Geography of Europe
Europe is situated on the eastern end of the continent of Eurasia; its landform is the peninsula that extends westward from Asia. On its other three sides, Europe has coastlines along the Arctic Ocean in the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. The Strait of Gibraltar south of Spain separates Europe from Africa, while the eastern boundaries of the continent have shifted over history and are somewhat ambiguous.
The division is largely a cultural and political delineation, rather than a geographic one. However, it is generally accepted that the boundary between Europe and Asia lies along the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, Caspian Sea, Black Sea, and the waters that connect the Black and Aegean Seas. Russia and Turkey are both partially in Europe, and are culturally associated with Europe, though the majority of their territory is located in Asia. The British Isles and Iceland off the western edge of the European continent are also included in the territory, along with several islands in the Mediterranean Sea.
Europe is the second smallest continent on Earth, with an area of about 10,180,000 square kilometers (3,930,000 square miles). Europe occupies 2% of the surface area of Earth, and 6.8% of the land area. The largest country in Europe is Russia, which makes up 40% of the continent. The smallest country in Europe is Vatican City, which measures about 109 acres (44 hectares).
Features of the European landform include the Scandinavian peninsula in the north, the Iberian peninsula in the far west, the Italian peninsula and the Balkan Peninsula in the south and southeast. The highest points in Europe are located in the southern mountain ranges, including the Pyrenees, Alps, Apennines, Carpathians, and Balkans. The Ural Mountains and Caucasus Mountains lie along the boundary between Europe and Asia. There are also smaller ranges including the Dinaric Alps, the Scandinavian Mountains, and the Scottish highlands. The mountains give way to hilly uplands and northern plains, including the East European Plain (Europe's largest land feature), the Northern European lowlands, Pannonian Plain, Meseta Central, and the Po Valley. Farther north are the fjords of the Scandinavian Peninsula and the glaciated far north, and to the northwest are the islands of the British Isles, which are part of the European landmass, and separated by lowlands covered by the seas, while Iceland is a volcanic formation.
The highest point in Europe is typically considered the Caucasus Mountains, at Mount Elbrus in Russia, which stands 5,642 meters (18,506 feet) above sea level. The highest point in the European Union is along the Italian-French border at Mont Blanc, 4,810 meters (15,781 feet) above sea level. The lowest point is the Caspian Sea, also in Russia, which is 28 meters (92 feet) below sea level.
Major bodies of water in Europe include the Baltic Sea in the northeast, the Black and Aegean Seas in the southeast, the Adriatic Sea between the Italian peninsula and the Balkan Peninsula, and the Mediterranean to the south.
Major rivers in Europe include the Volga, the longest river in Europe, which flows 3,690 kilometers (2,290 miles), followed by the Danube, which extends 2,860 kilometers (1,780 kilometers). Other lengthy rivers are the Ural, Dnieper, Don, Pechora, Kama, Oka, Belaya, Tisza, Dniester, Rhine, and Elbe.
Last Updated on: October 24th, 2017
