what is northern europe climate

Why the northern part of Europe is very cold?

The Arctic blast across Europe is partially due to a split in the polar vortex, a low-pressure zone near the North Pole that keeps cold air in polar region separate from areas further south.

What is the vegetation of northern Europe?

Representative vegetation zones include the alpine, subalpine, boreal, boreal-nemoral and nemoral zones. The majority of the forests are coniferous, predominantly Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) and Norway spruce (Picea abies), which are often mixed with broad-leaved trees such as birch (Betula spp.)

What is Northern Europe considered?

Northern Europe refers to the portion of Europe to the north of Western Europe, the English Channel, and the Baltic Sea; it also includes the Baltic republics of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. According to the United Nations Population Division, approximately 106 million people live in Northern Europe (in 2020).

What are the characteristics of Northern Europe?

The area is partly mountainous, including the northern volcanic islands of Iceland and Jan Mayen, and the mountainous western seaboard, Scotland and Scandinavia, and also often includes part of the large plain east of the Baltic sea. The entire region's climate is at least mildly affected by the Gulf Stream.

What is Europe known for?

Europe's rich agricultural and industrial diversity has made the continent a center of trade and commerce for centuries. It is centrally located between the two other “Old World” continents, Africa and Asia.

What are the 5 regions of Europe?

Contents:Eastern Europe.Western Europe.Northern Europe.Southern Europe.Central Europe.

What are people from Northern Europe called?

Northern European Northern Europe consists of the Scandinavian countries of Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Iceland, as well as Finland, the United Kingdom and Ireland. Ethnic Scandinavians, Celts, and Finns are the predominant ethnic groups in this region.

Which country are in Northern Europe?

Countries in Northern Europe: Sweden. Denmark. Finland. Norway.

How many states are in Northern Europe?

Northern Europe can be divided into three parts: Scandinavia, the British Isles, and the Baltics....The Countries of Northern Europe.CountryUnited KingdomPopulation67,886,011CapitalLondonArea (square km)242,5009 more columns•Dec 9, 2020

Where do most Northern Europe live?

Sweden is the most populated country in Northern Europe Although the northern parts of Sweden are much less populated than southern areas, the Scandinavian country is still by far the biggest in Europe with a population of 10.3 million.

What is a nickname for Europe?

Europe, itself often referred to as 'the old continent', is home to the greatest variety of country aliases. Have you ever wondered what your neighbouring country's nicknames are, and how they got them?

What do northern Europeans eat?

The traditional northern European diet generally consists of a large serving of meat, poultry, or fish, accompanied by small side dishes of vegetables and starch. The traditional diet is high in protein, primarily from meat and dairy products. The diet tends to be low in whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.

What are the main vegetation zones in Europe and Russia?

The majority of both Europe and Russia are covered with either boreal or temperate forest, which are dominated by trees. The southern regions are primarily different types of grassland, such as steppe. There is also a relatively small area of desert found in Eastern Europe and Western Russia.

What types of vegetation are found on the Scandinavian Peninsula?

Answer and Explanation: The vegetation on the Scandinavian Peninsula is comprised of many species of alpine plants including Scots pine, junipers, aspen, birch, and spruce. In addition, a variety of moss and lichen species inhabit the areas above the tree line.

Which country is in Northern Europe?

Countries in Northern Europe: Sweden. Denmark. Finland. Norway.

What are the two main vegetation types found in Russia?

Russia and the Republics have four major vegetation regions. These regions run east to west in wide strips. Moving from north to south, they are the tundra, forest, temperate grassland, and desert. the Arctic climate zone.

What is the climate of Europe?

Average annual precipitation, Europe. Most of Europe has a temperate climate, with polar climate conditions along much of its northern coast and subtropical conditions along its southern coast.

How are the climates of Europe different?

Four regional European climatic types can be loosely distinguished. However, each is characterized by much local, topographically related variation. The climate in mountainous regions, for instance, is partly determined by elevation, and a variety of climatic types may be “stacked” vertically upon a mountain. Further, the great cities of Europe—because of the scale and grouping of their buildings, their industrial activities, and the layout of their roads—create distinct local climates, including urban “heat islands” (city centres that are warmer than outlying areas) and pollution problems.

Why is Europe so changeable?

It is because of the interplay of so many different air masses that Europe experiences highly changeable weather . Winters get sharply colder eastward, but summer temperatures relate fairly closely to latitude. Northwestern Europe, including Iceland, enjoys some amelioration because of warm Gulf Stream waters of the Atlantic, which, for example, keep the Russian port of Murmansk open throughout the year.

What is the main key to Europe's climate?

As Francis Bacon, the great English Renaissance man of letters, aptly observed, “Every wind has its weather.” It is air mass circulation that provides the main key to Europe’s climate, the more so since masses of Atlantic Ocean origin can pass freely through the lowlands, except in the case of the Caledonian mountains of Norway. Polar air masses derived from areas close to Iceland and tropical masses from the Azores bring, respectively, very different conditions of temperature and humidity and produce different climatic effects as they move eastward. Continental air masses from eastern Europe have equally easy access westward. The almost continuous belt of mountains trending west-east across Europe also impedes the interchange of tropical and polar air masses.

What is the Mediterranean climate?

Mediterranean climate. The subtropical Mediterranean climate characterizes the coastlands of southern Europe, being modified inland (for example, in the Meseta Central, the Apennines, and the North Italian Plain) in response to elevation and aspect.

Why is climate important?

Climate is also an important factor in the making of soils, and regional climatic variations help determine where crops are grown commercially. The winter freeze in northern and eastern Europe is another aspect of climate, and the spring thaw, by creating floods, impedes transport and harasses farmers.

What is the climate of Iceland?

Precipitation is always adequate—indeed, abundant on high ground—and falls year-round. The greatest amount of precipitation occurs in autumn or early winter. Summers range from warm to hot depending on latitude and elevation, and the weather is changeable everywhere. The maritime climate extends across Svalbard, Iceland, the Faroes, Great Britain and Ireland, Norway, southern Sweden, western France, the Low Countries, northern Germany, and northwestern Spain.

What makes the climate of northern Europe warmer than other areas at the same latitude?

The climate of Western Europe is milder in comparison to other areas of the same latitude around the globe due to the influence of the Gulf Stream. … The Gulf Stream is nicknamed “Europe’s central heating”, because it makes Europe’s climate warmer and wetter than it would otherwise be.

Why does Western Europe have a warmer climate than other places this far north?

It was thought that Western Europe is kept warmer than it’s latitude would suggest because of the Gulf Stream, which shoots warm equatorial waters up along the eastern coast of North America and across the North Atlantic to Europe. … The cold air forms a plume just to the west of the warm water.

What factors influence the climate in northern Europe?

Northern Europe’s climate patterns are influenced by proximity to large bodies of water, as well as mountain barriers, wind patterns, and vegetation. … Other European countries rely on Norway for hydroelectric power.

Why is northern Europe warmer than Canada?

It is because most of Europe has the advantage of the warm ocean current coming north from the tropics. … There is then little interaction with colder air masses and colder ocean currents, so the overall weather in Europe is in general warmer that that seen in Alaska and Northern Canada.

Why is Europe colder than Asia?

In the northern hemisphere, air flows clockwise around a high-pressure system. The current set-up, with high pressure over Russia, means that our air is coming from the east, bringing low temperatures with it. … If the air passes over cold land, it may see little change of temperature.

Why is it that much of Europe has mild temperatures compared to world regions of similar latitude?

Why is it that much of Europe has mild temperatures compared to world regions of similar latitude? mild temperatures are caused by the moderating influence of the north atlantic drift. … Fishing villages dot Europe’s coast, and fishing boats can be found in all waters bordering the continent.

Why is the West Coast warmer?

The weather of the West Coast has 2 major influencers – the Pacific Ocean and the mountain ranges along the coast. … The water over the oceans is relatively warm. It heats up its surrounding air, resulting in warm, moist air. This air rises up over the Pacific and moves towards the land.

What is the climate of Europe?

Europe is generally characterized by a temperate climate. Most of Western Europe has an Oceanic climate, in the Köppen climate classification, featuring cool to warm summers and cool winters with frequent overcast skies. Southern Europe has a distinctively Mediterranean climate, which features warm to hot, dry summers and cool to mild winters ...

Why is the climate of Western Europe milder?

The climate of Western Europe is milder in comparison to other areas of the same latitude around the globe due to the influence of the Gulf Stream.

How much has the temperature increased in Europe?

Climate change in Europe has resulted in an increase in temperature of 1.9°C (2019) in the EU compared to pre-industrial level. According to international climate experts, global temperature rise should not exceed 2 °C to prevent the most dangerous consequences of climate change, without Co2 emissions cut that could happen before 2050. Emission reduction means development and implementation of new energy technology solutions. Some people consider that the technology revolution has already started in Europe, since the markets for renewable technology have annually grown.

How hot is Norway in January?

This difference is even larger on the northern part of the continent. The January average in Brønnøysund, Norway, is almost 15 °C warmer than the January average in Nome, Alaska, both towns are situated upwind on the west coast of the continents at 65°N, and as much as 42 °C warmer than the January average in Yakutsk which is actually slightly further south. Further south the oceanic climate of Europe compares thermally to North America, at around 48°N Rennes, France has about an equal average temperature throughout the year to Seattle, Washington, although the latter has drier summers with much wetter winters.

Where is the highest temperature recorded?

The highest extreme temperatures have been recorded in Athens with a controversial 48.0 °C (118.4 °F) and inside the southern valleys of the Iberian Peninsula, with towns such as Amareleja (Portugal) and Montoro (Spain) recording temperatures of 47.4 °C (117.3 °F) and 47.3 °C (117.1 °F) respectively.

Which country has the most tornadoes?

Tornadoes. The Netherlands has the highest average number of recorded tornadoes per area of any country in the world (more than 20, or 0.0005 per km 2 ), annually), followed by the UK (around 33, or 0.0001 per km 2 ), per year), but most are small and cause minor damage.

Where is the coldest winter in Europe?

Among the cities with a population over 100,000 people in Europe, the coldest winters are mostly found in Russia, with daily highs in winter averaging 0 °C (32 °F), while the mildest winters in the continent are in southern Portugal, southern Spain, and in coastal areas of the islands of Sicily and Crete.

What is Northern Europe?

Northern Europe is a loosely defined geographical and cultural region in Europe. Narrower definitions may describe Northern Europe as being roughly north of the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, which is about 54°N, or may be based on other geographical factors such as climate and ecology.

What is considered Northern Europe?

Historically, when Europe was dominated by the Roman Empire, everything not near the Mediterranean region was termed Northern European, including southern Germany, all of the Low Countries, and Austria.

What is the climate of Köppen?

The climate is mainly Humid continental climate (Dfb), Subarctic climate (Dfc), and Tundra (ET).

What is Eurovoc in Europe?

EuroVoc is a multilingual thesaurus maintained by the Publications Office of the European Union, giving definitions of terms for official use. In the definition of "Northern Europe", the following countries are included:

What are the main articles of Northern Europe?

Main articles: Scandinavian Peninsula, Fennoscandia, and Jutland. Northern Europe might be defined roughly to include some or all of the following areas: British Isles, Fennoscandia , the peninsula of Jutland, the Baltic plain that lies to the east and the many islands that lie offshore from mainland Northern Europe and the main European continent.

Which countries in Europe have developed economies?

Finnic (Estonia, Finland) Baltic (Latvia, Lithuania) Countries in Northern Europe generally have developed economies and some of the highest standards of living in the world. They often score highly on surveys measuring quality of life, such as the Human Development Index.

Is Greenland part of the Baltic Sea?

The area is partly mountainous, including the northern volcanic islands of Iceland and Jan Mayen, and the mountainous western seaboard, Scotland and Scandinavia, and also often includes part of the large plain east of the Baltic sea .

What Is Climate?

When referring to the precipitation (rainfall) and temperature of a certain place, scientists may use the words weather and climate. But what do these two terms mean, and how are they different?

What Is the Climate in Europe?

Though Europe is the second smallest continent, several different climate zones can be found there.

European Climate Zones

Many factors impact the type of climate a specific area will experience. One of these factors is latitude, which measures how far a specific place is from the equator. The equator receives the most direct sunlight out of anywhere in the world, so areas near the equator tend to be hotter, while areas further away from the equator tend to be cooler.

What is the maximum water temperature in Copenhagen?

The maximum water temperature in Copenhagen is 16 °C. Bathing would be very uncomfortable.

What is the average temperature in Reykjavik?

The annual average temperature in Reykjavik is 4.4 °C.

Is Northern Europe part of the holiday destination?

Northern Europe Cruises is part of the holiday destination Cruises. We analyzed the climate for additional regions, in order to provide you with information about the best time to visit and the expected holiday weather:

What are the countries of Northern Europe?

Image credit: Mikael Damkier/Shutterstock.com. Northern Europe can be divided into three parts: Scandinavia, the British Isles, and the Baltics. Finland was once part of Sweden, then Russia, before declaring independence in 1917.

What is the most northern state in Iceland?

The country, which takes up a land area of only 39,777 square miles (103,022 square km), has an estimated population of 341,243 residents. Iceland's history dates back to the 9th century and includes political alliances with neighboring countries Norway and Denmark. Iceland's capital and most populated city, Reykjavik, has the distinction of being the most northern state capital in the entire world. Reykjavik is thought to have been established in 874 AD. Today it is home to approximately 131,136 citizens.

What countries are in Scandinavia?

Map of Scandinavia including Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Iceland.

What is the population of Vilnius?

The nation's capital city, Vilnius, boasts a metropolitan population of 700,275. This northern nation is a member of various international coalitions including NATO, the European Union, and the Council of Europe.

What is Lithuania's population?

Lithuania is located in Europe's Baltic region. Formally known as the Republic of Lithuania, this country takes up an area of 25,207 square miles (65,286 square km) and has an estimated population of 2,722,289. The nation's capital city, Vilnius, boasts a metropolitan population of 700,275. This northern nation is a member of various international coalitions including NATO, the European Union, and the Council of Europe.

Where is Finland located?

Finland is located in northern Europe and sandwiched between Sweden and Russia, with Norway to its Northen border. Officially the Republic of Finland, this Nordic nation is comprised of a total land area of 150,928 square miles (390,903 square km). Its population is estimated to stand at 5,540,720 residents. Formerly a part of the Russian Empire, and before that a part of Sweden, they declared independence in 1917 and have since skillfully maintained a neutral position in many geopolitical issues in Europe. Finland's capital city Helsinki is located in the southern portion of the country and has a metropolitan population of 1,268,296 residents.

Where is Estonia located?

Estonia. Formally known as the Republic of Estonia, this Northern European nation is located on the eastern coast of the continent bordering the Baltic Sea. The country, which was formerly a part of Russia, has been a member of the European Union since 2004.

Overview

Gulf Stream

Temperature

Tornadoes

See also

Further reading