Europe:

Environment
al Regions

 Europe is sometimes
described
as
a
peninsula
of
peninsulas.
Europe is a peninsula
of
the
Eurasian
supercontinent and is
bordered
by
the
Arctic Ocean to the

 Europes
physical
geography,
environment and resources, and
human
geography
can
be
considered separately.
Europe can be divided into four
major physical regions, running
from north to south: Western
Uplands, North European Plain,
Central
Uplands,
and
Alpine
Mountains.

Western Uplands
The Western Uplands, also known
as the Northern Highlands, curve
up the western edge of Europe
and define the physical landscape
of Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden,
and Denmark), Finland, Iceland,
Scotland, Ireland, the Brittany
region of France, Spain, and
Portugal.

North European Plain

The North European Plain
extends from the southern
United Kingdom east to
Russia. It includes parts of
France, Belgium, the
Netherlands, Germany,
Denmark, Poland, the Baltic
states (Estonia, Latvia, and

Central Uplands
The Central Uplands extend
east-west across central
Europe and include western
France and Belgium, southern
Germany, the Czech Republic,
and parts of northern
Switzerland and Austria.

Alpine Mountains
The Alpine Mountains include
ranges
in
the
Italian
and
Balkan
peninsulas,
northern
Spain, and southern France.
The
region
includes
the
mountains
of
the
Alps,
Pyrenees, Apennines, Dinaric
Alps, Balkans, and Carpathians.
High
elevations,
rugged
plateaus, and steeply sloping
land
define
the
region.

Europe
enjoys
a mild and
Climate
and Agriculture
temperate climate. Unique wind
patterns and ocean currents keep
Europe
warmer
than
other
landmasses at similar latitudes.
Most of Europe lies north of New
York City, for instance, but few
European countries experience
the cold winters familiar to the
New England region of the United
States. This mild climate allows
Europe to produce a variety of

 Europes climate falls under two

categories: marine west coast and
Mediterranean. Each of these
climates supports a variety of
agricultural products.
Themarine west coast climatecovers
much of northwestern Europe except
for Scandinavia and the mountainous
regions of Eastern Germany, Poland,
and Switzerland.
Principalcrops include wheat,
rapeseed, and potatoes.Livestock,
such as sheep and cattle, are an

 TheMediterranean
climatecovers the majority of
Southern Europe.
Hot, nearly rainless summers
and mild, rainy winters
characterize this climate.
Olives and grapes are two
important crops that have thrived
in this climate for more than a
thousand years.

People,
Landscapes
and
Resources in
Eastern
Europe

Total Population
In 2010 the population of Europe
was estimated to be 740 million
according to theUnited Nations.
The population of theEUwas 508
million as of 2015. Non-EU countries
situated in Europe in their entirely
account for another 94 million. Five
transcontinental countrieshave a
total of 240 million people, of which
about half reside in Europe proper.

RELIGION
Christianityis still the largest
religion inEurope. According
to a survey published in 2011,
76.2%
ofEuropeans
considered
themselves
Christian.

 Catholicswere at the time of

the
survey
the
largestChristiangroup
inEurope, accounting for more
than
48%
of
European
Christians. The second-largest
Christian group in Europe was
theOrthodox, who made up
32% of European Christians.

And
about
19%
of
European Christians were
part
of
the
Protestanttradition.
According
to
a
2003
study,47% of Frenchmen
declared themselves as
agnostic in 2003. This
situation is often called

ETHNIC GROUPS
The largest ethnic groups are the
Russians, of whom 92 million reside in
Europe, the Germans, with 72 million.
In some countries such as the United
Kingdom, France and Spain, the
designation ofnationalitymay
controversially take onethnicaspects,
subsuming smaller ethnic groups such
asWelsh,BretonsandBasques,
making it difficult to quantify a "British"
or "French" ethnicity, for example.
Approximately 20 million nonEuropeans live in the EU, 4% of the
overall population.

Language
Indo-Europeanlanguage family. This family is divided
into
a
number
of
branches
includingRomance,Germanic,
Baltic,Slavic,Albanian,CelticandGreek.
TheUralic
languages,
which
includeHungarian,Finnish,
andEstonian, also have a significant presence in
Europe. The TurkicandMongolicfamilies also have
several
European
members,
while
theNorth
CaucasianandKartvelianfamilies are important in the
southeastern extremity of geographical Europe.
TheBasque
languageof
the
westernPyreneesis
anisolateunrelated
to
any
other
group,
whileMalteseis the onlySemitic languagein Europe
with national language status.

The list below shows the top eight

European languages ordered by total
number of speakers in the EU:
49% English
35% German
26% French
16% Italian
15% Spanish
10% Polish
7%Russian
6% Dutch

Landscape in
Europe

The Berchtesgaden
Alps, Germany

Jkulsrln, Iceland
kks

Jungfrau and the Altesch

glacier Interlaken,
Switzerland

Tarifa ,Spain

Grossglockner Alpine
Road, Austria

Madeira, Portugal

The Dolomites, Italy

Canary Islands, Spain

Mont Blanc, France

Natural
Resources of
different
countries in
Europe

Albania - petroleum, natural gas, coal,

bauxite, chromite, copper, iron ore,
nickel, salt, timber, hydropower
Belarus - forests, peat deposits, small
quantities of oil and natural gas, granite,
dolomitic limestone, marl, chalk, sand,
gravel, clay
Bosnia -coal, iron ore, bauxite, copper,
lead, zinc, chromite, cobalt, manganese,
nickel, clay, gypsum, salt, sand, forests,
hydropower

 Bulgaria - bauxite, copper, lead,

zinc, coal, timber, arable land
Croatia - oil, some coal, bauxite,
low-grade iron ore, calcium,
gypsum, natural asphalt, silica,
mica, clays, salt, hydropower
Czech Republic - hard coal, soft
coal, kaolin, clay, graphite, timber

 Estonia - oil shale, peat, phosphorite,

clay, limestone, sand, dolomite, arable
land, sea mud
Hungary - bauxite, coal, natural gas,
fertile soils, arable land
Latvia - peat, limestone, dolomite,
amber, hydropower, wood, arable land
Lithuania - peat, arable land

 Macedonia - low-grade iron ore, copper, lead,

zinc, chromite, manganese, nickel, tungsten,
gold, silver, asbestos, gypsum, timber, arable
land
Poland - coal, sulfur, copper, natural gas,
silver, lead, salt, amber, arable land
Romania - petroleum (reserves declining),
timber, natural gas, coal, iron ore, salt, arable
land, hydropower
Russia - oil, natural gas, coal, and many
strategic minerals, timber

 Serbia - oil, gas, coal, iron ore, bauxite, copper,

lead, zinc, antimony, chromite, nickel, gold, silver,
magnesium, pyrite, limestone, marble, salt,
hydropower, arable land
Slovakia - brown coal and lignite; small amounts
of iron ore, copper and manganese ore; salt;
arable land
Slovenia - lignite coal, lead, zinc, mercury,
uranium, silver, hydropower, forests
Ukraine - iron ore, coal, manganese, natural gas,
oil, salt, sulfur, graphite, titanium, magnesium,
kaolin, nickel, mercury, timber, arable land

Qui
z

1. ______ sometimes described as a peninsula of

peninsulas.
2-5 four major physical regions of Europe
running from north to south.
6. What is the largest religion in Europe?
7. What is the largest ethnic groups known in
Europe?
8-9. Give one landscape that can be found in
Europe (name and place)
10. What is the other term for Berchtesgaden
Alps in Germany?

Answers:
1. Europe
2. Western Uplands
3. North European Plain
4. Central Uplands
5. Alpine Mountains
6. Christianity
7. Russians
8-9. Tarifa, Spain; Mont Blanc,
France etc.
10. Hikers Paradise