PHYSICAL FEATURES OF EUROPE. Europe Unit

Transcription

1 PHYSICAL FEATURES OF EUROPE Europe Unit

2 PENINSULA OF PENINSULAS Europe is a large peninsula that consists of many smaller peninsulas Most places in Europe are no more than 300 miles from an ocean or sea

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4 NORTHERN PENINSULAS The Scandinavian Peninsula is made up of Norway and Sweden and is bounded by the Norwegian, North, and Baltic Seas Glaciation created fjords steep U-shaped valleys that connect to the sea and that filled with seawater after the glaciers melted Countries of Northern Europe: Scandinavian Peninsula: Norway and Sweden Jutland Peninsula: Denmark Finland Island country of Iceland

5 Northern Peninsula Svalbard is an archipelago of Norway in the Arctic Ocean Glaciers and snowfields cover more than 50% of the islands land Landforms were created through many ice ages and folding and faulting of continental drift and plate tectonics

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8 NORTHERN PENINSULAS Iceland: contains abundant geothermal energy caused by tectonic activity and many rivers and waterfalls to produce hydropower numerous mountains, hot springs, and geysers Jutland Peninsula: consists of gently rolling hills and swampy low-lying areas which are different than the rocky land of the Scandinavian Peninsula Natural resources: Peat deposits (vegetable matter in swamps), iron ore, timber, hydroelectric power, oil and natural gas

9 Northwestern Europe Landscape of NW Europe consists of plains interrupted by mountains Northern European Plain has fertile soil and wealth of rivers with deposits of loess, sediment left by glaciers Alps mountain system are a high and jagged mountain range that runs from southern France through Switzerland and Austria to the Balkan Peninsula

10 Northwestern Europe Central Uplands (between the Alps and Northern European Plain): France, Belgium, Germany low rounded mountains, hills, and high plateaus with scattered forests British Isles: Great Britain, Ireland rugged coastline with rocky cliffs and deep bays

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12 SOUTHERN PENINSULAS Iberian Peninsula is home to Spain and Portugal. Pyrenees Mountains block it off from the rest of Europe Italian Peninsula is home to Italy. It is shaped like a boot, extends into the Mediterranean Sea The Balkan Peninsula is bordered by the Adriatic, Mediterranean, and Aegean Seas. It s mountains make transportation difficult Natural Resources: copper, coal, tin, tungsten, hydroelectricity

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14 Iberian Peninsula: Southern Europe Coastal plains give way to a large plateau, the Mesata Pryenees is characterized by flat topped massifs - body of mtn ranges formed by fault-line activity Italian Peninsula: Plains cover about one-third of the peninsula coastline varies from rocky cliffs to sandy beaches Apennine Mtns. run down the spine of the peninsula Balkan Peninsula: easy access to the sea with nearly 2,000 islands Greece is the southernmost country Some limited communication and development because of isolation from mountains and islands

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16 Eastern Europe Subregion is characterized by mountains and plains Lowlands within these mountainous areas are restricted to small plains and deltas - Dinaric Alps - spanning Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Hezergovina, Macedonia, Albania, and Montenegro Karst topography, characterized by caves, sinkholes, underground rivers

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18 ISLANDS The larger islands are Great Britain, Ireland, Iceland, and Greenland all located in the North Atlantic The smaller islands are Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, and Crete all located in the Mediterranean Sea

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21 Russian Core Mountain ranges: Ural Mountains (separating Europe from Asia) and the Caucasus Mountains Majority of Russian population lives in the southern part of Russia navigable waterways and black fertile soil, chernozem, supporting agriculture Siberian Plain covers one-third of Siberia, known for its harsh continental climate and world s largest swamps and wetlands Ukraine occupies the Russian Plain with vast plains and plateaus Isthmus of Perekop connects Crimean Peninsula to mainland Natural Resources: timber, petroleum, coal, aluminum, gemstones, platinum, iron ore

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23 MOUNTAINS The Alps cut Italy off from the rest of Europe just as the Pyrenees restrict movement from France to Spain and Portugal The Apennines divide the Italian Peninsula into east and west Balkans block off the Balkan Peninsula from the rest of Europe Resulted in the isolation of ethnic groups from each other

24 These are the Alps, which are the most famous mountain range in Europe

25 RIVERS Rivers are used to transport goods between coastal harbors and the inland region 2 major rivers: Danube and Rhine The Rhine flows from the interior to the North Sea while the Danube flows west to east through Europe touching 9 countries

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27 The Volga River begins near Moscow and is the longest river on the European continent VOLGA RIVER