Hey explorers, Bryan here. Would I be able to interest you in dramatic snow-capped mountains,
a single country with one new glacier for you to visit every day for nearly five years,
or a picnic on a serene lake dotted with castles? Or, maybe you want to stay inside.
Well guess what, we've got you covered with these ridiculously beautiful caves for you to enjoy.
Our objective is to be able to identify the countries of Central Europe and their land
characteristics, bodies of water, and climate. Now, let's pack our skis and head on over.
Location- Central Europe consists of eight countries: Germany, Switzerland,
Austria, Hungary, Liechtenstein, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Slovenia.
As you can likely guess from the name, Central Europe is in, wait for it, the center of Europe.
That will definitely be on the test by the way. Its natural borders in the north are
two large bodies of water, the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, both branches of the Atlantic Ocean.
The southern border is formed by the Italian Peninsula. Towards the southeast,
the region stretches to the Adriatic Sea and Balkan Peninsula. Now, let's get into the details.
The land- If there's one striking feature of Central Europe, no doubt about it, it's the Alps.
This spectacular mountain range stretches for 750 miles through five countries in the region. So,
let's hop aboard the Alps Express and visit these countries. The outline of the alps takes the shape
of dramatic peaks that can be seen for miles and miles. In Southern Germany's Bavarian Alps,
Zugspitze stretches to nearly 10,000 feet to form the highest point in the country. Look
around and you'll see the snow falling on castles that look straight out of a fairy tale. While the
Alps characterize Southern Germany, there's a lot more to the largest country in Central Europe.
At 137,988 square miles, Germany is close to four times the size of the second-largest country in
central Europe, Hungary. And it's just a little smaller than the state of Montana.
Moving west, and away from the Alps, you can find the famous Black Forest Region.
This small rural mountainous area borders France and Switzerland and is known,
of course, for its deep forest and picturesque hills.
In Central Germany, the land is dotted with forests and the Ore Mountains,
modest when compared to the Alps, in an area called the Central Uplands. The topography
flattens out as we move into the North German Plain. This level, sandy area, features a network
of waterways that lead into the North Sea in the northwest and the Baltic Sea in the northeast.
One river that is synonymous with Germany is the Rhine. One of the most important
shipping waterways in the world, it flows for over 750 miles through major German cities
into Austria to the south and the Netherlands in the north. The Rhine carves dramatic gorges
into hilly Central Germany, and along with the Elb River, are vital conduits for shipping.
Now, let's move south of Germany to the country that is probably most closely linked with the
Alps, Switzerland. It's not just a land of yodelers and alphorns echoing through
the mountains, it's really quite modern. The mountains-That is one Swiss supposition that lives
up to the billing. The Alps and the Jura Mountains insulate Switzerland from the rest of Central
Europe. Switzerland has 208 mountain peaks that surpass 3,000 meters or approximately 10,000 feet.
The legendary Matterhorn rises to 14,692 feet. And Switzerland also has 1,800 glaciers;
however, these glaciers have lost a significant amount of volume over the 2010s.
The melting of glaciers directly contributes to another hallmark of the Swiss landscape, Lakes.
The country features over 600 miles of lake shoreline spread over 1,500 lakes; over a thousand
of which have been caused by glacial melt since 1850. The massive Lake Geneva is the largest body
of water in this landlocked country and occupies 224 spectacular square miles on the French border.
Directly east of Switzerland, across the Rhine, is the tiny country of Liechtenstein; by far the
smallest in the region. At just 62 square miles, you could fit 2,225 Liechtenstein's into Germany.
It's only one of two doubly landlocked countries in the world, meaning that it's a landlocked
country surrounded entirely by landlocked countries. And surprise, it's mostly mountainous.
The Alps ramble through Liechtenstein and east into Austria where the mountain range
occupies 62 percent of the country, making many parts uninhabitable, but totally beautiful.
Slovenia, directly south of Austria, is the final stop on the Alps Express.
Here, the Julian Alps form the northwestern border of the country.
Nearby is the stunning Lake Bled, a hot spot for tourism. But, Slovenia has a surprise for
you. Go to the far southwest corner and you'll find 30 miles of coastline on the Adriatic Sea,
an arm of the Mediterranean. Pretty cool little place Slovenia is.
Moving north and east, the Alps open up to a vast space filled with fertile land.
And just as fertile land is perfect for producing food when you're feeling hungry,
it's also perfect for a country called Hungary. Nearly 49% of this landlocked flat country west of
Austria and Slovenia is arable land, or able to be farmed, the sixth-highest percentage in the world.
The Danube River passes through ten countries, most of any river in the world, but may be most
famous for flowing through the center of the capital city, Budapest. North of Hungary and
across the Danube is Slovakia, another landlocked country. Here, the northern part features the
striking Tatra Mountains on the border of Poland. And if you prefer to stay inside while still being
outside, Slovakia contains over 2,400 caves, including the remarkable Dobsina Ice Cave.
Northwest of Slovakia is the Czech Republic, also known as Czechia.
Until 1993, Slovakia and the Czech Republic were unified as a single country,
Czechoslovakia. Now, the countries operate independently. The Czech Republic features
low hills and plateaus along with the Bohemian Forest on the border of Germany.
The famed Vltava River meanders through its main city, Prague, and into smaller villages.
Climate- Central Europe is affected by the exchange of maritime,
also known as Oceanic and continental climates, and has a transitional climate between the two.
In Northern Germany, the weather is highly variable as winds off the Atlantic Ocean
collide with cold air from Northern Europe. During cool periods, this maritime region can be overcast
for weeks at a time. This spreads south into Czechia, which despite being landlocked,
leans toward a maritime climate. As you can guess, snow usually accompanies high alpine peaks,
as precipitation increases with altitude. In the valleys of the Alps exists a mainly continental
climate with four distinct seasons; which you will also find in flatter Hungary and Slovakia.
Slovenia's weather patterns are continental inland but Mediterranean near the sea.
In Switzerland's central plateau, or Mittelland, the cold, dry, beast wind brings sun in the summer
and freezing temperatures in winter. Meanwhile, the intense Foehn wind blows from the south and
over the Alps in spring to bring warm weather. So, that does it for the physical features of
Central Europe. Did anything "peak" your interest about visiting the Alps? A pretty Swiss cheesy
joke, I know. Plenty of "holes to poke" in our humor. Okay, okay, I'll stop there. We'll slice
into food and the rest of Central European culture in another video. Until then, keep exploring!
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