E-Book Overview
A distinguished team of Western European scholars has written an advanced, full-length physical geography designed to be a state-of-the-art evaluation of the physical environment of Western Europe, being both retrospective and prospective in its perception of environmental change. The unique natural and regional environments of Western Europe are discussed, as well as the physical geographic framework of the region. Particular emphasis is placed on the impact and responses of human society on the physical environment of the region which is characterized by a very high population density. As an enhanced reference work it will be of enduring value.
E-Book Content
The Physical Geography of Western Europe
THE OXFORD REGIONAL ENVIRONMENTS SERIES PUBLISHED
The Physical Geography of Africa edited by William M. Adams, Andrew S. Goudie, and Antony R. Orme The Physical Geography of North America edited by Antony R. Orme The Physical Geography of Northern Eurasia edited by Maria Shahgedanova The Physical Geography of Southeast Asia edited by Avijit Gupta The Physical Geography of Fennoscandia edited by Matti Seppälä FORTHCOMING
The Physical Geography of South America edited by Tom Veblen, Kenneth Young, and Antony R. Orme The Physical Geography of the Mediterranean Basin edited by Jamie Woodward
The Physical Geography of Western Europe edited by
Eduard A. Koster
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Great Clarendon Street, Oxford ox2 6dp Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide in Oxford New York Auckland Cape Town Dar es Salaam Hong Kong Karachi Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Nairobi New Delhi Shanghai Taipei Toronto With offices in Argentina Austria Brazil Chile Czech Republic France Greece Guatemala Hungary Italy Japan South Korea Poland Portugal Singapore Switzerland Thailand Turkey Ukraine Vietnam Oxford is a registered trade mark of Oxford University Press in the UK and in certain other countries Published in the United States by Oxford University Press Inc., New York © Oxford University Press 2005 The moral rights of the author have been asserted Database right Oxford University Press (maker) First published 2005 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of Oxford University Press, or as expressly permitted by law, or under terms agreed with the appropriate reprographics rights organization. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside the scope of the above should be sent to the Rights Department, Oxford University Press, at the address above You must not circulate this book in any other binding or cover and you must impose this same condition on any acquirer British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Data available Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Data available ISBN 0-19-927775-3 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Typeset by Graphicraft Limited, Hong Kong Printed in Great Britain on acid-free paper by Antony Rowe Ltd., Chippenham, Wilts
Foreword The Physical Geography of Western Europe is the sixth in a series of advanced books that is being published by Oxford University Press under the rubric of Oxford Regional Environments. The aim of the series is to provide a durable statement of physical conditions on each of the continents, or major regions within those continents. Each volume includes a discussion of the systematic framework of the region (for instance, tectonism, climate, biogeography), followed by an evaluation of dominant environments (such as mountains, forests, and deserts) and their linkages, and concludes with a consideration of the main environmental issues related to the