Western Europe Western Europe

Western Europe IWestern Europe I

Learning objectives

• Understand Western Europe region

• Describe climate characteristics

• Discuss tourism characteristics

Western Europe IWestern Europe I

• Nations of Southern and Northern Europe to form the most important tourist region in the world

• Five of the world’s top destination countries are from the region (France, Austria, UK, Germany and Switzerland)

• 3 other countries (Netherlands, Ireland, and Belgium) are in the top thirty

Western Europe IWestern Europe I

• Extremely accessible with major transportation routes both within the region and outside the region

• Increasing cooperation associated with the European Union combines with deregulation of the airlines to make European travel easier and less expensive

Western Europe IWestern Europe I

• Latest steps in open skies allows airlines to fly between any two cities in the European Union

LandformsLandforms

• Divided into four general types

• Northwest highlands, European Plain of Western Europe, central uplands of France and Germany, and the rugged mountains of Switzerland, Austria and Southern Europe

LandformsLandforms

• European Plain is an area of low, gently rolling topography and dense populations

• Agricultural and industrial region of continental Europe

• South and east of the European Plain are the Alpine mountain systems of the Swiss and Austrian Alps, where elevations reach more than 15,000 feet

Climate CharacteristicsClimate Characteristics

• British Isles, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and much of France and Germany have a marine west coast climate

• Winter temperatures in eastern France and in Germany are lower than those in the British Isles, and summer temperatures are higher

Climate CharacteristicsClimate Characteristics

• Austria and Switzerland have greater climatic variations due to differences in local elevations and the direction a specific valley faces

• Twenty and forty inches of precipitation in most areas, with higher precipitation totals in Ireland, Scotland, and other highland regions

Climate CharacteristicsClimate Characteristics

• Atlantic Ocean is the result of the North Atlantic Drift (Gulf Stream), which brings warm water from the Gulf of Mexico to the European Continent

Climate CharacteristicsClimate Characteristics

• Great differences in climate, with January temperatures dropping below – 30 degrees F in the high Alps.

• During July, temperatures range from 50 to 60 degrees F in the high mountains to 70 to 80 degrees F in the lower valleys

SummarySummary

• We understand Western Europe region better through climate and tourism characteristics of its territory.