Transcript Physical Geography of Europe Notes

Landforms - Peninsulas and Islands
• Europe is a large peninsula of Asia
- The peninsula also has 5 smaller peninsulas
The Five Peninsulas
• Scandinavian Peninsula - Norway and Sweden
- bounded by Norwegian, North, and Baltic Seas
• Jutland Peninsula - Denmark
- gentle, rolling hills and swampy low areas
• Iberian Peninsula: - Spain, Portugal
• Italian Peninsula - Italy,
goes into Mediterranean
Sea
- boot-shaped, with 4,700
miles of coastline
Continued . . .
• Balkan Peninsula - Greece,
Albania
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Islands
• Larger:
Great Britain
Ireland
Iceland
Greenland
• Smaller:
Corsica
Sardinia
Sicily
Crete
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Mountains
• The Alps is Europe’s most famous mountain chain
- crosses France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Balkans
- cuts Italy off from rest of Europe
• Pyrenees go between France to Spain
• Apennine Mountains divide Italy in half
• Balkan Mountains block off peninsula from rest of
Europe
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Rivers
• Network of rivers bring people, and allows goods
inland from coastal harbors, aids economic growth
• Two major rivers
- Rhine flows north 820 miles from interior to North Sea
- Danube flows east 1,771 miles, to Black Sea
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Fertile Plains
The Northern European Plain
• One of the most fertile agricultural regions in world
• Curves across France, Belgium, Netherlands,
Denmark, Germany, Poland
- flat agricultural land produces vast quantities of food
• Flatness also has given invaders an open
route into Europe
Resources
• Coal and iron ore are needed
to create steel for
industrialization
• Oil, natural gas in North Sea
• 33% of Europe is used for
farming
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Climate
A Mild Climate – West Coast
• North Atlantic Drift—warm-water tropical current
flows by west coast
- prevailing westerlies carry current’s warmth, moisture
inland
Forests to Farms
• Original mixed forests
cleared for farming
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Harsher Conditions Inland
Northern and Eastern Europe
• Tundra and Humid continental climate: cold, snowy
winters; warm or hot summers
• Adequate rainfall for agriculture
• Heavy deforestation; surviving trees are mostly
coniferous
Mediterranean Climate
• Mediterranean climate:
hot, dry summers; mild,
wet winters
- mountains
block cold
north winds
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Creating Holland
- to hold growing population, the Dutch reclaimed land
from the sea
- 40% of the Netherlands was once under water
- dikes—earthen banks that hold back the sea
• In 1400s windmills were used to power pumps that
drained land
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Venice’s Canals
An Island City Grows
• City of Venice is made up of 120 underwater islands
• People, goods are moved by boat over 150 canals
• City forms when people escaping invaders
- location in Adriatic makes it a good trading port
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Deforestation
The Demand for Wood
• Wood used for fuel, building material for ships, houses
Acid Rain Strips Forests
• In 1960s Germans notice Black Forest trees are
discolored, dying
- cause is acid rain
•Factories produce sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide
emissions
- combine with water vapor, create acid rain or snow
• Scandinavia suffers heavily due to prevailing winds
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