Geography of Europe

The continent of Europe has an area of ​​10,532,000 km ² and a coastline of about 117,000 km. Its north- south extent is about 3800 km between the 36th ( Tarifa, Spain) and 71 (North chin, Norway ) degrees north latitude. From east to west, the land mass of Europe from the Ural Mountains in Russia extends to the Atlantic coast of Portugal, which is about 6000 km east-west extension means.

• 2.1 Transport Geography

Physical Geography

Topographical Description

Overall, Europe is heavily dissected. It includes some major peninsulas such as the Iberian Peninsula, the Apennine Peninsula, the Scandinavian peninsula and the Balkan peninsula, as well as many other smaller peninsulas such as Brittany and Jutland. There are also a number of islands; the largest are the British Isles, Iceland, Sicily and Sardinia.

In the north of Europe borders on individual marginal seas of the Arctic Ocean as the Barents Sea and the Norwegian Sea. Although the North and Baltic seas addition, strictly speaking, are within the continent, the North Sea is also considered seaward limit. In the southeast Europe bordering the Caspian Sea, to the south by the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, and on the west by the Atlantic Ocean.

The highest point on the continent is according to the usual definition of " boundaries " of Europe in the Alps between France and Italy ( Mont Blanc - 4,810). Less common to the northern Caucasus in Russia belong to Europe. Then the Elbrus would be with 5642 m the highest peak of the continent. The lowest point of Europe lies 28 meters below sea level on the northern coast of the Caspian Sea. In Western Europe, the Dutch community Nieuwerkerk aan den IJssel is almost 7 meters below sea level.

The varied topography of Europe carried out in accordance with a proposal of the Standing Committee on Geographical Names. An alternative structure is, for example, the UN agency UNSD, which divided Europe into Northern Europe, Western Europe, Eastern Europe and Southern Europe.

See also: heart of Europe

Northern Europe

The Scandinavian Mountains are the largest mountain range in northern Europe. There are large glaciers like the Jostedalsbreen, the svartisen or the Folgefonna. In southern Finland there is a system of moraines, Salpausselkä moraines and the Suomenselkä moraines which, although not a hundred feet high, but several hundred kilometers long. The Svalbard Islands and the island of Iceland in the North Atlantic from the seabed from towering mountains. In Iceland, the largest glacier in Europe, to find the Vatnajökull, where also the largest volcano on the island, the Hvannadalshnúkur is. The Icelandic highlands is the inner part Iceland, it's very dry, windy and almost deserted. Mountains, in Denmark there is not, the highest elevation is a terminal moraine, which runs through the Jutland peninsula in the north-south direction and culminates in Møllehøj. It is the western terminus of the Baltic country back.

Off the southwest coast of Finland in the Baltic Sea lies the archipelago of Åland and the Archipelago Sea which consists of 20,000 to 50,000 mostly small rocks. Also off the Atlantic coast of Norway there are about 150,000 small and very small islands. Before the southeast coast of Sweden are the large islands of Öland and Gotland. About a third of the territory of Denmark consists of islands, the largest being Zealand, the North West Jutland and Funen.

Large lakes in Scandinavia are located in the south of Sweden lakes Vänern, Vättern and Mälaren. Vänern and Vättern, together with the Trollhättan Canal and the Göta Canal, a waterway across Sweden from the North Sea to the Baltic. The area is referred to as central Sweden Valley and it is thanks to the extremely fertile soils, the agricultural center of Sweden. The largest lakes in the Finnish Lake District are the Saimaa and Päijänne, the largest lake in Finnish Lapland is the Inarijärvi. Large fjords on the Atlantic coast of the Sognefjord, the Hardangerfjord and the Trondheim Fjord, major rivers in northern Europe are the Glomma of Kemi, the Paatsjoki and the Gudenaa.

• Rivers in Finland
• Rivers in Iceland
• Rivers in Norway
• Rivers in Sweden

• Lakes in Denmark
• Lakes in Iceland
• Lakes in Norway
• Lakes on the Faroe Islands
• Lakes in Finland
• Fjords of Iceland

• Danish Islands
• Icelandic Islands
• The Faroe Islands and islets
• Norwegian islands
• Swedish islands

• Mountains in the Faroe Islands
• Mountains in Finland
• Mountains in Norway
• Norwegian Glacier
• Mountains in Iceland

Western Europe

The large mountain in Western Europe are in France the Massif Central, the Northern Pyrenees, the French Jura and the western Alps. In the French Alps, there are several glaciers, such as the Mer de Glace and the Glacier des Bossons. Not quite as high mountains, the Vosges and the past in France, Belgium and Luxembourg Ardennes. Mountains in the British Isles are the Pennines, the southern England Chalk Formation, the Lake District, the Grampian Mountains, the North West Highlands, the Cheviot Hills, the Cambrian Mountains, the Mourne Mountains, the Macgillycuddy 's Reeks and the Wicklow Mountains. There is the highest dune in Europe, the Dune du Pyla on the French Atlantic coast.

Major rivers are the Loire, the Seine, the Garonne, the Rhone, the Meuse, the Rhine, the Scheldt, the Shannon, the Severn, the Thames and the Trent.

The largest lakes are of Windermere, Lough Neagh which, of Lough Corrib, parts of Lake Geneva, the IJsselmeer and the Marker lake.

• Rivers in France
• Rivers in Luxembourg
• Rivers in the United Kingdom

• Lakes in France
• Lakes in the United Kingdom

• British Isles
• French islands
• Dutch Antilles

• Mountain in Belgium
• Mountains in France
• Mountains in Ireland
• Mountains in the Netherlands
• Mountains in the United Kingdom

Central Europe

Great Mountains in Central Europe, the Alps, the German Low Mountain Range, the Sudetes in Central Europe and parts of the Dinaric Alps and the Carpathians. The Baltic country back is also large, but not very high.

The longest river is the Danube, which flows through the first half of their journey through central Europe. The major tributaries of the Danube are the Inn, Morava, Drava, the Tisza and the Sava. Other major rivers include the Rhine, the Elbe with the major tributaries of Moldova and Saale, the Oder with the tributary of the Warta and the Vistula and the Gauja.

Large lakes are Balaton, parts of Lake Geneva, Lake Constance, Lake Neusiedl, parts of Lake Peipus, Võrtsjärv, Lake Neuchâtel

• Rivers in Germany
• Rivers in Estonia
• Rivers in Latvia
• Rivers in Austria
• Flows in Switzerland
• Rivers in Slovakia
• Rivers in the Czech Republic

• Lakes in Germany
• Lakes in Estonia
• Lakes in Latvia
• Lakes in Austria
• Lakes in Poland
• Lakes in Switzerland

• German islands
• Estonian islands
• Islands of Croatia
• Polish islands
• Swiss Islands

• Mountains in Germany
• Mountains in Croatia
• Mountains in Austria
• Mountains in Switzerland
• Swiss glaciers
• Mountains in Slovakia
• Mountains in Slovenia

Eastern Europe

The surface relief of Eastern Europe is flat to undulating in large parts of the East European level. Mountainous are especially the Crimea peninsula with the Crimean Mountains and Kola with the Chibinen. Are located on the border with Asia, the Urals and the Caucasus.

Among the Russian islands of preeminence is the large double island Novaya Zemlya out on the eastern edge of the Barents Sea.

Great Lakes in North Eastern Europe Ladoga, Onega of which Ilmensee and Lake Peipus, which is both in Estonia and in Russia. Large reservoirs are the Kuibyshev Reservoir, the Rybinsk Reservoir, the Zimljansker Reservoir, the Krementschuker Reservoir, the Kachowkaer Reservoir, the Saratov Reservoir, Nizhny Novgorod of the reservoir.

Major rivers of the eastern European level, the Dvina, the Neman, the Southern Bug and Dnieper with the major tributaries Sosch, Bjaresina, Pripyat River and its tributary Horyn, Desna, Psel and Inhulez; also the Don with the major tributaries Chopjor, Seversky Donets and Medveditsa. Through the Eastern European level, the Volga flows with its large tributaries Sura, Vetluga, Samara, Big Irgis, Oka, Kama and its tributaries Belaya and Vyatka. Other large rivers of Eastern Europe are the bow, the Dniester, the Pechora and the Urals.

• Rivers in Ukraine
• Rivers in Belarus

• Reservoirs in Ukraine

• Islands in Ukraine

• ...

Southern Europe

In southern Europe are the great mountain range in the Iberian Peninsula, the Pyrenees, the Sierra Nevada and the plateau of the Meseta, which is bounded on the north by the Cantabrian Mountains and the south by the Sierra Morena. In Italy, there are parts of the Alps, on the Apennine Peninsula and the north of the island of Sicily there are solely the Apennines and in Sicily the Iblei, the Erei and the Monti Sicani. Mount Etna in Sicily and the neighboring Aeolian Islands are volcanoes or volcanic origin. Another volcano Vesuvius, which is exactly like the extinct volcanoes Mount Amiata and Monte Vulture on the European mainland. On the island of Sardinia and the Gennargentu on the island of Corsica, Cinto Massif is the highest mountain range. In the Pyrenees there are still some glaciers, for example, when Aneto, many glaciers there are in the Italian Alps, for example, the Ghiacciaio del Miage or Langtauferer Furthermore, and in the Apennines, where the southernmost glacier in Europe is, is the Calderone glacier.

Major rivers in the Iberian Peninsula are the Tagus, the Ebro, the Duero, the Guadiana, the Guadalquivir and the Júcar. The great rivers of the Apennine peninsula are the Po, which flows through the Po Valley, the Adige and the Tiber.

Large lakes are Lake Garda and Lake Maggiore, a large dam is the Alqueva.

• Rivers in Italy
• Rivers in Spain

• Lakes in Italy

• Italian islands
• Spanish Islands

• Mountains in Andorra
• Mountains in Italy

South East Europe

In Southeastern Europe, the largest mountain ranges are the Dinaric Alps, the Carpathians, the Balkan Range, Rila Mountains, the Rhodope Mountains, the Pirin Mountains, the beach damage, the Pindos Mountains and Mount Taygetos. The Aegean Islands are formed exactly like the Pindos Mountains and the Taurus Mountains in Asia Minor during the alpiden orogeny. The islands are mountainous and partly also large enough to be inhabited. Some of the islands and peninsulas in the southern Aegean volcanoes ( Aegean island arc ), such as Methana, Aegina, Poros, Milos, Santorini (see also: Minoan eruption ), Nea Kameni, Kos, Gyali, and Nisyros. The Aegean is completed on the south by the island of Crete, where there is the Psiloreitis Massif, the White Mountains and the Dikti Mountains.

The longest river is the Danube, which flows through the second half on their way through southeastern Europe. Your most important tributaries are the Sava, the Olt, Siret and Prut of. Other major rivers are the Maritsa and the Mureş, a tributary of the Tisza.

Large lakes are Lake Scutari, Lake Ohrid and Lake Prespa the.

• Rivers in Albania
• Rivers in Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Rivers in Bulgaria
• Rivers in Greece
• Rivers in Romania

• Lakes in Albania
• Lakes in Bulgaria
• Lakes in Greece
• Lakes in Montenegro

• Bulgarian Islands
• Greek Islands
• Islands in Montenegro

• Mountains in Albania
• Mountains in Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Mountains in Bulgaria
• Mountains in Greece
• Mountains in Kosovo
• Mountains in Montenegro
• Mountains in Serbia

Size, boundaries and location

Europe has no clear action to be geographical or cultural boundaries. Therefore, the question of where Europe begins and where it ends, always a question of interpretation, which will ultimately be answered by social agreement.

Size

Europe is the second smallest continent with roughly 10 million km ². Europe has an area of ​​about 4,000 km from north to south and 5,000 km from east to west.

Confines

The European borders are in the south of the Mediterranean to the Straits of Gibraltar, in the western Atlantic (where the line is drawn to North America between Iceland and Greenland), in the north of the Norwegian Sea and in the southeast the Caspian and Black Sea, and the Bosporus.

There is no universally accepted and undisputed definition of the boundary between Europe and Asia. Rather, the delimitation changing historical and ideological criteria and was therefore always subject to changes over time followed. Today, the Ural Mountains, the Ural River of, the Caspian Sea, the Black Sea, the Bosporus, the Sea of ​​Marmara and the Dardanelles is considered a " border". There is disagreement in particular the region between the Caspian Sea and Black Sea. The discussion is about whether the main ridge of the Caucasus or the Manytsch lowland serves as the boundary ( that once connected as strait the Caspian Sea to the Black Sea ). Inconclusive is also the delimitation in the Aegean. Commonly referred to here, the political border between Greece and Turkey is equated with the boundary between Europe and Asia, which, in its present form since 1923/47.

See also: Eurasia

Expansion

The westernmost point of Europe is on the Portuguese island of Monchique rocks at Flores ( Azores ) with about 39 ° 27 '0 "N, 31 ° 16 ' 0" W39.45 - 31.266666666667, on the mainland, it is the Cabo da Roca in Portugal with 38 ° 46 ' 51 " N, 9 ° 30 ' 3" W38.78095 - 9.5008.

The easternmost point is Cape Olenij with about 76 ° 20 '0 "N, 66 ° 58 ' 0" O76.33333333333366.966666666667 the north of the Russian island of Novaya Zemlya, on the mainland reached the Ural mountains in its northern part the 67 eastern longitude.

Northernmost point is Cape Fligely at 81 ° 50 '35 " N, 59 ° 14' 22" O81.8430659.23944 on the Russian archipelago Franz Josef Land, the process is still sometimes counted to Asia. Undisputed is expected to Europe, the Norwegian island of Svalbard (Spitzbergen ), whose northern tip O80.7520.583333333333 lies at 80 ° 45 '0 "N, 20 ° 35 ' ​​0". On the mainland, the Cape Kinnarodden on the north chin peninsula in Norway the coordinates 71 ° 8 ' 2 "N, 27 ° 39 ' 0" O71.13388888888927.65.

The southernmost point is Cape Tripiti on the Greek island of Gavdos with 34 ° 48 '0 "N, 24 ° 7' 0" O34.824.116666666667, on the mainland is Punta de Tarifa in Spain with 36 ° 0 ' 24 " N, 5 ° 36 ' 29 " W36.006666666667 - 5.6080555555556 the southernmost point.

The geographical center of Europe is located after a calculation of the National Geography Institute of France in 1989 in the village Purnuškės just north of Vilnius in Lithuania with the coordinates 54 ° 54 '0 "N, 25 ° 19 ' 0" O54.925.316666666667.

Mountains and volcanoes

Due to the plate tectonic shifts originated in Europe a number of mountain ranges. The most important include the Caucasus *, the Ural Mountains, the Alps, the Pyrenees, the Apennines and Carpathians. Here is an overview of the highest mountains:

* Controversial because intra- Eurasian limit is set differently

The movement of the tectonic plates are there in Europe especially on the Eurasian plate boundary numerous volcanoes. The best known are summarized below:

Lakes

The five largest lakes in Europe are:

Fjords

List of fjords

Climate and vegetation zones

Mostly Europe lies in the temperate warm climate. Here, take from west to east maritime influences from and the climate is increasingly continental, ie the temperature differences between the seasons are larger and the rainfall lower. The North of Europe is attributed to cold temperate and subpolar climate zone; the influence of the Gulf Stream is weaker than in Iceland or Norway. In the south there is the Mediterranean climate before a subtropical climate. The summers are hot and dry, winters mild and rainy.

The natural vegetation of Europe is of a landscape area with predominantly boreal coniferous forest vegetation in the north (especially Sweden and Finland), summer green deciduous and mixed forests in the central latitudes (eg Germany and the UK) and subtropical - Mediterranean sclerophyllous plant in the south (before especially Spain, Italy and Greece) coined.

Human Geography

Transport geography

The European Union is developing for road and rail transport, a European network, the Trans -European Transport Network and the Pan-European transport corridors. For waterborne transport there since July 2003, the EU support program Marco Polo, which provides, inter alia, motorways of the sea.

The UN is pursuing the program Trans - Asian Railway, where the rail network should be improved for transport of goods between Asia and Europe. For example, should the North- South Corridor of Northern Europe, lead across the Caspian Sea, to the Persian Gulf and the northern corridor of Central Europe to the PRC and South Korea ( as of January 2009, the Trans Eurasia Express will serve the connection China - Germany ).