Transcript The Birthplace of Western Civilization

Europe
The Birthplace of
Western
Civilization
-A peninsula of
peninsulas
-A troubled history
-A United Europe
Countries as ranked by GDP
Luxembourg
Sweden
Countries ranked by land size
Countries ranked by Population
The Physical geography
of Europe
Part of a large landmass called
Eurasia
A Peninsula of Peninsulas
• Iberian: Spain and Portugal
• Italian
• Scandinavian: Norway and
Sweden
• Jutland: Denmark
Fjords in Norway
Carved out by glaciers as they
receded
Mountains:
• Alps: Switzerland,
Germany, Italy, and France
• Pyrenees: form a natural
border between France and
Spain.
North European Plain
Rivers
• Danube: The longest river in the
EU-starts in the Black Forest of
Germany and flows through Austria,
Hungary, Romania, etc. before
emptying into the Black Sea.
• Rhine: originates in the Swiss Alpsflowing through Germany and the
Netherlands on its way to the North
Sea.
• Seine: Originates in Burgundy and
flows through Paris on its way to the
English Channel.
• Volga: Originates in the hills north
of Moscow and flows through
western Russia past Volgograd and
into the Caspian Sea. It is the
national river of Russia.
Seas
• Adriatic: contained by the Italian and
Balkan Peninsula Venice is located at the
northern end.
Aegean: flows through the many
Greek islands
• Mediterranean: Bounds North Africa,
Southwest Asia, and, of course, Southern
Europe. It also connects to the Atlantic
through the Strait of Gibraltar and to the
Red Sea through the Suez Canal.
• Baltic: Bounded by the Northern coast of
Europe and the Scandinavian countries of
Finland, Sweden, and Norway.
• Black: Bounded by the Balkan Peninsula,
Turkey, and the Eurasian Republics to the
southwest. It connects to the Mediterranean
Sea via the Bosporus and Dardanelles
Straits.
• North: Bounded by Great Britain,
Norway, Netherlands, Belgium, and
Denmark-Connects with the Baltic Sea
and the English Channel.
Oceans
Atlantic
Arctic
Strait of Gibraltar
• Narrow passage from the Med. Sea to the Atlantic
Ocean.
• Between the southern tip of Spain and the
northern coast of Morocco
Varied Climate regions
• From Tundra in Scandinavia
to Mediterranean in the South
Effects of the North Atlantic Drift and
westerly's on climate
• The N.A.D. is an extension of the Gulf
Stream and the prevailing westerly’s
blow across these currents generating
Western Europe’s weather and having a
wet and moderating influence in the
region.
Human Environment Interaction
Polders in the Netherlands
Land reclaimed from the sea
Acid Rain:Results of
unchecked industrial emissions
Air pollution and destruction of forests.
Acid Rain has damaged many
historical statues and buildings.
Areas threatened by air and water
pollution:
Black Forest-Germany
Venice
Rhine, Danube, and Seine
Venice is suffering from severe pollution
and it is sinking into the Adriatic.
The Chunnel
A tunnel under the English
Channel
• A tunnel boring machine.
High speed trains move people
and goods from Britain to France
From Dover England to Calais France
• Physically uniting Britain to continental Europe
Cultural Characteristics
Tiled Roofs in the Mediterranean
Reflect heat/rain runoff
Chalets in Switzerland
Heavy snows slide off
Ballooning in
Switzerland.
Birthplace of the Industrial
Revolution.
Esp. Great Britain
Castles
Remnants of Medieval history
Birthplace of Western Democracy
• Greece and Rome
• Republican forms of government were
formulated there.
Spread of European Culture:
1. Exploration
2. Colonization
3. Imperialism
Urbanization
• Many densely populated cities in
Europe.
NATO
North Atlantic Treaty
Organization: Intended to form a
military alliance against
Communism in Western Europe.
Roman Catholicism
The unifying faith of Europe
Religion as a divisive force.
• Conflict between
Catholics and
Protestants in
Northern Ireland.
The Protestants in
N.I. want to remain
part of the U.K. , but
the Catholics want to
unify all of Ireland
as a Catholic state.
Language
• Multiple languages in Switzerland. Why?
• Cities as Centers of Culture
and Trade
Venice: Queen of the Adriatic built on
islands and connected with various canals.
A gondola on the Grand Canal
Berlin
• Capital of Germany and located on the Spree
River.
Brandenburg Gate: built as a
monument to peace.
Berlin Wall: divided Communist East Berlin
from democratic West Berlin for almost a
generation. An artificial boundary.
Paris: Capital of France and built on an
island in the Seine river.
Eiffel Tower: built for the 1889
Centennial Exposition.
Louvre: French art museum in Paris.
Home to the Mona Lisa.
The Louvre also has a large
collection of Impressionist Paintings
Arc de Triomphe
• War Memorial
• Napoleonic Era
Notre Dame: Catholic
cathedral in Paris.
Front view of Notre Dame
Madrid: Europe's highest capital (Spain)
London: Capital of Great Britain and site were
the Thames river narrows
Big Ben: Clock and tower in
London.
Westminster Abbey: where most of
the monarchs have been crowned.
Rome: The eternal city. Capital of
Italy and location of the Vatican Citycapital of the Roman Catholic
Church.
Colosseum: Where gladiators fought
and Christians were persecuted.
Inside the Colosseum
Athens: A hilltop site and capital of Greece.
The birthplace of western Civilization.
Acropolis: hilltop site that contains the
ruins of the ancient city-state of Athens.
Parthenon: temple of Athena.
Warsaw: capital of Poland, located on
the Vistula River.
The European Union: an attempt to rebuild
Europe economically through cooperation rather
than competition.
Lower trade barriers, free borders, etc.
A Political/Economic Force
A United States of Europe.
Leaning Tower of Pisa: Cathedral
located in the Tuscany Region of Italy.
Mountain Regions:
Tourism, recreation(Skiing), and
mineral resources.
Rivers and canals serve as
major transportation links.
Oil Reserves in the North Sea.
Demographics of Developed Countries:
1. High Per Capita GDP
2. High Life Expectancy
3. Low Population Growth Rate
4. Low Infant Mortality
5. Low % of population under the age
of 15
6. High Literacy Rate
Ethnic Heritage and diversity
• Yugoslavia: Serbs, Croats, Bosnians, and
Albanians
• Conflict: War in Bosnia, “Ethnic Cleansing.”
Economic Characteristics
• Well-educated workforce
• Industrial and technological societies
• Banking in Switzerland: limited natural
resources.
• High-Tech farming
• Well-developed infrastructure
• Fertile soils
Large role of governments in the
economy: Socialism
• Sweden and Denmark
Differences in Western vs. Eastern
European economic Development
• Due to the failure of communist
economic systems
• Communism is now being replaced
with capitalism in eastern Europe
Development of industrial and transportation
centers near mineral deposits, coal, and iron ore.
• Ruhr Valley: Germany
• Po Valley: Italy
The End