Europe

Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east. Europe is commonly considered to be separated from Asia by the watershed of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Greater Caucasus, the Black Sea, and the waterway of the Bosporus Strait. Europe makes up the western fifth of the Eurasian landmass. It has a higher ratio of coast to landmass than any other continent or subcontinent. It covers about o er 10 million km2 (c.4 million square miles), or just 2% of Earth’s surface (6.8% of land area), making it the second-smallest continent (using the seven-continent model). Politically, Europe is divided into about fifty sovereign states, of which Russia is the largest and most populous, spanning 39% of the continent and comprising 15% of its population. Europe has a total population of about 745 million (about 10% of the world population) the third-largest after Asia and Africa.

Land relief in Europe shows great variation within relatively small areas. The southern regions are more mountainous, while moving north the terrain descends from the high Alps, Pyrenees and Carpathians, through hilly uplands, into broad, low northern plains, which are vast in the east. This extended lowland is known as the Great European Plain and at its heart lies the North German Plain. An arc of uplands also exists along the north-western seaboard, which begins in the western parts of the islands of Britain and Ireland, and then continues along the mountainous, fjord-cut spine of Norway. Sub-regions such as the Iberian Peninsula and the Italian Peninsula contain their own complex features, as does mainland Central Europe itself, where the relief contains many plateaus, river valleys and basins that complicate the general trend. Sub-regions like Iceland, Britain and Ireland are special cases. The former is a land unto itself in the northern ocean that is counted as part of Europe, while the latter are upland areas that were once joined to the mainland until rising sea levels cut them off.

Europe lies mainly in the temperate climate zone of the northern hemisphere, where the prevailing wind direction is from the west. The climate is milder in comparison to other areas of the same latitude around the globe due to the influence of the Gulf Stream, an ocean current which carries warm water from the Gulf of Mexico across the Atlantic Ocean to Europe. The Gulf Stream not only carries warm water to Europe’s coast but also warms up the prevailing westerly winds that blow across the continent from the Atlantic Ocean. In general, Europe is not just colder towards the north compared to the south, but it also gets colder from the west towards the east. The climate is more oceanic in the west and less so in the east.

Having lived side by side with agricultural peoples for millennia, Europe’s animals and plants have been profoundly affected by the presence and activities of humans. With the exception of Fennoscandia and northern Russia, few areas of untouched wilderness are currently found in Europe, except for various national parks. Today wolves (carnivores) and bears (omnivores) are endangered. Once they were found in most parts of Europe. However, deforestation and hunting caused these animals to withdraw further and further. By the Middle Ages the bears’ habitats were limited to more or less inaccessible mountains with sufficient forest cover. Today, the brown bear lives primarily in the Balkan peninsula, Scandinavia and Russia; a small number also persist in other countries across Europe (Austria, Pyrenees etc.), but in these areas brown bear populations are fragmented and marginalised because of the destruction of their habitat. In addition, polar bears may be found on Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago far north of Scandinavia. The wolf, the second-largest predator in Europe after the brown bear, can be found primarily in Central and Eastern Europe and in the Balkans, with a handful of packs in pockets of Western Europe (Scandinavia, Spain, etc.).

Białowieski National Park ©Lilly M, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Once roaming the great temperate forests of Eurasia, European bison now live in nature preserves in Białowieża Forest, on the border between Poland and Belarus. Other carnivores include the European wildcat, red fox and arctic fox, the golden jackal, different species of martens, the European hedgehog. Important European herbivores include rodents, deer, wild boar and living in the mountains, marmots and chamois among others.

Birding Europe

Bird life across Europe shows divided east to west as well as south to north. Migration and bird movement characterises the seasons. During the summer much of Europe has an influx of birds that spend the winters in the tropics, mostly in Africa, although a few species migrate even further. During winter birds move south and west away from the coldest regions, replacing birds of the same species. For example, the Robins seen in an English garden in winter may well breed in Scandinavia, whereas the ones that nest in England may well spend the winter in southern France or Spain. Birds such as a number of geese and waders breed in the far north in Iceland, Greenland and Scandinavia and over winter in more temperate parts of the continent. As global warming increases more and more migrants are taking the chance to stay where they breed. For example, Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs and even Whitethroats have small populations in the UK all year round.

Bird populations have been in general decline, mostly as the result of human activity. As agriculture becomes more intense suitable food, habitat and nest sites diminish. Parts of Europe allow the shooting of birds and climate change effects populations too.

To cover all European species it is necessary to visit various places. For southern specialities the Iberian Peninsula is a must. Eastern birds which include many races and some Asian birds mean a visit to Romania’s Danube Delta is recommended as is Bulgaria.

Boreal species in the east are best Found in Hungary & Poland, Sweden has many northern specialities. Western Boreal species are best found in Northwest England or Scotland. Many seabirds nest on cliffs and islets of the British coast. For raptor passage nowhere competes with Gibraltar. Certain areas have high concentrations of birds such as the Camargue in France, Doñana in Spain, the Danube Delta and the less exploited woods and farmlands of Poland and Hungary.

Infrastructure in almost uniformly good and most countries have many national parks and nature reserves although a few have poor protection. English is taught as the second language across most of the continent making it relatively easy for visitors from North America and other parts of the English-speaking world… although everyone appreciates it if you try to adapt to local language, customs and so forth.