Welcome dear students! Today we are going to learn about Continent of Europe from Class 6 Social_Science. This chapter introduces the location, extent, physical setting, physiographic and climatic divisions, natural vegetation, farming, dairying, fishing, minerals, industries, and population growth, distribution, and density of Europe. By the end of this lesson, you will understand the location, size, and physical setting of Europe, its physical and climatic divisions, how climate influences vegetation, how minerals determine industries, and the factors affecting uneven population distribution and migration. Let us begin our journey.
Europe is one of the most densely populated and urbanized continents of the world. It is also a prosperous and highly industrialized continent. It ranks sixth among the continents with respect to its area. It has a complex and diverse physical setting, socio-cultural, and political system. It has many large and small countries and their total number is 56.
Europe lies between 10 degrees West and 60 degrees East longitude and from 36 degrees North to 72 degrees North latitude. Europe is the second smallest continent with a total area of 10.4 million square kilometers. It is about three times the area of India. This continent occupies about 7 percent of the Earth's surface, but it has one-fourth part of the world's total population.
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Europe is a peninsula of Asia. This continent is surrounded by water on three sides. It is surrounded by the Barents Sea to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. Europe lies to the east of the continent of Asia, and the Ural Mountains, the Caucasus Mountains, and the Caspian Sea separate them. The above mentioned physical forms are not secure borders between Asia and Europe. Hence together they are known by a common name, Eurasia.
The physical features of Europe are unique. The western and southern parts are mountainous, characterized by snow covered peaks, gorges, valleys, and small plains. But most of the eastern part of the continent is covered by stable plateau. There are topographical changes here and there. The highest point of Europe is Mount Elbrus at 5633 meters in the Caucasus mountain range. The lowest place on the continent is the Caspian Sea. It is 28 meters below sea level.
In fact, Europe is a large peninsula of the Asiatic land mass. There are many peninsulas in this continent. For example, the Scandinavian, the Iberian, the Jutland, and the Balkan. Hence Europe has been known as the Peninsula of Peninsulas. Europe has a highly indented irregular coastline of 80,500 kilometers. It is longer than the coasts of Asia. Thousands of islands lie off the coast of the continent. Among them, the largest islands are Britain and Ireland. Other important islands are Shetland, Faroe, Orkneys, Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, Crete, and Channel Island.
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On the basis of topography, the continent of Europe is generally divided into four divisions. They are the Northwestern uplands, the North European Plains, the Central Uplands, and the Southern Mountains.
First, the Northwestern uplands. This region includes the oldest mountains located in Finland, Sweden, Norway, and extends to Britain and Iceland. These are fossil mountains. They have undergone glacial erosion and become low mountains. They are made of ancient rocks. The general elevation is 2000 meters in Scandinavia and 600 meters only in Ireland and Scotland. Galdho Piggen at 2469 meters in Norway is the highest peak in this division. The Ben Nevis at 1343 meters in Scotland and Snowdon at 1085 meters of Wales are the other peaks. This region has a gradual slope in the north and many rivers flow through it.
Second, the North European Plains. It is also known as the Central Lowlands. It extends from the Ural Mountains in the east to the Atlantic Coast in the west. Greater part of Europe lies in this region. It includes European Russia, Poland, Northern Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium, Northern France, and the eastern parts of England. It is broad in the east and narrows down as one moves towards the west. In the Netherlands and Belgium, some plains are below sea level. It is a depositional plain formed by the flow of various rivers. This region is not flat like the Indo Gangetic plain of India. In certain places there are gradual slopes and at other places it gets separated by low mountain ranges and hills. It has some of the world's most fertile agricultural lands.
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Third, the Central Uplands. This upland consists of old rocks, eroded old mountains, hills, and high plateaus. Their average height is not more than 600 meters above sea level. The uplands extend from Ireland in the west to Russia in the east. They include the Meseta plateau in Spain and Portugal, the Massif Central and Vosges in France, the Black Forests in Germany, and several low ranges in Czech and Slovakia Republics. Some parts of this region are forested. Most of the land is rocky. The soil here is infertile and not good for farming. But river valleys provide the best farm lands.
Fourth, the Southern Mountains. They are also known as the Alpine Mountain System. It includes several mountain ranges, the Sierra Morena in Spain as well as the Pyrenees which form the boundary between France and Spain. These mountains run parallel to one another from the Atlantic Coast in the west to the Caspian Sea in the east. They are fold mountains like the Himalayas. In this region, the famous Alps are the most important mountains. Mount Blanc is the highest peak at 4807 meters here in the Alps. The Alps stretch across parts of Southeastern France, Northern Italy, most of Switzerland, and a part of Germany, Austria, and Slovenia. The Apennines stretch through much of Italy, the Dinaric Alps stretch through Croatia, Bosnia, and Yugoslavia, and the Balkan mountains of Bulgaria. The Carpathian mountains are in Northern Slovenia.
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Before discussing the climatic regions of Europe, let us know its general climatic conditions. Most of the continent of Europe has a Temperate Climate. It is also known as Tepid climate. It is the result of the interaction of major climate control units. These are latitude, relief, winds, and position. However, the winds that blow across the continents from the Atlantic Ocean have great effects on the climate of the continent. This is because of a warm ocean current of the Gulf Stream and also the strong westerlies. In general, Northern Europe has longer but colder winters and shorter but cooler summers than Southern Europe. The winters are also longer and colder and the summers are shorter and hotter in the east than in the west.
Europe can be divided into four climatic regions. First, the North West European maritime climatic region. This climatic region extends from the coast of Norway to northern Spain and inland of Central Europe. The mild winters, cool summers, ample rainfall, cloudy and foggy days are the main characteristics of this type of climate. There is moderate temperature in both winter and summer, 10 degrees Celsius and 18 degrees Celsius, and distribution of rainfall is around 75 centimeters.
Second, the Trans Continental climatic Region. It is mostly found in Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria. This climate is characterized by cold winters and warm summers, minus 12 degrees Celsius and 10 degrees Celsius, and an average annual rainfall of 50 centimeters. There is maximum convectional rainfall in early summer.
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Third, the Mediterranean climatic Region. This type of climate is characterized by hot, dry, sunny summers and mild winters with some rain. There is unequal distribution of rain. The average winter temperature is 8 degrees Celsius and summer temperature is 22 degrees Celsius. The average annual rainfall varies from 75 to 100 centimeters. This type of climate is mainly found in the southern most part of Europe adjoining the Mediterranean Sea.
Fourth, the Mountainous climatic Region. The Alps and Caucasus mountains have this type of climate. It is controlled by altitude, angle of the sun rays, and winds. The average winter temperature is minus 4 degrees Celsius and summer temperature is 16 degrees Celsius. The average rainfall is 50 centimeters on the leeward side and above 200 centimeters on the windward side of the mountains. At high altitudes the temperature is below freezing point.
Since a long time man has settled in Europe and it is very densely populated. Hence, the natural vegetation has been totally destroyed, except in the higher altitudes and in places unfavourable for living. There are six types of vegetation in Europe as given below.
First, Tundra vegetation consists of lichens and mosses. It occupies a narrow zone in Ireland and northern Norway, Sweden, and Finland. Vegetation of similar type is found at higher altitudes in the mountains of Alps and northern Urals.
Second, Taiga forests. It is seen mainly in polar regions of Norway, Sweden, and Finland. It is also called Coniferous forests. Only a few varieties of trees are found here, for example, Scots pine, spruce, and larch. They are cone shaped trees and have needle shaped leaves.
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Third, Mixed forests are found in the south central regions. Deciduous and coniferous trees grow here. The important trees are oak, ash, elm, poplar, willow, and beech.
Fourth, Mediterranean vegetation is usually found along the Mediterranean Sea coast. Here, there are broad leaved evergreen types of trees which do not shed their leaves in autumn. Trees like cork oak, olive, and laurel grow here.
Fifth, Grasslands are found in the areas south of the deciduous forests, for example, in Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, and European Russia. It is sparsely wooded and has steppe type of grass.
Sixth, Alpine vegetation is distributed in the highlands of Southern Europe such as the Alps, Pyrenees, Balkan, Carpathian, and the Dinaric mountains.
Agriculture is still a very important occupation in Europe even after industrialization. The continent is fortunate in having a vast plain, fertile and well irrigated land. The climatic condition is also favourable for agriculture. Most of the countries have more than 50 percent of agricultural land except the Scandinavian countries. The average size of land holdings in Europe is 10 hectares. Mixed farming is practised in West European countries. It includes the cultivation of crops and the keeping of livestock. The cultivable land is used for growing fodder crops for cattle, poultry farming, piggery, and the growing of a variety of fruits and vegetables. In southern Europe the type of farming is different because of Mediterranean climate. There is a combination of cereals, fruits, vegetables, and livestock farming. Depending upon a vast market, specialized type of farming has developed. The agriculture is commercial and well organised near densely populated urban areas. On the whole, less than 10 percent of Europeans are engaged in agricultural activities.
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Depending upon relief, soil, climatic conditions, the availability of market and farm labour, a great variety of crops are grown in different parts of Europe. Wheat is the important staple food crop of Europe. The Paris basin, the great plains of Europe, the plains of Hungary, the lowland countries, and the Po river basin in Italy are the main wheat producing areas of Europe. Maize is the second major cereal crop of Europe. France, Italy, Hungary, Germany, and Spain are the major producers of maize. Rye is another food crop, which is largely used for making bread and liquor. The leading producers of rye are Poland, Germany, Czech, and Slovakia Republics. Europe is an important producer of barley. It is used as food grain, fodder for cattle, and for producing liquor. Oats is also grown in some nations. Rice is grown to a small extent as a summer crop. Sugar beet and potatoes are the two root crops of Europe. Sugar beet is used both for the production of sugar and as fodder for cattle. Potatoes grown mainly in the plains of Central and Eastern Europe. Europe is leading producer of potatoes in the world. Flax is the fibre crop of Europe. Fruits such as grapes, apples, figs, oranges, lemons, plums, pomegranates, and chestnut are grown on Europe's hilly slopes. Bulgaria is famous for roses, vegetables, and horticultural crops.
Dairying is a highly organised system of occupation within Europe's mixed farming. The cool humid climate, dense urban population, good means of rail and road transportation, excellent bio technological development, refrigeration, mechanization of commercial dairying, and ample pastures have encouraged the development of dairying in Europe. Dairying is highly developed in Denmark, Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, and Britain. But Denmark is the most important of them all. The European countries export their dairy products, for example, cheese, condensed milk, butter, and chocolate.
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Throughout history, the European continent has practised fishing as a source of its food economy. Fishing is particularly done in the shallow seas. The main fishing grounds are near North West Europe. They extend from the north of Arctic circle to the Mediterranean sea. North sea region is the region with intensive fishing practices. Countries Norway, Britain, Denmark, Sweden, and Germany are also involved. The two most famous fishing grounds of the North Sea are the Dogger Bank and the Great Fisher Bank. The people of Norway are expert in fishing. Seals and whales are caught in the polar regions. Norway is the largest producer and exporter of fish. The shortage of farm land and food grains have encouraged fishing in Europe.
The Continent of Europe has a variety of minerals and energy resources. Iron ore is produced in large quantity in this continent. Iron ore is distributed in many European countries. 5 percent of World iron ore reserves are available in this continent. France, Germany, Britain, and Sweden are iron ore producing countries. Copper is mainly produced in Bulgaria and Poland. Europe has scant petroleum and natural gas wealth. The major petroleum producing areas of Europe are the North Sea, France, Italy, the Netherlands, and Germany. Coal is the main source of electric power in Europe. Coal reserves are distributed across the continent except in Scandinavia and Mediterranean countries. High grade bituminous coal is distributed in Europe, Russia, Germany, and Britain. Bauxite and potash are also found in some places.
The Modern Age is the Age of Iron and Steel. This heavy industry produces iron and steel which is required for a large number of sub industries. The important iron and steel producing areas are Germany, specifically the Ruhr, Saar, Weser river basins and Berlin area. Britain, specifically the Black country, Sheffield, North eastern Coastal and South Wales area. And France, specifically Lorraine, North Western and Eastern border areas, and upper Silesia of Poland, Po Valley and Lombardy plain of Italy.
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Cotton textile industry is one of the many agro based industries in Europe. Cotton mills are found throughout Europe. Raw cotton is imported from other countries. Britain is the birth place of modern cotton textile industry. Lancashire, Cheshire, and Derbyshire are important centres of cotton textile mills. Germany and France are other major producers of cotton textiles. Britain, Germany, France, Belgium, and Italy are famous for high quality silk and woollen textiles and synthetic fibres.
Ship building industry is a branch of heavy engineering and essentially an assembling industry. The main favourable factors for ship building are technological excellence, good harbour sites, and industrial progress. Germany is Europe's leading ship building country. Sweden, Britain, and France are the other ship building countries of Europe.
Automobile Industry includes manufacturing of cars, trucks, buses, scooters, and any other vehicles which are run with a motor engine. It is an assembling industry. It is a highly technical and expensive industry. Germany, France, Italy, and Britain are the major producers of automobiles in Europe.
There is a sort of triangle in which the major industries of Europe are located. It is known as the Industrial Heart of Europe. This triangle extends from the North Sea to the middle of Poland and from the Po valley of Italy in the South to Sweden in the north. Following are the industrial regions of Europe: The Industrial Regions of Britain, The Western Triangular Industrial Region, The Paris Industrial Region known as the Industrial Heart of Europe, The Lorrain Saar Industrial Region, The Upper Rhine Region, Upper valley zone of Silesia, The southern Scandinavian region includes Stockholm, Eastern Germany to North West Czech and Slovakia zone, and The Po river basin in the industrial zone of northern Italy.
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The population of Europe is quite large as compared to its size. It has 11 percent of the world's land area excluding Russia. But it has one fifth of the world's population. Its total population is 742 million in the year 2023, of which the urban population is more.
The pattern of population distribution in Europe is not uniform. The most populous countries are Germany, Britain, Italy, and France. Northwest Europe has low density of population. The Alps, Caucasus, and the semi dry land of the South Eastern parts are also sparsely populated. The densely populated European countries are Belgium, Luxemburg, and the Netherlands. This is due to industrialization, transportation facilities, natural resources, and technological progress.
European countries are characterized by low and declining growth of population. The growth rate of population varies from place to place.
During the last 200 years, some Europeans have migrated to other countries and people of other countries have migrated to Europe for various reasons and have settled here. After the Second World War, people from other continents and countries started immigrating to Britain. Most of the immigrants have been Italians. Germans had migrated to many countries before the Second World War. Germans can be seen as a minority in Poland, Hungary, Romania, Czech and Slovakia Republics, and Yugoslavia.
The density of population is varied in Europe. While the highly developed Netherlands has 950 people per square kilometer, Iceland has 3 people per square kilometer. The Northern lowlands of Europe has the highest population density. The most densely populated areas in Europe are the industrial districts, Belgian and German coal fields, the Greater London, the Netherlands, the Rhine river Valley, North Italy, and the coastlands of Spain. The sparsely populated areas are Central France, mountainous areas, Balkan belt, and the highlands of Scotland.
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Let us quickly review some new terms from this chapter: Alpine, Alps, automobiles, flax, foggy, fold mountains, maritime, Massif, Meseta, migration, peninsula, Taiga, and textiles.
Now, let us know some interesting facts. Scandinavia is a region of North Europe, consisting of Norway, Sweden, and Finland. Great Britain is the largest island in Europe comprising of England, Scotland, and Wales. With Northern Ireland, it constitutes the United Kingdom. For more than 500 years, Europe was called the heart of the world. The Black Forest is not a forest. It is a mountain region located in southwestern Germany. It gets its name because its interior is dark due to thick forests.
Now let us solve the exercises together to prepare for your exams.
Exercise One: Fill in the blanks with a suitable word. One: Europe is a peninsula of Asia. Two: The important mountain of Europe is Mount Elbrus. Three: The strong ocean current which influences the climate of Europe is the Gulf Stream. Four: The major crop of Europe is wheat.
Exercise Two: Discuss in groups and answer. Question Five: Mention the geographical location of Europe. Answer: Europe lies between 10 degrees West and 60 degrees East longitude and from 36 degrees North to 72 degrees North latitude. Question Six: Name the physical divisions of Europe. Answer: The four physical divisions are the Northwestern uplands, the North European Plains, the Central Uplands, and the Southern Mountains. Question Seven: What are the major climatic regions of Europe? Answer: The four major climatic regions are the North West European maritime climatic region, the Trans Continental climatic Region, the Mediterranean climatic Region, and the Mountainous climatic Region. Question Eight: Mention the major types of natural vegetation of Europe. Answer: The six major types are Tundra vegetation, Taiga forests, Mixed forests, Mediterranean vegetation, Grasslands, and Alpine vegetation. Question Nine: Name the countries which are famous for dairying in Europe. Answer: Denmark, Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, and Britain are famous for dairying, with Denmark being the most important. Question Ten: What are the staple food crops of Europe? Answer: The staple food crops of Europe are wheat, maize, rye, barley, oats, and rice. Question Eleven: Mention the major fishing grounds of Europe. Answer: The major fishing grounds are near North West Europe, extending from the north of the Arctic circle to the Mediterranean sea. The North sea region, specifically the Dogger Bank and the Great Fisher Bank, are the most famous. Question Twelve: Mention the important minerals of Europe. Answer: The important minerals are iron ore, copper, petroleum, natural gas, coal, bauxite, and potash.
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Finally, let us discuss the activities for your practical learning. Activity One: On the outline map of Europe, mark the physical divisions of Europe. You should locate and shade the Northwestern uplands in the north, the North European Plains stretching across the center, the Central Uplands in the middle, and the Southern Mountains along the southern edge. Activity Two: With the help of your teacher, locate the important mountains and peaks of Europe. Find Mount Elbrus in the Caucasus, Mount Blanc in the Alps, Galdho Piggen in Norway, Ben Nevis in Scotland, and Snowdon in Wales. Activity Three: Observe your surroundings and list out the land forms, vegetation, and crops cultivated. This will help you connect textbook geography with your local environment. Activity Four: On an outline map of Europe, locate the capital cities of European countries, places of tourism, and Industrial areas. Mark the Industrial Heart of Europe triangle from the North Sea to Poland, and down to Italy and Sweden.
Thank you for listening! Keep revising and practicing. Goodbye! [CHAPTER_COMPLETE]