Physical Feature of Europe Unit 4: Chapter 12

Physical Features of Europe - is a continent that is made up of many peninsulas - Europe is a peninsula Peninsula: a body of land surrounded on 3 side by water - In many of the peninsulas there are Fjords: Fjords: U-shaped valleys that connect to the sea, they are caused by glaciers that once slid across land

Peninsulas Peninsulas: * peninsulas are important to trade and commerce due to the easy access to the ocean and other major bodies of water - in the north there are 2 major peninsulas

Northern Peninsulas 1) Scandinavian Peninsula- portions of Norway and Sweden that are surrounded by the Norwegian Sea, North Sea, and Baltic Sea. 2) Jutland Peninsula- largest part of Denmark and smaller part of Germany

Jutland Peninsula

Southern Peninsulas - in the south there are 3 major peninsulas 1) Iberian Peninsula- makes up Spain and Portugal, and is blocked off by the Pyrenees Mountains 2) Italian Peninsula- makes up Italy and is shaped like a boot 3) Balkan Peninsula- very mountainous peninsula bordered by the Adriatic Sea

Iberian Peninsula

Italian Peninsula

Balkan Peninsula

Mountains of Europe Mountains: - mountains are an important part of geography in Europe, think of them as walls that separate people, ideas, and goods. - they are also barriers for weather and climate - also they create tourist opportunities for the economy

Mountains of Europe 1) Alps: are the most famous of Europe - they run across France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria - they separate Italy from Europe 2) Pyrenees Mtns: - wall like mountains that separate Spain and Portugal from France - boundary for the Iberian Peninsula

Alps

Alp Mtns

Pyrenees Mtn

Mountains of Europe 3)Apennine Mtns: - run down the Italian Peninsula and separate east and west parts of Italy 4)Balkan Mtns: - these mountains block off the Balkan Peninsula

River System of Europe Rivers: - rivers of Europe serve many purposes, one major purpose is transportation. Rhine River: flows 820 miles north from the interior of Europe, and empties into the North Sea Danube River: flows almost 2,000 miles and touches 9 countries as it flows from the interior of Europe into the Black Sea.

Plains of Europe Plains: - 33% of Europe is suitable for growing crops (11% of the world’s plains) - one major plain: 1) Northern European Plain- - cuts across parts of France, Belgium, Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, and Poland

Resources of Europe Resources: - Europe has many dense forests and many mineral resources and energy resources - 2 major mineral resources: 1) Coal 2) Iron Ore - energy resources: include natural gas and oil found in the North Sea.

Ireland: Unique Case * Ireland is unique in Energy Resources: - they don’t have forests or coal deposits so for some of their energy they rely on Peat Moss: Peat Moss- is partially decade plant matter found in bogs and is burned for fuel

Climate/Vegetation

Climate Climate: - Europe is divided when it comes to climate there are * Warm coastlines * Harsh interior weather - most of Europe has a marine west climate, which means warm summers and cool winters - depends on latitude

*Warm Coast Lines - caused by the North Atlantic Drift: current of warm water from the Atlantic that flows close to the coastline bringing warm air and warmer temperatures.

* Harsh Interior ° hot and dry summers but cold snowy winters - harsh interior comes from different latitudes ° hot and dry summers but cold snowy winters

Mediterranean Climate - borders the Mediterranean Sea and has mild and dry temperatures - the Alp Mtns block the cold winds from the north - also warm due to the Sirocco: which are warm winds that blow from north Africa - this form of climate allows for the growth of olives, grapes and other major crops in

Human-Environment Interaction “God creates the world, but the Dutch created Holland” - 40% of the Netherlands was once under sea water - land was reclaimed by a system of Polders Polders: is the draining of water from an area and then a dike is built to keep water out. - Dutch also use Terpens, which are high- earthen platforms that protect from sea currents.

Waterways of Venice: - Venice, Italy was built on a swamp with many rivers/canals flowing around it. -120 islands make up Venice, so to get around the city you either walk or take a boat. - due to the weight of the city and the lowlands it was built on Venice is sinking and creating water pollution due to the boats.