The industrial level of impact on the mineral resources of Foreign Europe dates back several centuries. Active use mineral deposits have led to the depletion of natural materials.

Mineral resources of foreign Europe in the context of industrialization of the region

Reserves mineral resources in Foreign Europe, although varied, are small. The distribution of these resources between the northern and southern parts of Europe is uneven. There are ore deposits in the area of ​​the Hercynian fold of the Baltic Shield in the northern part of Europe. The southern part of Europe is rich in igneous minerals and bauxite.

Increased industrialization of the last two centuries has led to significant depletion of mineral reserves foreign Europe.

Rice. 1 Zones of increased industrialization of foreign Europe

Provision of foreign European countries with mineral resources

Metal ore deposits in Western Europe are unevenly distributed. The Balkans, Kirun (Sweden) and French Lorraine are iron ore mining regions.

Copper, nickel and chromium are predominantly found in Finland and Sweden.

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Hungary and Greece are famous for their bauxite - ores of non-ferrous metals.

Rice. 2 Ore mining

Uranium and titanium have their largest deposits in France and Norway.

The richest copper deposits are in Poland.

The Balkan Peninsula, Scandinavia and Spain concentrated deposits of mercury, tin and polymetals.

Northern Europe is rich in bauxite, which is used to produce aluminum. Minerals Northern Europe, are mainly represented by metals, copper and iron ores.

In the south of Europe, in Italy, deposits of zinc and mercury ores are concentrated.

Bosnia and Herzegovina is rich in iron and aluminum ores.

Nickel ore mining is actively carried out in Germany.

Mining of small gold deposits has been discovered in the UK.

The Baltic countries are not known for their rich mineral resources.

Copper and zinc are found in Serbia, as well as gold and silver in small quantities.

Rice. 3. Map of the provision of foreign European countries with mineral resources

The variety of mineral resources of Foreign Europe is great, but the quantity is insignificant. The growth of the region's industry strictly dictates the needs for this type of raw material.

Table of mineral resources of Foreign Europe

Features of mineral resources of the Scandinavian Peninsula

European countries were the earliest to begin large-scale environmental impacts. The Scandinavian Peninsula is an exception. Resources earth's crust of this region remained untouched until the second half of the 20th century. The small population of Scandinavia also played a role in preserving the region's mineral resources.

Zinc and copper are the main elements that are used in almost all European countries. The supply of European countries with this type of raw material is covered by imports.

What have we learned?

The mineral resources of the Nordic countries are varied but scarce. The distribution of mineral resources in the southern and northern parts of Europe is uneven and is determined by the structural features of the earth's crust.

Evaluation of the report

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MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND SCIENCE OF THE RF

Federal State Autonomous Educational Institution

higher professional education

"SOUTH FEDERAL UNIVERSITY"

FACULTY OF GEOLOGY AND GEOGRAPHY

Department of Physical Geography, Ecology and Nature Conservation

COURSE WORK

On the topic: “Natural areas of Western Europe, development dynamics and current state”

Completed by: 2nd year student, 3rd grade. Stefanov V.A.

Checked by: Associate Professor, Candidate of Geographical Sciences

Dotsenko I.V.

Rostov-on-Don

Introduction………………………………………………………………………………..3

1. Natural conditions and resources of Western Europe……………………....6

1.1.Natural conditions…………………………………………………………….....6

1.2.Natural resources………………………………………………….8

2. Western Europe………………………………………………………...11

2.1. Latitudinal zoning…………………………………………………………11

2.1.1. Tundra and forest-tundra zone..…………………………………..12

2.1.2. Zone of mixed and deciduous forests……………….13

2.1.3. Evergreen forest zone……………………………………...14

2.2.Altitudinal zonation……………………………………………………………15

Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………….16

References………………………………………………………18

Introduction

Natural areas are natural complexes occupying large areas and characterized by the dominance of one zonal type of landscape. They are formed mainly under the influence of climate - the distribution of heat and moisture, their ratio. Each natural zone has its own type of soil, vegetation and animal life. The appearance of a natural area is determined by the type of vegetation cover. But the nature of vegetation depends on climatic conditions - thermal regime, moisture, light, soil, etc. As a rule, natural zones are extended in the form of wide stripes from west to east. There are no clear boundaries between them; they gradually transform into one another. The latitudinal location of natural zones is disrupted by the uneven distribution of land and ocean, relief, and distance from the ocean.

Table 1. Natural areas.

Natural area	Climate zone	Temperature
Permanently wet forests	Equatorial	above +24°C
Variably humid forests		20°-+24°C and above	1000-2000 mm ( most of in summer)
Savannas and woodlands	Subequatorial, Tropical	20°+24°C and above	250-1000 mm (most in summer)
Tropical deserts and semi-deserts	Tropical	8+16°С in winter; +20+32°С and above in summer	less than 250 mm
Hardleaf forests	Subtropical	8+16°С in winter; +20+24°С and above in summer
Steppes and forest-steppes	Subtropical, Temperate	16+8°C in winter; +16+24°С in summer
Broadleaf forests	Moderate	8+8°С in winter; +16+24°С in summer
Mixed forests	Moderate	16 -8°C in winter; +16+24°С in summer
	Moderate	8 -48°C in winter; +8+24°С in summer
Tundra and forest-tundra	Subarctic, Subantarctic	8-40°C in winter; +8+16°С in summer
Arctic and Antarctic deserts	Arctic, Antarctic	24 -70°C in winter; 0 -32°С in summer	250 or less

1.Natural conditions and resources of Western Europe.

1.1.Natural conditions.

In Western Europe, lowlands, hilly plains and young high mountains Alpine folding, which form the main watershed of the continent. There are mountains that are small in area and height: the French Massif Central, the Vosges, the Black Forest, the Rhine Slate Mountains, the Northern Scottish Highlands, etc. The Alps are the highest mountains in Europe, their length is 1200 km, width - up to 260 km. The folded structure of the Alps was created mainly by movements of the Alpine age. The most high peak- Mont Blanc (4807 m). The high axial zone of the mountains is formed by ancient crystalline (gneisses, schists) rocks. The Alps are dominated by glacial topography and modern glaciation (up to 1200 glaciers with total area more than 4000 km2). Glaciers and eternal snows drop to 2500-3200 m. The mountains are cut by valleys, inhabited and developed by people, railways are laid through the passes and car roads. Lowland areas are located mainly in coastal areas. The largest lowlands are the North German, Polish, etc. Almost 40% of the area of ​​the Netherlands is below sea level, these are the so-called “polders” - low-lying lands characterized by high fertility. The climate is temperate, partly subtropical Mediterranean (France, Monaco). The presence of active western transport of humid Atlantic air masses makes the climate mild and favorable for life and economic activity (including agriculture). The average temperatures of the coldest month are -1 .. +3 °С, the warmest ones are +18 .. +20 °С. The annual amount of precipitation generally decreases from west to east. In the Atlantic regions and on the windward slopes of the mountains it is 1000-2000 mm, in the other - 500-600 mm. Maximum precipitation occurs in the summer months.

The distribution of river flow in the region is uneven: it decreases from west to east and from north to south. The largest rivers are the Danube, Rhine, Loire, Seine, Elbe, Meuse, Rhone, Thames, etc. In the west, the rivers are fed predominantly by rain, they do not freeze, or have short, unstable ice cover. In the eastern territories, rain feeding also predominates, and on the rivers of the high mountain regions of the Alps, rain and snow feeding is supplemented by glacial feeding. Here in summer there are large floods, in winter there is very little or no flow. Some countries are constantly engaged in hydraulic engineering construction and “war against the sea.” Thus, in the Netherlands, 2,400 km of dams and 5,440 km of canals were built. A significant part of the lakes are located in tectonic depressions (basins, grabens), characterized by a very indented coastline, significant depth, and elongated shape. There are many such lakes in Switzerland: Geneva, Zurich, Constance, Neuchâtel, etc.

1.2.Natural resources.

The subsoil of Western Europe in the past had a high potential for mineral raw materials, but due to long-term industrial use they have been significantly depleted.

The region accounts for more than ¼ of reserves coal in Europe. The largest coal basins and regions are: in Germany - the Ruhr and Saar, in France - the Lille Basin and the Massif Central, in Great Britain - the north of England and Scotland, in Belgium - the Liege region. Germany has brown coal - the Cologne basin and Saxony.

The situation with oil and gas reserves improved after the discovery of huge natural gas deposits in the Netherlands in the early 60s (1929 billion m3 - 1st place in Europe in production), and subsequently oil and gas in the British offshore sector North Sea(proven oil reserves amount to 0.6 billion tons, gas reserves - 610 m3).

Ireland has significant peat reserves. Great Britain is the only one of the four leading industrial countries in Europe that is completely self-sufficient in energy resources.

Relatively large deposits of iron ore in France (Lorraine), Luxembourg, polymetals - in Germany and Ireland, tin - in Great Britain (Cornwall peninsula), bauxite - in France (Mediterranean coast), uranium - in France (Massif Central, where the largest Europe reserves).

Among non-metallic raw materials, there are noticeable reserves of rock salt (Germany and France), very large reserves of magnesite and graphite (Austria).

Hydropower resources are very significant. The alpine regions (Switzerland, Austria, France) and the mountainous regions of Scotland, and the Pyrenean regions in the south of France are especially rich in them. France, Austria and Switzerland account for more than 2/5 of the countries' hydro resources.

The region is poor in forests, which cover only 22% of its territory. Significant forest areas are in Austria (forest cover is 47%), Germany (31%), Switzerland (31%), France (28%). In most countries, artificial forests predominate, with many cultivated tree plantings that perform environmental, sanitary, hygienic and recreational functions.

Agroclimatic and land resources favorable for conducting Agriculture. Almost all suitable land has been plowed: from 10% in Switzerland to 30% in France, Germany and Great Britain. The most common soils are of medium and low fertility in natural state. But everywhere they are greatly improved thanks to high level agricultural technology. The climate is favorable for growing many crops.

Natural recreational resources are very rich and varied: from the Alps, the highest mountains of Europe, to the Netherlands, the lowest in Europe, from the subtropical Mediterranean of France to the cool and humid Ireland. The region has a large recreational and tourist area. Attractive areas are the Cote d'Azur in France, the Alps, the Thuringian Forest, etc.

The countries of the region have a large number of nature reserves, reservations, and national parks (91) protected by law. They cover large areas. For example, in France, the entire 2,500 km long coastal Atlantic strip has been declared a protected area, in Great Britain - almost 5% of its territory, etc.

The diversity of natural conditions and resources in different areas of the region led to the formation of various types of economic activities, and, accordingly, their certain specialization.

The unity and integrity of the Western European region are determined by a common cultural and civilizational idea, following the principles that were laid down in ancient Greece. These principles - “honest work as the path to prosperity” and “honest competition as the path to self-affirmation” - formed the basis of the political, work and everyday ethics of not only Europe, but also English-speaking America, Australia, New Zealand and even (with all historical reservations) Japan. These principles are expressed most clearly here and have the deepest roots.

Territory. Natural conditions and resources. Western Europe occupies the extreme west of the Eurasian continent (3.7 million km 2). The coastline of this part of the world is highly rugged, with more than half of the surface made up of islands and peninsulas. It is surrounded on three sides by seas, and only in the east is there a broad front land borders with the countries of Central-Eastern Europe, and in the northeast - with Russia (Finland).

The large ruggedness of the banks is combined with a strong dissection and mosaic of the relief. Lowlands, hilly plains and old destroyed low (rare peaks over 1.5 thousand m) Paleozoic mountains are widely represented here, to which most mineral deposits are confined, as well as young high mountains of the Alpine (or Mediterranean) system, forming the main watershed of the continent. Here is Mount Mont Blanc (4807 m) - the highest peak in the region. Many mountains are cut through by valleys, inhabited and developed by people, and railroads and roads are built through the passes.

In the depths of the region there are many types of mineral raw materials: oil, coal and natural gas, metal ores (iron, lead, zinc, bauxite, gold, mercury), potassium salts, native sulfur, marble and other types of minerals. However, these numerous and diverse deposits generally do not meet the region’s demand for the most important types energy resources and metal ores. Therefore, the local economy is to a large extent depends on their import.

The main part of Western Europe is located in the temperate and subtropical climate zone and has temperature and moisture regimes favorable for many branches of agriculture. Mild winters and long growing seasons in the middle and southern parts region contribute to almost year-round vegetation of many crops - grains, herbs, vegetables. The Atlantic part of the region is characterized by excessive moisture, and for Mediterranean countries - lack of precipitation in the summer; In some areas, agriculture requires artificial irrigation. The Mediterranean climate is the most favorable for human life.

The soils are very diverse, but in their natural state, as a rule, they had low fertility. In the process of centuries of their use, their quality has been significantly improved. It was in Europe that the system of artificial improvement was introduced for the first time in the world. chemical composition soils using organic and chemical fertilizers.

More than 20% of the territory is occupied by forests, and in most countries (except Sweden and Finland) these are predominantly artificial, cultivated tree plantings. The main ones modern features- environmental and sanitary-hygienic, recreational, and not industrial and raw materials.

Western Europe's water resources are abundant. The Rhine, Danube and other rivers of the plains, as well as canals, are convenient transport routes, and the rivers of Scandinavia, the Alps and other mountain systems have large hydroelectric potential. However, the huge consumption of water for the needs of the population and the economy has led to severe pollution of a significant part of the water supply, and in many places there is a shortage of clean water.

High population density has long contributed to the intensive development and use of the region's natural resources. Prevail cultural landscapes, but there is also degradation natural environment; environmental problems, especially acute in large industrial-urban areas, deterioration of the state of nature in national parks and reserves, depletion of many mineral and water resources, etc.

Features of development. This region is one of the main centers of world civilization. On its territory there are 24 independent states(with a total area of ​​3.7 million km 2 with 380 million inhabitants), differing from each other in size, government structure and level of socio-economic development, but united by geographical proximity and long-established broad economic, political and cultural ties, commonality of many development features in the 20th century..

Industry. The region's mineral resources are quite diverse, but the reserves of many minerals are small and close to depletion. Large reserves of coal (Great Britain, Germany and other countries) and iron ore (France, Sweden served as the basis for the development of heavy industry in the region in the 19th century. But the modern cost of coal is high due to the difficult geological conditions of mining, and metallurgists now mainly use more iron-rich ores from other parts of the world. More important are the reserves of brown coal in Germany, natural gas in the Netherlands, bauxite (Greece, France), zinc-lead ores (Germany, Ireland, Italy), potassium salts (Germany, France), uranium (France) There are no ores of most alloying metals, rare and trace elements. An important event- exploration and start of exploitation (1975) of oil and gas fields at the bottom of the North Sea (sectors of Great Britain and Norway); proven oil reserves - 2.8 billion tons, gas - 6 trillion m 3.

Generally Western Europe provided mineral raw materials much worse than North America, which determines, firstly, the more modest importance of the mining industry than in the USA and Canada, the curtailment of many of its industries, and secondly, the greater dependence of the industry on the import of mineral raw materials from other regions of the world.

About half of the energy consumed is imported. Only Norway, Great Britain and the Netherlands are well supplied with energy resources. The main thing in the EU energy policy and individual countries- savings and more efficient use of energy, expansion of own energy base through oil and gas production in the North Sea and especially through the development of nuclear energy and the use of non-traditional inexhaustible energy sources (solar, wind, sea ​​tides etc.), reducing oil imports and diversifying the countries that supply it. In 1995, Western Europe produced 275 million tons of oil (more than 90% in the North Sea), and consumed more than 550 million tons. The bulk of the oil comes from the “troubled” areas of the world - the countries of the Near and Middle East and Africa, significant oil imports from Russia. To transport imported oil, a network of oil pipelines has been laid from seaports to consumption centers. The most important of them: Rotterdam - Cologne - Frankfurt am Main Marseille - Lyon - Strasbourg - Karlsruhe, Genoa - Ingolstadt, Trieste - Ingolstatt Oil refineries are capable of processing more than 600 million tons of oil annually. The first country in terms of refinery capacity is Italy, whose energy is 2/3 based on oil. In the supply of oil, as well as in its refining and marketing of petroleum products to | local markets, the decisive positions are occupied by American and British monopolies that are part of the international oil cartel.

Approximately 1/3 of the gas produced (total in the region 240 billion m 3 in 1994) comes from the Netherlands (Groningen field in the northeast of the country) and 1/2 from the North Sea. Important to meet the region's needs for natural gas, the implementation of the “deal of the century” of 1984 on the supply of gas from Russia (USSR) to Western Europe has. More than 70 billion m3 of Russian gas is exported here annually.

Coal production has decreased by 2.5 times since the 50s (135 million tons in 1994) for many reasons: competition from oil and gas, development of better seams, reduction in specific coke costs in iron smelting, decrease in industrial gas production, competition cheaper coal from the USA, Poland and other countries. It is planned to further reduce the role of coal in the region's energy sector. The main areas of consumption of hard coal are power plants and coke production. During the post-war years, the geography of coal mining changed significantly. Now it is concentrated in Great Britain (55 million tons in 1994) and Germany (62 million tons), and in these countries in the largest basins - in the Ruhr (Germany), Northumberland-Durham and South Wales (Great Britain), while Coal production in France and Belgium was greatly reduced, and in the Netherlands it was stopped. Almost 3/4 of brown coal production (285 million tons, 1994) is concentrated in Germany, another 1/5 in Greece.

Western European countries produce 1/5 electricity world, however, in this respect they lag far behind the United States due to the low development of the electric power industry in Portugal, Spain, Greece, and Ireland (although Norway ranks first in the world in electricity production per capita).

The electric power industry of Western Europe differs from the electric power industry of the United States in the higher role of hydroelectric power plants, which produce about 20% of electricity (in Norway, Sweden and Switzerland - the main type of power plants) and nuclear power plants (33%). The region's hydropower potential has already been exploited; there are many small hydroelectric power stations located in groups on mountain rivers; there are systems of relatively large hydroelectric power stations on the Rhone and its tributaries, on the Rhine, on the river. Luleelv in Sweden and the Duero river in Spain. The main part of thermal power plants are located near coal mining sites , in port areas (using imported fuel) and near big cities- large energy consumers. More than 1/3 of all nuclear power plants in the world operate in Western Europe, and in nuclear energy France dominates, second only to the United States in nuclear power capacity. Nuclear power plants have made France the first electricity exporter in the region. A dense network of power lines facilitates the widespread exchange of electricity between regions and countries.

IN modern structure manufacturing industry the main thing is the production of means of production; The latest branches of mechanical engineering and chemical industry, with the lag and stagnation of many old industries (metallurgy, shipbuilding, textile industry, etc.). Western European industry is increasingly specializing in the production of knowledge-intensive and technologically complex products. There has been a convergence of the industrial structure of Western Europe and the United States, but the “technological gap” in industry remains: in particular, the United States is far ahead of Western Europe in the production and implementation of large computers and rocket and space technology. But there are also many industries in which Western Europe is superior to the United States: the production of plastics and medicines, precision and optical instruments, shipbuilding, many types of machine tools, etc.

By volume of smelting cast iron and steel(106 and 154 million tons in 1995) Western Europe occupies a prominent place in the world (1/5 of production), however, the ferrous metallurgy (a significant part of which has been nationalized) is experiencing a severe, protracted crisis due to a drop in demand for its products both domestically and as well as on international markets. The plants' capacity is used at 50-60%. In order to overcome plight This industry is being modernized: many old factories, usually located near coal and iron ore mining, have closed. The importance of powerful plants is great full cycle, built in the 50-60s in seaports (Dunkirk, Taranto, Bremen, etc.) with the expectation of receiving imported raw materials, blast-furnace metallurgy plants and conversion electric smelting plants with large electric arc furnaces are being built. Iron ore production in the region decreased from 140-150 million tons in the 60s to 25 million tons in 1994 (Sweden - 20 million tons, France - 4 million tons), at the same time, more than 100 million tons of rich ore are imported annually from America, Africa and Australia. Ruhr coals are widely used to produce coke. The first place in metallurgy is occupied by Germany (30 million tons of cast iron and 42 million tons of steel in 1995), followed by Italy (28 million tons of steel), France and Great Britain (16-18 million tons). Large exporters of steel are Germany, France, Belgium and Luxembourg.

The non-ferrous metallurgy of Western Europe widely uses ore concentrates from Africa and America, and only its most important industry - the production of aluminum (3.3 million tons of primary metal in 1992) - relies approximately half on local raw materials: more than 2 million tons of bauxite are mined annually in Greece . The top countries in aluminum smelting are Norway (0.9 million tons) and Germany (0.6 million tons). Large-scale production of refined lead, zinc, and copper is available in Germany, Great Britain, France, and Belgium; tin - in Great Britain.

Leading industry in Western Europe - mechanical engineering, which accounts for over 1/3 of all products used in industry.

Western Europe ranks leading position V chemical industry peace; About 1/3 of all chemicals in the world are produced here and over half of their world exports are produced. After the Second World War, for many years the growth rate of the chemical industry far outpaced the development of industry as a whole. The petrochemical industry grew especially rapidly, focusing mainly on imported raw materials. Industry enterprises were built mainly near seaports. However, recently there has been a slowdown in growth rates and an increase in crisis phenomena in the petrochemical industry. Main reasons: reduction in demand for many “traditional” chemicals, structural technological restructuring of production, economic collapse hazardous industries, expansion of imports of chemicals by more low prices. Chemicals account for about 20% of the total value of industrial products in the region. Fine goods are of especially great export importance. organic synthesis. Many countries are characterized by specialization: Germany - dyes and plastics, France - synthetic rubber, Belgium - chemical fertilizers and soda production, Sweden to Norway - electrical and forest chemistry, Switzerland - pharmaceuticals, etc. In the entire chemical industry of the region, the role of Germany is especially high, followed by France and Great Britain.

Going through difficult times light industry Western Europe, at the beginning of the 20th century. occupied a dominant position in the world. One of the reasons is the loss of foreign markets due to rapid growth production of textiles, clothing and footwear in developing countries and widespread imports of these goods, especially outerwear. As a result of the chronic crisis of many industries light industry their importance in overall production decreases. Western Europe retains its primacy in the production and consumption of woolen fabrics, products of such “top floors” of light industry as furs, carpets, luxury sports equipment, expensive furniture and tableware, toys, and jewelry. Here the first producing countries are Germany and Italy. The leading exporters of all types of forest products (including paper) are Finland and Sweden.

Soil cultivation and artificial increase in the productivity of agrocenoses.

Agriculture in Western European countries is generally characterized by a high level of development, high productivity and marketability, and occupies a prominent place in world agriculture; 12-15% of grain, about 20% of meat and 30% of milk are produced here. Over the post-war three decades, technical re-equipment and intensification of agriculture led to the “washing out” of a significant part of small farms, “freed” 2/3 of workers from the land and led to an increase in the average size of farms and specialization of production, an increase in labor productivity, and an increase in the importance of agro-industrial complexes.

The growth rate of agricultural products outpaced population growth, which significantly increased the degree of self-sufficiency of the region's residents with basic food products; Moreover, since the 80s there has been a large chronic overproduction of food grains, butter, sugar, and many other products. In the 90s, only imports of tropical agricultural goods were of great importance.

In a crisis of overproduction important influence influences the development of agriculture agricultural policy EU (Green Europe plans), which absorbs about half of all Union budget expenditures. EU authorities strictly control the agricultural market and food prices, protect local production of imports of cheaper goods and stimulate the export of surplus products; The quota system is aimed at reducing the scale of production of grain, milk, sugar, and wine. Special attention is focused on improving the quality of agricultural products, production efficiency, improving the agro-industrial complex, protecting the natural environment, and using those unproductive lands that are excluded from agricultural use for forest planting, development and other purposes. Plans for European agricultural integration are difficult to implement due to conflicting interests between the largest buyers of agricultural goods (Germany, Great Britain) and their suppliers (France, the Netherlands, Denmark).

Under the influence of regional integration, the specialization of the countries' agriculture has sharply increased. It is not without reason that Italy is now called the “garden and vegetable garden”, and Denmark the “livestock farm” of a united Europe. The Netherlands occupies an outstanding place in agriculture not only in the region, but also in the world, both in terms of its level of development and the scale of export of high-quality goods (dairy products, eggs, vegetables, flowers, etc.). In terms of the total value of agricultural products, France and the united Germany are approximately equal, but France and the Netherlands are the leaders as exporters of these products to the region.

In agrarian relations and in the level of development of agriculture, its specialization and marketability, there are still large differences between countries. If in the countries of Northern and Central Europe Since the transition to large-scale commercial specialized production has largely been completed (dairy cattle breeding, pig farming and poultry farming dominate), in the south of Europe feudal remnants in agriculture still remain. Landowner latifundia are combined with small semi-subsistence farms, and there are numerous farm laborers with allotments. Here the levels of specialization and marketability of production are lower (the main thing is crop production, especially the production of vegetables and fruits), it; qualitative indicators. Everywhere great importance have agricultural cooperatives and land leases.

Socio-economic and natural factors predetermined a more clearly defined livestock-raising profile of agriculture than in the USA and Russia; crop production largely serves the needs of livestock farming. In some countries, fodder crops occupy larger areas than food crops.

The most important grain crops are wheat and barley (approximately 45 and 30% of the total grain harvest), another 12-15% of the grain comes from corn. Grain yields are on average almost 2 times higher than in the USA (more than 50 c/ha), since here the land is used more intensively and more mineral fertilizers are applied. About 1/3 of the grain harvest comes from France, the only major grain exporter in the region. Western Europe is a major producer of potatoes (the first are Germany and the Netherlands), sugar beets (France, Germany, Italy), vegetables and fruits (Italy), grapes and grape wines (France, Italy, Spain), olives (Spain, Italy), but fibrous crops (flax, cotton) occupy a modest place.

Livestock farming has a dairy and meat bias; produces twice as much milk as the US, but both regions are roughly equal in total meat production, with Western Europe differing from the US greater role pig farming and lesser importance of poultry farming. Very characteristic high productivity livestock; the average milk yield per cow in the EU is 4.2 thousand liters of milk per year, and in the Netherlands - 6.1 thousand liters. Since the market for many dairy products is more saturated, the importance of beef cattle farming is growing due primarily to the number of pigs and poultry, as well as beef production (while the demand for lamb is decreasing), but areas of purely beef cattle breeding are still not typical for Western Europe.

Western European countries annually catch 10-12 million tons of sea fish. The main fishing countries are: Norway, Denmark, Iceland.

Has long been in the life of the peoples of Western Europe great value has sea transport; it is widely used for both coastal and intercontinental transport of goods.

Tourism.

Western Europe is the main center international tourism, which attracts 2/3 of all foreign tourists in the world. The most visited areas by tourists are the Alps and the Mediterranean, which attract people due to their climate, picturesque nature, abundance of historical monuments, and solid material and technical base. More than 60 million tourists visit the Alps every year, which requires special protection measures environment. Serving tourists is an important sector of the economy of many countries, a source of receiving large sums of foreign currency, a stimulator for the construction of roads, hotels and other infrastructure for tourism, trade, and the revival of handicrafts. Serving tourists in the region employs more than 5 million people; this is the main source of income for many areas and settlements on the “economic periphery.” In terms of the number of foreign tourists and income from them, France, Spain and Italy are ahead; in the early 90s, each of these countries was visited annually by more than 30 million tourists, and revenues from foreign tourism amounted to more than $10 billion. In terms of the number of tourists and the amount of income from them per capita, Switzerland and Austria are ahead. Germany has the largest foreign exchange deficit from tourist exchanges.

Agroclimatic resources of the region determined by its position in temperate and subtropical zones. In the Mediterranean, sustainable agriculture requires artificial irrigation due to decreased rainfall in southern Europe. The most irrigated land is now in Italy and Spain.

The hydropower resources of foreign Europe are quite large, but they occur mainly in the regions of the Alps, Scandinavian and Dinaric mountains.

In the past, Western Europe was almost entirely covered with a variety of forests: taiga, mixed, deciduous and subtropical forests. But centuries-old economic use of the territory has led to the fact that natural. forests have been cleared, and secondary forests have grown in their place in some countries. Sweden and Finland have the greatest natural prerequisites for forestry, where typical forest landscapes predominate.

Western Europe also has large and diverse natural and recreational resources; 9% of its territory is classified as “protected areas”.

Natural conditions and resources of Germany.

The Baltic and Severn seas that wash Germany from the north are shallow. Lack of deep-sea natural fairways to its largest seaports- Hamburg, Bremen and others - one of the reasons for their loss competition with the largest ports of the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Italy The only port accessible to tankers with a carrying capacity of up to 250 thousand tons, Wilhelmshaven, is connected with open sea artificial fairway.

Surface The country rises mainly from north to south. According to the nature of the relief, four main elements are distinguished in it: the North German Lowland, the Central German Mountains, the pre-Alpine Bavarian Plateau and the Alps. The relief of the North German Lowland was formed under the influence of repeated marine transgressions and glaciations. The low-lying North Sea coast, subject to strong tidal influences, is protected by dikes, behind which stretches a strip of artificially drained fertile marshes. Vast swamps, now more than 9/10 drained, had a noticeable influence on the choice of railway and highway routes and on population settlement.

The Central German mountains, formed during the Hercynian folding period, are now severely destroyed. In general, the region of the Central German Mountains did not create great difficulties either for transport or for agricultural and forestry development, and the extensive forests in the past and significant resources of ore and non-metallic minerals contributed to their early check-in and economic development. The pre-Alpine Bavarian plateau extends from the Swabian and Franconian Alps to the Alps and includes the Danube valley. The relief of the southern, alpine part of the plateau is of glacial origin, rugged. The Alps enter German territory only through the leading ridges of the Northern Limestone Alps; in their middle part - the Bavarian Alps - is the highest point of the country - Mount Zugspitze (2963 m). Mountain forests, pastures, beauty and seclusion of landscapes, healing air and long duration of snow cover have become natural bases the development of mountain forestry, cattle breeding, resort business, skiing, tourism, and at the same time important factors in the development of this part of the country and attracting the population to it, especially the wealthy.

Climate Germany, located in temperate zone, - transitional from oceanic to continental. Characteristic- great weather variability due to frequent changes in oceanic and continental air masses. The severity of winters increases with distance from the softening influence of the ocean and increasing altitude above its level.



• The European region is one of the most densely populated regions on the planet. Natural resources are used very actively.
• European countries took the path of industrial development earlier than others. The impact on nature here began several centuries ago.
• Europe is a relatively small region of the planet.

Conclusion: Natural resources Europe is severely depleted.

Fuel resources

• Europe has significant natural fuel reserves.
• Large coal basins are located in Germany (Ruhr Basin), Poland (Upper Silesian Basin) and the Czech Republic (Ostrava-Karvina Basin).
• At the end of the 60s of the twentieth century, huge reserves of oil and gas were discovered at the bottom of the North Sea.
• The UK and Norway quickly became leaders in oil production, and Norway - in gas production.

Ore resources

• Europe has quite large reserves of ore.
• Iron ore is mined in Sweden (Kurina), France (Lorraine) and the Balkans.
• Copper-nickel and chromium ores are mined in Finland, bauxite in Greece and Hungary.
• In France there are large deposits uranium, and in Norway – titanium.
• There are polymetals, tin, and mercury ores in Europe.

The situation with water resources Europe is generally prosperous, with the exception of southern regions Italy, Greece and Spain

• The soils of Europe are quite fertile.
• The small area of ​​the countries and significant population explains the low security soil resources per capita.
• Almost all available areas have already been used for agriculture.

• Europe is practically devoid of forests.
• The remaining forests are mountain forests and protected areas.
• Forest areas have been preserved, mainly on the Scandinavian Peninsula.

The subsoil of foreign Europe contains many types of mineral raw materials: oil, coal and natural gas, ores of ferrous and non-ferrous metals (iron, lead, bauxite, gold, zinc, mercury), potassium salts, native sulfur, marble and other minerals. However, numerous and diverse deposits in general do not meet the region’s needs for the most important types of energy resources and metal ores. Therefore, the European economy is heavily dependent on their imports.

The European region is located in a temperate and subtropical climate zone and has temperature and moisture regimes favorable for many branches of agriculture. Mild winters and a long growing season in the middle and southern parts of the region contribute to almost year-round growing of many crops - grains, herbs, vegetables. The Atlantic part of the region is characterized by excessive moisture, and the Mediterranean countries are characterized by a lack of precipitation in summer period. The Mediterranean climate is the most favorable for human life.

Forests in foreign Europe occupy more than 20% of the territory, and in most countries (except Sweden and Finland) these are artificial tree plantations. Of all parts of the world, Europe is the most “cultured”. Only 2.8% of its territory is free from any traces of human activity.

The region has significant water resources. The Rhine, Danube, numerous rivers of the plains, as well as canals are convenient transport routes, and the rivers of Scandinavia, the Alps and other mountain systems have large hydropower potential.

In 2017, about 753.8 million people lived in Europe (excluding CIS countries) (including 100.4 million residents of the European part of Russia) or about % of the world population. This is a region of ancient settlement and development, one of the most densely populated in the world: on average about 100 people per square meter. km (more only in Asia - approximately 127 people per sq. km). From a hotbed that gave flows of emigrants to all corners of the world, Western Europe turned into a magnet for emigrants - “guest workers”, refugees, residents of former colonial empires. Germany dominates in the number of foreigners.

Foreign Europe is characterized by a very variegated ethnic composition population. Over fifty large and small nations live here. Most of them have developed in the nation, some are national minorities.

The peoples of foreign Europe speak mainly Indo-European languages linguistic family, represented here by three main groups: Germanic, Roman and Slavic. The peoples of the Germanic group, whose languages ​​have similar features, inhabit mainly the northern and central part Europe. They are divided into two subgroups: the western, in which the most numerous are the Germans, English, Dutch, Flemings, and Austrians, and the northern, which unites the Scandinavian peoples.

To the nations Romanesque group include Italians, French, Spaniards, Portuguese, Romanians.

Peoples Slavic group are represented by two subgroups: Western Slavs, which include Poles, Czechs, Slovaks, and southern Slavs inhabiting the Balkan Peninsula - Bulgarians, Serbs, Croats, Slovenes, Macedonians and Montenegrins.

In languages ​​related to Indo-European family, also spoken by the Irish, Greeks, and Albanians.

Hungarian and Finnish belong to the Uralic family of languages.

Europe is the most urbanized region in the world. In EU countries, the share of urban population ranges from 63-68% ( Southern Europe) up to 74-92% (“core” of the EU). Only in the 20th century. The area of ​​urban landscapes has increased 10 times. Within the EU alone, there are 36 millionaire cities (of which 14 are capitals). Some of the European capitals perform important international functions. In Paris, London, Geneva, Brussels, Vienna, Madrid are the headquarters of the largest international organizations, including the UN. Brussels, Strasbourg and Luxembourg are the “capitals of the EU”, where its leading bodies are located. The embodiment of urbanized Europe has become the European megalopolis - giant cluster cities stretching from Manchester and Greater London in the extreme north-west of Europe through the Dutch Ranstadt (includes the virtually merged Amsterdam - The Hague and Europort No. 1 - Rotterdam) and further through the Ruhr and Frankfurt in Germany, Paris in France all the way to Milan in the south. Due to its shape, curved from northwest to southwest, this megalopolis is called “banana”. European banana is the richest modern infrastructure megalopolis of the world. From the fast British railways and London Airport, the Eurotunnel under the English Channel, opened in 1994, leads to the continent, through which a flow of cars and high speed trains Eurostar. The journey from London to Paris, which previously took five hours, was reduced to three hours. On the continent, this line connects with the unified European network of motorways and high-speed railways.