1. Geo Engage: 11/30
Get out a piece of paper, title it “Europe Physical Geography Group Loop”.
What was the BEST thing you did over thanksgiving break?
What was the BEST thing you ate over thanksgiving break?

2. Physical Geography Group Loop
Europe and Russia
Physical Geography Group Loop

3. Physical geo of europe
Majority of Europe lies within 300 miles of the coast
Some portions of Europe lie below sea level (the Netherlands) so the Dutch built dikes: large banks of earth and stone to hold back water from the North Sea
Polders - reclaimed lands which were once drained and kept dry by windmills (now kept dry by other power sources); land was used for farming and settlement

4. Slide 1: Coastal Europe
#1. Copy these notes: Majority of Europe lies within 300 miles of the coast
#2. Define the following terms:
Dikes
Polders
#3. Why did the Dutch build dikes?
#4. Where in Europe do people use polders?

5. Peninsulas of europe Iberian peninsula The Apennine Peninsula
Home to Spain and Portugal
Pyrenees Mountains – northern part of the peninsula cuts off Spain and Portugal from the rest of the continent
The Apennine Peninsula
Home to Italy
Extends like a giant boot to the Mediterranean Sea
Varying coastline from high, rocky cliffs, to long sandy beaches
Balkan Peninsula
Southeastern Europe; bounded by the Adriatic and Ionian Seas on the west & the Aegean and Black seas on the east

6. Slide 2: Peninsulas of Europe
#5. Make a quick sketch of the following peninsulas: a) Iberian Peninsula, b) Apennine Peninsula, and c) Balkan Peninsula.
#6. Identify the countries that make up each peninsula & label the major bodies of water surrounding each.
#7. How do think this physical feature impacts the lives of Europeans living on one?

7. Europe’s islands
Iceland – island located south of the Arctic Circle in the North Atlantic Ocean (capital – Reykjavik)
The British Isles – lie northwest of the European mainland; consist of two large islands and thousands of smaller islands
Ireland & Great Britain – two large islands
Islands of the Mediterranean Sea
Formed by rugged mountains – Sicily, Corsica, Crete, and Cyprus

8. Slide 3: Europe’s Islands
#8. Describe the relative location of Iceland in 3 different ways.
#9. What are the major islands that make up the British Isles? What nations make up the UK? What is the official name of the UK?
#10. How were the islands of the Mediterranean formed? Identify the five largest islands in the Mediterranean in order from west to east.

9. The mountains of europe
The Alps
Forms a crescent from Southern France to the Balkan Peninsula
Mont Blanc – highest peak in the Alps; stands at 15,771 ft high on the boarder of France and Italy
Origin spot of the Rhine and Po rivers
The Carpathians
Mountain chain that runs through Eastern Europe from Slovakia and Romania

10. Slide 4: Mountains of Europe
#11. What are the east and west borders of the Alps?
#12. What is the highest peak in the Alps? What major rivers have their source at this peak?
#13. What is the major mountain range that runs through eastern Europe? Identify the two countries in which this mountain range starts and stops.

11. The water
Thames River – (England) allows ocean going ships to reach the port of London
The Rhine River- most important river in western Europe; flows from Swiss Alps through France and Germany and into the Netherlands, connecting many industrial cities to the port of Rotterdam in the North Sea
The Danube – flows from Germany’s Black Forest to the Black Sea (major waterway of Eastern Europe)

12. Slide 5: The rivers
#14. What is the Thames located? What major port city benefits from this river allowing for ocean going ships to reach its harbor?
#15. Which river do you think is the most important in Europe? Why did you choose this river?
#16. Which river flows from the Black Forest of Germany to the Black Sea? Which region of Europe benefits most from this river?

13. Trees & highlands Deciduous & Coniferous trees found
Deciduous trees found in Marine West Coast Climates
Coniferous trees found in Alps regions
Timberline – the elevation in which above trees cannot grow
Foehns – dry winds that blow down from mountains into plains and valleys which can cause avalanches – destructive masses of ice, snow, and rock that slide down a mountain side

14. Slide 6: Climate & Vegetation
#17. Create a quick sketch of Europe. Shade in the following climates: Mediterranean, Humid Subtropical, Humid Continental, & Subarctic/Tundra
#18. What is a timberline? What is a snowline?
#19. What are Foehns?
#20. What natural disaster is caused by Foehns? Draw this natural disaster.

15. Climate & Vegetation Climate Regions
Marine West Coast – majority of western Europe – mild winders, cool summers, and abundant rainfall
Mediterranean – southern Europe (near Mediterranean Sea)
Humid Subtropical – small portion above Italy & Greece
Humid Continental – Eastern Europe
Subarctic & Tundra – Northern Europe in the Arctic Circle