Europe Geography - Brief Information
Europe lies in the northwestern part of a large continuous area of land known as Eurasia. Its eastern boundary is considered to be the Ural Mountains in Russia. After that, the boundary goes to the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus Mountains, the Black Sea and the Bosporus, as well as the Sea of Marmara, to be separated from Asia through the Dardanelles. To the south, Europe is separated from Africa by the Mediterranean Sea. To the west, the boundary is the Atlantic Ocean. Iceland, Malta and Cyprus are considered European countries despite their actual closeness to, respectively, Greenland, Africa and Asia. The landscape on the continent is characterized by great variety, which includes mountainous areas in the southern regions with high mountains like the Pyrenees, Alps and Carpathians, with low northern plains and vast areas to the east.
The average temperature in the southern part of Europe, for example, reaches sixteen degrees, while large parts of Central Europe, along with Western Europe, belong to the temperate maritime climate. The southern parts of the continent have a Mediterranean climate, and the northern part of Central Europe has a humid continental climate. The northernmost parts have a subarctic climate, while the parts that border the Arctic Ocean and include Russia have a tundra climate.The European flora and fauna are quite diverse, and are seriously affected by human activities and presence. There are literally no wilderness zones except several natural parks and the northern parts of Europe. Almost all parts of Europe are covered with mixed forest of broadleaf and coniferous trees, as the climate is warm and mild. The regions of Russia and Scandinavia have taiga, which is a mixture of pine, birch and spruce forests; the western parts of the Mediterranean region are covered with mixed rainforests, olive trees and Cork oaks. The richest European country in terms of forested areas is Finland, with the poorest one being Iceland. Europe has rich fauna; however, most of the large animals and predators have been hunted down and are now extinct. The bears and the wolves are currently endangered. The brown bear can still be found on the Balkan Peninsula and Russia, while polar bears can be seen on a Norwegian archipelago north of Scandinavia. Various birds, reptiles, foxes and fish can be seen in most parts of Europe.
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