1. General characteristic
Europe is the world's second-smallest continent by surface area, covering about 10,180,000 square kilometres or 2% of the Earth's surface and about 6.8% of its land area. Europe is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and the Black Sea
Leading countries according to GDP (ВВП):
Switzerland
Luxembourg
Sweden
Leading countries according to Land Size:
Ukraine
France
Spain
Leading countries according to population
Germany
United Kingdom
Italy
France
2. Topography
PHYSICAL CHARATERISTICS
Part of a large landmass called EURASIA
Europe includes five peninsulas – Iberian Peninsula, Scandinavian Peninsula, Jutland Peninsula, Italian Peninsula and Balkan Peninsula
A PENINSULA is a body of land surrounded by water on three sides.
Europe also has many ISLANDS. An island is a body of land completely surrounded by water. Europe’s main islands are Great Britain, Iceland and Ireland.
Europe is also home to many FJORDS. A fjord is a narrow valley or inlet from the sea--originally carved out by glaciers.
Mountain ranges are the Alps, the Pyrenees, the Balkan Mts, the Caucasus Mountains, the Carpathian Mountains.
The largest physical characteristic in Europe is the North European Plain. The North European Plain is a large flat fertile stretch of land important for agriculture, especially in Western Europe
Rivers also play an important role in Europe. They are or were used for transportation, power, and trade. The most important are the Volga, the Danube, the Dnieper and others.
Seas of Europe are the Mediterranean Sea, the Baltic Sea, the North Sea, the Black Sea, the Norwegian Sea, the Barents Sea and others.
Landmarks
Strait of Gibraltar- separates Europe from Africa at the mouth of the Mediterranean Sea
3. Climate
The tundra climatic region
The temperate climatic region of North-West Europe
The continental climatic region of East Europe
The Mediterranean climatic region
Lesson 11
Theme 11: Mineral resources of European countries
Plan:
Cultivation
Cattle breeding and fishing
Minerals
Cultivation
Europe is rich in natural resources. Europe’s prosperity is due to the wise use; the natural resources have been put to, by the strong, educated and hard-working people of this continent.
A large proportion of the land in Europe is well suited for cultivation using scientific methods and techniques. In the hills, where the land is not suitable for cultivation, the land is used as pastures or as naturally beautiful landscapes to boost tourism.
Rich deposits of minerals especially coal and iron have been utilized to develop industries. Europe is rich in water resources. Norway is the first country in the world to develop hydroelectricity.
In the countries where the land is unfit for agriculture or too small, the people have turned to the sea where they make a living by fishing, shipping and overseas trade. Industries produce a variety of finished goods like Switzerland is known for manufacturing watches.
About a third of the land is cultivated. A variety of crops are grown here depending on the soil, climate and availability of labour. Some of the common agricultural practices of Europe are mixed farming, extensive agriculture and intensive agriculture.
Cultivation is done along scientific lines. A lot of work is done manually because of the nature of the crops cultivated.
Some of the important food crops of Europe include wheat, which is the staple and the most important crop of Europe. It is grown across the Great European plains, Ukraine, Russia, Po Valley in Italy, the Paris basin in France and the plains of Hungary and Romania.
Other important crops of Europe are barley, rye, oats and potatoes. Potatoes are grown in large quantities in France, Germany, Netherlands, Poland and Ireland.
Sugar-beet and flax are the important cash crops of Europe. Flax grows well in the countries bordering Baltic sea, northern Russia, France and Belgium.
Citrus fruits such as oranges, grapes, lemons, limes, grapefruit and other fruits like olives, figs and peaches are also cultivated.
Netherlands grows flowers and vegetables on land reclaimed from the sea. The intensive use of the land to grow flowers and vegetables for the market is known as market gardening. Belgium also grows fruits and vegetables.