THE CONTINENT OF EUROPE
A continent is a large area of land usually surrounded by water.
Europe is bordered by the Arctic Ocean in the north, the Atlantic Ocean in the west, the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea in the south and the Caspian Sea in the southeast.
Europe's eastern boundary is an imaginary line that runs along the Ural Mountains in the north, then follows the Ural river to the Caspian Sea.
Some countries such as Russia, Turkey and Georgia are split between Europe and Asia. These are called transcontinental countries. Istanbul is a transcontinental city.
Europe is made up of the mainland, as well as large islands, such as Ireland and Great Britain, and archipelagos, such as the Canary Islands or the Azores.
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
Mountains and plains
Northern Europe is mostly flat, but there are some older, lower mountains, such as the Massif Central in France, the Scandinavian Mountains and the Ural Mountains. The Great European Plain is a huge expanse of low, generally flat land across central and eastern Europe.
Southern Europe is the most mountainous region. The mountains form a line parallel to the Mediterranean Sea, and include the Alps, the Apennines, the Carpathians, the Balkan Mountains and the Caucasus Mountains.
Oceans and Seas
Europe's main oceans and seas are:
- the Atlantic Ocean and the Arctic Ocean
- the Mediterranean, Caspian, Black, North and Baltic Sea.
Lakes
Central Europe has many small lakes, such as Lake Geneva and Lake Constance. Europe's larger lakes are in the north. Lake Ladoga in Russia is the largest lake on the continent.
Rivers
Europe's many rivers flow into five main watersheds:
- Arctic watershed: Rivers here are long with high flow. They usually freeze in winter. Examples: Pechora and Northern Dvina.
- Atlantic watershed: Rivers are short with a high flow of water. Some important rivers: Rhine, Seine and Elbe.
- Mediterranean watershed: Short rivers with irregular flow due to low precipitation in the summer. Examples: Po and Rône.
- Caspian Sea and Black Sea watersheds. These two watersheds have long rivers with a regular flow in Central Europe. Examples: Volga and Danube.
CLIMATE IN EUROPE
Most of Europe is in the temperate climate zone, but there are some differences in the climate:
Alpine climate
Location: The alpine areas in Europe include the Alps, the Caucasus Mountains and the Pyrenees.
Temperatures: Winters are very cold and summers are cool.
Precipitation: There is always snow at the very highest altitudes
Vegetation: Coniferous trees and dwarf shrubs.
Continental climate
Location: It is found in inland Europe.
Temperatures: Cold winters and warm summers.
Precipitation: Low precipitation but rain in summer.
Vegetation:coniferous forests in the north, deciduous forests in the south, farmlands and meadows. Farming has changed the vegetation in the area.
Oceanic climate
Location: Western Europe, near the Atlantic Ocean
Temperatures: Cold winters and mild summers
Precipitation: High precipitation and snow in winter
Vegetation: Deciduous and coniferous forests. Beech and oak, grasslands meadows and arable land
Mediterranean climate
Location: Southern Europe, bordering the Mediterranean Sea.
Temperatures: Summers are hot and winters cool.
Precipitation: low levels
Vegetation: deciduous, coniferous and evergreen trees: holm and pine, shrubs like myrtle, fig and juniper.
Polar climate
Location: Northern Icelan, Finland, Greenland Nowrway and Russia.
Temperatures: Very cold. They can reach -50ºC. Tey are always below 10ºC
Precipitation: Land covered in snow most year
Vegetation: Tundra vegetation in summer: shrubs, lichens and mosses.
