Chapter 8, Problem 8.1R

To determine

The names and locations of the major lowland and mountainous areas of Europe on the map.

Answer to Problem 8.1R

The major lowland area of Europe is the North European Plain. It forms an arc from Southern France to the Northeast plains of Poland including Southeastern England. The mountainous areas of Europe include three regions. The Alpine Mountain System, a series of mountain chain extends from the east (Atlantic) to the west (Black Sea) and the southeastern Mediterranean. The Central Uplands extends from the Alps to the European lowlands. The Western Highlands are seen on the western edge of Europe.

Explanation of Solution

Europe, although is small, has many landscapes. The major lowland is also known as the North European Plain. It has a high population with intensive agricultural practices. It has most of the large cities, major industrial regions such as London, Le Havre, Rotterdam, and Hamburg. Many of the rivers such as the Rhine, Loire, Thames, and Elbe are meandered across the lowland region before merging into the Atlantic. It extends from Southern France to the Northeast Plains of Poland which also includes Southeastern England. The Rhine river delta separates the unglaciated Southern European lowland from the glaciated area of the north.

The Alpine Mountain System is the highest elevation of Europe. It extends from the Atlantic to the Black Sea and to the south of eastern Mediterranean. These mountains have specific regional names such as Pyrenees, Alps, Apennines, and the Carpathians but they all share the geologic traits. The Pyrenees marks the political border of Spain and France with almost 300 miles of extension. The Alps run more than 500 miles from France to eastern Austria. It has the peaks that rise more than 15,000 feet. The Apennine Mountains are located over the south of the Alps which located mostly in Italy.

Western Europe is characterized by the older highlands which occupy the area between the Alps and the European lowlands. These produce raw materials for Europe's industrial areas. Western Highlands occupy the western edge of Europe. They extend from Portugal to the British Isles to the highland of Norway, Sweden, and Finland to the far north. These are the oldest mountains of Europe.