Europe’s western highlands include the Scandinavian Mountains of Norway and Sweden as well as the Scottish Highlands.Įurope has a large number of navigable waterways, and most places in Europe are relatively short distances from the sea. Northern Europe is characterized by lowlands and is relatively flat. The Pyrenees, the Alps, and the Carpathians divide Europe’s southern Alpine region from the hilly central uplands. In addition to the Ural Mountains, Europe has several other mountain ranges, most of which are in the southern portion of the continent. These two regions share a common history as well with Russian influence extending throughout this transition zone.įigure 2.1: European Physical Geography and Political Boundaries (© San Jose, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0) Culturally and physiographically, Western Russia is strikingly similar to Eastern Europe. Petersburg and Moscow, is thus considered part of Europe while the eastern portion is considered part of Asia. The western portion of Russia, containing the cities of St. Europe’s eastern boundary is typically given as the Ural Mountains, which run north to south from the Arctic Ocean down through Russia to Kazakhstan. Europe is bordered by the Arctic Ocean in the North, the Atlantic Ocean and its seas to the west, and the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea to the south. Eurasia is a massive tectonic plate, so determining where exactly Europe ends and Asia begins is difficult. Traditionally, the continent of “Europe” referred to the western extremity of the landmass known as Eurasia (see Figure 2.1). Describe the current controversies regarding migration to EuropeĢ.1 European Physical Geography and BoundariesĮurope? Where’s that? It might seem like a relatively easy question to answer, but looking at the map, the boundaries of Europe are harder to define than it might seem.Summarize how migration has impacted Europe’s population.Explain how the industrial revolution has shaped the geographic landscape of Europe.Identify the key geographic features of Europe.

Feudal kingdoms western europe map