Northern Europe Physical Geography

Do Now: What do you want to do after you
graduate?

Fjord– a long, narrow, deep
inlet of the sea between high
cliffs, as in Norway and
Iceland, typically formed by
submergence of a glaciated
valley.
Arctic Circle- one of the five
major circles of latitude that
mark maps of the
Earth.(66˚N)

Objective: Locate and describe the

various traditional regions of
Western Europe. Outline how the
physical geography varies from
region to region.

Northern Europe: Physical Geography

Where is Northern Europe

HERE

Physical Geography of Northern Europe

Landforms

• Glaciation has been the primary process by which the landforms of Northern

Europe came to be as they are today. During the last iceage, the process of
glaciation scoured the land and shaped the landforms.

• Ice filled the valleys and carved out long, narrow, steep-sided fjords

(fee•AWRDS) that are now filled with seawater.

• The ice that covered Northern Europe during the last ice age was over one mile

thick. It was so heavy that it pressed the land down into the Earth’s mantle. Over
time, as the ice melted and lessened the weight on the land beneath, the land
began to rise in a process called continental rebound.

Multiple Choice

A Narrow inlet caused by glaciers is called a ____

• fjord

• bay

• peninsula

Interactive #1

​

Physical Geography of Northern Europe

Landforms Pt. 2

•NorthernEurope is made up of five countries: Norway and Sweden on the
Scandinavian Peninsula, Denmark on the Jutland Peninsula, Finland in the eastern part
of the region, and the island country of Iceland in the North Atlantic Ocean.

•Most of Norway and northern Sweden are mountainous, but in southern Sweden
lowlands slope gently to the Baltic Sea. Glaciers from the last ice age left behind
thousands of sparkling lakes in these two countries as well as in Finland.

•Svalbard is an archipelago in the Arctic Ocean that constitutes the northernmost part
of Norway. The landforms of Svalbard were created through repeated ice ages and the
folding and faulting due to continental drift and plate tectonics.

Physical Geography of Northern Europe

Landforms Pt. 3

•Although considered to be a European country, Iceland sits partly on ocean crust
shared with the NorthAmerican continent, as it straddles the Mid-Atlantic Ridge that
marks the boundary between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates.

•The tectonic activity caused by these plates’ separating is the source of the abundant
geothermalenergy in the region.

•Glaciers cover roughly 11 percent of the island. The largest, Vatnajökull, is nearly
1,300 feet (400 m) thick and covers about 8 percent of the island. It is by far the
largest glacier in Europe. The word geyser is derived from a geyser in Iceland named
Geysir.

Interactive #

Water Systems

•Glaciation left hundreds of thousands of lakes in Northern Europe. Iceland’s
rivers consist of glacial debris, making them cloudy.

•Many of the rivers of the Scandinavian Peninsula are short and do NOT provide
easy connections between cities. These rivers mostly flow toward the southeast
with many falls and rapids, eventually emptying into the Gulf of Bothnia or the
BalticSea.

•The countries of Northern Europe harness the power of these falls and rapids to
run hydroelectric power plants.

Physical Geography of Northern Europe

Open Ended

Describe the rivers of the Scandinavian Peninsula.

Climate Regions and Biomes

•The climate patterns and biomes of Northern Europe are affected by latitude,
landforms, wind patterns, ocean currents, and distance from water. In Iceland, the
Gulf Stream creates a mild climate even though the country is located in higher
latitudes.

•Due to dry conditions, poor soil quality, extremely cold temperatures, and
frozen ground, vegetation in this climate is limited. Arctic tundra plants must
adapt to the short, cold growing seasons.

•The frozen ground prevents plants with deep roots, like trees, from growing.
Animals in the alpine zone migrate to lower elevations in the winter to escape the
cold and find food.

Physical Geography of Northern Europe

Multiple Choice

The ______ creates a mild climate in Iceland even though it it located at higher latitudes.

• Westerlies

• Geothermal energy

• Gulf Stream

Interactive #2

Multiple Choice

Which country has the most climate zones?

• Finland

• Sweden

• Iceland

• Norway

Physical Geography of Northern Europe

LEGO Land

•Finland’s peat deposits cover nearly one-third of the country. Peat is vegetable matter
found in swamps. It is dug up, chopped into blocks, and dried so it can be burned.

•Norway is one of the world’s leading producers of hydroelectric power. Norway is also
Europe’s largest oil producer and the world’s second-largest natural gas exporter.
Other European countries rely on Norway as an important supplier of both sources of
fuel.

•Denmark also has oil and natural gas, but renewable wind energy is its most
important energy source. Denmark ranks number one in the world for electricity
generated from renewable sources. The world famous LEGOS are made in Denmark.

Aurora Borealis

• The Northern Lights (also called Aurora Borealis) stem from when large numbers of

electrons stream in towards the Earth along its magnetic field and collide with air
particles. The air then lights up rather like what happens in a fluorescent light tube.

• The resulting colors of the Northern Lights reflect gases we find up there. The

charged particles originate from the sun, and the weather conditions on the sun
decide whether or not we will see the aurora.

• The Northern Lights can be viewed from other northern locations as well, but the

northern half of Norway and Sweden, as well as all of Iceland, are famous for
having "the best seats" for viewing the Aurora Borealis.

Anomalies and Other Stuff