Europe

Chapters 12-14

Large Peninsula

• Europe is a peninsula and a few islands.• Northern peninsulas: – Scandinavian Peninsula • Includes Norway and Sweden

– Glaciers carved out this peninsula and the carvings are called fjords.

– Jutland Peninsula• Includes Denmark, and some of Germany

– Rolling hills, and low lying swamps

More Peninsulas

• Southern Peninsulas– Iberian Peninsula

• Includes Spain and Portugal– Rocky landscape from the Pyrenees Mountains

– Italian Peninsula• Includes Italy

– Boot-shaped and extends to the Mediterranean Sea

– Balkan Peninsula• Bordered by three seas (Adriatic, Mediterranean, and

Aegean)– Very mountainous

Islands

• Many islands located in North Sea and Mediterranean Sea.– Great Britain, Ireland, Greenland, Iceland– Corsica, Sicily, Sardinia, and Crete

• Islands are very dependent on trades.

Mountains and Uplands

• These features can be viewed as walls because they separate groups of people, goods, and ideas from moving freely

• Mountain Chains: Alps, Pyrenees, Apennine, Balkans

• Uplands= very low mountains or hills.– Kjolen (Churlen) Mountains, Scotland, Brittany,

France, Meseta plateau in Spain

Rivers

• Europe’s oldest way of transporting goods and people.

• Danube and Rhine are the largest rivers in Europe.

• Most European rivers are large enough for ships to travel – Makes transporting goods easy

Fertile Plains

• One of the most fertile areas of the world is the Northern European Plain.– Includes: France, Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark,

Germany, and Poland.• Great for agriculture– Very flat and good soil

• Bad for defending– Armies have traveled this route for centuries.

Resources

• Europe has an abundance of coal and iron ore.– Used in industry– Used to produce steel– Areas high in these resources have high pollution

levels.• Oil and Natural gas were found in 1959 in the

North Sea floor.– United Kingdom and Denmark pump lots of oil.

Resources

• About 33% of European lands are good for farming.– World average is 11%

• Grains, grapes, and olives are their top crops.– Also harvest timber and cork

• Resources shape the culture of Europe.– What people eat, jobs, places they live.

European Climate

• A marine west coast climate exists in much of Europe.– Warmer summers, and cool winters.– Caused by the North Atlantic Drift

• Warm waters coming from the tropics northward.• No mountains on the west coast to block winds• Winds carry vast rain amounts as well

• Alps create colder weather– More harsh winters and more snow– More harsh as you move inland

European Climate

• Mediterranean climate is sunny and mild– Summers are hot and dry, winters are moderate

and wet.– Mountain ranges block the cold north winds.– Great climate for tourism

• France is the exception and does not have high mountains to block the cold winds.

Land of the Midnight Sun

• Northern Scandinavia has a tundra climate– Always in state of permafrost, no trees

• Sunlight is at a premium to the North in winter– Just like Canada– Also an abundance of sun in summer

Holland

• Because of their growing population, the Dutch created land from the sea.

• It is called polders.– Creating a wall, pumping out the water, letting the

rain wash away the salt, let things grow.• Dikes hold back the water and earth

platforms, called terpen, provide safety from floods and high tides.

Venice, Italy

• 120 islands and part of mainland Italy creates Venice.• To travel in between islands, 150 canals were erected.• Originally a safe haven for people fleeing hostile

islands– To build, wooden planks must be sunk into the swampy

ground.– Lots of wood needed to build the city.

• City faces water pollution issues today.– Salt water eating away at structures

Western Europe

• Two largest countries by size and by industry are France and Germany.– French culture large in France and Monaco– German culture large in Germany, Austria,

Liechtenstein, Switzerland and the BENELUX• Benelux= Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg

• Languages vary because of the Roman Empire.– Rome conquered France but not all the Germanic

tribes.

Western Europe Economy

• Very rich in agriculture• One of the world’s first industrialized regions

– Around 1800• Strong in farming, manufacturing, high-tech and service jobs.• Farming

– Lots of dairy, and livestock– Rich in coal and iron ore

• High-Tech– Electronics– Scientific instruments– Fastest passenger trains

Western European Economy

• Very popular due to mild climate, varied sceneries, and historical sites.

• Exporter of luxury goods– German cars, Swiss watches, French high fashion

and cuisine.• Germany is still trying to recover from Cold

War– Spending billions on Infrastructure

Modern Life

• Most people live in cities.– Low crime rates– Good transportation– Europeans receive more vacation time than

Americans– Immigration has become an issue in the area.

Northern Europe

• Known as the Nordic countries.– Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Finland, Denmark– Northern Europe also includes: United Kingdom,

and Ireland.• Great Britain vs. United Kingdom– Great Britain = England, Scotland, and Wales– United Kingdom = England, Scotland, Wales, and

Northern Ireland.

Great Britain

• Great Britain shaped the world in 2 way:– Developed a representative government called

parliament.– Started the industrial revolution

• Aided by high levels of coal and iron ore

• What about Ireland?– Catholics vs. Protestants– Ireland (Catholic) gained independence in 1921– Northern Ireland (mostly protestants) part of United

Kingdom.

Northern Europe Economics

• Sweden and Great Britain have a lot in common with industry– Cars and aerospace, paper, food products, and medicines

• The region benefits from a wealth of natural resources.– Trees, fish, and oil

• High-Tech– Many computer software industries in Scotland

• Became known as “Silicon Glen”

– Today, jobs are moving east in this category.

Union or Independence

• Most nations belong to the European Union (EU)– Not Norway

• Many mixed feelings about the EU– Denmark voted not to use the Euro as their

currency

Northern European Culture

• Not much diversity amongst groups• Most countries speak a form of a Germanic

Language• Celtic language also spoken around Ireland• Strong artistic influence from Shakespeare to

Ingmar Bergman, a director.

Life in Northern Europe

• Most live in cities and have a high standard of living.• Women enjoy an advanced form of political equality.• Nordic countries enjoy government programs that pay

them for such things as raising children, free health insurance, and education– Taxes are very high here

• Distinct customs– Britain- Tea– Sweden- Smorgasbord– Finland- Saunas

Eastern Europe

• Historical Crossroads– Gap between Asia and the rest of Asia has shaped

their culture.• Very diverse

– Area includes: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Serbia.

• Very important region for trade– Many kingdoms tried to conquer important region

War-Torn

• Most ethnic groups wanted their own identity and state.– As a result, many wars have been fought for

independence.• The start of WWI: happened here when

Archduke Ferdinand was killed• The start of WWII: Germany invaded Poland• Soviet Union controlled the region until the

late 1980s.

Eastern European Economy

• Traditionally a good farming region.• Under Communism industry was inefficient and

slow.– USSR did not keep up with technology

• Moved to Market economy after 1989.– Caused high inflation and unemployment rates– Working toward better economies

• Problems still occur from lack of new equipment, not enough money to invest into business, and Civil War.

Eastern European Culture

• Because so many different language are spoken here, the region is hard to unify.– Close languages are not tied to the region• Example: Hungarian is close to Finnish and Romanian is

close to Italian.

• Very diverse religious populations– Catholicism, Eastern Orthodox, and Islam• Has become diverse as kingdoms have tried to conquer

region

Eastern European Modern Life

• Much less urban than the rest of Europe.– Prague is over 1,000 years old.

• As industry grows, so do the cities• Still many conflicts between ethnic groups.– High anti-Semitism rate and anti-Gypsy

• In order to have true Democracy, ethnic groups need to stop hating one another and they need to amp up their industry.

European Issues

• Balkan Conflict– Religious battle ground…Literally

• As religions gained control, they change the culture.– Some wanted one religion, others wanted another.

– Yugoslavia created in 1878• “Land of the South Slavs”• Created by Great Britain

– Communists take over after WWII• Yugoslavia disbands into six nations• Wars for independence from dictators follow

– Bosnia, Serbia, Kosovo

European Issues

• Saving Water– Water pollution is caused by mining and manufacturing.

• Poisons from the waste seep into the ground water• Cause Acid Rain and fish poisoning

– Problem:• How does Europe keep industry strong but not kill off and use

all the water supply?

• Air Pollution– Using fossil fuels causes air pollution– Smog- a brown haze that occurs from too much fossil

fuel usage.

European Union Issues

• What to do with Turkey?– Turkey wants to join EU• Are they European or Asian country?• Muslim nation• Human rights abuse

– The Euro• Most countries use the Euro

– EU Constitution• France and the Netherlands have rejected the

document.