World Geography Europe & Russia Notes

1. World Geography Europe & Russia Notes

2. Physical

3. Peninsulas and Islands • Europe is a large peninsula of Asia • also has its own smaller peninsulas: a “peninsula of peninsulas” • most places are within 300 miles of the ocean or a sea

6. Northern Peninsulas • The Scandinavian Peninsula includes Norway and Sweden - bounded by Norwegian, North, and Baltic Seas • Glaciers created fjords - steep U-shaped valleys connected to sea & filled with seawater (provides harbors for fishing boats) • Jutland Peninsula forms large part of Denmark, small part of Germany

7. Norway Glaciers

8. Southern Peninsulas • Iberian Peninsula - Spain & Portugal • Italian Peninsula - Italy • Balkan Peninsula - bordered by Adriatic, Mediterranean, Aegean seas

9. Islands • Large - Great Britain, Ireland, Iceland, & Greenland • Smaller - Corsica, Sardinia Sicily, & Crete

10. Mountain Chains • The Alps - Europe’s most famous mountain chain - crosses France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, & Balkans - cuts Italy off from rest of Europe

11. Mountain Chains • Ural Mountains - separate Northern European & West Siberian Plains - some see them as dividing line between Europe and Asia - some consider Europe and Asia as single continent—Eurasia

13. Rivers • Network of rivers encourage trade and travel - allows goods inland from coastal harbors, aids economic growth • Rhine - flows north 820 miles from interior to North Sea • Danube - flows east 1,771 miles, through 9 countries, to Black Sea

15. Polders: Land from the Sea • dikes—earthen banks that hold back the sea • polder—land reclaimed by diking and draining • Seaworks—structures like dikes that control sea’s destructive force

16. Polders: Land from the Sea • terpen—high earthen platforms that provide safe ground during floods • Zuider Zee—arm of North sea the Dutch turned into a fresh-water lake - saltwater eventually replaced by fresh water - lake is now called Ijsselmeer

17. The Northern European Plain • One of the most fertile agricultural regions in world • Stretches over 1,000 miles from the western border to the Urals • Flat agricultural land produces vast quantities of food - chernozem—world’s most fertile soil is abundant in area

21. Natural Resources • Fueling Industrialization - Coal and iron ore are needed to create steel for industrialization • Energy - Oil, & natural gas found in North Sea in 1959 • Agricultural Land - 33% of Europe is suitable for agriculture ( world average only 11%) • Irish burn peat for fuel- partially decayed plant matter from bogs

22. Natural Resources • Many of Russia’s resources are in Siberia - frigid, arctic Russian area of Asia • Hard to get at & move resources due to climates, terrain & distances • taiga—largest forest on earth located in Russia - Produces 1/5 of the world’s timber

26. Westerly Winds Warm Europe • Marine west coast climate - : warm summers & cool winters - Spain, France, Poland, British Isles & coastal Scandinavia • North Atlantic Drift - warm-water tropical current flows by west coast of Europe • prevailing westerlies carry current’s warmth, moisture inland • Enables France to be a major agricultural producer

29. Harsher Conditions Inland • Not Reached by Westerly Winds • Continentality - Distance from sea decreases precipitation -moisture from Atlantic Ocean is lost further inland • Humid continental climate: cold, snowy winters; warm or hot summers

30. Special Winds • Mediterranean coast of France is not protected by mountains • mistral—a cold, dry winter wind from north • Sirocco—hot North African wind carries sea moisture or desert dust

33. Land of the Midnight Sun • Tundra climate in far northern Scandinavia, along Arctic Circle - permafrost with no trees, only mosses & lichens • South of tundra is subarctic climate - cool with cold, harsh winters - little growth except stunted trees • Region’s sunlight varies sharply: long winter nights & summer days - area north of Arctic Circle the Land of the Midnight Sun - some winter days have no sun, some summer days have no night

34. Culture & Economy

35. Modern Life in Europe • Strong economies allow a high standard of living in western Europe • Most Western Europeans live in cities - good public transportation, cultural attractions, & low crime rates • Most homes are small, so socializing is done in public cafés, parks

41. Modern Life in Europe • Eastern Europe has less Urban Development - only 40% in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 37% in Albania live in cities

43. Industry • Coal, iron made France, Germany, Netherlands industrial leaders • Sweden has timber, Iceland has fishing, & Norway has North Sea oil • Computer production is major part of Ireland’s economy • Scotland has Silicon Glen—area with many high-tech companies - produces at least a third of Europe’s personal, notebook computers

45. Tourism and Luxury • Tourism is major part of French, Swiss, Austrian economies • Switzerland’s neutrality makes it a banking center • Germany has the autobahn highway

46. European Union • Following WWII - Some people believed the best way to rebuild & avoid conflicts was to unify Europe • 1951, France Germany, Italy & Benelux move toward unification by forming the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) • 1957 - European Economic Community (EEC) or Common Market formed - removed trade barriers & sets common economic goals - people could live and work in any member countries

47. European Union • 1967 - EEC merged with ECSC to form European Community (EC) • 1993 - Maastricht Treaty replaced EC with European Union (EU) • Mixed feelings about European Union and euro—common currency -Some concerned about use of common euro currency &shifting populations as workers move to areas with higher wages • Others feel euro increases business efficiency & international trade

49. Pollution Problems

50. Deforestation • Wood was used for fuel, building material for ships & houses • industry needed wood charcoal for blast furnaces • eventually coal replaces wood, but damage to forests is done