WSE - Physical Geography Lesson

Physical Geography

Climate

As geography students know, latitude influences climate. Since Europe is a northern continent, the people of this region experience shorter agricultural growing seasons and cooler temperatures. If we compare Europe's position on a globe with that of the contiguous United States, we see that much of Europe lies north of the United States. Paris, France, is at about the same latitude as Fargo, North Dakota, and Athens, Greece, is at about the same latitude as St. Louis, Missouri. As we know from living in the United States, the regions with warmer temperatures are found at lower latitudes and their location results in potentially longer growing seasons.

Beyond latitude, it is important for geography students to learn about the impact that large bodies of water have on climate. As you learned in science, water heats and cools more slowly than land. Since the oceans are large, they absorb vast amounts of heat or solar energy. They exert considerable influence on the world's climate by transporting that heat with their currents from one temperature zone to another. This movement of warm water allows coastal communities to have climates that tend to be more moderate and often milder than continental ones. Coastal areas experience smaller temperature variations from day to night as well as from summer to winter.

Look at any map of Europe and notice the way it is surrounded by water. The Atlantic Ocean borders Europe on the west. The Arctic Ocean borders Europe to the north and many seas surround its peninsulas and coastal regions. These bodies of water provide the coastal areas of Europe with a much milder climate than that of the interior regions of Europe.

 

The Dominant Climate Types of Europe 

Most of Western Europe has a moderate type C climate. The Gulf Stream and the Mediterranean Sea both provide sections of Europe with a type C climate.

The Gulf Stream is the most important or influential current affecting Western Europe's climate. It is responsible for producing its temperate climate. Originating in the Gulf of Mexico, this powerful current of warm water follows the Eastern Seaboard of the United States before crossing the Atlantic Ocean for Europe. The Gulf Stream's most dramatic effect can be found in the western coastal islands of Scotland, which have a mild enough climate to support some forms of tropical flora.

The British Isles

The British Isles are an archipelago (group of islands) separated from the European mainland by the English Channel. The British Isles are often included in the region of Western Europe when discussing political geography; however, the fact that they are separated from the mainland of Europe by water provides them with a separate identity. The British Isles consists of two separate, independent countries: the Republic of Ireland and Great Britain. The United Kingdom (UK) of Great Britain consists of the regions of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. All four regions are now under the UK government. The Republic of Ireland is independent of the United Kingdom and does not include Northern Ireland. The primate city and UK capital is London, which is a financial center for Europe. The capital city of the Republic of Ireland is Dublin.

Influenced by the Gulf Stream, the climate of the British Isles is moderate, despite its northern latitude location. The UK and Ireland are located above the fiftieth degree of latitude, which is farther north than the US-Canadian border. The northern latitude would normally place this region into the type D climates, with harsher winters and more extreme seasonal temperatures. However, the surrounding water has moderate temperatures, creating a moderate type C climate that covers most of the British Isles. The Gulf Stream pulls warm water from the tropics and circulates it north, off the coast of Europe, to moderate the temperature of Western Europe.

Western Europe

In the regional sense of location, when discussing the political geography of the European continent, the specific states located in the western part of the European mainland are often referred to as Central Europe. Germany and France are the two dominant states, with Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg making up the Benelux countries. Switzerland and Austria border the Alpine region. The mini state of Liechtenstein is located on the border between Switzerland and Austria. France is the only country with coastlines on both the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean.

The European country of the Netherlands also includes the colonies of the Netherlands Antilles in the Caribbean. The Netherlands, sometimes called Holland, is actually the name of two provinces (North Holland and South Holland) in the northwest part of the country. The largest city is Amsterdam. The Hague is the seat of government and is home to the United Nations International Court of Justice. Rotterdam is located at the mouth of the Rhine River and is one of the busiest ports on the continent. The country is famous for its Zuider Zee, which is the large inland region below sea level that has been drained of water and surrounded by an extensive dike protecting it from the North Sea. Reclaiming land from the sea, in areas called polders, has increased the land for this densely populated country.

Southern Europe

Southern Europe includes three large peninsulas that extend into the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The Iberian Peninsula consists of Spain and Portugal. The Pyrenees Mountain range separates the Iberian Peninsula from France. Greece, the most southern country on the Balkan Peninsula, includes hundreds of surrounding islands and the large island of Crete. The Italian Peninsula is the shape of a boot with the Apennine Mountains running down its center. Italy also includes the islands of Sicily and Sardinia. Technically, the island country of Cyprus is also included in southern Europe. There are five mini-states in this region. The small island of Malta is located to the south of Sicily and is an independent country. Monaco, San Marino, Andorra, and Vatican City are also independent states located within the region. Southern Europe's type C climate, moderated by the water that surrounds it, is often referred to as a Mediterranean climate, which has mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers.

 

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