Transcript Western Europe

Western Europe
Climate, physical features, culture
& history
Overview – Ch. 14
• History
▫ Migration  cultural diffusion
▫ Ancient civilizations
 Greece – advances in art & science, colonies along
Mediterranean – Rome (conquered vast empire)
 Germanic tribes – conquered much of western
Roman empire (c. 500 A.D.)
 Centuries of poverty, warfare & political change
▫ Renaissance - rediscovery of arts, sciences &
technology (“rebirth”); states started traveling the
seas & colonizing the world (c. 1400)
▫ Religious change – Europe was unified under
Roman Catholic Church; but people began to
question & formed new churches (Protestant)
• Industrial Revolution – use of machine
power (water, steam, fuel); began in England
(1700s)
• Conflict & cooperation
▫ WWI & WWII, Cold War – conflicts as nations
developed, sought more power, & disagreed on
major issues
▫ European Union – organization formed to
promote trade & political cooperation
Overview
• People & Culture
▫ Cultural diffusion – culture spreading as people
inhabit new places
▫ Ancient civilizations: Ancient Greece (Roman empire)
& Germanic tribes
• Physical Geography
▫ Mountains – Alps, Pyrenees
▫ Rivers – Rhine, Rhone, Seine, Loire, Danube, Elbe,
Ebro, Po
▫ Coasts – jagged (cliffs), eroded drastically by the ocean
 Form peninsulas: Iberian, Scandinavian, Greek, Italian
Overview
• Climates
▫ Humid continental, subarctic, mediterranean,
marine west coast
▫ North Atlantic Drift = ocean current (W to E);
prevailing westerlies = constant pattern of
temperate winds (W to E)
• Ecosystems
▫ Grasslands, forests, wetlands, tundra, highlands
▫ Reforestation – replanting of protected forests
▫ Elevation – affects what plants & animals can
thrive
European cooperation
• The Euro
▫ Introduced Jan. 1, 2002
▫ 0.72 euro = 1 dollar (US)
▫ Replaced: the Belgian Franc,
the German Mark, the Greek
Drachma, the Spanish Peseta,
the French Franc, the Irish
Punt, the Italian Lira, the
Luxembourgish Franc, the
Dutch Guilder, the Austrian
Schilling, the Portuguese
Escudo, and the Finnish
Markka
▫ These other currencies were
collected
• Countries using the euro:
http://geography.about.com/od/lists/a/euro.htm
• These countries joined the “Euro Area” (branch of
the European Union) & agreed to use this
common currency
• Countries that have joined the EU since then have
been required to adopt the euro, once they meet
certain criteria (price stability, long-term interest
rates, public finances)
• Changes:
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No exchange rates between countries
More price stability
Easier for travelers
Strength as a unified market/economy
• Who doesn’t use the euro?
▫ Any country not in the EU or “Euro Area”
▫ Any country that hasn’t yet met the criteria
▫ Great Britain, Denmark, Sweden have chosen not
to use it
 Don’t like the communal nature of it
 Value of their currency is high & culturally
significant
The United Nations
• “The United Nations is an international organization
founded in 1945 after the Second World War by 51
countries committed to maintaining international peace
and security, developing friendly relations among
nations and promoting social progress, better living
standards and human rights.” – www.un.org
• Now has 192 member countries
• 4 goals of the UN:
▫ To keep peace throughout the world
▫ To develop friendly relations among nations
▫ To help nations work together to improve the lives of poor
people, to conquer hunger, disease and illiteracy, and to
encourage respect for each other’s rights and freedoms
▫ To be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations to
achieve these goals
• Many different endeavors around the world
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Environmental
Sustainability
Urban development
Conflict resolution
Disaster relief
Antiterrorism
International policing
Human rights
• To address Kony & the LRA, the UN has:
▫ Help children who have escaped the LRA
 Rehabilitation, food, healthcare, reuniting with
family
▫ Keep thorough record of injustices as evidence to
support continued aid effort
▫ Communication campaign
 Try to get LRA combatants to defect & disarm
 Has gotten hundreds to agree so far
 RISKY campaign
The British Isles: England
• Terms to know:
The United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland
ore
fertile
Industrial Revolution
tertiary economic activities
• Physical
▫ Highlands (west coast) – hard rock, 3000 ft.
elevation; not good for farming
▫ Midlands – coal deposits that fueled the
Industrial Revolution; high population density
▫ Lowlands (SE region) – fertile area of rolling
hills, marine west coast climate; great for farming
• Population
▫ England = most populated part of UK
▫ Most of England’s people live in or around London
or in fertile lowland regions
• Political
▫ Traditionally a monarchy; later developed democratic
parliament system (parliament + Prime Minister)
▫ Part of UK; member of UN & EU
• History
▫ Celts Roman empire  Angles & Saxons 
Normans (11th century)
▫ Addition of Wales (1284), Scotland (1707) & Ireland
(1801)
 In 1922, a portion of Ireland broke away to form the
independent Republic of Ireland. The portion that
remained in the UK is now called “Northern Ireland”
▫ England became important trading center (1500s)
 As sea travel grew & civilizations expanded, they traveled
west into the Atlantic, making England a prime port
location
• Economy
▫ Surplus of goods + ideal location + coal/industry =
manufacture & export of LOTS of goods
▫ London = major port; industrial center & great
location on the Thames estuary (easy to bring ships in)
▫ Industries: farming (wheat, vegetables, sheep &
cattle)  mining (coal & iron ore); recently oil &
natural gas, tourism & finance
• Culture
▫ Language = English
▫ Religion = mostly Christian (Roman Catholic +
Protestant)
▫ Long tradition of art, literature & theater
▫ Major cities = London, Liverpool, Newcastle, Newport,
Nottingham
• Rural England
▫ “Our England is a garden that is full of stately views,
Of borders, beds and shrubberies and lawns and
avenues” - Kipling, “The Glory of the Garden” (1827)
• Industrial England
▫ “Coketown lay shrouded in a haze of its own, which
appeared impervious to the sun’s rays. You only knew
the town was there because you knew there could have
been no such sulky blotch upon the prospect without a
town. A blur of soot and smoke, now confusedly
tending this way, now that way, now aspiring to the
vault of Heaven, now murkily creeping along the earth,
as the wind rose and fell, or changed its quarter: a
dense formless jumble…” - Dickens, Hard Times
(1854)
The British Isles: Scotland & Wales
• Terms to know:
Moor
Bog
Glen
Peat
The British Isles: Scotland
• Physical
▫ 1/3 UK’s land area
▫ Rough landscape
▫ 3 regions = northern highlands (moors & bogs),
central lowlands (plains), southern uplands
(plateaus)
▫ Tweed River & Cheviot Hills separate Scotland
from England
• Economic
▫ Fishing, sheep (wool textiles – tweed), potato &
barley farming
▫ Old industries = mining, shipbuilding (Clyde R.)
▫ New industries = oil, tourism, high-tech (“Silicon
Glen”)
• Historical
▫ Tied to England over 300 years
 11th century (Normans)=English & Scots living together
(cultural convergence)
 C. 1290=power struggle over Scottish land
 1328=Scottish independence
 1707=Act of Union (became part of the UK)
▫ Retains Celtic culture
• Political
▫ Part of UK parliament (since 1707)
▫ Seat of gov’t = Edinburgh
• Cultural
▫ Language = English (but many still speak Gaelic –
traditional Celtic language)
▫ Religion = mostly Christian (Presbyterian & Catholic)
▫ Major cities = Edinburgh, Glasgow
▫ Strong connection to Celtic heritage
▫ Edinburgh Festival (international music & drama
festival)
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m90xPjh3oXE
• Population
▫ Only 10% of UK’s population
▫ Most Scots (75%) live in central lowlands
The British Isles: Wales
• Physical
▫ Peninsula of Great Britain
▫ Similar landscape to Scotland: highlands,
lowlands, Cambrian Mountains)
▫ Marine west coast climate – LOTS of rain
• Economic
▫ Old industries = coal mining & heavy
manufacturing
▫ New industries = high-tech, tourism
• Historical
▫ Once ruled by Celts
▫ Conquered by England in 1294
▫ Members in British parliament since 1500s
• Political
▫ Now part of UK’s parliament
▫ Capital city = Cardiff
• Cultural
▫ Language = English (but many still speak Welsh,
the traditional Celtic language)
▫ Religion = Christian (Protestant)
▫ Major cities = Cardiff, Swansea
• Population
▫ Most Welsh live on the southern coast (near
Cardiff)
The British Isles: Ireland & Northern Ireland
• Physical geography
▫ Hills ring coastline; central lowlands
▫ Marine west coast climate = rich green vegetation
most of the year  “The Emerald Isle”
▫ 1/6 of land covered in peat; Irish farmers cut &
dried blocks of peat to burn as fuel; recently, used
in power plants to create ¼ nation’s electricity
• Economy
▫ 1990s – Irish gov’t invested in education &
telecommunications and encouraged foreign
investment  HUGE economic growth  low
unemployment
Republic of Ireland
Northern Ireland
• Independent nation (not
part of UK)
• Catholic majority
• Supports reunification (of
Ireland)
• Descendents of Celts
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Part of the United Kingdom
Protestant majority
Opposes reunification
Descendents of English &
Scottish immigrants
• Protestants controlled
wealth
• Celtic tribes  Viking raids (c. 800 – 1000) 
Normans invade England (c. 1066) & claim parts
of Ireland  English kings saw Ireland as theirs
 Reformation (c. 1500), Protestants broke
from Catholic church  potato famine (c. 1840)
 Irish rebellions (1916 & 1921)  Republic of
Ireland = free nation in 1949  continued
fighting over Northern Ireland  steps toward
peace (c. 1990s)
• Both sides have used violence to win control of
Northern Ireland
The Nordic Nations
• Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, & Iceland
• Terms to know
Fjords – steep-walled, flooded glacial valleys
Geothermal energy – energy produced by the
earth’s interior heat
Mixed economies – economic systems that combine
different amounts of government regulation
• Culture
▫ Viking/Nordic ancestry
▫ Were once all united under Denmark (1397), then
gradually broke apart
▫ Common religion = Lutheran & other Protestant
▫ Languages are similar (have the same root); many
learn English to bridge international gaps
• Gov’t & Economy
▫ All are democracies & remain politically neutral in
international disputes
▫ Mixed economies – some institutions & industries
are gov’t-run, some are private.
▫ Industries:
 Agriculture in southern areas of Denmark & Sweden
 Forestry, oil & gas
 The sea = major source of income (fishing, shipping)
 Nicknamed “the Blue Meadow”
• Physical
▫ Collection of peninsulas & islands separated by seas,
gulfs, & oceans)
▫ Varied terrain (flat plains, steep mountains, rocky soil,
lakes carved by glaciers – fjords)
▫ Iceland = “land of fire & ice”
 Volcanoes exist alongside glaciers
 Geothermal energy is used for much of the country’s
power & heat
• Climate
▫ Long winters, short summers
▫ Southern areas are fairly mild b/c of the North
Atlantic Drift (ocean current)
▫ Northern areas are bitter subarctic & tundra
▫ Aurora borealis can be seen in the winter
What are Northern Lights?
• The bright dancing lights of the aurora are actually collisions
between electrically charged particles from the sun that enter the
earth's atmosphere. The lights are seen above the magnetic poles of
the northern and southern hemispheres. They are known as 'Aurora
borealis' in the north and 'Aurora australis' in the south..
Auroral displays appear in many colours although pale green and
pink are the most common.
What causes the Northern Lights?
• The Northern Lights are actually the result of collisions between
gaseous particles in the Earth's atmosphere with charged particles
released from the sun's atmosphere. Variations in colour are due to
the type of gas particles that are colliding. The most common
auroral color, a pale yellowish-green, is produced by oxygen
molecules located about 60 miles above the earth. Rare, all-red
auroras are produced by high-altitude oxygen, at heights of up to
200 miles. Nitrogen produces blue or purplish-red aurora.
▫ http://www.northernlightscentre.ca/northernlights.html
• http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/news/norwayaurora-borealis-vin
Central Western Europe
• France, Germany, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland,
Luxembourg, the Netherlands
• Terms to know:
Dialects
Recession
Reparations
Lignite
Decentralize
Neutral
nationalized
confederation
inflation
polders
cantons
strip mining
Central Western Europe: France
• Regions/Economies
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Northern/Paris Basin = manufacturing, commerce
Southwest = winemaking
Southern mountains = farming, tourism
Mediterranean coast = tourism, oil refineries,
shipping
▫ East/Rhine Valley = mining (iron ore), shipping
• History/Government
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Roman/ “Holy Roman” empire
Constitutional monarchy
Napoleonic empire
Democracy (republic of the people)
• Culture
▫ National language = French
▫ Strong sense of national identity
▫ Pride in intellectual & artistic achievements
(philosophy, government, arts, fashion)
▫ Paris is the political & cultural center
Central Western Europe: France
REGION
PHYSICAL
FEATURES
CITIES
ECONOMIC
ACTIVITIES
NORTH
-Paris Basin
(European Plain)
- Seine River
-Paris
- Lille
-Versailles
-Commerce
-Manufacturing
-tourism
SOUTHWEST
-Vineyards
-Bordeaux
-Winemaking
SOUTH
-Massif Central
- Pyrenees
- Rhone River
-Avignon
-Lyon
-Arles
-Farming
- manufacturing
- tourism
MEDITERRANEAN
- French Riviera
-Nice
-Tourism
- Cannes
- shipping
- Saint-Tropez - oil refineries
- Marseille
EAST
-Rhine River
- Rhine Valley
- Alps Mtns
-Strasbourg
-Mining (coal,
iron)
- shipping
Central Western Europe: Germany
• History
▫ Separate states for most of its history (loose
confederation in 1700s)
▫ Losses in WWI & WWII (reparations)
▫ Divided into East & West Germany (1949)
▫ Reunification (1990)
• Regions/Economy
▫ Northern German Plain = farming, manufacturing,
trade
▫ Central Germany (Ruhr Valley) = manufacturing
(textiles, auto), coal
▫ Southern Germany/Alps = tourism, cultural center
• Germany Today
▫ Europe’s leading industrial center
▫ Technologically strong economy (after U.S. &
China)
▫ Leading member of UN; strong economic ties to
other countries (many markets worldwide)
• Problems
▫ Aging population (costing $)
▫ Lots of $ spent to improve eastern Germany’s
economy
▫ Unemployment
▫ Violence against foreign workers
▫ pollution
Central Western Europe: The Benelux
Countries
• Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg
• “The low countries” – made up of low, flat land
• Densely populated
• Strongly influenced
by water & the sea
• Pg. 337-339
Central Western Europe: Switzerland &
Austria
• Physical
▫ Alps Mountains
 Minerals (iron ore, coal)
 Strip mining
▫ Pop. concentrated in lowland regions
• Political
▫ Politically neutral
 Do not take sides in international conflict
 Neither is a member of NATO
▫ Switzerland is divided into cantons with strong
sovereignty
▫ Austria got new borders at the end of WWI (when
Austria-Hungary was broken up)
• Cultural
▫ Switzerland is very diverse
 3 official languages: French, German, Italian
 Many different cultures exist; facilitated by
independent cantons
▫ Vienna is Austria’s cultural center
• Economic
▫ Switzerland has one of the highest standards of
living in the world
 Dairy farming (milk, cheese, chocolate)
 Manufacturing of specialized goods: jewelry,
scientific tools
 Banking
▫ Austria has recovered economically
 Manufacturing, chemicals, textiles, mining
Mediterranean Europe: Spain &
Portugal
• Mediterranean climate = warm, dry summers &
cool winters
• Terms to know:
▫ Navigable – can be traveled
▫ Dry farming – leaving fields unplanted for 1 or 2
years to replace moisture
▫ Siroccos – hot dry winds from Northern Africa
▫ Hub – center of activity & influence
• Iberian Peninsula separated from Europe
(difficult to access)
▫ By land: Pyrenees Mountains (between France &
Spain)
▫ By sea: steep cliffs along coastline
• Portugal has had great influence overseas
▫ 15th century explorers colonized Africa & S.
America (Brazil)
▫ Now a major trading nation (ideal location)
• Economies moving from agriculture to industry
▫ Spain: steel, textiles, plastics
▫ Portugal: automobiles, textiles, CORK
Mediterranean Europe: Greece
• Physical characteristics
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Mediterranean climate
2,000 islands
Northern mountains (Alps & Pindus)
Grabens = land that has sunk between fault lines
• Economic activities
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Shipping
Fishing
Agriculture (wheat, olive, citrus, livestock)
tourism
• Culture
▫ Mix of East & West cultures
▫ History of empires: Roman, Byzantine, Norman,
Turkish
▫ Mysterious disappearance of Mionian culture on
Crete
Vocab Review
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
Nationalize
Cantons
Fjord
Bog
Peat
Confederation
Recession
Geothermal
Renaissance
Compulsory
Balkanize
Privatize
a) Wet, spongy material
b) Flooded glacial valley
c) Period of enlightenment (arts &
science)
d) Swampy area found on a moor
e) Energy form used in Iceland
(underground heat)
f) Political units in Switzerland (like
states)
g) Required; mandatory
h) To bring under government control
i) To bring under control of
people/companies
j) To split up into mutually hostile groups
k) A loose alliance of states
l) A period of economic decline