Transcript Western Europe

WESTERN EUROPE
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
LANDFORMS



Northern European
Plain: stretches from
southeastern England
across Germany
Southern edge very
fertile
Covered in LOESS: fine,
yellowish topsoil made
of silt and clay, carried
and deposited by wind
LANDFORMS CONTINUED





Alps are just south of
NEP
Created by folding crust
Shaped by glaciation
Forms a crescent running
from southern France,
through Switzerland and
Austria, into the Balkan
Peninsula
Mont Blanc is highest
peak (15,771 ft)
LANDFORMS CONTINUED




Central Uplands
Lies between Alps and
NEP
Low, rounded
mountains, hills,
plateaus, scattered
forests
Rich in natural
resources
FINAL LANDFORMS






British Isles
Consist of 2 large
islands: Great Britain
and Ireland
Thousands of small
islands
Rocky cliffs on coast
Mountains, plateaus,
valleys in north
Low hills, rolling plains in
south
NETHERLANDS AND WATER



25% of country is below
sea level
Dutch have built DIKES:
large banks of earth
and stone that hold
back water
Created POLDERS: lowlying area from which
seawater has been
drained to create new
land
RIVERS



Thames River: England;
runs through London
Rhine River: most
important in NW Euro;
flows from Swiss Alps
into Netherlands
Seine River: begins in
central France and
flows to English
Channel
RIVERS CONTINUED



Loire: largest in France
Rhône River: begins in
Swiss Alps, flows through
France; important for
hydroelectric power
Danube River: runs from
Germany’s Black Forest
(Schwarzwald) into
Eastern Europe; empties
into Black Sea
CLIMATE



Mild climate
throughout
Due to North Atlantic
Current (warm ocean
current)
Warm water is
brought from the
Caribbean and travels
along Northwestern
Europe
CLIMATE CONTINUED




Wind blows warm air
across Northern
European Plain
Reaches Alps and cools
MISTRAL: northerly
wind from the Alps that
cools southern France
FOEHNS: dry, winter
wind blowing down
leeward side of Alps;
melts snow, causes
avalanches
BIOMES



Mild climate creates
soils rich in humus
(decaying leaves and
organic material)
Mix of deciduous and
coniferous trees
Wildlife: deer, bears,
numerous songbirds
NATURAL RESOURCES





Abundant coal and
iron
Vast oil deposits under
the North Sea
Substantial timber
Hydroelectric power
Peat in Ireland
SECTION 2: HUMAN GEOGRAPHY
A long, complex history shaped by migration,
ethnic differences, wars, revolutions, and
peaceful integration. It’s like one big soap
opera.
ROMAN INFLUENCE



Rome built towns,
roads, and cities
throughout Europe
Christianity became
official religion of
Rome and spread
Rome’s collapse left
Europe vulnerable to
Germanic tribes
CRUSADES



1095 A.D.: Pope
Urban II calls for
Christians to reclaim
Holy Land
Unsuccessful but did
open trade
Ideas and technology
spread
RENAISSANCE



Late 1400s
Renewed interest in
cultures of ancient
Greece and Rome
Inspired major
changes in art, politics,
culture, and religion
PROTESTANT REFORMATION




1517: Martin Luther
nails 95 Theses to
church door
Wanted to reform
Catholic Church
Created Protestantism
Weakened power of
Catholic Church
ENLIGHTENMENT




Early 1700s
A movement that
values reason and
questioning tradition
Created a sense that
society can improve
Enlightenment
philosophers
influenced the creation
of the U.S.
INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION



Mid-1700s
Going from human
labor to machines
Great Britain is
epicenter
INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION CONT.



IR helped create
INDUSTRIAL
CAPITALISM: businesses
use profits to expand
company
Poor working conditions
for labor
Leads to rise of
COMMUNISM: idea that
society should be based
on public ownership and
communal control of
property
WORLD WAR I (1914-1918)



Central Powers
(Germany, AustriaHungary, Ottoman
Empire, Bulgaria) vs.
Allied Powers (Britain,
France, Russia)
Treaty of Versailles:
1919; blamed
Germany, demanded
reparations
Angered Germany
WORLD WAR II (1939-1945)



Adolf Hitler takes
control of Germany in
1933
Leader of Nazi Party
(National Socialist
German Worker’s Party)
Carried out
HOLOCAUST: mass
murder of 6 million Jews
during WWII
COLD WAR



Def: the power
struggle btwn USSR
and the US after
WWII
Germany divided into
East and West (Berlin
Wall)
Reunited in 1990
(thanks David
Hasselhoff)
EUROPEAN UNION



1957: Treaty of Rome
signed, creating the
European Economic
Community (EEC)
2009: Lisbon Treaty
finalizes legal aspects
of the union
European Union is
official
SECTION 3: PEOPLE AND THE
ENVIRONMENT
HUMAN IMPACT




NW Europe consumes
lrg amts of nat.
resources and produce
a lot of waste
This increases pollution
Overfishing has
depleted resource
Roads and railways
have isolated animals
IMPACT CONTINUED


Manufacturing and
heavy use of vehicles
has increased air
pollution
Increased ACID
DEPOSITION: wet and
dry airborne acids
that fall to the ground
ADDRESSING THE ISSUES



EU countries now face
legal action with
environmental laws
Burn natural gas
instead of coal
Climate change a big
concern there
KYOTO PROTOCOL



KYOTO PROTOCOL:
amendment to the
international treaty on
climate change designed
to reduce amt of
greenhouse gases emitted
by specific countries
Sets emissions targets
Establishes CAP AND
TRADE: a limit is placed
on emissions and
businesses/countries can
buy/sell emissions
allowances