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Physical Geography of Europe
SSWG6a. Describe the location of major physical features and their
impact on Europe.
Mountains/Highlands
• Major features: Alps, Pyrenees, Balkan, Caucus, Ural
• Ural Mountains form the border between Asia & Europe
• Alps & Pyrenees are world renown for skiing & other winter sports
Mountains
Alps Ural
MountainsMt. Elbrus in the Caucus Mts. Balkan Mts.
Plateaus
• Major Feature: Central Siberian Plateau• Takes up good part of central Russia• Rocky in some places, green in others• People here are primarily herders
Plateaus
Central Siberian Plateau Native family
Rivers
• Seine River, Rhine River, Rhone River, Danube River, Volga River, Ob River
• Europe is made of rivers & have been primary shipping routes for centuries
• Danube River is the longest and connects eastern & western Europe—begins in the Black Forest of Germany
• Canals connected the Volga to the Baltic Sea
Rivers
Danube River Seine River
Seas
• North Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Baltic Sea, Caspian Sea, Black Sea, Aral Sea
• Mediterranean waters =vital to the economies of 20 European countries, supporting tourism and other industries
• Black Sea is suffering overpopulation. Urban & industrial development has poured increasing amounts of waste into the Black Sea & rivers around it.
• Aral Sea is shrinking at an alarming rate
Seas
Mediterranean Sea Black Sea Pollution
Additional Water Features
• Major Features: Strait of Gibraltar, English Channel, Lake Baikal
• Strait is close enough to see to the other side to Africa.
• English Channel separates the UK and the rest of mainland Europe
• Lake Baikal is the deepest lake in the world
Additional Water Features
Strait of Gibraltar English Channel
Plains
• Major Feature: North European Plain (also called Great European Plain)
• Greatest uninterrupted expanses of plain on the Earth’s surface
• From France through Russia• Narrow in the west, broader in the east• Lowest elevation on any continent
Plains
GEP wind power Wheat harvest in Ukraine
Additional Land Features• Major Features: – Iberian Peninsula (Spain & Portugal)– Scandinavian Peninsula (Norway & Sweden)– Italian Peninsula (Italy)– Jutland Peninsula (Denmark)– Balkan Peninsula (Greece)