Europe
World Geography
Physical
Geography
Europe’s landforms also
include large plains and
mountain ranges.
Europe is composed of
many peninsulas and
islands.
Always near Water…
 Europe is a large peninsula of Asia
 also has its own smaller peninsulas: a “peninsula of peninsulas”
 most places are within 100 miles of the ocean or a sea
Europe’s Links
*Network of rivers brings
people, goods , and ideas
together
allows goods inland from
coastal harbors, aids
economic growth
Danube River
 The Danube is the 2nd longest river next to the Volga.
 It starts in Germany and runs east through 9 countries
across 1, 771 miles to the Black Sea.
 These and many other rivers connect Europeans. This encourages
trade and travel.
Rhine River
 Rivers have historically
acted as highways:
 Rhine runs 820 miles
through 4 countries:
Switzerland, France,
Germany, and the
Netherlands from the
interior to the North.
 Starts from the Swiss Alps
and runs to the North Sea.
 These and many other
rivers connect
Europeans, this
encourages trade and
travel.
Volga River
 The Volga is the longest




river in Western Europe.
It is 2, 293 miles long.
In ancient times it was
known as the Atil, Italy,
or Idil.
The Volga freezes for 3
months out of the year.
Roller Coasters?
English Channel
 The English Channel
has The Chunnel
connecting England to
France.
 31 miles across, 20
minutes in a train and 2
hours in a car.
Chunnel under the Channel
Mediterranean Sea
 “Sea between Lands”
 an intercontinental
sea that stretches
from the Atlantic
Ocean on the west to
Asia on the east and
separates Europe
from Africa.
Mountain
Ranges and
Agricultural
Land
*33% of Europe is
suitable for agriculture;
world average only 11%
Europe’s Bounty: The Northern
European Plain
One of the most fertile
agricultural regions in world
flat agricultural land produces
vast quantities of food
 Curves across France, Belgium,
Netherlands, Denmark, Germany,
Poland
The Alps
 The Alps is Europe’s most famous mountain chain
 crosses France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Balkans
 cuts Italy off from rest of Europe
 the Swiss Alps make up most of Switzerland.
 The Rhine River divides the Alps into 2 main parts the Western and
Eastern Alps.
The Pyrenees Mountains
 Mountain chain of southwestern Europe that consists of
flat-topped massifs and folded linear ranges. The Pyrenees
form a high wall between France and Spain that has
played a significant role in the history of both countries
and of Europe as a whole.
 Pyrenees restrict movement from France to Spain and
Portugal
The Ural Mountains
 Separates Europe from
Asia
 Mountain range forming a
rugged spine in westcentral Russia and the
major part of the boundary
between Europe and Asia.
Peninsula is a body of
land surrounded by
water on three sides.
Two major peninsulas
in Europe: The Iberian
Peninsula
and The Scandinavian
Peninsula
Iberian Peninsula
•
Iberian Peninsula: Home to Spain and Portugal
Madrid, Spain
Scandinavian Peninsula
The Scandinavian
Peninsula includes
Norway and Sweden
Surrounded by
Norwegian, North,
and Baltic Seas
Geirangerfjord, Norway
Italian Peninsula
 Italian Peninsula includes
Italy, extends into
Mediterranean Sea
 boot-shaped, with 4,700
miles of coastline
Islands
 Larger: Great Britain, Ireland, Iceland, Greenland in North
Atlantic
 Smaller: Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, Crete in Mediterranean
Fueling Industrialization
 Major industrialized regions:
 Ruhr Valley, Germany;
parts of United Kingdom
 Coal and iron ore are needed
to create steel for
industrialization
 found in Belgium,
Netherlands, France,
Germany, Poland
Coal train to Manchester,
England
Energy
 Oil, natural gas found
in North Sea in 1959;
offshore rigs in 1970s
 petroleum supplied
by Norway,
Netherlands, and
Britain