Reserves and use of natural resources in Europe. Natural resources of foreign Europe

I remember well from my school geography lessons that the bulk of mineral resources lie in central Europe. In addition, during the lesson the teacher specially focused attention on the mineral resources of the Scandinavian Peninsula - its intensive development began relatively recently, in the third quarter of the 20th century. However, the deposits in Europe are the longest developed and are approaching depletion.

Mineral resources in foreign Europe

For a long time, Europe was the “center of the world” and, accordingly, the natural resource deposits located there began to be developed a long time ago. Despite the emergence of cheaper energy sources for heating, such as gas, Europe continues to use “the old fashioned way” those resources that it is rich in and that can still be mined, for example, brown coal. The leaders in production are the following minerals:

Brown coal.
Iron ore.
Potassium salts.

The leaders in mineral extraction are, first of all, the developed countries of Central Europe, while Eastern European countries either do not have sufficient capabilities or the deposits on their territory are not very rich.

For example: the same Romanian Rompetrol is ¾ dependent and produces production with the help of foreign partners. Thus, although the mineral resources of European countries are diverse, they are not numerous and are unevenly distributed across its territory.

Mineral resources of Europe in historical perspective

Basically, Europe has always been rich in metal ores, because it is not for nothing that even the great Russian scientist M.V. Lomonosov went to Sweden to study mining.

Transition to heating system Europeans also came up with the idea of switching from wood fuel to brown coal and they still use this method. The paradox for Europe has always been that technology has developed rapidly, but the provision of resources has not kept pace with such a pace. For example, since the beginning of the century, Europeans have been using imported energy for heating. The same gas produced by the Scots on the sea shelf is not enough even for Great Britain itself.

) occupy an area of 487 million hectares, but are home to more than 30 states with a population of almost 500 million people. European countries are very heterogeneous in terms of natural conditions, the size and volume of natural resource potential.

12% of the world's fuel and energy potential is concentrated in the depths of Europe, including 20% of the world's fossil coal reserves; large reserves of metal ores (mercury, lead, zinc and others), native sulfur, potassium salts and a number of other types of minerals. But almost all European countries depend to one degree or another on the import of raw materials, especially fuel and energy.

A variety of mineral resources are concentrated in the depths of foreign Europe. Some types of mineral raw materials form quite large concentrations and can fully meet the needs of the pan-European economy (fossil coals, natural gas, mercury, lead-zinc ores, potassium salts, graphite, etc.). However, most of the mineral resources in Europe are quantitatively insignificant and among them are oil, manganese and nickel ores, chromites, and phosphorites. Therefore, Europe imports large quantities of iron and manganese ores, tin, nickel, uranium concentrates, copper, tungsten and molybdenum, bauxite, and oil. The need for mineral raw materials for European industry continues to grow steadily, although the scale of European consumption and processing of minerals far exceeds its specific raw material supply.

Europe as a whole concentrates in its depths about 1/5 of the world's coal reserves, significant resources natural gas, but Italy, Sweden, France, Spain, Switzerland are either completely deprived of these types of fuel or are insufficiently supplied with them. Great Britain is forced to import bauxite and non-ferrous metal ores; Germany – iron ore, natural gas, oil.

The territory of Europe has favorable climatic resources for growing many crops. In Europe, it is possible to grow a wide range of temperate and subtropical crops: early ripening grains, vegetables and grass mixtures in the north, and olives, citrus fruits and even cotton in the south.

Europe's land area (excluding water bodies) is small - 473 million hectares, of which 30% (140 million hectares) is arable, 18% (84 million hectares) is grazed, 33% (157 million hectares) is forested, and the rest is 92 million hectares (19%) – occupied by settlements, transport routes, mining, rocky outcrops, glaciers.

The modern structure of using the land fund of Europe has evolved over many centuries, so it reflects the features historical development economy of this part of the world.

Agricultural development of the territory in the north, center and south of Europe differs significantly. The highest coefficient of agricultural use (CUI) is in Romania, Poland, Hungary, eastern Germany, Denmark - more than 80%. In the west of Central Europe there is less arable land: in the west of Germany and France - 50%, in Great Britain - 40, in Ireland - only 17% of the agricultural fund. In the subtropical south, where there are few plains, arable lands occupy only 1/3 of the land used in agriculture. For example, in Italy, plantations occupy up to 17% of all agricultural land, in Spain - 16%, in Portugal - 14%.

There are few reserves for expanding the area of arable land in foreign Europe; according to an FAO survey, only 6 million hectares.

Natural water is one of the most important and scarce natural resources in Europe. Population and various industries Farms use huge volumes of water, and water consumption continues to increase. Qualitative deterioration of water, caused by uncontrolled or poorly controlled economic use, is the main problem in modern water use in Europe.

The total reserves of water concentrated on the surface or in the depths of Europe are quite significant: their volume approaches 1,600 thousand cubic kilometers.

The modern economy of European countries annually withdraws from water sources for industrial needs, Agriculture and for water supply settlements about 360 cubic kilometers clean waters. The demand for water and water consumption is steadily increasing as the population grows and the economy develops. According to calculations, at the beginning of the 20th century alone, industrial water consumption increased 18 times in Europe, significantly outpacing the growth rate of gross national product production.

European countries have a fairly high agro-natural potential, as they are located in temperate and subtropical geographical zones and have favorable thermal resources and moisture availability. But the increased population density characteristic of Europe in all historical eras contributed to the long-standing and intensive use natural resources. Low fertility prompted Europeans to pay attention to the development in various ways improving soils and raising their natural fertility. It was in Europe that the practice of artificial enhancement was born chemical composition soil cover using organic and mineral fertilizers, options for crop rotation systems and other agrotechnical measures were developed.

Forests cover 157.2 million hectares in foreign Europe, or 33% of its territory. On average, every European has 0.3 hectares of forest (in the world this norm is 1.2 hectares). The long history of economic development of European lands was accompanied by intensive deforestation. There are almost no forests left untouched by economic activity in Europe.

There are 138 million hectares of exploited forests in Europe with an annual increase of 452 million cubic meters. They perform not only production, but also environmental protection functions. According to FAO and UNECE forecasts, forest production in Europe in 2000 will reach 443 million cubic meters.

Europe is the only part of the world where forest cover has been increasing in recent decades. And this happens despite high density population and a severe shortage of productive land. The need, long recognized by Europeans, to protect their very limited land resources and fertile soils from erosional destruction and to regulate flood flow was expressed in the fact that the environmental protection functions of forest plantations were overestimated. Therefore, the soil and water conservation role of the forest and its recreational value have increased immeasurably in importance.

Europe has a dense water transport network (navigable sections of rivers and canals) with a total length of over 47 thousand kilometers. The network of waterways reached almost 9 thousand kilometers in France, more than 6 thousand kilometers in Germany, 4 thousand kilometers in Poland, and 6.6 thousand kilometers in Finland.

The largest river in Europe is the Danube; it crosses the territory of eight countries and annually transports over 50 million tons of cargo. Its drainage basin is climatically and morphologically complex. The most difficult section of the Danube in the Carpathian breakthrough area was the most difficult to pass. In the early 70s, the Djerdap complex hydroelectric complex (a dam, two hydroelectric power stations and shipping locks) was built, which improved the transport capabilities of the river.

The Rhine River, crossing the territory of five countries, is the main transport artery Western Europe. The Rhine and its tributaries pass through large industrial centers of Germany (North Rhine-Westphalia, Frankfurt am Main, etc.), France, Switzerland, so cargo transportation along the river exceeds 100 million tons per year.

There is a trans-European system of shipping canals connecting the rivers of the Central European Plain - the Bug, Vistula, Odra, Elbe, Weser.

The unity and integrity of the Western European region are determined by a common cultural and civilizational idea, adherence to 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 by seas on three sides, and only in the east there is a wide front of 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 heavily dependent on their imports.

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 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 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, had low fertility. In the process of centuries of their use, their quality has been significantly improved. It was in Europe that, for the first time in the world, a system of artificially improving the chemical composition of soils with the help of organic and chemical fertilizers was introduced.

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 hydropower 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. Cultural landscapes predominate, but degradation is also evident natural environment; ecological 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, the 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), and 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 deposits at the bottom North Sea(UK and Norwegian sectors); proven oil reserves - 2.8 billion tons, gas - 6 trillion m 3.

In general, Western Europe is provided with 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 energy policy of the EU and individual countries is saving and more efficient use of energy, expanding their own energy base through oil and gas production in the North Sea and especially 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. The implementation of the 1984 “deal of the century” on the supply of gas from Russia (USSR) to Western Europe is important for meeting the region’s needs for natural gas. 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 unit costs coke in iron smelting, reduction in industrial gas production, competition from 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 large cities - large consumers of energy. More than 1/3 of all nuclear power plants in the world operate in Western Europe, and France dominates in nuclear energy, 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 a 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 the difficult situation, this industry is modernizing: many old factories, usually located near coal and iron ore mining, are 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 occupies a leading position in 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. The main reasons: reduction in demand for many “traditional” chemicals, structural technological restructuring of production, curtailment of economically harmful production, expansion of imports of chemicals at higher prices. low prices. Chemicals account for about 20% of the total value of industrial products in the region. Fine organic synthesis products are of especially great export importance. 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 in many branches of light industry, their importance in overall production is falling. 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 dishes, toys, 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, the EU agricultural policy (Green Europe plans), which absorbs about half of all Union budget expenditures, has an important influence on the development of agriculture. 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. Particular attention is paid to 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.). By total cost France and the united Germany are approximately equal in agricultural products, but France and the Netherlands are in the lead 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 the transition to large-scale commercial specialized production has largely been completed (dairy cattle breeding, pig farming and poultry farming dominate), then 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. Agricultural cooperation and land leasing are of great importance everywhere.

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 large areas than food.

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 general production meat, both regions are approximately equal, with Western Europe differing from the United States in the greater role of pig farming and the lesser importance of poultry farming. Characterized by very high livestock productivity; 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.

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

Tourism.

Western Europe is the main center of international tourism, attracting 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 the 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. The lack of deep-water natural fairways to its largest seaports - Hamburg, Bremen and others - is one of the reasons for their loss in 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 is Wilhelmshaven, connected to the open sea by an 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 settlement 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 the natural basis for 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 people to it , especially the wealthy.

Climate Germany, located in the temperate zone, is 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.

Natural conditions. Western Europe is widely represented by lowlands, rolling plains and young high mountains of 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 North Scottish Highlands, etc.. The Alps are the highest mountains in Europe, their length is 1200 km, width - up to 260 km. Folded structure The Alps were created primarily 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 high-water relief and modern glaciation (up to 1,200 glaciers with a total area of more than 4,000 km2). Glaciers and eternal snows drop to 2500-3200 m. The mountains are cut into valleys, inhabited and developed by people, and passes are laid through railways and highways.

Lowland areas are located mainly in coastal areas. The largest lowlands are the North German, Pivnichnopolska, 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°C, the warmest month is +18°.. +20°C. 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. Largest rivers- 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 very rugged coastline, significant depth, elongated shape. There are many such lakes in Switzerland: Geneva, Zurich, Constance, Neuchâtelske, Tunsk, Lago Maggiore, etc.. In the Alps and mountains of the British Isles there are small lakes in cirques. Ireland is particularly rich in peatlands.

Natural resources. The uplands of Western Europe in the past had a high potential for mineral raw materials, but due to prolonged industrial use they have been significantly depleted.

The region accounts for more than ¼ of Europe's coal reserves. 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. Brown coal is found in the Federal Republic of Germany (Germany) - the Cologne basin and Saxony.

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

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 Pyrenees 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 areas of forests 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.

Agro-climatic and land resources are favorable for farming. 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 their 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 very rich and diverse: from the Alps, the highest mountains of Europe, to the lowest lowlands in Europe, the Netherlands, from the subtropical Mediterranean of France to the cool and humid Ireland. The region has a large recreational and tourist area. Attractive areas are Cote d'Azur in France, the Alps, the Thuringian Forest, etc.

In the countries of the region, the 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.

Diversity natural conditions and resources in various areas of the region led to the formation various types economic activity, and, accordingly, their certain specialization.

General assessment of Europe's natural conditions and resources

The natural conditions of European countries are generally favorable for life and production activities person. There are no giant ones here mountain ranges, separating countries, areas that are too dry or cold, limiting the distribution of the population.

Relief

Based on the nature of the relief, Europe is divided into mountainous and flat. The largest plains are Central European and Eastern European. They are densely populated and developed.

The south of Europe is occupied by young rock formations with seismic activity. Mountain systems such as the Pyrenees, Alps, Apennines, Carpathians, and Balkans rose here. But they do not pose any significant obstacles or difficulties for mastering. In the north are the old Scandinavian mountains, destroyed by time. They are the same age as the Ural Mountains. In the center of Europe there are also old mountain structures (Tatras, Harz, etc.), united in the Central European mountain belt. Old forges are also located in the north of the British Isles (Northern Scotland).

Note 1

In general, the relief is favorable for human life and economic activity. But if environmental protection measures are ignored, erosion processes can develop.

Climate

Europe is located in subarctic, temperate and subtropical climate zones. Most of the region is in a temperate climate. Favorable ones prevail here temperature regime and humidification mode. In the north (Arctic islands and northern Scandinavia) there is a lack of heat. Therefore, farming is developing in closed ground. On the Mediterranean coast, on the contrary, there is enough heat, but there is a lack of moisture. Therefore, heat-loving and drought-resistant plants are cultivated here.

Minerals

The mineral resources of Europe are very diverse. They served as the basis for economic power European countries. But over the past centuries the deposits have been greatly depleted. Many countries import raw materials from other regions.

Oil and gas fields are confined to the outskirts of the platform and shelf zones. In addition to Russia, the UK, Norway, the Netherlands and Romania are actively producing oil and gas.

The Carboniferous Belt stretches across Europe from Great Britain to Ukraine. Pools with unique coal quality are:

Donbass (Ukraine, Russia),
Upper Silesian (Poland),
Ruhrsky (Germany),
Ostravo-Karvinsky (Czech Republic).

Germany ranks first in the world in brown coal production. In addition, its deposits are found in Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Bulgaria.

The ore resources of Europe are confined to the foundations of ancient platforms. After Russia, Ukraine and Sweden can boast of rich iron ore deposits. The iron ore basins of France, Great Britain and Poland are severely depleted. Ukraine ranks first in the world in the production of manganese ores.

The south of Europe is rich in non-ferrous metal ores. Copper and nickel ores, bauxite, and mercury ores are mined here. The Lublin copper ore basin (Poland) is considered the most powerful in Europe.

There are uranium ore deposits in Sweden and France. Germany, Belarus, Ukraine are rich in potassium salts, Poland is rich in sulfur, and the Czech Republic is rich in graphite.

Land and forest resources

Europe is rich land resources. The best soil fertility indicators, chernozems, are found in Ukraine, Hungary and southern Russia. Most of Central Europe is covered with brown forest soils. On the coast Mediterranean Sea brown soils are formed. In the north of the region there are soddy-podzolic soils that require intensive reclamation.

The forest resources of the region have been quite depleted over centuries of use. The territories of Finland, Sweden, Austria, Belarus, and the northern part of Poland remain forested areas.