Exploring Europe's Physical Geography: A Peninsula of Peninsulas

1. EUROPE PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY

2. Physical Characteristics • The continent of Europe is a giant peninsula. • Some refer to it as Eurasia. • It is known as “a peninsula of peninsulas.”

3. Europe – “A Peninsula of Peninsulas”

4. The Northern Peninsulas • Scandinavian Peninsula – Norway & Sweden

5. Fjords – sea filled valleys carved out by glaciers. Picture: Geirangerfjord in Norway

6. The Southern Peninsulas • Iberian Peninsula – Spain and Portugal Apennine Peninsula – Italy, lots of coastline! • Balkan Peninsula – Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, very mountainous

7. Apennine Peninsula The Apennine Mountains

8. The Atlantic Islands • Iceland – “Land of Fire and Ice” (Volcanoes and glaciers exist side by side on the island) • British Isles – England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, & Ireland

9. The United Kingdom (The UK)

10. Iceland - was formed from volcanic activity. Lava fields cover much of the land Surtsey 16 days after the first eruption.

11. Iceland

12. Mediterranean Islands • Balearic Islands (Spain) • Corsica (France) • Sardinia (Italy) • Sicily (Italy)

13. Corsica (France)

14. The port town of Sciacca, Sicily (Italy)

15. Mountains • Alps – arc across France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, & the northern Balkan Peninsula, cut off Italy from the rest of Europe • Pyrenees Mountains - block off Spain & Portugal from the rest of Europe

16. Mountains (cont.) • Apennine Mountains – run like a spine down Italy • Balkan Mountains – block off the peninsula from the rest of Europe

17. The Alps

18. Pyrenees Mountains

19. Apennine Mountains

20. Rivers • Rivers are important transportation routes to carry goods between the coastal harbors and the inland region • Danube River – 1,771 miles long, links Europeans to the Black Sea, touches 9 countries • Rhine River – flows 820 miles from the interior of Europe north to the North Sea

21. Danube River

22. Danube River

23. Rhine River

24. Video • National Geographic (3 minutes) • Discovery Channel Physical Geography (20 Min) • Europe Land and Resources (20 Min) • Ten Most Beautiful Countries (20 Min)