Anthony alexander

most Europe's original forests were cleared centuries ago, for example clearing in ancient times destroyed nearly all of the mediterranean area's original oak woodlands.
Europeans have made good agricultral use of thier soils.
In fact, more than half of Europe's land area is used for farming.
some of these soils developed from loess-fine-grained, windblown soil that is very fertile.
Europe produces many crops, such as large amounts of grapes, olives, potatoes, and wheat.
farmers use chemical feritizers to enrich the soil.
they also rotate crops to maintain fertility.
Throughout history, fishing has had been an important part of European economy.

Energy and Minerals

To meet its current indusrial and energy needs, Europe must rely heavily on mineral imports.
some countiers, such as germany, Britain, and poland, have mined coal for hundreds of years.
Europe's main oil and natural deposits lie beneath the north sea, these deposits were discovered in the early 1960s.
other mineral resources in Europe include iron one, uranium, lead, and zinc.

Europe has three major climate types: marine west coast, humid conntinental, and mediterranean.
The marine west coast climate is found throughout most of northern and western Europe.
Temperatures are mostly mild , and cloudy, drizzly, and foggy days are common
Winter temperatures are particularlyy mild for such high latitudes.
these mild temperatures are caused by the moderating influence of the north atlantic drift,

Human activities have affected Europe's plants and wildlife severely.
For thousands of years, people there have hunted animals and cleared forests for timber and farmland.
despite these changes, however Europe can be divided into four major biomes.
only remnants of the dense forests that once covered much of the landscape remain in this region.
Animals such as wild boar and wild sheep still roam remote mediterranean mountain areas.

Europe stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Ural Mountains and from the Arctic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea.
Compared to other continents, Europe is small.
Major islands include Great Britain, Ireland, and Iceland.
Europe can be dived into four major landform regions.
these harbors are generally located near the mouths of navigable rivers
clean up and controlling pollution in europe's rivers is a major environmental challenge.
the last and youngest region is the alpine mountain system,which includes the alps, Europe's major mountions range.
Beginning about 65 million years ago, tectonic processes formed the mountains of the alpine system

Europe is nearly surrounded by water.
to the south lies the mediterranean sea .
geographers consider the bosporus a boundary between Europe and Asia.
to the west of Europe lies the north Atlantic ocean.
For centuies, European explorers, fishers, and merchants have traveled the water of the Atlantic