European Sub-regionsGEO 121: World Regional Geography Learning Unit 2: Handout Page 1 of 16 European...

GEO 121: World Regional Geography Learning Unit 2: Handout

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European Sub-regions

Geographers divide Europe into

four different sub-regions. These

regions are separated from one

another based on a combination

of physical, political and cultural

characteristics. The sub-regions

are Western Europe, Northern

Europe, Mediterranean Europe

and East Central Europe. Western

Europe is the most developed

and economically advanced

region, including the 3 largest

current national economies of

Europe – Germany, France and

Great Britain. Northern Europe is

the home to the Scandinavian

peoples and the Finns, whose

culture has been heavily

influenced by the neighboring Swedes. Mediterranean Europe is home to some of the older centers of

European civilization that originated with the Greeks and Romans, as well as the influential Portuguese

and Spanish cultures. Finally, East Central Europe consists of countries that were for much of the

twentieth century dominated by communist governments. Some of these countries have a proud history

of what were at times powerful kingdoms, while other states are new creations that have not existed as

independent political entities until the modern era.

The sub-region of Western Europe

includes Great Britain, Ireland,

France, Belgium, Netherlands,

Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland,

Liechtenstein and Austria. The

physical geography of this region

varies greatly, from the warm

Mediterranean coastline of France to

the cold highlands of Scotland. Some

countries, such as the island nation

of Great Britain and the mainland

country of France have long

coastlines, while others such as

Austria and Switzerland are

landlocked. The climate of this


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region is heavily influenced by the North Atlantic Drift, a continuation of the warm waters of the Gulf

Stream which helps some areas of Western Europe to maintain a Middle Latitude West Coast Climate.

The climate of northern and central Germany is also influenced by the warm ocean and sea currents, but

the eastern and southern interior of Germany experiences much more of a middle latitude continental

climate. The climate of the landlocked states such as Austria and Switzerland are much more continental

in nature, and are also influenced by the relatively high elevations that exist in these countries.

The destinies of

European peoples, like

people around the world,

have been shaped to

some extent by the

physical geography of

their surroundings.

Europe is one giant

peninsula sticking out

from the Eurasian

continent, with many

smaller peninsulas jutting

out from this large one.

Many European states

thus have extensive

coastlines, especially

island and peninsular

states, influencing the

orientation of the

people toward economic

activity on the water. Fishing,

trade and commerce are an important element of almost every major European state. Some countries

have also benefited from having a significant natural resource base upon which development could

occur. For instance, the Industrial Revolution began in England at least in part because the English were

dependent upon coal as a source of energy.

The North Atlantic Drift (Gulfstream)


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Western Europe is a highly

developed and overall

prosperous region.

Germany and France, as a

result of their economic

power within the EU, and

historical importance of

these two large states,

heavily influence the

current direction of the

European Union. Germans

produce the largest economic

output in Europe, and the

German GDP is number four

in the world. France is not

that far behind Germany however at number five in the world and the United Kingdom of Great Britain

is number seven. Germany is one of the most heavily industrialized and technologically highly advanced

systems in the world. France also has a very advanced economic system, but a significant percentage of

the French economy is also based on the productive French agricultural sector. For much of the 19th

century Great Britain had the largest economy in the world, however the British industrial system has

aged and declined for most of the twentieth century.

Germany has many major

urban industrial zones as

well as several other very

large urban centers.

Hamburg in the north,

Frankfurt in west central

Germany, Stuttgart in the

southeast and Munich in

the southern province of

Bavaria are all important

highly urbanized industrial

regions. However, the

largest metropolitan area

and a very heavily

industrialized region is the

area of Rhine-Ruhr along

the Rhine River. This area

includes the large cities of

Dusseldorf, Cologne and Bonn.

A young "drawer" pulling a coal tub along a mine gallery. The

British passed laws in 1842 and 1844 that improved working

conditions in mines.

Hamburg


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Germany is known for its iron and steel production, chemical plants, auto industry, machinery and

textiles. The Stuttgart region is known as the high tech center of Germany, with the highest density of

scientific, academic and research organizations in the country. Germany is a federal republic with

sixteen different states (lander). These range from the heavily Catholic province in the south, Bavaria to

what was the center of the Prussian Kingdom, and the state of Brandenburg where the capital city of

Berlin is located, although the capital city is itself is now a separate state within Germany.

Following its defeat in WWII the territory of Germany was reduced by the victorious powers and

Germany was divided into four occupation zones. The eastern zone under the control of the Soviet

Union was established as the separate communist state of East Germany and the three other zones

were combined to form West Germany. East Germany was able to maintain a highly industrialized

communist state however the Western

German economy did even better, rapidly

become once again one of the largest

economic systems in the world. In 1989 the

communist systems of Eastern Europe began

to fall apart and that same year the Berlin

Wall was torn down. In 1990 the two

German states were re-unified into the

modern Republic of Germany. Initially there

was a flood of Ossies (Eat Germans looking

for work) that flooded into the west.

Although the transition from two separate

states to one was at times difficult Germany

has attained a new equilibrium and Germany

is once again a great economic power.

France was Germany’s historic rival and

is one of the oldest states of Europe.

France is slightly larger than Germany

in size but has a smaller population.

Unlike Germany, France does not have

a large number of major urban centers.

Besides the capital city of Paris which

has a metropolitan population over ten

million strong, the only other city in

France with more than a million people

is Lyon. With such a large urban

population and as the center of French

government, finance and economics

the city of Paris is a perfect example of

what geographers call a primate city. Vineyards near the French castle Carcassonne.


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Paris of course is also an important tourist attraction with sites such as the famous boulevard the

Champs-Elysees, the cathedral of Notre Dame, the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower. Long a favorite

destination of newlyweds the city has been called the “city of love.”

Although not as highly industrialized as Germany the

French have developed a productive economic system.

This system includes a productive agricultural sector,

and of course the French are known for their wine

producing regions that are scattered across the

country. The French economy also benefits from many

resort beaches and tourist destinations along the

French Riviera. In addition to being the political and

financial center of the country the city of Paris is also a

leading industrial region of France. The northeastern

region of the country that shares borders with Belgium

and Germany is also a heavily industrialized zone.

France has developed an advanced aerospace industry,

a high speed rail system known as the TGV, and the French were telecommunications industry put in

place a well-integrated fiber optics system. Perhaps because of the relative lack of coal or other fossil

fuels the French invested heavily in nuclear power and now get more than seventy-five percent of their

power from this industry. Along with Germany the French have also played an active role in expanding

the size of the European Union.

Belgian Communities:

Flemish Community / Dutch language area

Flemish & French Community / bilingual language area

French Community / French language area

German-speaking Community / German language area

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flemish_Community

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Community_of_Belgium

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German-speaking_Community_of_Belgium


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Belgium is another highly developed Western European state. Along with the Netherlands and

Luxembourg these countries are referred to as the Low Countries. The Belgian state is a relatively new

creation, established as an independent kingdom in 1830 when separating from the Netherlands.

Together these lands were a part of the Spanish and Hapsburg Empires throughout the late Middle Ages

and up until the 16th century. Almost sixty percent of the Belgian population are called Flemish and

speak Dutch, while almost forty percent are French speaking Walloons. The capital city of Brussels sets

along the dividing line between these populations with the Flemish population concentrated in the

northern part of the country while the Walloons are found mostly in the western and southern areas. A

German speaking minority lives along the eastern border. The capital city is predominantly French

speaking but is officially bilingual. Political and cultural conflict between the Walloons and Flemish has

arisen and some have called for the creation of

two separate countries. The economy of the

Flemish regions tends to be more dynamic than

that of the Walloon region. Belgium developed

a heavily industrialized economy in the

nineteenth century but like many developed

countries the service industry has become

increasingly important more recently.

The Netherlands won their independence from

the Spanish in the 16th century. In the early

seventeenth century the Dutch population

developed a prosperous commercial economy

and developed one of the largest commercial

fleets in Europe. The Dutch also embarked

upon a colonization effort, establishing Dutch

communities in the Americas, Africa and the

East Indies. The Dutch economy is still very

dependent upon overseas trade and the Dutch port city of Rotterdam is the largest port in Europe. An

advanced industrial economy in the Netherlands provides a high standard of living and the Dutch highly

mechanized agricultural system provides a boost to the export oriented economy.

Luxembourg is one of the smallest countries in Europe, both in

size and population with only slightly over five hundred thousand

people. It has a predominantly German speaking population

however French is also an official language. An independent

principality in the Middle Ages the territory was at times under

the control of more powerful neighbors in the early modern era

and only becoming a separate state again in the late nineteenth

century.


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The mountainous country of Switzerland has been an independent state dating to the Middle Ages.

Mountainous terrain has allowed the Swiss to maintain a politically neutral stance and this has

contributed to the economic success of the country as a financial center, especially for wealthy

individuals attempting to protect some of the money from higher taxes in their native land. When

thinking of Switzerland one can’t help but think about Swiss army knives, high quality Swiss made

watches, and chocolate.

Austria is also a mountainous

country that was the center of a

large empire from the fifteenth

to the early twentieth century.

The German speaking Austrians

controlled a multiethnic

population until the end of WWI

when new nations were created

following the defeat of the

empire. This empire was known

in different eras by different

names, from the Hapsburg

Empire to the Austro-Hungarian

dual monarchy.


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The sub-region of Northern Europe

includes the countries of Finland,

Norway, Sweden, Iceland and

Denmark, as well as the former

Danish colonies of Greenland and the

Faroe Islands. With the exception of

the Finns the people of these

countries trace their heritage to the

spread of the Germanic speaking

cultures across Europe. This is the

land of the Vikings from the Middle

Ages, who used their long boats to

pillage and plunder the coastlines

and rivers of Europe. The population

of Finland speaks a Finno-Ugric language, related to Estonian and more distantly related to Hungarian

but related to the Indo-European languages of Europe. Today the political and economic systems of

Northern Europe have been heavily influenced by socialism. The Norwegians enjoy one of the most

prosperous economies in Europe, based at least in part on the wealth generated by their North Sea oil

reserves. Sweden was a once powerful kingdom in Scandinavia, however more recently Sweden has

pursued a more neutral stance in world affairs. The people of Sweden also benefit from one of

prosperous economic system and their socialist values contribute to a system where the wealth is

shared more equally, with fewer millionaires but also very few extremely impoverished people as well.

In general taxes are high in Northern Europe relative to some developed countries like the United

States; however the social

safety net is much more

supportive with relatively

free healthcare and

education systems. Iceland,

Norway and Denmark are

NATO member states, while

Sweden and Finland

continue to maintain a

politically neutral stance.

Mediterranean Europe

consists of the nations of

Portugal, Spain, Italy,

Greece, Malta, San Mareno,

Monaco, Andorra and

Vatican City. Many of these

countries struggled to develop or maintain democratic political systems in the twentieth century when

most of Western Europe was democratic. Mediterranean Europe also never quite achieved the overall


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level of economic development enjoyed throughout most of Western Europe, although some regions

within these countries developed more successfully than other regions. Although benefitting from

pleasant Mediterranean climates, the soils of this region are mostly poor in quality and there is an

overall lack of natural resources compared to the states of Western Europe. Recently many of these

states have experienced tremendous economic challenges with hyper-inflation, unstable financial

systems and very high levels of unemployment. Greece and Spain in particular have come close to

defaulting on their debts, which would likely lead to almost total economic collapse of their systems. So

far these states have been able to restructure their debt, in part with assistance from the EU, but

extreme financial and economic challenges remain.

East Central Europe includes the countries of

Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czech

Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania,

Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia, Montenegro,

Kosovo, Macedonia, Albania and Bulgaria.

From 1940 to 1991 Estonia, Latvia and

Lithuania were all republics within the Soviet

Union. These nations had also been part of the

Russian Empire before WWI. For most of

recorded history Latvians and Estonians have

been subject people of one kingdom or

another. It was not until the 19th century with

the spread of the modern concept of

nationalism that they began to envision a

future of self-government, which was finally

achieved for the first time following the

Bolshevik Revolution in Russia in 1917.

Lithuanians however had a long history as a

powerful Catholic kingdom in the Middle Ages, at

one time controlling much of what is now Poland,

Ukraine and Belarus. The spread of nationalistic

ideology also influenced other peoples of Eastern

and Southeastern Europe. Up through the early

twentieth centuries many of the smaller countries

that exist today had not experienced political independence,

while others had at times attained self-governance that did not always last very long.

The black line represents the Iron Curtain

separating Warsaw Pact countries shaded in

red from NATO members shaded blue,

militarily neutral countries are shaded grey.


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The Czech Republic is a new country

but the Czech people did maintain a

separate kingdom of Bohemia in the

past. Neighboring Slovaks have

always been subject to more

powerful groups, at least until the

establishment of the country of

Czechoslovakia following WWI.

Czechoslovakia came under the

control of a communist dictatorship

following WWII that lasted until the

early 1990s. In 1968 a movement developed in the country based on a desire to bring an end to

communist political domination. This movement was crushed when Russian tanks and troops entered

the capital city in support of the communist government. When the Berlin Wall fell in 1989 and

communist rule in Eastern Europe began to collapse the Czechoslovakian people began to once again

believe that change could come and the communists were removed from power in 1990. The Czech and

Slovakian people decided to go their separate ways in 1994 when a “velvet divorce” was agreed to.

Slovakia and the Czech Republic are now completely separate and independent countries, a first time

thing for the Slovaks. Czechs and Slovaks share many things, including mutually intelligible languages.

However, cultural differences and a belief by the less developed Slovaks that they would be

economically and politically controlled by the more advanced Czechs contributed to the desire for

separation.

Poland is another country in Eastern Europe that has a long history of independence but the Polish

people also experienced long periods where they were dominated by more powerful neighbors. In the

late 18th century the Catholic kingdom of Poland came to

an end when the Austrian, Prussian and Russian Empires

divided up Polish lands between them. Poland did not

achieve complete independence again until the end of

WWI. Like Czechoslovakia, following WWII Poland came

under the control of a communist dictatorship.

Communist continued to rule Poland up through 1989 but

with the election of Lech Walesa in 1990 communist rule

came to an end. Since then Poland has joined the

European Union and NATO and the predominantly

Catholic population of Poland

The gray territories were transferred

from Poland to the Soviet Union at the

end of WWII and the pink territories

were transferred from Germany to

Poland.


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Soviet tank destroyed by protestors in the capital city Budapest in 1956.

Similar to Poland the country of Hungary had a long history of political independence. Hungary was also

a powerful kingdom during the Middle Ages. The Hungarians can trace their origins as a state back as far

as the end of the 9th century when Hungarian tribes migrated to the area from Southern Russia. The

Hungarians pillaged and plunder the Christian lands of Europe before settling down, adopting

Catholicism and establish and kingdom. Hungarians do have a different cultural heritage from most

Europeans. They are linguistically related to the Estonians and Finns, but their language belongs to the

Finno-Ugric language family, which is not closely related to the Indo-European languages of most

Europeans. Hungary was absorbed by the powerful Hapsburg (Austrian) Empire and the Ottoman

Empire and ceased to exist as an independent country for a couple hundred years. Following WWI the

Hapsburg Empire was dissolved and a newly independent Hungarian state was established. Hungary

experienced a similar fate to Poland and Czechoslovakia after WWII when a communist system was

emplaced. In 1956 Hungarians rebelled against communist rule but this movement was crushed by an

invasion of Russian (Soviet) tanks and troops. Communists continued to control Hungary until 1989

when Hungarians were one of the first Eastern European peoples to remove the communists from

power and establish and western style democratic system. Since 1989 the Hungarians have also joined

NATO and the European Union.


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Romania is also

an ancient

country.

Romanians trace

their heritage

back to the

mingling the

ancient Dacians

and their Roman

conquerors, and

the later arrival of

Slavic peoples.

Thus, Romanian is

a Romance

language

based on Latin.

However,

unlike most Latin

speaking countries which

are predominantly

Catholic, Romanians were converted to Orthodox Christianity. At times parts of Romania were separate

and independent kingdoms, but at times all or part of Romania has been ruled over by Russians, Turks,

Hungarians and Austrian Hapsburgs. An independent Romanian state was established in the late 19th

century and following WWII Romania also came under the control of a communist political party.

Romania was ruled for many years by a brutal and repressive dictator named Ceausescu. His

dictatorship was overthrown in the only violent end to communist rule in Eastern Europe by a revolution

in 1989. Ceausescu and his wife were tried and convicted and executed by firing squad.

Slovenia is a new country, and in the historic era the

people of this land have always been ruled by more

powerful neighbors. The Slavic people of Slovenia

achieved independence from Yugoslavia in 1991 when the

communist system of that country began to fall apart. The

Slovenes were part of a wave of Slavic migration into the

region in the Early Middle Ages following the collapse of

the Roman Empire. Slovenians have been relatively

successful at establishing a democratic system of

government and a prosperous capitalistic society since

achieving political independence.

Protesters in Bucharest during the 1989 revolution. Romania was

the only Eastern Bloc country whose Communist government was

overthrown violently

Alpine landscape in Slovenia


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Following the separation of Slovenia from

Yugoslavia the people of neighboring

Croatia also declared their independence.

However, the Serbian population of

Yugoslavia rejected this effort to further

dissolve the Yugoslav state. War broke out

and after four years of struggle the

Croatians were finally able to achieve

independence. Along with the Slovenians

and other Slavic tribes, the Serbo-Croatians

arrived in Southeastern Europe in the

seventh century. Although Serbs and

Croatians are today considered to be two

separate national ethnic groups, they share

a common cultural heritage. In fact the Serbian

and Croatian languages are essentially the same when spoken, or at least so similar that the differences

are somewhat cosmetic. However, in the Middle Ages the Croatian population was converted to

Catholicism while the Serbian population was converted to Orthodox Christianity. As a result the

Croatians adopted the Latin alphabet to write their version of the Serbo-Croatian language while the

Serbians adopted the Cyrillic alphabet. The Croatians and Serbians also established separate small

kingdoms in the area. The Croatians and Serbians were also at various times

The Serbians were the dominant ethnic group of

the multi-ethnic Yugoslavian state. This was a state

that did not exist before WWI. A separate Serbian

kingdom was re-established in the 19th century

however not all Serbians lived in this kingdom. A

large number of ethnic Serbians lived in the Austro-

Hungarian Empire. Serbian nationalists, in their

desire to create a larger country that included all

lands where Serbians were the majority actually

precipitated the outbreak of WWI, which ultimately

led to the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire

and allowed the Southern Slavic people of this

region to form the new country of Yugoslavia.

Following the collapse of communism in Yugoslavia

the Serbs tried to keep the country together,

sometimes by force. Under the leadership of

Slobodan Milosevic war broke out with Croatia and

in Bosnia. Ethnic Serbs engaged in genocide,

genocidal rape and ethnic cleansing, particularly in Bosnia against the Muslim population that lived

there.

Croatia


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A significant population of ethnic Serbians live in the new state of Bosnia. The Serbian population of

Bosnia, with support from the government of Serbia, engaged in the previously mentioned atrocities

against the Muslim population and against the Croatian population of Bosnia as well. The arrival of

NATO troops helped bring an end to the violence and

a new state was created, with separate governing

bodies for the Serbian territories and the Bosnia-

Croatian territory. Peace keeping troops are still

present in the country, although the numbers are

significantly lower than they were. As the states of

what was once Yugoslavia join NATO and the EU the

odds of this unstable political situation leading to

another civil war are lessened. Montenegro is a small

country in southeastern Europe that has a short

coastline on the Adriatic Sea. From the end of WWI

until the early 1990s Montenegro was a province in

the state of Yugoslavia. In 2006 the population voted

in a referendum for independence from Serbia

(Yugoslavia), and the government declared

independence later that year. Montenegro has

applied for admission to the European Union and

NATO, but has not yet been admitted.

Kosovo was a province in Yugoslavia for most of the

twentieth century. This newly created state has a

population that is predominantly Albanian in heritage

and Muslim in faith, although significant minorities

exist as well. In the late 1990s the ethnic Serbs of

Kosovo engaged in ethnic cleansing, attempting to

force some of the Albanians to leave the country. The

United States and NATO allies used an air campaign to

prevent the Serbian military from engaging in even

more atrocities as peace keeping troops were sent in to

separate the two sides. The people of Kosovo have

since declared an independent state, which has been

recognized by more than one hundred other countries.

The Serbian government refuses to recognize the

independence of Kosovo.

Montenegro

Kosovo


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Macedonia was also a province in Yugoslavia

before 1991, when an independent state was

declared. This small land-locked country shares

the same name as a province in Greece, and a

connection to the Macedonian kingdom of

Alexander the Great from the period of the fourth

century BC. Macedonians are a Slavic speaking

people who form the majority of the population

however there is a significant Albanian minority in

the country as well. A dispute with neighboring

Greece over naming the country Macedonia has

played a role in stalling the admission of the

country in NATO and the EU.

Albania is a mountainous land with a long

coastline on the Adriatic Sea. A communist

dictatorship controlled Albania from the 1940s up

to 1992. Following the collapse of the communist

system and economic crisis ensued and a large

number of

Albanians were

affected by Ponzi

schemes. This

contributed to a

mass exodus of

people out of the

country.

Neighboring

states like Italy

and Greece were

impacted by

arrival of

“undocumented”

immigrants. Some

Albanians were

successful in

immigrating to

other countries,

with some even

migrating to the

United States. The majority of the population of Albania is ethnic Albanian, but a significant minority

Greek population is also present. A majority of the population practice Islam, but Greek Orthodox and

Macedonia

Albanian countryside


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Catholic Christians make up almost

twenty percent of the population. Albania

was accepted as a member of NATO in

2009 and has also applied for admission

to the EU.

Bulgaria was a kingdom in southeastern

Europe in the Middle Ages, was

conquered by the Ottoman Turks in the

late fourteenth century. Bulgaria attained

independence again in the late

nineteenth century. Following WWII a

communist dictatorship was established

which lasted until 1989 when democratic

elections were held. In the eighth century

a mixture of Turkish tribes known as the

Bulgars settled in the area. Around that same

time Slavic peoples were also migrating into southeastern Europe. Gradually the Bulgars and Slavs

intermixed forming today’s Slavic speaking population. It is a member of the EU and NATO.

© Bruce Dickerson and Indian Hills Community College

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European Sub-regionsGEO 121: World Regional Geography Learning Unit 2: Handout Page 1 of 16 European...

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