Europe is the second smallest continent by land size. It is made up of over 50 countries and has a wide variety of climate and geographical features. ORAL DISCUSSION Think about what you already know about Europe. What do you want to learn about the geography of Europe? 2
The Arctic Ocean borders Europe to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. The southern borders are the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea and the Caucasus Mountains. The Ural Mountains, the Ural River, and the Caspian Sea make up the borders to the east. Not all countries in Europe are part of the European Union. Some countries in the EU use the euro, while other European countries use other currencies. Each country has its own flag. THE Kiev MOLDOVA Go online to see a video about the European countries Unit 2
While the European Union is a defined group of countries, the countries that make up the continent of Europe have changed over the years. Today, Turkey is considered part of Europe and of Asia. The western part of Russia is considered part of Europe while the eastern part is considered part of Asia. The Ural Mountains that go through Russia separate Europe from Asia. The smallest country in both area and population is the Vatican City. Less than,000 people live there. Cental European Time (UTC +) Greenwich Mean Time (UTC or GMT) Eastern European Time (UTC +2) Further Eastern European Time (UTC +3) Capital Cities Madrid is the capital of Spain and it is also its largest city. Not all capitals have the largest population in the country. For example, Ankara is the capital of Turkey, but Istanbul has a larger population. Time Zones London GMT (UTC) Athens EET (UTC +2) Paris CET (UTC+) Moscow (UTC +3) The line of longitude at 0º is called the Prime Meridian. It sets the time zones at Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), also known as Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). The countries in Central European Time (CET) are one hour ahead of UTC. The countries in Eastern European Time (EET) are two hours ahead of UTC. For example, when it s 9am in London, it is 0am in Paris, am in Athens, and 2 noon in Moscow. 2 3 Which country is the farthest north in Europe? If it is 3pm in Madrid, what time is it in Dublin? In Kiev? In Budapest? How does Spain s location compare to that of other countries in the same time zone? Unit 2 2
There are hundreds of rivers in Europe. Some of the largest, called navigable rivers, are used for the transportation of people and goods. The Rhine is an example of a navigable river because it is large enough for ships to transport goods on it. Can you find the Rhine on the map?
The longest river in Europe is the Volga. The source of the river is in Moscow and it flows into the Caspian Sea. The Danube is the second longest river in Europe. It is a navigable river. Can you find it on the map? Depending on the sea which the rivers and their tributaries flow into, we can find five watersheds in Europe. Look at the map to identify each one. The Pechora River The Volga River The Thames River Arctic Watershed The Pechora and Dvina flow into the Arctic watershed. These rivers wfreeze over in North Sea Watershed The Thames, Elbe and Rhine rivers flow into the North Sea. The Vistula River Baltic Sea Watershed the Oder and Vistula rivers flow into the Baltic Sea. Caspian Sea Watershed The Volga and the Ural rivers flow into the Caspian Sea. The Ural River Unit 2 2
Atlantic Watershed The Loire and Seine Rivers flow into the Atlantic watershed. The rivers in the Atlantic watershed typically have a high volume of water. Mediterranean Watershed The Ebro, Rhone, Po, and Tiber flow into the Mediterranean Sea. The Tiber River Black Sea Watershed The Danube flows into the Black Sea. Rhine: 230 km Kama: 805 km Pechora: 809 km Don: 870 km Dnieper: 2287 km Ural: 2428 km The Danube River Danube: 2850 km Volga: 3645 km 500 000 500 2000 2500 3000 3500 Km Unit 2 The Seine River The Caspian Sea The Caspian Sea is called a sea because of its salt water. Technically, the Caspian Sea is a body of water surrounded by land, making it a lake. (Most lakes are thought of as freshwater.) This makes it the largest lake in the world! Sometimes, the northern part of Caspian Sea is frozen in winter. The ice can become very thick. Lakes are formed when water collects in a basin. Glacial lakes were formed at the end of the Ice
Age when glaciers receded and left huge amounts of ice in valleys. Glacial lakes are the result of the ice melting. Lakes Lake Ladoga is located in northwest Russia. It is the largest freshwater lake in Europe. The Rhine River flows into Lake Constance, which is surrounded by Germany, Switzerland, and Lake Saimaa in Finland Austria. Lake Geneva is bordered by Switzerland and France. Can you find these rivers on the map? Po Seine Elbe Rhine Dnieper Ural Danube Volga The Caspian Sea 2 3 Which river is a natural border between Europe and Asia? The longest river in Europe is the. It s source is in and it flows into the. 4 What is an example of a navigable river? Lake Como in Italy 5 Write in your notebook the names of each river on the chart. Locate the rivers on the map and write the corresponding countries. Unit 2 2
The average elevation in Europe is 340 meters, making it mostly flat. This is due to the Great European Plain which stretches across more than 4,000 km of Europe. The areas of lowlands and plains are mostly in the north of Europe while the large mountains are located in the south. Unit 2
The Ural Mountains form a natural border between Europe and Asia. They are Europe s longest mountain range. Meters 5500 5000 4500 4000 3500 3000 2500 The Ural Mountains 2000 The Pyrenees Mountains form a natural border between Spain and France. The Caucasus Mountains form a natural border between Europe and Asia. This mountain range is located between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. The highest peak is Mount Elbrus (5633 meters). The Scandinavian Mountains are located in the north. The Alps go through more than eight countries. The highest peak is Mont Blanc (480 meters high). 2 3 4 5 Locate the highest peaks on your map and write their corresponding countries. Which mountain range has the highest peak in Europe? Which mountain ranges form borders between Europe and Asia? Is the average elevation of Europe higher or lower than the average elevation of Spain? Why? Unscramble the following words to write the mountain ranges and plains. The Alps PNATRCIHAA AMNIUSNTO URLA NTOIUNSMA RSYEPNEE MAUSNNITO AGTER NUAPOERE LNIPA ANIACSP EAS DANCAANVINIS AINOUTNSM Unit 2 2
Europe has an immense amount of coastline. This is because it is made up of many peninsulas and islands. In a way, the European continent itself is a gigantic peninsula. The largest peninsula in Europe is the Scandinavian Peninsula. It consists of Norway, Sweden, and the north of Finland. A fjord in Geiranger, Norway Cliffs of Moher, Ireland Some of Europe s coastline is very high, like the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland. High coastlines occur when mountains are close the the sea. When the land next to the sea is flat there is a low coastline, such as in the Netherlands or Belgium. A fjord is an inlet formed by glaciers. Fjords are narrow, deep and long inlets on the sea. They are surrounded by mountains or steep rock. The glaciers left a deep depression on the earth and sea water filled it which made the fjords. They are located in the north of Europe as well as other parts of the world. Some European countries are islands. Ireland and Great Britain are the largest and most populated islands in Europe. Iceland, Cyprus, and Malta are all examples of countries that are also islands. The Canary Islands are part of Spain, but they are not part of the European continent. Similarly, the islands of Azores and Madeira are part of Portugal but are not part of the European Continent. Greenland is part of Denmark, but it is located in the North American continent. Unit 2
There are many islands in the Mediterranean Sea. Greece has thousands of islands and Crete is the largest one. Corsica belongs to France, but it has more autonomy than other French regions. The large islands of Sardinia and Sicily are part of Italy. Continental climate regions have long, very cold winters and hot summers. There is scarce precipitation. Oceanic climate rigion experiences mild winters and mild summers. These areas have consistent, heavy rainfall. Mediterranean climate region have mild winters and hot summers, with scarce and irregular rainfall. rocky coastline in Santorini Island. A strait is a narrow waterway that connects two bodies of water. The Strait of Gibraltar connects the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Mountain climate region typically have cold winters and cool summers. Precipitation is abundant, with snow in the winter and rain the summer. Do you remember? Subtropical Climate exists in the Canary Islands. Climate Most of Europe is located in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere. A small part of Europe is located in the arctic region, including the northern parts of Finland, Sweden, Norway, Russia and Iceland. Three of the four sides of Europe are surrounded by bodies of water, which influences its climate. Polar climate regions have precipitation in the form of snow and temperatures below 0ºC, except in summer. Unit 2 2
MEDITERRANEAN COASTS MOUNTAIN OCEANIC CLIMATE POLAR CONTINENTAL Physical Geography of Europe Lake Geneva Lake Ladoga LAKES Lake Constance WATERSHEDS & RIVERS ARCTIC OCEAN ATLANTIC OCEAN NORTH SEA BLACK SEA Pechora Dvina Loire Seine Thames Rhine Elbe Danube Unit 2
Peninsula Coastline Cliff Fjord PLAINS Great European Plain Strait The Apennine Scandinavian Mountains RELIEF The Caucasus MOUNTAINS The Pyrenees The Alps The Urals The Balkan Mountains MEDITERRANEAN BALTIC SEA CASPIAN SEA Po Ebro Rhone Tiber Oder Vistula Volga Ural Unit 2 2
Write the capitals of the following countries a. UKRAINE Capital: c. Where can you find the Ural Mountains? d. Which is the longest river in Europe? b. BELARUS Capital: c. GREECE Capital: d. CROATIA Capital: 3 e. How were fjords formed? Fill the blanks to complete the sentences a. When the land next to the sea is flat there is a. 2 e. BELGIUM Capital: f. SWEDEN Capital: Answer the questions below a. Which countries have polar climate? b. Which mountain range has the highest peak in Europe? Unit 2 b. A is a narrow passage of water that connects two bodies of water. c. When mountains are close to the sea there are. d. The is where the land meets the sea. e. A is a steep coastline of rock at the edge of the sea. f. Glaciers formed : long, narrow, deep inlets of the sea. g. rivers are large enough for boats used for transportation of goods and people.
h. The start of a river is called the. i. A bowl-shaped depression in the earth is called a. j. were formed by melted ice left by glaciers. 6 Match the following rivers with their watersheds. Vistula BALTIC SEA 4 Order these mountain ranges from the west to the east. Write the number in the right box. Tiber ARCTIC WATERSHED CASPIAN SEA The Elbe. Caucasus 2. Pyrenees 3. Alps 4. Balkan Mountains 5. Ural Mountains BLACK SEA 5 Write the correct time for each country. Ural It s 8 am in London. What ATLANTIC WATERSHED time is it in: Pechora Paris: Moscow: Minsk: Oslo: Seine MEDITERRANEAN SEA 7 Complete the table below about the European climates: CLIMATE POLAR CLIMATE CONTINENTAL CLIMATE OCEANIC CLIMATE MEDITERRANEAN CLIMATE MOUNTAIN CLIMATE TEMPERATURE RAINFALL Unit 2 2
Pen Pals in Europe Lucía is part of a pen pal program and she has received postcards from students around Europe. Read her postcards and answer the questions. Dear Lucía, My name is Ciara (pronounced Kee-rah ) and I m from Galway, Ireland. My name is an Irish name. I have a younger brother named Séamus ( Shay-mus ). There are two official languages in Ireland: Irish and English. Galway is in the west of Ireland and about 80,000 people live here. My family and I live in a house close to Galway Bay, which is an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean. It rains a lot here. In the summer it is never hot and in the winter it s not too cold. Something special about my city is the Claddagh neighborhood, which makes a famous Irish ring. The Claddagh ring symbolizes love, friendship and loyalty. My favorite subject at school is Geography and I play on the field hockey team. What s the weather like where you live? Do you like playing sports? Bye for now, Ciara Unit 2 Lucia Fernandez Calle Puerta Toledo, 5 28005 Madrid, Spain
Hello Lucía, I m Onni (by the way, I m a boy) from Helsinki, Finland. Where do you live? Finland s land borders are Russia to the east, Norway to the north, and Sweden to the northwest. To the west is the Gulf of Bothnia, the Baltic Sea is to the southwest and the Bay of Helsinki is to the south. I live with my mom, my dad, my older sister, Ella, and our dog, Lucky. He is a black Labrador and he loves swimming. Did you know we have thousands of lakes in Finland? In the winter it s very dark and cold here so we can t let Lucky go swimming, but the summer days are nice and we have hours and hours of daylight. Finland used be a part of Sweden and later Russia, but we have had our independence since 97. The Nokia phone company is from Finland. Our main language is Finnish but Swedish is also spoken here. We speak in English at my school and I like watching movies and TV in English. My favorite TV show is Särkänniemi Doghill. Do you have any siblings? Do you like dogs? Kirjoita taas pian. (Write back soon.) Onni Lucia Fernandez Calle Puerta Toledo, 5 28005 Madrid, Spain Go online to read the letter from Lucías third pen pal! 2 Answer the questions in your notebook! Look at Onni s letter. What does the word siblings mean? Based on Ciara s letter, what kind of climate does Ireland have? 3 4 5 6 7 The Nokia phone company is from Finland. Is this statement true or false? Which languages are spoken in Ireland? Why is it so dark in Finland in the winter? Which countries border Finland? Now, try writing your own letter to a pen pal in a different country. Unit 2 2
European Countries Presentations Step : Gather Information Divide into groups. Each group can choose an European country other tha Spain. Name of country, the capital, and flag Language(s) Size: in land size and population Rivers and lakes Mountains and plains Islands and Coasts Climate Currency Culture (food, music and dance) A great place to see on a trip Fun facts Step 3: Class Presentations Ask yourself while your classmates present their countries: What is similar about this country to your project? What is different? Whats are three interesting things you learned? Go online for more information about this projec! Step 2: Prepare Presentation Now, it s time to present your information to the class! Using PowerPoint, Google Slides, or Prezi, use the chart you made to create your presentation. Unit 2