Europe is a highly fragmented landmass consisting of a number of large peninsulas, such as the Scandinavian, Iberian, and Italian, as well as smaller ones, such as the Kola,
Jutland, and
Brittany. It also includes a large number of offshore islands, notably Iceland, the British Isles,
Sardinia,
Sicily, and
Crete (Kríti). Europe has coastlines on arms of the
Arctic Ocean and on the
North Sea and the
Baltic Sea, in the north; on the Caspian Sea, in the southeast; on the
Black Sea and the
Mediterranean Sea, in the south; and on the
Atlantic Ocean, in the west. The highest point of the continent is
El’brus (5,642 m/18,510 ft), in the Caucasus Mountains in southwestern Russia. The lowest point of Europe is located along the northern shore of the Caspian Sea, 28 m (92 ft) below sea level.
Caucasus Mountains
