Chapter 2: Europe

Identifying the Boundaries

Europe is a continent of large peninsulas and islands and varied landforms. It is bounded by the North Atlantic Ocean to the west, Arctic Ocean to the north, and Mediterranean Sea to the south. Its eastern boundary with Asia is more cultural than geologic but is traditionally set within western Russia at the Ural Mountains, which run north-south and are conveniently lengthy and linear. Because of its large size and distinctive history as the core of the former Soviet Union, Russia will be discussed in its own chapter (Chapter 3). Farther south, a Mediterranean extension called the Aegean Sea is separated from the inland Black Sea by a narrow waterway, which includes the Bosporus, the Sea of Marmara, and the Dardanelles, forming another traditional border with Asia that splits the nation of Turkey. The southwestern extremity of Europe is also close to North Africa; indeed, Morocco’s coast can be seen across the Strait of Gibraltar from Spain.