Q1.
Observe the area covered by the European Plain. Now turn to the political map of the world at the end of this textbook. List the countries that are part of the European Plain (you need not memorise them).
Answer
On Fig. 1.19 the label EUROPEAN PLAIN sweeps in a curve from the North Sea coast in the west right across to the Ural Mountains in the east, widening as it goes. Matching that green belt against the political map gives, from west to east:
| Part of the plain | Countries it crosses |
|---|---|
| Western end, along the North Sea | Northern France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark |
| Central section, along the Baltic | Northern Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia |
| Eastern section, the widest part | Belarus, Ukraine, and above all western Russia, right up to the Urals; the plain fades into the dry lands of northern Kazakhstan near the Caspian Sea |
Your list may differ a little at the edges — a plain has no sharp border, and the map’s green shades into brown gradually. Any list with the countries above at its core is correct.
Why it happens: the plain is one continuous low, flat surface built up by sediment deposition over a very long time, so it pays no attention to national borders — it simply runs on until higher ground stops it. Look at what stops it on Fig. 1.19: the Alps and the Carpathians to the south, the Urals to the east, and the sea to the north and west. That is why the plain is broadly triangular, narrow in the west and very wide in the east.
Did you know? Because it is flat, fertile and open, the same plain that grows Europe’s wheat, barley, rye and potatoes and carries its rivers and railways has also been the ground for major battles, with many rulers jostling to control it. Flat land is easy to farm — and easy to march an army across.