Europe Overview Lesson

Europe

Overview

World Geography - Europe

Europe Overview - Location

• Europe is bordered by:

– The Atlantic Ocean to the

west

– The Arctic Ocean to the

north

– Asia to the east (Ural

mountains form most of
this boundary)

– The Mediterranean Sea to

the south

Multiple Choice

Europe is bordered by the ________________ to the west.

• The Atlantic Ocean

• The Pacific Ocean

• The Red Sea

• The Nile River

Europe – Overview

• In terms of land area, Europe is the sixth

largest continent:
– 1. Asia
– 2. Africa
– 3. North America
– 4. South America
– 5. Antarctica
– 6. Europe
– 7. Australia

Multiple Choice

Which continent is the largest in terms of land area, in what place does Europe fall?

• 6th

• 5th

• 2nd

• 1s5

Europe – Overview

• Largest countries in Europe in land area

– 1. Russia*
– 2. Ukraine
– 3. France
– 4. Spain
– 5. Sweden
– 6. Norway
– 7. Germany

Multiple Choice

What is the biggest country in Europe by land area?

• Ukraine

• Germany

• Russia

• Spain

Europe - Area Comparison

• In terms of land area,

North America is
about 2½ times the
size of Europe

• Europe is slightly

larger than the United
States

Multiple Choice

How much bigger is the United States than Europe?

• 10x bigger

• 2 1/2 x bigger

• 5x bigger

• 20x bigger

Europe Geography - Seas

• The Mediterranean Sea is between Europe and

Africa

• It is almost completely surrounded by land
• Subdivisions include:

• The Adriatic Sea
• The Aegean Sea
• The Ionian Sea

Europe Geography - Seas

• The Caspian Sea is

between Europe and
Asia

• It is the largest lake in

the world in terms of
surface area

Multiple Choice

The Caspian Sea is between Europe and Africa.

• True

• False

Europe Geography - Seas

• The Baltic Sea is

between the
Scandinavian
Peninsula, the
Danish islands,
and mainland
Europe

Multiple Choice

Which sea is located to the north of Poland?

• Black Sea

• North Sea

• Baltic Sea

• Mediterranean Sea

Europe Geography - Rivers

• The Volga River:

– Longest river in Europe
– Flows through central Russia
– 2,294 mi (3,692km) long

Europe Geography - Rivers

• The Rhine:

– Forms in Switzerland
– Forms Switzerland’s border with Germany and

part of Germany’s border with France

Multiple Choice

What river is a border between Switzerland and Germany, and Germany and France?

• Volga River

• Rhine River

• Mississippi River

• Red River

Europe Geography - Rivers

• The Danube:

– Begins in Germany
– Flows through Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia,

Slovakia, Romania, and Bulgaria before emptying
into the Black Sea

Pictured – the Danube between Hungary and Slovakia

Multiple Choice

Which river flows through Romania before reaching the sea?

• Rhine

• Seine

• Thames

• Danube

Europe Geography - Rivers

• The Loire – France’s longest river
• River Thames (pictured) – longest river

entirely in England (2nd longest in the U.K.);
flows through London

Europe Geography - Mountains

• The Alps – stretch about 750 mi across eight

countries in southern Europe

The Matterhorn – one of the Alps’ highest peaks

Relief map of the Alps

Multiple Choice

How many countries in Southern Europe do the Alps run through?

• 2

• 4

• 6

• 8

Europe Geography - Mountains

• The Caucasus - mountain range between

Europe and Asia between the Black Sea and
the Caspian Sea

• Home of Europe’s highest mountain, Mt.

Elbrus (pictured)

Multiple Choice

What is the name of the tallest mountain on The Caucasus Mountain range?

• Mt. Elbrus

• Mt. Vernon

• Mt. Everest

Europe Geography - Mountains

• The Pyrenees – form the border between

France and Spain in southwest Europe

• Separates the Iberian Peninsula from the rest

of Europe

The Pyrenees in France

Topographic map of the Pyrenees

Europe Geography - Mountains

• The Ural – Range running from north to south

in western Russia

• Considered a natural boundary between Asia

and Europe

Europe Geography - Peninsulas

• Balkan Peninsula:

– In southeast

Europe

– Named after the

Balkan mountain
range on the
eastern part of
the peninsula

Multiple Choice

The Balkan Peninsula is named after what mountain range?

• Balkan Mountains

• Rocky Mountains

• Alps

• Swiss

Europe Geography - Peninsulas

• Iberian Peninsula

– In southwest Europe
– Spain, Portugal, and

Andorra are on it

Multiple Choice

What countries are on the Iberian Peninsula?

• Portugal, Spain, France.

• Spain, Portugal, Andorra.

• Spain, France, Paris.

• Ireland, Spain, Portugal

Europe Geography - Peninsulas

• Scandinavian Peninsula:

– In northern Europe
– Norway, Sweden, and

part of Finland are on it

European History

• Dark Ages/Middle Ages:

– Period in Europe lasting

from the fall of the
Western Roman Empire to
the Renaissance in the 15th
century

– Plagues, wars, and

barbarian invasions
occurred

Plague victims being buried

Multiple Choice

What are somethings that occurred during the Middle Ages in Europe?

• Wars and Invasion

• Plagues, wars, barbarian invasions

• Art and War

• Plagues and Art

European History

• The Renaissance

– Cultural movement in Europe
– Approximately 14th to 17th century
– Began in Italy
– The moveable type printing press

was invented (by Johann
Gutenberg), which led to more
printed materials and the spread of
ideas

– Leonardo da Vinci and

Michelangelo – famous renaissance
artists

Leonardo’s Mona Lisa

Multiple Choice

In what European country did the Renaissance begin?

• Italy

• France

• Germany

• Spain

European History

• Colonization – during the 16th and 17th

centuries, European powers would colonize
much of the world

Multiple Choice

During which two centuries did most of colonization from Europe occur?

• 15th and 16th centuries
• 18th and 19th centuries
• 17th and 18th centuries
• 16th and 17th centuries

Multiple Choice

Which country from Europe colonized most of North and South America?

• Portugal
• France
• Britain
• Spain

European History

• World War One

– Global war centered in

Europe, 1914-1918

– Approximately 16 million

military and civilian deaths

• World War Two

– Global war centered in

Europe, 1939-1945

– Estimated 60 million

deaths*

*Estimates range from 50-85 million deaths; exact numbers are difficult to determine

German bombers during the

Battle of Britain, 1941

Multiple Choice

What country are the planes in the picture from?

• Germany

• Brazil
• Canada
• USA

Europe – Government

• Today, almost all European countries have

democratic governments, however many
have different forms, for example:
– France: semi-presidential republic
– Sweden: parliamentary constitutional monarchy
– United Kingdom: parliamentary republic

Background: Buckingham Palace in London

Multiple Choice

How many European countries have a type of government that is NOT democratic?

• 3

• 6

• 7

• 8

Europe - Government Organizations

• European Union

– Founded in 1993, the

European Union (EU) is
a political and
economic union of 28
European countries

• 19 member states

use the Euro as
their currency

• The EU is

headquartered in
Brussels, Belgium

–

European Union countries in green

Government Organizations

• NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

NATO countries in green

–Political and military alliance
of countries located near
the Atlantic Ocean in the
northern hemisphere

– Created in 1949 to:

• Stop the Soviet Union

from expanding

• Prevent another world

war

• Encourage international

cooperation

– Headquartered in Brussels,

Belgium

Multiple Choice

What does NATO stand for?

• NATO

• North Atlantic Treat Commission

• North Atlantic Treaty Organization

• North American Treaty Organization

Economies of Europe

• The Euro – introduced in 1999, the Euro is the

official currency of 19 European Union
countries

• The countries that use the Euro are

collectively referred to as the “Eurozone”

Euro coins and bank notes

Multiple Choice

What is the "Eurozone"?

• a race track in Europe

• The 19 countries in Europe that all use the Euro as their currency

• A European version of AutoZone

• A type of climate zone

European Culture

• Art – well-known European

artists include:
– Leonardo da Vinci (Italy)
– Michelangelo (Italy)
– El Greco (Spain)
– Claude Monet (France)
– Pablo Picasso (Spain)
– Vincent VanGough (Netherlands)
– and many more

Leonardo da Vinci

Open Ended

Who is a well known European artist?

European Culture (Music and

Literature)

• Music – well known European

musicians include:

– Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
– Ludwig von Beethoven
– Johann Sebastian Bach
– Richard Wagner
– And many more.

• Literature – authors include:

– William Shakespeare

(England)

– Leo Tolstoy (Russia)
– Dante Alighieri (Italy)
– Miguel de Cervantes (Spain)
– J.R.R. Tolkien, George

Orwell, J.K. Rowling (United
Kingdom)

Open Ended

Who is a famous musician or author from Europe and where are they from?

Interesting Info

• CERN:

– A European research organization

that operates the world’s largest
particle physics laboratory

– Located on the border between

France and Switzerland

– 21 European countries are

members (Israel is also a member)

– Most CERN activities involve

operating the Large Hadron
Collider, the world’s largest
particle collider

Open Ended

What is CERN?