Transcript Chapter 11 - Life High School Waxahachie

Chapter 11
The Physical Geography of Europe
Section 1: The Land
Terms to Know
Places to Locate
Dike
• Polder
• Glaciation
• Fjord
• Loess
* North Sea
* Iberian Peninsula
* Balkan Peninsula
* Alps
* Rhine River
•
What you will learn in this chapter?
• Europe’s important land formations
• Rivers, mountains, plains, islands & peninsular features
•
Important natural resources
Section 1: The Land
• Europe and Asia share landmass
• Eurasia
• Unlike other continents
• Europe – 2nd smallest of continents
• After Australia
• Europe – distinct region
• Juts westward from Asia has unusual long, irregular coastline
• Touches many bodies of water
• Atlantic Ocean
• Baltic sea
• North Sea
• Mediterranean Sea
• Black Sea
Struggle with the Sea

Most of Europe lies within 300 miles of
seacoast
◦ Shaped lifestyles of people

The Netherlands – water is friend or foe
◦ 25% of country lies below sea level

Dutch built dikes to hold back water
◦ Large banks of earth and stone

Reclaimed new land from sea
Struggle with the Sea

Reclaimed new land from sea
◦ Polders – reclaimed lands

Once drained and kept dry by windmills
◦ Today – other power sources run pumps to
remove seawater

Polders provides lands for farming and
settlement
◦ Sometimes stormy seas breach dikes & create
floods
The Northern Peninsulas
Europe is large peninsula made of smaller
peninsulas
 Scandinavian Peninsula – far north
 Glaciation – process where glaciers form
and spread over peninsula
 Glaciers carved out long, narrow, steepsided inlets – fjords (fee * AWRDZ)

◦ Atlantic coastline
The Northern Peninsulas
Most of Norway and n. Sweden is
mountainous
 S. Sweden – lowlands slope to Baltic Sea
 Norway, Sweden and Finland – Ice Age
glaciers left behind thousands of sparkling
lakes

The Northern Peninsulas
Jutland – peninsula that forms mainland of
Denmark and extends into North Sea
(toward Norway & Sweden)
 Glaciers deposited sand & gravel on
Jutland’s flat western side

◦ Carved fjords in the higher coastline on east

Flat lands or low hills – most of Jutland’s
interior
The Southern Peninsulas

Iberian Peninsula – SW edge of Europe
◦ Home of Spain and Portugal
Separates Atlantic Ocean form
Mediterranean Sea
 Strait of Gibraltar – separates southern tip
from Africa

◦ 20 miles of water
The Southern Peninsulas

Most of peninsula is semiarid plateau
◦ Rises above coastal plains

In north – Pyrenees (PIHR * uh * NEEZ)
Mountains cut off peninsula from rest of
Europe
◦ Result – people of peninsula isolated from rest
of Europe & oriented towards the sea
The Southern Peninsulas

Apennine (A*puh*NYN) Peninsula – Italy is
located there
◦ Extends into Mediterranean Sea
◦ Like a giant boot
Coastline varies from high, rocky cliffs to long,
sandy beaches
 Apennines – mountain chain that includes an
active volcano – Mount Vesuvius

◦ Near city of Naples

Plains cover 1/3 of area
◦ Largest fertile plain of Lombardy
◦ Along Po River in north
The Southern Peninsulas

Balkan peninsula – se Europe
◦ Bounded by Adriatic and Ionian Seas on west &
Aegean/Black Seas on east
◦ Made up of mountain ranges and valleys stretch
southward from Danube River
◦ Travel difficult b/c of craggy landscape
Europe’s Islands

Europe has many islands
◦ Iceland – located south of Arctic Circle in N.
Atlantic Ocean
 Lies along Mid-Atlantic Ridge
 Has volcanoes, hot springs and geysers
◦ Glaciers found next to volcanoes & hot springs
 Due to Iceland’s northern location
Europe’s Islands

Homes and industries – most located in
capital of Reykjavik (RAY*kyah*VEEK)
◦ Pipe in water from hot springs for heat
Coast made up of grassy lowlands
 Land rises sharply to form inland plateau

Europe’s Islands

British Isles – nw of European mainland
◦ Two large islands
 Great Britian & Ireland
◦ Thousands of smaller islands
N. and W. G.B. – mountain ranges, plateaus
and deep valleys
 S. G.B. – low hills & gently rolling plains

Europe’s Islands

Ireland – called “Emerald Isle”
◦ Lush green land of cool temps and lots of
rainfall
◦ Rugged coastline of GB feature rocky cliffs
dropping to deep bays
Europe’s Islands

Islands – south of European mainland
◦ In Mediterranean Sea

Rugged mountains form larger islands:
◦ Sicily, Sardnia, Corsica, Crete & Cyprus

Volcanic & earthquake in region
◦ Mt. Etna – highest active volcano – rises over
Sicily
Europe’s Islands

Smaller islands in Med. Sea
◦ Balearic Islands (Spain)
◦ Malta (5 islands)
◦ Greece (2,000 islands – Aegean Sea)
 Draws tourists b/c of scenic, rugged landscape
Mountains and Plains

Mainland consists of plains interrupted by
mountains
◦ run through interior
◦ Along northern and southern edges
Mountain Regions

Northwestern mountains
◦ Ancient rock formations
◦ Rounded by eons of erosion and glaciation
◦ Low peaks
 Ben Nevis – highest mountain in British Isles – 4,406 feet

Central Uplands
◦
◦
◦
◦
Iberian Peninsula to eastern Europe
Low, rounded mountains
High plateaus
Scattered forests
 Include Meseta (Spain’s central plateau) and Massif Central
(France central highlands)
Mountain Regions

Southern Europe
◦ Geologically younger mountains
◦ High & jagged

Pyrenees Mountains formed by crust lifting
and folding
◦ Thrust upward to 11,000 feet

Alps formed by glaciation and folding
◦ Forms crescent from s. Europe to Balkan
Peninsula
 Highest peak – Mont Blanc – 15,771 feet on border
of France and Italy
Mountain Regions

Major rivers originate in Alps
◦ Rhine and Po
Alps form barrier that separates warm, dry
climate of Mediterranean region from
cooler climates of north
 Carpathian Mountains – towering
mountain chain

◦ Runs through eastern Europe from Slovakia to
Romania
Plains Regions
Broad plains curve around highlands
 North European Plain – stretches from
SE England and W. France eastward to Poland,
Ukraine and Russia
 Fertile soil & wealth of rivers drew farmers
to area

◦ Plain still major agricultural region
◦ Southern edge very fertile b/c deposits of loess
 Fine, rich, wind-borne soil that covers area
Plains Regions

Deposits in North European Plain
include coal, iron ore and other minerals
◦ Led to western Europe’s industrial development
in 1800s
◦ Today many large cities located on plain
 Paris & Berlin

Great Hungarian Plain – from Hungary
to Croatia, Serbia, Romania
◦ Cultivate gains, fruit and vegetables in area
◦ Also raise livestock in lowlands along Danube
Water Systems
Many water systems flow from inland
mountain and highland areas to coasts
 Connect navigable rivers with canals

◦ Enhanced natural waterways as transportation
links
◦ Rivers & canals also provide water to irrigate
farmland and produce electricity
Water Systems

Rivers have differing characteristics
◦ Scandinavia – rivers short & do not provide
easy connection b/w cities
◦ Iberian Peninsula – main rivers too narrow
and shallow for large slips
◦ Thames River (TEHMZ) – in England – allows
ocean going ships to reach port of London
Water Systems

Heartland of Europe
◦ Long rivers provide links b/w inland areas as
well as to sea
◦ Rhine – most important river in western
Europe
 Flows from Swiss Alps through France & Germany
into Netherlands
 Connect many industrial cities to Rotterdam
 Busy port on North Sea
Water Systems

Danube River – flows from Germany’s
Black Forest to Black Sea
◦ Eastern Europe’s major waterway
◦ Every year – millions of tons of cargo carried
on river by ships & barges

Main (MYN) River – tributary of Rhine
◦ b/c connected to Danube in 1992
◦ Main-Danube Canal completed
◦ Linked North Sea with Black Sea
Water Systems

Other major European Rivers:
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
France: Seine, Rhone, Loire
Germany: Elbe, Weser
Poland: Vistula
Italy: Po
Ukraine: Dnieper
Natural Resources

Long history of utilizing natural resources
◦ i.e. energy sources, agricultural areas, water and
minerals

Abundant supply of coal & iron ore
◦ Fueled development of modern industry
Natural Resources
Coal
 Major reserves in U.K., Germany, Ukraine and
Poland
 Many coalfields depleted or expensive too
mine

◦ Western Europe



Iron Ore
Large deposits in n. Sweden, ne France and s.
Ukraine
Other mineral resources:
◦ Bauxite, zinc, manganese
Natural Resources
• Fuel is scarce – in some countries
• Burn peat
• Vegetable matter found in swamps and
usually composed of mosses
• Dug up, chopped into blocks and dried so it
can be burned
• Mostly rely on coal, oil, gas and
nuclear/hydroelectric power
• Large deposits of oil and natural gas under
North Sea
• Contribute to energy needs
• France – no oil or gas reserves
• Nuclear power
Section 2: Climate & Vegetation
Terms to Know
Timberline
Foehn
Avalanche
Mistral
Sirocco
Chaparral
Permafrost
Places to Locate
Gulf Stream
North Atlantic Drift
Water and Land
Climates and vegetation vary
 Cold, barren tundra & subarctic land of
Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Finland
 Warm, shrub-covered Mediterranean coasts
of Italy, Spain and Greece

Water and Land

What determines climate in Europe?
◦ Northern latitude and relation to sea

W. and S. Europe – lie near/along large bodies
of water
◦ Benefit from warm maritime winds
◦ Mild climate compared to other places in world at
same latitude
 i.e. Paris and Boston – same distance from Arctic Circle
 Jan. temps of Paris milder then Boston

E. and N. Europe – colder climate than rest of
Europe
◦ Due to distance from warming effects of Atlantic
Ocean
Water and Land

Location influences vegetation in Europe
◦ Natural vegetation varies from:
 forests and grasslands
 Tundra and small shrubs
Western Europe

Marine West climate – most of W. Europe
◦ Mild winters, cool summer, abundant rainfall
◦ Gulf Stream in Atlantic Ocean and North Atlantic
Drift (northern extension of Gulf Stream)
 Bring warm waters to area from Gulf of
Mexico/regions near equator
◦ Warm, most air blow across surface of Europe
 Due to prevailing westerly winds
Trees and Highlands

W. Europe – varieties of deciduous and
coniferous trees
◦ Deciduous trees thrive in marine west coast
climate
◦ Coniferous trees found in cooler Alpine
mountains up to timberline
 Elevation above which trees can’t grow
Trees and Highlands

Alps – highland climate
◦ Colder temps and more precipitation then
lowland areas
◦ Sudden changes can occur with foehns
(FUHNZ) winds
 Dry winds that blow down from mountains into valleys
and plains
◦ This wind can trigger avalanches
 Destructive masses of ice, snow and rock sliding down
mountainsides
Ireland’s Forests


Region originally covered by forests
Vegetation transformed due to human
settlement and clearing of land
◦ i.e. prior 1600s – midlands of Ireland covered with
forests of broad-leaved trees
◦ Afterwards – forests depleted due to agriculture
pressure and large-scale harvest of trees for
firewood

1922- Ireland gained independence – only 1% of
country woodland
◦ Woodlands building backup
◦ Due to state-funded deforestation projects
Peninsulas of Europe

Peninsulas – itself a peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is
characterized by the number of peninsulas that are
found there. The most significant peninsulas are:
A.
B.
C.
D.
Iberian Peninsula – Spain and Portugal
Italian Peninsula – Italy
Jutland Peninsula – Denmark
Scandinavian Peninsula – Norway, Sweden, and Finland
 Fjords are steep U-shaped valleys that connect to the sea and
that filled with seawater after the glaciers from an Ice Age
melted.
E. Balkan Peninsula – Greece, Albania, Macedonia, Serbia
& Montenegro, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, and
Bulgaria (among others)
F. British Isles – England, Ireland, Wales and Scotland
D
F
C
A
E
B
Southern Europe

Mediterranean climate
◦ Warm, dry summers and mild, rainy winters

Other climates found in small area
◦ i.e. humid subtropical climate from N. Italy to
central Balkan Peninsula

Parts of Spain’s Meseta h- dry, steppe climate
Southern Europe

Alps – block moist Atlantic winds
◦ Less precipitation in S. Europe

Winds in region can cause changes in
normal weather patterns
◦ Mistral – strong north wind from Alps
 Sends gusts of bitterly cold air into S. France
◦ Siroccos – high, dry winds from N. Africa
 Bring high temps to area
Eastern & Northern Europe

Climate mostly humid continental
◦ Cold, snowy winters and hot summers
◦ Atlantic currents – less influence in area
 Farther away from Atlantic Ocean

Summer & winter temps vary more then
rest of Europe
Eastern & Northern Europe

Eastern Europe – mix of deciduous and
coniferous forests
◦ Coniferous trees – survive long, cold winters
 Found in parts of Scandinavia and Baltic Sea region

Grasslands – cover other parts of this area
◦ Esp. Hungary, Yugoslavia and Romania
Eastern & Northern Europe

Far N. Europe – such as Iceland, n.
Scandinavia and Finland
◦ Subarctic and tundra climates
 Bitterly cold winters and short, cool summers
◦ Permafrost – soil that is permanently frozen
below surface
◦ Little vegetation except mosses and small shrubs
and wildflowers