Physical Features of Europe

Introduction

By: Katie Carlock, Maggee Chang, Ashley Dombrowski, and Madeline Wall

On this site, you will learn about 5 different physical features of Europe. They are the Northern European Plain, the Mediterranean Sea, the Pyrenees Mountains, the Alps, and the Iberian Peninsula. You will learn where these features are geographically, and how they may impact the countries in which they are located.

Northern European Plain

This is a very wide space occupied by large, grassy plains and little to no trees. The plain is mainly located in northeastern Europe in places such as Poland, Germany, and Denmark. Rivers such as the Oder, Elbe, Weser, Vistula, and Rhine cross through the plain. Some valleys, meadows, and bogs are also located here. The Northern European Plain has very fertile soil, so some cities here are highly populated. They are Poznan, Berlin, Hamburg, Bremen, Hanover, Amsterdam, and Rotterdam.

The Mediterranean Sea

The Mediterranean Sea connects the Atlantic Ocean to various bodies of water in southern Europe, northern Africa, and, ultimately, Asia. Traveling through the Strait of Gibraltar, one can access Spain, France, Italy, Greece, or the xxx countries before arriving in Turkey. From there, a traveler can access the Black Sea through the Dardanelles, the Sea of Marmara, and the Bosporus Strait. Some of the major islands in the Mediterranean Sea are Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, Crete, Cyprus, Malta, and Rhodes. Rivers also flow into the Mediterranean Sea. Some of the largest are the Rhone, the Po, the Ebro, and the Nile (from Africa). Sadly, earthquakes and volcanoes do occur often up in this area.

The Pyrenees Mountains

The Pyrenees Mountains do not only serve as a Southern European mountain chain, but they are also the barrier between the Iberian Peninsula and France. There are three main ranges of the Pyrenees Mountains. Out of the three, the Central Section is the highest. The tallest peak in this mountain chain is Pico De Anteo which is 11,168 feet high. About two-thirds of this range is in Spain, with the rest being in France.