Warm-Up Which country is the largest country in the world?

Russia

Opening: What are political maps?Learning Target: Work Session:

1. Check Political Map of Europe2. Begin Physical Map

What does a political map show?

Boundaries of different countries

Check your Political Map of Europe

____ Belgium

____ France

____ Germany

____ Italy

____ Poland

____ Russia

____ Spain

____ Ukraine

____ United Kingdom

Why does location matter?SS6G8 – The student will locate selected features of Europe.

a. Locate on a world and regional political- physical map: the Danube River, Rhine River, English Channel, Mediterranean Sea, European Plain, the Alps, Pyrenees, Ural Mountains, Iberian Peninsula, and Scandinavian Peninsula.

Opening:

Why does location matter?

• location affects a society’s economy, culture, and development.

Europe: An Asian Peninsula?

Standard

SS6G8 The student will locate selected features of Europe.

a. Locate on a world and regional political-physical map: the Danube River, Rhine River, English Channel, Mediterranean Sea, European Plain, the Alps, Pyrenees, Ural Mountains, Iberian Peninsula, and Scandinavian Peninsula.

Vocabulary Terms - OrganizerWhat is a peninsula?

A piece of land surrounded on three sides by water and connected to a larger mass of landWhat is a plain?

A large area of flat or gently rolling land with little forest areasWhat is a plateau?

An elevated plain, usually with at least one steeply dropping or rising side.What is a strait?

A narrow stretch of water that connects 2 larger bodies of water.

What is a channel? A length of water wider than a strait, joining two larger areas of

water, especially two seas

Peninsula

Think “Florida”

Think “Italy”

Think “Iberian” Peninsula

Think “Baja” California

Channel

The English Channel

PlainsNorth European Plain in Europe and the Great Plains of North America

Plateau

StraitStrait of Gibralter

Bering Strait

Strait of Magellan

The Geography of EuropeBefore the 1900’s, the easiest

way to travel around Europe was by water.

This is because some parts of Europe are very mountainous.

Many rivers and seas make Europe ideal for waterway

travel.

Today, Europe is full of railways, airports, and roads.

These man-made transportation corridors

allow people to move throughout Europe without

waterways.

Before the advent of modern transportation, the many

waterways were vital to the growth of Europe.

Water surrounds almost the entire continent.

The southern coast of Europe borders the warm waters of

the Mediterranean Sea.

(Color blue and label)

Crossroads for 3 continents(Europe, Africa, & Asia)

Mediterranean Sea

English Channel Waterway between Great Britain and France. It is150 miles wide at its widest and only 21 miles wideat its narrowest. (Label and color blue)

The Chunnel is an undersea rail tunnel Linking the United Kingdom and the restOf Europe. It is 31.4 miles long.

Europe has an extensive river system.

Major RiversRhine River

Danube RiverVolga River

These rivers allowed for movement of goods,

people, & ideas throughout the continent in the past.

Rhine River(Color Blue and label)

Longest and one of theMost impt. rivers inEurope.

Navigable (deep & wide)for carrying trade goodsinland.

Flows north though Germany to the North Sea.

Danube River(Color Blue and label)

Flows threw 10 differentEuropean countries.

One of the most impt. commerical waterways on the continent.

2nd longest river in Europe

Begins in Germany’s BlackForest and ends in the BlackSea.

Volga River

hhhhhhhhhhhhhh

(Color Blue and label)

European Russia’s longest river, the Volga, flowsinto the Caspian Sea.

Landforms of Europe

Europe is sometimes called a “continent of

peninsulas.”

This is because several large peninsulas, or bodies of

land surrounded by water on three sides, form the

European continent.

Iberian Peninsula(Color Orange/Peach)

Includes: Spain & Portugal2nd largest peninsula in Europe

Lies west of France

Italian Peninsula(Color Orange/Peach)

Scandinavian Peninsula

Includes: Norway &

Sweden& Northern Finland

(Color Orange/Peach)

Rich in timber, iron, and copper

Balkan Peninsula

Balkan Peninsula juts into the Mediterranean Sea to the south with the Adriatic Sea to theWest and the Black Sea to the East.

Greece, Bulgaria,Albania, Turkey,Macedonia,Montenegro, and Serbia

Landforms of EuropeAlong the jagged shorelines

of the Scandinavian Peninsula are fjords.

A fjord is a long, narrow, deep inlet of the sea

located between steep cliffs.

These were carved by glaciers during the last ice

age.

Landforms of EuropeMuch of Europe is covered

with mountains.

All of the peninsulas we just saw contain

mountain ranges. The highest mountains in Europe are the Alps.

Draw brown peaks to show location of mts.

The AlpsMajor Tourist Destination

Pyrenees Mountains separate the countries Spain and Franceand the Iberian Peninsula fromthe rest of Europe(draw brown peaks for the Pyrenees)

The Ural Mountains divide the continent of Europe

from Asia.(Draw brown peaks)

The people on the western side of the Urals have more of a

European culture, whereas those on the eastern side have

a more Asiatic culture.

Not all of Europe is mountainous.

A large region called the Great or North European Plain stretches from the

coast of France to the Ural Mountains making

it one of the largest level land areas on earth.

This land is good for farming.

Most people live on the plains.

Color the plains green and label

The North European Plain is home to some of the

world’s best farmland. It also contains many

rivers, which made it a great place to live in the

days before modern transportation & grocery

stores.

A plain is a large, flat area of land, usually with few

or little forest cover.

Climate of EuropeEurope usually experiences cold winters in the northern

regions.

Overall, western Europe is warmer than other places in

the world at the same latitude, like Canada.

This is because the gulf stream brings warm water

to the continent which makes warm weather.

Climate of Europe

Natural Resources of EuropeEurope had an abundance

of natural resources. It still has a lot, but Europe has so many people that the resources go quickly.

Europe has a good bit of coal, ores, & mineral

resources.

Most of the forests have been cleared for timber.

Let’s Review Last weekPhysical Map of Europe

Locate the selected physical features of Europe:European Plain Iberian PeninsulaScandinavian Peninsula Alps Mountains Ural MountainsDanube RiverRhine RiverMediterranean SeaEnglish Channel