European GeographyWorld Studies

Europe

Europe - located on landmass called Eurasia

Europe is peninsula = body of land surrounded by water on three sides

Northern European Plain = flat area that extends through France, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, and Russia.

Peninsulas

European’s major peninsulas:1. Scandinavian Peninsula2. Jutland3. Iberian Peninsula4. Italian Peninsula5. Balkan Peninsula

Scandinavian Peninsula Scandinavian Peninsula

Countries located on peninsula: Norway Sweden Finland

Surrounded by the Barents Sea Baltic Sea Norwegian Sea North Sea

Jutland Countries located on

peninsula: Denmark

Iberian Peninsula

Countries located on peninsula: Portugal Spain

Italian Peninsula Countries located on

peninsula: Italy

Strategic Waterways

Narrow body of water on important transportation route

The English Channel The Strait of Gibraltar The Dardanelles and Bosporus

The English Channel

The English Channel separates Great Britain from France.

Narrowest point = Strait of Dover (21 miles wide)

The Chunnel is a tunnel that runs underneath the English Channel and connects Britain to France.

Strait of Gibraltar

The Strait of Gibraltar - connects the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea and separates the continents of Europe and Africa.

narrowest point = eight miles

The Bosporus and Dardanelles

The Bosporus and Dardanelles separate Europe from Asia.

Islands

Some islands in Northern Europe are: Great Britain Ireland Iceland British Isles.

Great Britain

Great Britain is the name of an island. The United Kingdom is the country that is located on Great Britain and Ireland. The United Kingdom is comprised of:

Wales Scotland England Northern Ireland

Islands

Some islands in the Mediterranean Sea are:A. SicilyB. CorsicaC. SardiniaD. Crete

Mountains

The Alps are located in Northern Italy, Switzerland, Austria, and France. The Alps are not very long and the tallest mountain is Mont Blanc (15,774ft).

Mountains

The Pyrenees separate the Iberian Peninsula from France.

Climate and Vegetation

Europe is in the middle and high latitudes, therefore, Europe has many different types of climates.

A. In Northern Europe there is Tundra and Sub-arctic climates.

B. Most of Western Europe has a Marine West Coast climate zone.

C. Southern Europe has a Mediterranean climate.

Climate

Wind currents and ocean currents have a large impact on the climate of Europe.

A. The North Atlantic Drift is an ocean current that warms Europe.

B. Europe is also warmed by wind currents called the Westerlies.