RELATIVE LOCATION IN EUROPE

Europe's peninsulas

Europe's relative location in the heart of the Northern Hemisphere, its comprehensive coastline and its proximity to all other regions on earth are distinct advantages. Europe is often described as a peninsula made of peninsulas. When Europe and Asia (Eurasia) are studied as a single landmass, Europe forms its western peninsula. The south and west coasts of Europe consist of many peninsulas. Spain and Portugal form the Iberian Peninsula; Italy is the Italian Peninsula; and Greece is the southernmost country in the Balkan Peninsula. Norway and Sweden combine to form the Scandinavian Peninsula, and Denmark is the Jutland Peninsula.

Much of Europe is close to water. The region is nearly surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean the Mediterranean, Black, North, Baltic, Norwegian, Barents, and Kara Seas. Of Europe's nations, only 13 are landlocked. The Atlantic Ocean has a great influence on Europe's weather. Westerly winds and warm ocean currents cause the weather to be similar to weather in the United States. Europe's thousands of miles of coastline and navigable waterways make interaction with the rest of the world both convenient and difficult to

For ease of studying, Europe's landforms are classified into four groups—Alpine Mounts in the south, Central Uplands, North European Lowland, and Western Uplands. Europe's eastern boundary is formed by the Ural Mountains. Although this boundary is sometime debated, culture, history, and geography support the Ural Mountains as the dividing line between Europe and Asia. The Ural Mountains also divide Russia into two distinctive p« western Russia (European) and eastern Russia (Asian).

Using and atlas, give the relative location of each of these places in Europe.

1. Oslo, Norway is located on the ____________________ Peninsula. It is on the Skagerrak side of the ________________ Sea.

2. Copenhagen, Denmark, is on the ____________________ Peninsula on the ________________ Sea side of Scandinavia.

3. Barcelona, Spain, was the site of the 1992 Summer Olympic Games. Barcelona is also a major industrial port on the ____________________ Sea near the ________________ Mountains on the ________________ Peninsula.

4. Sicily is the southern island off the tip of the ____________________ Peninsula in the ________________ Sea. Sardinia is the western Italian island separated from Italy by the ________________ Sea.

5. San Marino is an independent republic surrounded by the country of ____________________. This nation also surrounds the State of the Vatican City which is located in the capital, ________________.

6. The Peloponnesius is a southern peninsula on the ____________________ Peninsula as part of Greece. The ________________ Sea is on Greece’s western side and the ________________ Sea is on its eastern side.

7. Crete is an island off the ____________________ coast of Greece. It is separated from Greece by the Sea of ________________.

9. The Sierra Nevada mountain range is located on the southern Iberian Peninsula in ________________ on the ________________ Sea.

10. The Scottish Highlands are on the ____________________ Isles in the political unit of____________________.

11. Ireland and ____________________ are separated from the other parts of the United Kingdom (British Isles) by the ________________ Sea.

12. The ________________ Mountains divide Russia into a European and an Asian section. Kazakhstan, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Turkey are also divided between ________________ and Asia. The ________________ Sea borders Kazakhstan, Russia, and Azerbaijan. The ________________ Se borders Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, Romania, and Bulgaria.