Western Europe Geography

SS6G8 The student will locate selected features of EuropeSS6G10 The student will explain the impact of location, climate, natural resources,

and population distribution on Europe.

Essential Questions

• What are the major physical features of Europe?

• What are the major countries of Europe?

• How do the factors of climate, access to water and natural resources affect where Europeans choose to live and work?

Vocabulary

• Peninsula –A body of land nearly surrounded by water

• Fjord –A long, narrow, deep inlet of the sea located between steep cliffs.

• Population Density –The average number of people living per sq mile or km.

• Rain Shadow –An area on the sheltered side of a mountain that receives little rain fall.

• Loess -Rich dust like soil found in the European plain.

Vocabulary• Prairie –Grasslands

• Tundra –A treeless plain where only grasses and mosses grow.

• Permafrost –Permanently frozen soil

• Taiga –A forest in Russia that covers 4 million sq miles…the largest forest in the world

• Steppes –The Russian grasslandsHydroelectric Power –Water generated power

• Fossil Fuel –Fuel from fossilsa. Renewable b. Non-Renewable

• Reserves –The available supply of a fossil fuel

What is Eurasia? The land mass formed by the continents of

Europe and Asia

Europe and Russia are in Eurasia…

Eurasia is divided by the Ural Mountains!

The Four Main Regions of Europe

• Northwestern Highlands- Old mountain range of poor soil and steep slopes.

• Great European Plain- Most productive crops and largest cities in Europe

• Central Uplands–A plateau region of not so great farmland…yet it is good for raising animals

• Alpine Mountain System–This system is the mountainous region to the south of Europe and contains the Alps.

Why do people live where they do?

The Mountains of Europe

1. The Alps2. The Pyrenees3. The Balkan4. Ural

The Rivers of Europe

• Rhine • Seine• Volga • Danube • Thames• Elbe

Review/ Ticket Out the Door

• What are the major physical features of Europe?

• What are the major countries of Europe?

• How do the factors of climate, access to water and natural resources affect where Europeans choose to live and work?

Environmental Issues of Europe

SS6G9 The student will discuss environmental issues in EuropeSS6G10 The student will explain the impact of location, climate,

natural resources, and population distribution on Europe.

Essential Questions

• What environmental concerns do countries in Europe face?

• How are specific European countries addressing specific environmental concerns (acid rain in Germany, and air pollution in England)?

• How has the nuclear disaster that occurred in Chernobyl, Ukraine affected the region and other surrounding areas?

Germany’s Acid Rain

Acid Rain

• A type of polluted rain, produced when pollution combines with water vapor.

• Results of acid rain:– Damage or kill trees and other vegetation– Kill fish and other aquatic life– Contaminate drinking water

How does air pollution turn into acid rain?

• The pollution that comes from the smoke stacks of factories and car exhaust, enters the clouds and mixes with the water vapor.

• The water vapor leaves the clouds as acid rain.

• In Germany, acid rain is killing forests full of trees.

• More than 70,000 square kilometers of forest has died in Germany as a result of acid rain.

Remember…

–Acid rain comes from AIR POLLUTION

–The acid rain in Germany is a result of air pollution from factories in Germany AND other countries, like the United Kingdom…

United Kingdom’s Air Pollution

Air Pollution• Air pollution comes from many sources.

• It is the result of burning fuels, which releases chemicals into the air.

• A major cause of air pollution is exhaust from the hundreds of millions of motor vehicles on the planet.

• Air pollution does not just stay in one place.

• Winds can blow polluted air away.

• It can move from city to city, country to country, or even across continents.

• Air pollution is a major problem in the United Kingdom.

• Causes:– Power stations

(industrial and power generating)• The burning of fossil

fuels, like coal and heavy oils.

– Vehicle emissions

Check Your Knowledge!

• What country does the air pollution in the United Kingdom also affect?

• What does the air pollution cause in this country?

Ukraine’s Nuclear Disaster at Chernobyl

• Occurred in 1986 in Ukraine

• Most severe nuclear accident to ever take place.

• An explosion occurred when scientists were doing and experiment.

Overall Consequences:

• Land evacuation

• Land contamination

• Economic impact on farmers in East and North Europe

• Health issues– High rates of cancer– Birth defects– Death

Check Your Knowledge

• How did Chernobyl’s nuclear accident occur?

• What were some of the effects of the accident?

Review/ Ticket Out the door

• What environmental concerns do countries in Europe face?

• How are specific European countries addressing specific environmental concerns (acid rain in Germany, and air pollution in England)?

• How has the nuclear disaster that occurred in Chernobyl, Ukraine affected the region and other surrounding areas?