The world around us
26
What’s Europe’s relief like?
Europe’s relief shows great variation within relatively small areas.
The
Alps
are the most important mountain range in Europe.
They stretch across eight countries, from Austria and Slovenia
in the east, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Germany and
France in the west and Italy and Monaco in the south.
1
Look at the map. Which countries do you think are the most
mountainous?
G
E T T I N G S T A R T E D
KEY
more than 2 000 m
1 000-2 000 m
500-1 000 m
200-500 m
0-200 m
below sea level
1 000 km
0
ATLANTIC OCEAN
Black Sea
Mediterranean
Sea
Ural Mountains
Pyrenees
Scandinavian Mountains
Alps
Mont Blanc
Apennines
Carpathian
Mountains
North European Plain
Caucasus
Mount Elbus
Teide
Sistemas
Béticos
Cordillera
Cantabrica
Balkan
Mountains
Mount Etna
The
Urals
form a natural border
between Europe and Asia. At
2400 km they are Europe’s
longest mountain range.
The
Pyrenees
form a natural
border between
France and Spain.
The
Alps
cover more than eight
countries. Europe’s second highest
mountain is
Mont Blanc
, at 4 810 m.
The
Apennines
run down the
middle of the Italian Peninsula.
The
Caucasus
is a
mountain range
between the Black
Sea and the Caspian
Sea. It includes
Mount
Elbrus
, the highest
mountain in Europe.
It’s 5642 m high.
The
Carpathian
Mountains
are
the second-
longest mountain
range in Europe.
