page_title: Geography of Europe
section_title: Mountain ranges
hierarchical_section_title: Geography of Europe / Mountain ranges
caption_attribution_description: English: Liqeni i Madh, the largest lake of Buni Jezerce glacial through, Bjeshket e Namuna range, Albania
context_page_description: Europe is traditionally defined as one of seven continents. Physiographically, it is the northwestern peninsula of the larger landmass known as Eurasia; Asia occupies the eastern bulk of this continuous landmass and all share a common continental shelf. Europe's eastern frontier is delineated by the Ural Mountains in Russia. The southeast boundary with Asia is not universally defined, but the modern definition is generally the Ural River or, less commonly, the Emba River. The boundary continues to the Caspian Sea, the crest of the Caucasus Mountains, and on to the Black Sea. The Bosporus, the Sea of Marmara, and the Dardanelles conclude the Asian boundary. The Mediterranean Sea to the south separates Europe from Africa. The western boundary is the Atlantic Ocean. Iceland, though on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and nearer to Greenland than Mainland Europe, is generally included in Europe for cultural reasons and because it is over twice as close to mainland Europe as mainland North America. There is ongoing debate on where the geographical centre of Europe falls.
context_section_description: Some of Europe's major mountain ranges are:
  Alps, in Central Western Europe
  Western Alps
  Eastern Alps
  Southern Alps
  Northern Alps
  Apennines, which run through Italy
  Baetic System, Spain, Iberian Peninsula
  Balkan Mountains, mainly Bulgaria, central Balkan Peninsula
  Sredna Gora Mountain range in central Bulgaria, situated south of and parallel to the Balkan Mountains
  Bohemian and other Variscan massifs (pre-Alpine mountain ranges) - Jura Mountains, Vosges, Palatinate Forest, Black Forest, Ore Mountains, Sudetes
  Cantabrian Mountains, which run across northern Spain
  Carpathian Mountains, a major mountain range in Central and Southern Europe
  Southern Carpathians, Romania
  Tatra Mountains, Slovakia and Poland
  Caucasus Mountains, which also separate Europe and Asia
  Crimean Mountains
  Dinaric Alps, a mountain range in the Balkans
  Pindus Mountains, Albania and Greece
  Pyrenees, the natural border between France and Spain
  Rila-Rhodope mountain system composed by massifs, including Pirin Mountain and Osogovo-Belasitsa mountain chain, mainly Bulgaria
  Šar-Korab-Jakupica-Baba-Kajmakčalan-Olympus, Albania, Northern Macedonia and Greece
  Scandinavian Mountains, a mountain range which runs through the Scandinavian Peninsula, includes the Kjølen mountains
  Scottish Highlands (including the Cairngorms) in the United Kingdom.
  Sierra Morena, Spain
  Sistema Ibérico, Spain
  Sistema Central, Spain
  Ural Mountains, which form the boundary between Europe and Asia
  Land area in different classes of European mountainous terrain (classification from UNEP-WCMC):
caption: Maja Jezercë in Albania at 2,694m high is the highest peak of the Dinaric Alps.
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