(IGP) IAS Pre: GS - Geography - World Geography General: Europe

World Geography General
Europe

Introduction

Latitude : 34051'N to 81047'N

Longitude : 24033'W to 69003'E

Population : 60 corers

Area: 1,04,98,000 sq. km.

Size : Second smallest continent in the world in area, after America.

Situation : Europe is situated between Ural Mountains in the east and the Atlantic Ocean in the west, in the west of Asia, and north of Africa. To the north of Europe lies Arctic Ocean, to the south lies the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea and the Caucasus Mountains and to the East Ural Mountains and the Caspian Sea.

Europe and Asia as one common landmass, is known as ‘Eurasia’.

EUROPE : PHYSICAL

Important Gulfs and Bays

NAME SEPARATES PART OF SEA OR OCEAN
Gulf of Riga Estonia and Latvia Baltic Sea
Gulf of Finland Finland and Estonia Baltic Sea.
Gulf of Bothnia Sweden and Finland Baltic Sea.
English Channel Britain and Spain Atlantic Ocean
Bay Biscay France and Spain Atlanic Ocean
Gulf of Lions Lies to the south of France Mediterranean Sea.

Important Seas

NAME LOCATION, (PART OF OCEAN) RIVERS DRAINING INTO
THEM
Mediterranean Sea Separates Europe from Africa, Strait of Gibralter connects it to the Atlantic Ocean. Tiber (Italy)
Rhone (France)
Ebro (Spain)
White Sea North of Russia, Arctic Ocean Mezen, N. Divina, and Onega
Baltic Sea
North Sea
  • Wide continental shelves of North Sea, called as Dogger Bank is one of the most productive regions for fishing in the world.
  • North sea is connected to the Baltic Sea through Kiel Canal.
 Atlantic Ocean

East of the United Kingdom, Atlantic Ocean

 Vistula and Oder

Elbe and Weser (Germany) and Rhine (Netherland)
Irish Sea Lies between Great Britain and Ireland, Atlantic Ocean.  
Adriatic Sea North east of Italy, Mediterranean Sea Po (Italy.)
Ionian Sea Lies between Greece and Italy, Mediterranean Sea.  
Balck Sea Separates Europe from Asia Dnepr, Dnster, Danube
Sea of Azov South east of Ukraine, North of Black Sea Don.
Sea of Marmara South westof Black Sea Connects Black Sea and Aegean Sea
Aegean Sea Lies between Greece and Anatolia Peninsula (Turkey), Mediterranean Sea.  

Important Straits

NAME SEPARATES CONNECTS
Strait of Gibralter

(Known as ‘Key to the
Mediterranean’).

 Europe and Africa Mediterranean Sea with Atlantic Ocean.
Strait of Bonifacio Sardina islands. (Italy) and Corsica (France) Tyrhenian Sea with Mediterranean Sea.
Strait of Messina Sicily and Peninsular Italy Tyrhenian Sea with Mediterranean Sea.
Strait of Otranto Italy and Balkan Peninsula Adriatic Sea with Ionian Sea.
Bosporus Strait Istanbul and Anatolia Peninsula (Turkey) Black Sea with Sea of Marmara.
Strait of Kerch Kerch (Ukraine) and Russia Sea of Azov with Black Sea.
Dardanelles Strait Balkan Peninsula and Antolia Peninsula Sea of Marmara with Aegean Sea.

Important Rivers of Europe

Rivers of Italy Outflow City Located
Po
  • The principal lowland of Italy is the fertile northern plain formed by the country’s longest river the Po (.652 km) and its tributaries.
  • South West flowing river of Italy
 Adriatic Sea Venice (Italy)
Tiber
Delta : Cuspate		 Mediterranean Sea Rome (Italy)
Garrone Bay of Biscay Bordeaux
Loire Bay of Biscay Nantes.
Seine English channel Paris, Rouen, and Le Havre.

NORTH FLOWING RIVERS FROM WEST TO EAST INFOMATION
Onega, N. Dvina, and Mezen Flows through European Plain into theWhite Sea.

 

SOUTH EAST FLOWING RIVER SOURCE OUTFLOW CITY LOCATED
Volga (Europe’s longest river, 3,690km) Valdas Plateau Caspian Sea Saratov, Volgograd
Don Tula (Black Sea) Sea of Azov Rostov.  
Dnepr Valdai Hill Black Sea Kiev, Dnepropetrovsk
Dnester -- Black Sea --
Danube
  • If flows in Middle Europe through Austria, Slovakia Hungary and the northern part of Yogoslavia and Romania.
  • It is the only river in the world which touches or corsses right countries.
 Black Forest (Germany) Black Sea Black Sea Linz, Viena , Budapest, Belgrade

Important Mountains

MOUNTAIN VESUVIUS
  • A volcanic mountain lying in Neples (Italy.)

APPENNINES

  • Mountain chain extending from the western Alps to the southern tip of mainland in Italy.
  • An example of limestone hillls, which is well known for wine (Asti) in piedmont district of Italy.

VOSGES

  • Lies in France and separate it from Italy.
  • An example of Block mountain.
 ALPS
  • Lies in the south-eastern part of France and separates it from Italy.
  • Mount Blanc (4,807 m) is the highest peak of Alps, lies in France.
  • The Alps acts as giant watershed in Switzerland.

MOUNT ETNA

  • A volcanic mountain of Sicily (Italy.)
  • Example of parasitic volcanic cone.

DINARIC ALPS

  • Lies along the north-east coast of Adriatic Sea.
CARPATHIAN
  • Runnin in northwest-southeast direction in the countries of Poland, Ukraine and Romania.

BALKAN

  • Runs in east-west direction in Bulgaria.

PINDUS

  • The barren limestone chain, runnine north west-southeast and rising to 2,500 m.
  • Constitutes the principal mountian chain of Greece.

URAL

  • Average height between 500 and 800 m.
  • Forms the natural boundary between Asia and
 CAUCASUS
  • Lies to the north of Georgia, Azerbaijan.
  • Separates Asia from Europe.
  • Mount Elbrus in the Caucasus is the highest mountain peak of Europe.

BLACK FOREST

  • Block mountain of Germany.

MOUNT STROMBOLI

  • An example of composite volcanic cone.
  • Known as the ‘Light house of the Mediterranean’.

Important Peninsulas

NAME INFORMATION
Iberian Peninsula or Spanish Plateau Surrounded by Bay of Biscay, Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean.
Balkan Peninsula

Kola Peninsula
  • Surrounded by Black Sea, Aegean Sea, and Adriatic Sea.
  • Consist of Bulgaria, Macedonia, Albania and Greece.
  • Surrounded by White Sea and Arctic Ocean in Russia.

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