by
joining the European Union.
Eastern Europe: People and
Their Environment
Managing Resources
• Rapid and intense industrialization without
regard to the effects on the environment
have damaged water quality.
The Russian Core
Eastern Europe & Russia
Physical Geography of the Russian Core
The Russian Core: Physical
Geography
Landforms
•The Ural Mountains form a natural barrier
between European Russia and Siberian
Russia.
•The majority of the Russian population lives
in the southern part of the Northern
European Plain where there are waterways
and fertile soil.
Russia’s Topography
Physical Geography of the Russian Core
The Russian Core: Physical
Geography
Water Systems
•The longest river in Europe, the Volga, along
with its tributaries, is an important commercial,
transportation, and hydroelectric resource in
Russia.
•Lake Baikal in Siberia, the world’s oldest and
deepest lake, is home to many unusual
freshwater marine species.
Russian Core Rivers
Physical Geography of the Russian Core
The Russian Core: Physical
Geography
Climate, Biomes, and Resources
•The interior of the country experiences
continentality, or the effect of extreme
variation in temperature and very little
precipitation.
•Much of Russia’s abundant natural resources
are in remote and climatically unfavorable
areas, making them difficult to utilize.
Human Geography of the Russian Core
The Russian Core: Human
Geography
Population Patterns
•About 80 percent of Russians live west of the Ural
Mountains where there is rich soil, waterways, and a
milder climate.
Society and Culture Today
•The Soviet government promoted atheism and
discriminated against different ethnic groups.
Economic Activities
•Although a key trading partner with Russia, Ukraine
remains wary of Russia’s former power and is
considering joining the European Union.
People and Their Environment: The Russian Core
The Russian Core: Human
Geography
Managing Resources
•The use of supertrawlers with huge trawl
nets has led to the unnecessary death of
millions of fish and marine animals.
The Russian Core: Human
Geography
Human Impact
•Soviet-era industrialization has damaged
Russia’s water, air, soil, and forests.
•Nuclear wastes, the by-products of producing
nuclear power and nuclear weapons, pose a
devastating impact on the environment.
•The 1986 Chernobyl disaster has contaminated
the air and water, resulting in health problems
and deaths of thousands of people in the
surrounding area.