natural environments of europe. physical features borders – atlantic ocean to the ural mountains,...
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Physical Features
• Borders – Atlantic Ocean to the Ural Mountains, from the Arctic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea
• Four major landforms – Northwest Highlands, Northern European Plain, Central Uplands, Alpine Mountain System (Alps)
• Northwest Highlands – rugged hills, low mountains. Includes Ireland, England, Scotland, Scandinavia (Norway, Finland, Sweden)
• Northern European Plain – many rivers, Paris, Berlin developed here
• Central Uplands – hills and small plateaus, many coal fields
• Alps- young mountain range in southern Europe. Steep, rocky mountains
Water
• Europe is nearly surrounded by water.• Peninsula of peninsulas• Many rivers allow for easy trade• Rhine and Danube are most important rivers
Polders
• Dutch (people in the Netherlands) have increased their land by building dikes (walls) in the ocean, and pumping water out. The land is called a polder.
Climates
• Europe has 3 major climates• Marine west coast (British Isles, Spain to
Poland)– northern and western Europe. Mostly cloudy, drizzly, and foggy.
• Humid continental (Scandinavia)– 4 seasons, cold snowy winter, mild to cool summer.
• Mediterranean (Southern Europe)– little rainfall, long, dry, sunny summers
North Atlantic Current• The North Atlantic Current is a warm-water
current that brings mild temperatures to most of Europe.
Natural Resources
• Most of Europe’s land is used for farming.• Loess – fine-grained, wind-blown soil that is
very fertile• Europe produces many crops such as grapes,
olives, potatoes, and wheat• Efficient methods and modern technology
lead to high output
• Fishing is a large part of the European economy
• Coastal waters are excellent fishing grounds.• Overfishing and pollution do threaten the
future of the fishing industry in the Mediterranean and North Atlantic
Energy and Minerals
• Europe has large deposits of coal, but must import other energy sources (oil & natural gas)
Germany’s Ruhr coal field is one of the world’s largest.
Hydroelectricity is produced in the mountains of Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland.
The British Isles
• 2 Countries – Republic of Ireland, United Kingdom of Great Britain
• The UK includes 4 political regions – England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland
• England has been ruled by many peoples. Scottish, Welsh, Irish, Anglos, Saxons, Vikings, Normans (French) – Each left their mark.
• This is called sequent occupance
The British Empire
• In the 1600’s and 1700’s, British explorers founded colonies around the world. By the 1800’s, more than 1/4th of the world was ruled by the British Empire
• Most of these places (Ireland, United States) have won their independence.
Ireland
• Ireland – won independence in 1921
• Potato Famine – 1845-1852 - crop failure – about 1 million Irish died, and many were forced to migrate
Culture
• Ireland and Great Britain share many cultural features.
• Soccer, rugby, and cricket are popular• English is the main language• Life is centered around local eateries
Government
• Ireland and Britain are democracies, but organized differently.
• Ireland is a republic (President is the head of the government)
• Britain is a constitutional monarchy – king or queen is the head of the government, but parliament is led by a prime minister and serves as the lawmaking branch
Religion
• Ireland – Roman Catholic• United Kingdom – Protestant• Northern Ireland (part of the UK) is Protestant• Long fighting between Republic of Ireland and
Northern Ireland (The Troubles)
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