European Union - Geography
|
|
Location
|
| Europe between the North Atlantic Ocean in the west and Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine to the east |
|
Map references
|
| Europe |
|
Area
|
|
|
Area - comparative
|
| less than one-half the size of the US |
|
Land boundaries
|
|
|
Coastline
|
| 65,992.9 km |
|
Maritime claims
|
| NA |
|
Climate
|
| cold temperate; potentially subarctic in the north to temperate; mild wet winters; hot dry summers in the south |
|
Terrain
|
| fairly flat along the Baltic and Atlantic coast; mountainous in the central and southern areas |
|
Elevation extremes
|
|
|
Natural resources
|
| iron ore, natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, lead, zinc, bauxite, uranium, potash, salt, hydropower, arable land, timber, fish |
|
Land use
|
|
|
Irrigated land
|
| 168,050 sq km (2003 est.) |
|
Natural hazards
|
| flooding along coasts; avalanches in mountainous area; earthquakes in the south; volcanic eruptions in Italy; periodic droughts in Spain; ice floes in the Baltic |
|
Environment - current issues
|
| NA |
|
Environment - international agreements
|
|