Unit 7 - Europe and Spain

Observe and think - Page 72

- Where is this volcano?

Mount EtnaMount Etna is an

active volcano on the east coast of Sicily, Italy. It lies above the convergent plate margin between the African Plate and the Eurasian Plate. It is the tallest active volcano on the European continent, currently 3,329 m high.

-Do you know the names of any other volcanoes in Europe?

Example: Yes, I know that there are many volcanoes on the island of Lanzarote in the Canary Islands, or in Tenerife, the Teide.

Other volcanoes:

• Beerenberg - Norway (2,277 m)

• Öræfajökull - Iceland (2,110 m)

• Cumbre Vieja - La Palma, Canary Islands (1,949 m)

• Eyjafjallajökull - Iceland (1,666 m)

• Katla - Iceland (1,512 m)

• Hekla - Iceland (1,491 m)

• Snæfellsjökull - Iceland (1,448 m)

• Mount Vesuvius - Italy (1,270 m)

• Stromboli - Italy (926 m)

-What causes volcanoes?

Volcanoes are caused when tectonic plates move and magma is pushed up to the Earth’s surface.

-Can you think of any other physical features in Europe?

Europe has many other physical features, for example, mountains, lakes, rivers and plains.

1- What is Europe’s relief like?

-Area: 105 km2.

-Limits with Asia: the Urals and the Caucasus, river Ural and the Caspian Sea.

-Low relief with a large fertile central plain.

-Older mountain ranges are in the North and East of Europe.

-Younger mountains are along the mediterranean coast.

Activities

Exercise 1 on page 73.

2- What are Europe’s rivers like?-Importance: for water supply, transport, and the production of electricity.

-Main rivers:

.Volga: longest river in Europe.

.Rhine: one important trade route.

.Danube: runs through several European capitals.

Activities

Exercise 1 on page 74, and 2 on page 80 in your notebooks.

3- What are Europe’s climates like?

Climate and landscape in Europe

-Temperate climate:

.Oceanic: Atlantic side of the continent. Moors and deciduous forests.

.Mediterranean: Along the Mediterranean coast. Shrubs and evergreen forests.

.Continental: centre and east of Europe. Prairies and steppes.

-Cold climate:

.Polar: north of the Scandinavian peninsula and Russia. Tundra and taiga.

.Alpine: highest mountains. Forests, pastures and prairies.

Activities

Exercises 1 and 2 on page 75.

4- What is Spain’s relief like?

-Spain occupies most of the Iberian peninsula, the Balearic and Canary archipelagos and Ceuta and Melilla.

-Its area is 505.000 km2.

-Its average altitude is high: 660m.

-The Iberian peninsula is dominated by a central plateau and several mountain ranges around it.

Exercise 3 on page 80 in your notebooks.

5- What are Spain’s rivers like?

-They are generally short and irregular. Their flows depend on rainfall, and they increase in spring when the snow melts.

-We can divide them into 4 groups:

1.Cantabrian rivers: short and steep. Large flow.

2.Atlantic rivers: large flows.

3.Mediterranean rivers: short and small flows due to little rainfall.

4.Archipelagos rivers: few rivers.

ActivitiesExercises 1 on page 76, and 1-2 on page 77.

6- What is Spain’s climate like?

-Temperate climate with variations among regions:

.Mediterranean climate: located in the south and east of the peninsula and the Balearic islands. Little rainfall and irregular. Temperatures are mild in the coast and very cold or hot in the plateau.

.Atlantic climate: north and north-west of the peninsula. Temperatures are mild and rainfall is abundant and regular.

.Subtropical climate: Canary islands. Stable climate around the year.

-No matter what area we are, climate changes in the mountains when altitude increases.

Activities

Exercises 1 and 2 on page 79 in your notebook.

Exercise 6 on page 81 (read the instructions carefully!)