Physical Divisions of Europe | Definition, Examples, Diagrams

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European Rivers and Lakes

Some of the major rivers of Europe are as follows:
(i) River Garonne drains into the Bay of Biscay.
(ii) River Rhine flows into North Sea.
(iii) The Seine River of France drains into the English Channel.
(iv) The Oder and Vistula of Poland also flow towards the north.
(v) The Rhone of France, the Ebro of Spain and the Tiber of Italy fall into Mediterranean Sea.
(vi) The Danube drains into the Black Sea and River Po falls into the Adriatic sea.
(vii) The Thames of England flows towards the east.

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European Rivers and Lakes

The number of freshwater lakes dot the plains of Europe. Some of the well-known ones are Ladoga, Onega, Vanern, Vattern, Malaren, Geneva, Constance, Como, and Maggior of Italy. Finland has 60,000 freshwater lakes.

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North-West Highlands of Europe

This region includes the plateaus and mountain systems of Norway and Sweden extending upto Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Some of the world's oldest rocks are found in this region.

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Rolling topography

Rolling topography is distinguished from ridged topography on the basis of the predominantly gentler slopes. The frozen North is a part of this system. The coastline stretches deep into the Arctic Circle and the icebergs drift into wide fjords.

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Fjords and Estuaries

Fjords: Fjords are formed by glaciers. Over millions of years, they had cut deep narrow valleys along the coast which got filled with sea water. Fjords are a distinct feature of the Norwegian coastline. They make safe harbours. Many swift and small rivers flow down into the sea from these highlands. These rivers have funnel-shaped mouth known as estuaries.

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Physical features of Central European Plains divisions of Europe

The Central European plains are broadest in the east and taper towards the west. The lowlands are vast fertile plains made by the material brought by rivers and glaciers. At certain places the hills have been eroded by rivers and have now become river basins, for example, the river basins of river Seine and the Thames in the cities of Paris and London respectively.

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Physical features of southern plateaus and highlands of Europe

The Southern Plateaus and Highlands are large areas, south of the central plains. They are made up of old rocks. The Meseta of Spain, the Central Massif of France and the highlands of Bohemia are all plateaus. Other highlands include the Vosges and Jura of France, the Black Forest and Harz Mountains of Germany and the Ural Mountains in the east. None of these upland regions rise above 1800 m above sea level.

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Alpine System

The Alps are like the Mid-world Mountain belt which stretches from the Pyrenees in Spain to the Pamir Knot in Central Asia. These are old mountains with high peaks, steep slopes, and deep valleys running parallel to one another.

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Drainage pattern formed by Rivers of Europe

A kind of radial pattern of drainage is formed by the rivers Europe.
(a) River Garonne drains into the Bay of Biscay.
(b) River Rhine flowing through some of the major cities of Europe empties into the North Sea.
(c) The Seine River of France drains into the English Channel.
(d) The Oder and Vistula of Poland also flow towards the north.
(e) The Rhone of France, the Ebro of Spain and the Tiber of Italy fall into Mediterranean Sea.
(f) The Danube drains into the Black Sea and River Po falls into the Adriatic Sea.
(g) The Thames of England flows towards the east.

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Measures taken by Engineers to stop flooding of River Rhone

At its source, River Rhone enters Lake Geneva and travels through the city of Geneva to Lyon, in France. In the past, the river frequently flooded, so engineers tried to change the course of the river. Floodgates have been added to control the amount of water passing downstream. New canals have been built alongside the river to allow small ships to pass easily. The old course of the river is left to take in excess water during floods.

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Plain created by rivers of Europe

In certain areas river deposits have created Intermontane plains, that is, the plains surrounded by mountains, the plains of Lombardy in Italy, the Hungarian Plain and the plains of Wallachia in Romania are such plains.

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Physical features of Europe

The continent of Europe can be divided into the following physical divisions:
a) The North Western Highlands
b) North European Plains
c) The Central Uplands
d) The Alpine System