Euoplocephalus could swing its tail with a
great deal of force. Like most other
dinosaurs, Euoplocephalus reproduced by
laying eggs.
Euphrates River
Together with the Tigris River, the
Euphrates forms a great river system of
southwestern Asia. The land between
these two rivers is known as
Mesopotamia. Some of the world’s
oldest civilizations—Sumer, Akkad,
Babylonia, and Assyria—were
established there thousands of years ago.
The Euphrates is the longest river in
southwestern Asia. It is about 1,700
miles (2,700 kilometers) long. It begins
in the mountains of eastern Turkey. It
flows southeast through northern Syria
and Iraq. The Euphrates runs alongside
the Tigris until the two merge in southeastern
Iraq. Together they form a river
called the Shatt Al-!Arab. The Shatt
Al-!Arab flows into the Persian Gulf.
The Euphrates has two flood periods.
One is caused by rains from November
to March. The other is in April and May
when the snow melts in the mountains
in Turkey. But because the land it flows
through is very dry, the Euphrates loses
much water through evaporation.
The climate along the Euphrates is one
of cold in the winter and extreme heat
in the summer. Temperatures may fall
below freezing in the winter in the
higher areas. They may be as high as
140° F (60° C) during summer days in
the lower areas.
The Euphrates makes the region livable
despite the harsh climate.Water from
the river is used for irrigation (artificial
watering) of farmland along the riverbanks.
People have built many canals to
bring water from the river to the fields.
Farmers grow grapevines, olives,
tobacco, and grains. They also grow
dates and other fruits. In fact, Mesopotamia
has always been known for its
date palms. The Euphrates also provides
fish, which are another source of food
for the region.
#More to explore
Irrigation • Mesopotamia • Tigris River
A fisherman casts his net into the Euphrates
River in Iraq.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Euphrates River 159
Europe
Europe is the second smallest of the
world’s seven continents. Nevertheless
Europe has more people than any other
continent except Asia and Africa.
Land and Climate
Europe has scarcely any desert, and a
greater proportion of its land is suitable
for farming than in any other continent.
More than half the land—including
much of western and eastern Europe—
consists of fairly flat, low plains. In parts
of northern Europe glaciers have created
a rocky landscape. Southern Europe
occupies land that juts into the Mediterranean
Sea.
Europe’s highest mountains are found in
the south. The rugged Alps dominate
south-central Europe, while the Pyrenees
form a high barrier between Spain and
France. Europe’s eastern boundary is
formed by the low Ural Mountains,
which stretch through Russia from
north to south. (Western Russia is part
of Europe, while eastern Russia lies in
Asia.)
Europe has many rivers but few large
lakes. The major rivers include the
Rhine, Seine, and Rhone in the west,
the Po in the south, and the Danube,
Elbe, Oder, Vistula, Volga, and Don in
the center and east.
Most of western Europe has a moist and
moderate climate, while eastern Europe
has cold winters and hot summers, especially
in the southeast. The winter can
160 Europe BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Europe 161
be long and very cold in the far north.
The countries near the Mediterranean
Sea have hot, dry summers and mild
winters.
Plants and Animals
Evergreen forests of pine, spruce, fir, and
larch grow in parts of the north and
northeast. In the southeast lie areas of
grassland. Plants that do not need much
water, such as olive and cypress trees,
grow in the Mediterranean region. The
rest of Europe was once a vast forest, but
most of it is now gone. Over the centuries
people chopped down trees to make
room for farming and other human
activities.
Many large animals—even lions—once
roamed Europe but have disappeared
because of human activity. The gray wolf
and beaver now survive only in a few
remote areas, and the range of the European
bison also has been much reduced.
Northern Europe is home to reindeer.
People
Most Europeans are descended from
other Europeans, though some Europeans
are of African or Asian ancestry. The
vast majority of the people speak either a
Romance language (such as French,
Spanish, and Italian), a Germanic language
(such as German, English, and the
Scandinavian languages), or a Slavic
language (such as Russian, Polish, and
Czech).
Some form of Christianity is the main
religion in almost every European country.
Most Italians, Spaniards, Portuguese,
French, Austrians, Hungarians, Poles,
and Belgians are Roman Catholic. Protestantism
is the main religion in Scandinavia,
the United Kingdom, and The
Netherlands. Eastern Orthodox Chris-
There are many fjords in Norway, which is in northern Europe. Fjords are long, narrow
arms of the sea.
Spanish girls in traditional dresses pose for
a photograph in Sevilla, Spain. Spain is on
the western edge of Europe.
162 Europe BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
tians live in Greece, Russia, and other
eastern and southern countries. Jews live
