The Physical Geography of Europe: Mountains, Rivers & Coasts

A General Look at Europe

Europe is a relatively small continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere. It is separated from Asia by the Ural Mountains and from Africa by the Strait of Gibraltar. Notably, it is the continent with the lowest average altitude, at 290 meters.

Eastern Europe

Eastern Europe extends from the Carpathian Mountains to the Ural Mountains (west to east). Its northern border is defined by the Arctic Ocean and the Baltic Sea, while its southern border includes the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains (home to Europe's highest peak, Mount Elbrus, at 5,633m), and the Black Sea. This region is part of the vast Great European Plain, which stretches from Belgium to the Urals.

Major Rivers and Lakes

The rivers in Eastern Europe are characteristically long and voluminous. Key river systems include:

• Ural and Volga: Flowing into the Caspian Sea.
• Don, Dniester, and Dnieper: Flowing into the Black Sea.

The region also features significant lakes, such as Lake Ladoga and Lake Onega in Northwestern Russia, alongside thousands of glacial lakes in Finland.

Central and Western Europe

Compared to Eastern Europe, Central and Western Europe have more mountain ranges and numerous shorter rivers. This area extends from the Carpathians to the Atlantic Ocean in the west and the Mediterranean Sea in the south, also including the British Isles and Iceland.

Mountain Ranges of the Region

Northern Ranges

In the north, the Scandinavian Alps in Norway and Sweden are prominent, featuring abundant glaciers and fjords.

Central Ranges

The center of the region contains young mountain ranges, including:

• The Alps: Located between France, Switzerland, and Italy, with Mont Blanc (4,807 m) as a major peak.
• The Carpathians: Spanning Romania, Slovakia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Ukraine.
• The Black Forest: Found in Southern Germany.
• The Massif Central: Located in France.

Southern Ranges

In the south, notable mountain ranges include:

• Spanish Ranges: The Pyrenees, Cordillera Cantábrica, Sistema Ibérico, Sistema Central, and Baetic System.
• The Apennines: Running through Italy.
• The Dinaric Alps: In the area of Croatia, Bosnia, and Albania.
• The Balkan Mountains: Found in Greece, Kosovo, North Macedonia, and southern Serbia.

Major Rivers and Lakes

The most important rivers in this region are:

• Flowing into the Black Sea: The Danube.
• Flowing into the Atlantic Ocean: The Oder, Elbe, Rhine, Seine, Loire, Garonne, and Thames.
• Flowing into the Mediterranean Sea: The Ebro, Po, Rhône, and Tiber.

There are also large lakes, such as Lake Geneva (Léman) between Switzerland and France, Lake Vänern in Sweden, and Lake Balaton in Hungary.

The European Coastline

Europe's coast is highly irregular in some areas due to erosion. This has created dramatic features like the coastal mountains and deep fjords in Norway. Similar phenomena, known as Rías, can be seen in Galicia, Spain.

Islands and Archipelagos

Europe is home to many islands and archipelagos. Key island groups include:

• In the North: Iceland and the British Isles.
• In the Atlantic Ocean: The Madeira archipelago.
• In the Mediterranean Sea: The Balearic Islands, Sicily, Malta, the Greek islands, and Cyprus.