1. CHAPTER 12 PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
EUROPE
CHAPTER 12
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY

2. Physical Characteristics
The continent of Europe is a giant peninsula.
Some refer to it as Eurasia.
It is known as “a peninsula of peninsulas.”

3. Europe – “A Peninsula of Peninsulas”

4. The Northern Peninsulas
Scandinavian Peninsula – Norway & Sweden
Fjords – sea filled valleys carved out by glaciers
Jutland – northern peninsula opposite the Scandinavian Peninsula is major geographical feature of Denmark

5. Fjords – Geirangerfjord in Norway

6. The Southern Peninsulas
Iberian Peninsula – Spain and Portugal
Apennine Peninsula – Italy, shaped like a boot, has 4,700 miles of coastline
Balkan Peninsula – Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, mountainous so transportation is difficult

7. Apennine Peninsula
Apennines in Emilia. The Apennine Mountains - mountain range stretching 1000 km from the north to the south of Italy along its east coast and forms the backbone of the country.

8. The Atlantic Islands
Iceland – “Land of Fire and Ice” (Volcanoes and glaciers exist side by side on the island)
British Isles – England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, & Ireland

9. Iceland: A New Island Forms
Surtsey 16 days after the first eruption.

10. Iceland: A New Island Forms
Surtsey is a volcanic island off the southern coast of Iceland. It was formed in a volcanic eruption which began 130 meters below sea level, and reached the surface on 14 November The eruption may have started a few days earlier and lasted until 5 June 1967.

11. Mediterranean Islands
Balearic Islands (Spain)
Corsica (France)
Sardinia (Italy)
Sicily (Italy)
Malta

12. Corsica

13. The port town of Sciacca, Sicily

14. Malta

15. Mountains
Alps – arc across France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, & the northern Balkan Peninsula, cut off Italy from the rest of Europe
Pyrenees Mountains - block off Spain & Portugal from the rest of Europe

16. Mountains (cont.) Apennine Mountains – run like a spine down Italy
Balkan Mountains – block off the peninsula from the rest of Europe

17. The Alps

18. Pyrenees Mountains

19. Apennine Mountains

20. Rivers
Rivers are important transportation routes to carry goods between the coastal harbors and the inland region
Danube River – 1,771 miles long, links Europeans to the Black Sea, touches 9 countries
Rhine River – flows 820 miles from the interior of Europe north to the North Sea

21. Danube River

22. Danube River

23. Rhine River

24. Europe’s Bounty 33% of land is suitable for agriculture
Produce a variety of crops: grains, grapes, olives, citrus fruits, & even cork
Northern European Plain
stretches in a huge curve across parts of France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, & Poland
relatively flat
very desirable agricultural land
Produced vast quantities of food over the centuries
Plains flatness has also allowed armies and groups of invaders to use it as an open route into Europe

25. Cork Oak Tree - Portugal

26. Natural Resources Iron Coal Bauxite Potash (used to make fertilizer)
Copper
Lead
Zinc
Uranium
Gold
Silver
Potash

27. Climate
Marine West Coast climate – from northern Spain across most of France & Germany to western Poland, British Isles, some coastal areas of Scandinavia
North Atlantic Drift, a current of warm water from the tropics, flows near Europe’s west coast
Prevailing westerlies blow west to east picking up warmth from this current and carrying it over Europe
MWC is very mild because of the modifying effects of the ocean. This climate does not have large seasonal extremes of temperature, summers are cool and winters are mild.

28. Comparing Climates at similar latitudes
Latitude/Longitude = 49.1o N; o W
Latitude/Longitude =51.3oN; .07o W

29. Climate Southern Europe is mostly a Mediterranean climate.
Mediterranean climate has long, hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters.
Sunny Mediterranean beaches attract tourists

30. Mediterranean beach

31. Climate Eastern & Northern Europe has a Humid Continental climate.
The humid continental climate is marked by variable weather patterns and a large temperature range. The temperature difference between the warmest and coldest months increases inland, away from the moderating influence of the ocean.
Cold, snowy winters & either warm or hot summers depending on latitude

32. Climate Land of the Midnight Sun
Tundra climate along the Arctic Circle in northern Scandinavia
Permafrost
North of the Arctic Circle, there are winter days when the sun never rises and summer days when the sun never sets

33. Finland

34. Energy Oil & natural gas – beneath the North Sea floor
North Sea oil fields are a major source of petroleum for the world

35. Resources Shape Life Ireland – lacks energy resources
Irish cut peat from large beds and burn it as fuel
Peat is partially decayed plant matter found in bogs

36. Human/Environment Interaction
Polders: Land from the Sea
Dutch reclaimed land from the sea for their growing population
At least 40% of the Netherlands was once under the sea
Polders – reclaimed land

37. Flower cultivation in the polders of The Netherlands.

38. Human/Environment Interaction
Venice’s Canals
City is made up of 120 islands & part of the mainland
Grand Canal, a broad waterway, flows between 2 of the largest islands
More than 150 canals that snake around and through the islands
Water pollution threatens Venice
Industrial waste, sewage, & saltwater are working to eat away the foundations of buildings
Floods also endanger the city

39. Venice

40. Human/Environment Interaction
Deforestation
People have been clearing the forests of Europe since ancient times
Provided wood to burn for fuel & building materials such as ships and houses
Acid Rain
Destroying forests such as the Black Forest in Germany

41. Germany - Black Forest
The Black Forest is a wooded mountain region located in southwestern Germany. It is estimated that more than half the trees in the Black Forest have been damaged as a result of acid rain.