Explore the World: The Geography of Europe

Explore the World: The Geography of Europe — page 3
THINK LIKE GEOGRAPHER PENINSULA OF PENINSULAS Europe lies at the western end of Eurasia Most of Europe is a peninsula of Eurasia Its bordering waters are the Atlantic Ocean to the west the Arctic Ocean to the north and the Mediterranean the Black and the Caspian Seas in the south The greater peninsula of Europe is actually made up of smaller peninsulas that extend out from the main body of Europe the Iberian the Italian or Apennine and the Balkan Peninsulas in the south and the Scandinavian and the Jutland Peninsulas in the north These include the British Isles Iceland the southern islands of Greece and Malta and Norway’s Svalbard archipelago near the North Pole Europe also includes many islands off the coast of its mainland A EUROPE’S CLOSEST POINT TO AFRICA COMES AT THE STRAIT OF GIBRALTAR A CHANNEL OF WATER THAT CONNECTS THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA TO THE ATLANTIC OCEAN AT THE STRAIT’S NARROWEST POINT THE DISTANCE BETWEEN SPAIN IN EUROPE AND MOROCCO IN AFRICA IS 8 MILES 12 9 KM PENINSULA A PIECE OF LAND THAT IS CONNECTED TO A MAINLAND AND IS SURROUNDED ON THREE SIDES BY WATER 6