Transcript Unit 5: Europe

 Answer the 12 questions over the short European geography video in
your journals.
1.
What rank does Europe hold in terms of size compared to the other
continents?
2. What is the Southernmost sea that borders Europe?
3. What is the only continent more densely populated than Europe?
4. Why have human populations lived and thrived here for so long?
5.
What does arable mean?
6. What ocean current is responsible for Europe’s cool climate?
7. What s Europe’s longest River?
8. What are the large stretches of permanently frozen subsoil in northern
Europe called?
9. What shields the southern parts of Europe from the cold temperatures
from the north?
10. How is the continent of Europe usually divided?
11. What country was formerly made from Eastern European countries
and Russia?
12. What mountain range separates European Russia from Asian Russia?
 Identify Europe's major landform regions.
 Identify the major rivers and bodies of water found in
Europe.
Seas, Peninsulas, and Islands
Struggle with Sea
Netherlands 25% lie below sea level
 Since Middle Ages Dutch built dikes to keep out sea
large banks of earth and stone
 Reclaimed land from sea called polders
Northern Peninsulas
Europe large peninsula made of smaller peninsulas
 Glaciation carved out long narrow inlets called fjords
Norway's coastal strip they provide fine harbors
Jutland Peninsula extends into the North Sea and forms
main part of Denmark
 Also has fjords from glaciers
Southern Peninsulas
Iberian Peninsula
Home to Spain and Portugal
 North Pyrenees Mountains cut it off rest of Europe
 Strait of Gibraltar separates it from Africa
Apennine Peninsula
 Home to Italy
 Shaped like boot extending into Mediterranean Sea
Geographic spine the geologically young Apennine Mountains
 Active volcano Mount Vesuvius near Naples
Balkan Peninsula
 Surrounded by the Adriatic and Ionian Seas to the South
and East and the Aegean and Black Seas on the East
 Tangle of mountain ranges stretching south from the
Danube River
 Overland travel difficult, historically most people traveled
by sea or river
Europe's Islands
Iceland located in Arctic Circle
 Straddles the Mid-Atlantic Ridge
 Glaciers lie next to volcanoes and hot
springs
 Capital Reykjavik pipes in hot water and
uses geothermal energy from hot springs
British Isles
2 large islands:
Great Britain
 Mountain ranges and plateaus and deep
valleys make up Northern and Western
Great Britain
 Southern dominated by low hills and
gently rolling plains
Ireland
 Called the Emerald Isle
 Lush green land with cool temperatures
and abundant rainfall
Many smaller islands
Mountainous Islands lie in south Mediterranean Sea
 Sicily, with Mount Etna highest active volcano in Europe
 Sardinia, Corsica, Crete and Cyprus
Smaller islands
 Spain's Balearic Islands
 Malta's 5 Islands
 Greece's 2000 islands in Aegean Sea
 Europe the second smallest continent
Mountain Regions
Northwest mountains ancient
 British Isles highest peak Ben Nevis rises
only 4406
Pyrenees Mountains in the Iberian Peninsula
 Rise more than 11000 feet
Alps
Form crescent from Southern France to Balkan
Peninsula
 Separates warm climate in South from cooler
climates in North
 Major rivers the Rhine and the Po originate
in Alps
 Mount Blanc at 15,771 highest peak
Carpathians run through Eastern Europe
Plains Regions
North European Plain
Stretches from southeastern England to Russia
 Major agricultural region
 Fertile because of loess fine rich wind-blown soil
Deposits of coal iron ore led to
industrial development 1800s
 Largest Cities, Paris and
Berlin located on plain
Great Hungarian Plain extends
from Hungary to Croatia,
Serbia and Romania
 Agricultural and livestock
area along Danube River
Water systems flow inland mountains and highlands to
coasts
 By connecting rivers with canals Europeans have
enhanced natural waterways as transportation links
England's Thames
 Allows ocean-going ships to reach port of London
Rhine most important
river in Western Europe
 Connects many
industrial cities to North
Sea port of Rotterdam
Danube Eastern Europe's
major waterway ships
barges carry million of
tons of cargo
 Flows from Black Forests
of Germany to Black Sea
Main-Danube Canal links the Rhine, via its tributary the Main
River, with the Danube linking North and Black Seas
Europe has long history of utilizing its natural resources,
including energy sources, agricultural areas water and
minerals.
Supply of coal and iron fueled the development of modern
industry
Major reserves of coal found in:
 United Kingdom, Germany, Ukraine and Poland
Many mines now either depleted or too expensive for profitable
production
Iron ore found in:
 Sweden, France and Ukraine
Peat, an organic fuel found in swamps, is dried and burned
when no other fuel source available
Vast oil natural gas lies under North Sea
France heavily invested nuclear power
Complete Unit 5 Europe Physical/Political Map
Water and Land
Vary from barren cold tundra in the subarctic to the warm
shrub-covered Mediterranean coasts
 Weather influenced by sea winds
Marine west coast climate
 Mild winters
 Cool summers
 Abundant rainfall
Atlantic Ocean's Gulf Stream and the North Atlantic
Drift bring warm waters from Gulf of Mexico Equator
and winds that carry warm moist air across surface of
landmass
Trees, Highlands
Deciduous trees; ash, maple and oak
thrive in the marine west coast climate
of Western Europe
 Coniferous trees; fir, pine and spruce
grow to timberline in the Alps, an
elevation above which trees can't grow
Alps have a highland climate
 Colder temperatures
 More precipitation
Sudden changes occur when dry winds
called foehns drift down into the lower
valleys
 Trigger avalanches, destructive masses
snow, ice and rock sliding down
mountain side
Ireland's Forest
Prior to 1600s much of Ireland
covered with forest
 Gained independence 1922
 Only 1% was woodland due to
over timbering for firewood and
need for farmland
 Since WWII state-sponsored
reforestation efforts have
increased woodland area
 Mediterranean climate over the majority of
the area
 Warm dry summers
 Mild rainy winters
Humid subtropical climate from Northern Italy
to the Balkan Peninsula
 Alps block most Atlantic winds area dryer
than Western Europe
Local winds can change these normal weather
patterns
 Mistral north wind from Alps sends bitterly
cold air into France
 Siroccos high dry winds from Africa bring
high temperatures
Chaparral shrubs small trees native to
Mediterranean climate like Cork and Olive
Eastern and parts of Northern Europe has a
humid continental climate
 Cold snowy winters
 Hot summers
Being further away from the oceans provides
less regulation of the temperatures
Vegetation is a mix of deciduous and coniferous
forests
 Parts covered by grasslands and plain
North subarctic has a tundra climate
 Bitterly cold winters
 Short cool summers
 Permafrost soil permanently frozen below
surface
 Little vegetation except for mosses small
shrubs wildflowers
 Complete the Ch. 11 Vocabulary WS
Ethnic Diversity
Ethnic Groups people with shared ancestry language
customs religion
Some have homogenous cultures
Sweden
89% of the population are Swedes
 Germanic descent
 Swedish language
 Lutheran religion
Others have two or more ethnic groups
Belgium
2 ethnic groups =
 Flemings- descended from Germanic tribe who invaded
in the 5th century
 Walloons- descended from Celtic peoples there before
Germanic invasion
Both are Roman Catholic
Different languages have led to bitter relationships
 Have kept from endangering national unity
Ethnic Tensions
Balkan Peninsula
 Shatterbelt area caught between internal
and external conflict
 1990s breakup of Communism worst
fighting since WWII between Serbs, Croats,
Bosnian, Muslims & Kosovar Albanians
 Centers of most brutal warfare BosniaHerzegovina Kosovo
 Ethnic cleansing Serb leaders expelled or
killed rival ethnic groups
Many people became refugees people who
flee to foreign country
Sources of Unity
Most Europeans value the importance of past
cultural achievements of ancestors
 Share commitment to democracy and the
free market
 Values of family at the center of social life
Population Density
Europe's population density greater than any other
continent expect Asia
Industrial areas most heavily populated
Population distribution
Closely associated with physical geography
 Mountain and Northern areas cold and less populated
 Common features of populated areas
 Favorable climate
 Plains fertile soil
 Mineral resources
 Inland waterway
Large cities face overcrowding and pollution
Paris London Rome Berlin Budapest
Stockholm Athens Kiev and Madrid
Urban Features
Naples brought past present together well
Population Movements
1800s 1900s Europeans migrated to
Americas, Africa and South Pacific
1950s boom in economy labor shortage
 Led to guest workers from other countries
in Asia Africa and the Caribbean
1970s tensions rose as economy slowed
between locals and Immigrants
 Governments limited immigration
Overall population shrinking
 World’s lowest birthrates in Italy and
Germany
 What cultural factors unite Europeans?
 What factors divide them?
Rise of Europe
Early People
Fossils suggest humans lived in Europe more than 1
million years ago
Introduction of farming early Europeans settled in
agricultural villages
Ancient Greece and Rome
 Both laid foundations of Western civilization
Greece
Formed separated communities called city-states
 Each independent linked by language culture
 City-state Athens introduced democracy
Greek art, literature, drama, philosophy, mathematics,
medicine and warfare
 All left lasting impression on world
Rome
Huge empire
 Developments in government law engineering
 Built vast network of roads bridges aqueducts
 Influenced other cultures
Christian Europe
A.D.300 Christianity official religion of Roman Empire
Later one world's major religions
Roman Empire split into two:
Western ½ became Roman Catholic
Eastern ½ became Byzantine Empire
 Have their own sect of Christianity known as Eastern
Orthodoxy
Middle Ages
After fall of Rome before modern times called Middle
Ages
 Feudalism system where monarchs or lords gave land
to in return for pledges of loyalty
Roman Catholic Church brought Roman government
culture law to areas Germanic people
Jewish communities made contributions to towns cities
 Sometimes persecuted
Islam based on preaching of Muhammad lived during
600s
 Muslims developed culture in Spain
 Passed to Europe achievements in science mathematics
medicine
Crusades series brutal wars to win Palestine
from Muslims
 Birthplace of Christ
 Opened trade routes spices other goods
sparked interest in other parts of world
 Renaissance
300 year period of discovery and learning
brought great advances in European
civilization
 New interest in Greek and Roman culture
 Scientific advances movable type led to
printing
 Spread new ideas quickly
Reformation increased production of books led
to this religious movement
 Lessened power of Roman Catholic Church
European Explorations
1400s Portugal developed new trade routes
around Africa to Asia
Spanish rulers financed Christopher Columbus
reached Americans late 1400s
 Voyages resulted in conquering the Americas
resulting in destruction of Native Americans
already thriving
Enlightenment stressed the
importance of reason question
traditions values
Revolutions
1600s English Parliament passed
Bill of rights limited power of
monarch
1700s French revolution overthrew
monarch
 Spread ideals of democracy
1900 most European countries had
constitutions limited monarchs
gave citizens rights
Industrial Revolution began in England
spread to other countries
 Power-driven machines transformed
life
 Led to raise industrial capitalism
economic system business leaders use
profits to expand companies
 Led to rise of middle class working
class, were poorly paid with harsh
work conditions
These social problems led to
communism philosophy that called
for economic equality and workers
controlled factories
 Governments soon passed laws
improving working conditions,
improving access to education,
housing and healthcare
Conflict and Division
Rivalry between European powers for colonies and
economic power eventually led to WWI
 Treaty of Versailles 1919 found Germany guilty starting
war demanded reparations payment for damages
 Monarchies in Eastern Europe fell after WWI and many
declared their independence
Unresolved problems from the end of WWI and worldwide
economic depression led to fascist dictators, Hitler in
Germany and Mussolini in Italy rising to power
WWII started 1939 ended 1945 involved most world
Holocaust horror killing of 6 million Jews others
 Genocide killing of group national ethnical racial
religious
War left Europe and its major cities in ruins
 Divided onto eastern under communist control of Soviet
Union
 Western democratic received economic military aid from
U.S.
 Division brought about Cold War, a power struggle
between Soviet Union U.S.
Cold War in Europe
Germany was divided into 4 zones at
end of WWII
Soviet controlled area became East
Germany with Berlin as capital, also
divided in ½ between East and West
 Many tried to escape East Germany to
West Germany
 Berlin Wall built to prevent this
Rest became part of West Germany with
Bonn as capital
Western Europe became productive
capitalistic democracies
East had lower standards of living due to
harsh punishments enacted by the
U.S.S.R.
New Era for Europe
Throughout 50’s to 80’s Soviets
suppressed all revolts against
Communist rule
1980s communism and its economy began
to crumble in Eastern Europe
 Berlin Wall came down in 1990
1990 free elections installed democratic
leaders
European Union
 Goal was the unification of Europe
economically with free movement of
goods, services and workers
Has a central government, The Hague,
Netherlands, with a central bank and a
common currency launched in 1999,
the Euro
 What two civilizations form the foundation for




Western Europe?
Which city-state pioneered the Democratic form of
government?
What led Europe to become more interested in
exploring and trading with the rest of the world?
Besides discovery, what did Columbus’ arrival in the
new world lead to?
What did the increase production of books do to the
church?
Expression of Culture
Languages
50 different languages, most Indo-European
family
 Language family group of related
languages developed from earlier language
Eastern Europe speaks Slavic languages
Northern Europe Germanic languages
Southern Europe Romance languages
 Which come from Latin, the dead
language of the Roman civilization
100 different dialects or local forms within
languages
 Sometimes people speaking same language
can’t understand one another
Most countries have one or more official
languages
Religion
Main religion Christianity
 Others Muslim Jews others
Most Christians in Northeast,
South and parts of West Europe
are Roman Catholics, headed by
Pope in Rome
Protestants, Anglican, Lutheran or
Reform are dominate in Northern
and Northwestern Europe
Muslims dominate in Southern part
of Eastern Europe
Northern Ireland
Religious conflicts between Catholics
 Wanted become part of Republic of
Ireland
 Protestants wanted to keep ties with
United Kingdom
 1998 Good Friday Peace Agreement
paved way for both Catholics and
Protestants to hold office
Balkan Peninsula
Torn apart by religious wars
 Roman Catholic Croats, Eastern
Orthodox Serbs and Muslim Bosnians
fought in Bosnia-Herzegovina
 Later E. Orthodox Serbs v. Muslim
Albanians in Serb province of Kosovo
Art and Architecture
European art forms have spread around world and
influenced countless other
 Due to European global influences in the 1800 &
1900s
 Reflects history as well as the ideals and values of
its people
Religion, Art and Architecture have long hand and
hand throughout European history
 Parthenon in Athens & Pantheon in Rome
examples of temples built to gods
 Islam invaders built mosque in Cordoba, Spain
now Catholic Church
 Orthodox Churches in Salonika Greece is an
example of Byzantine art
 Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris shows the Gothic
architecture in Western Europe from the 1100 1400s
 Artist Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo
Buonarotti influenced generations
Writers Shakespeare wrote plays and
Cervantes wrote Don Quixote
1600 & 1700s new music forms of Opera and
symphony emerged in Europe
French painter Eugene Delacroix, British
writer Sir Walter Scott, and German
Ludwig Van Beethoven reflected
Romanticism – Focus on emotions,
stirring historical events and exotics
 In the 1800s a new painting style, realism
accurately show details everyday life
 Impressionists artist moved outdoors
and captured immediate experiences or
“impressions” of natural world
 Abstract art Pablo Picasso used
geographic forms and cubism
Western Europe, with urban and industrial
growth, experiences a higher standard of
living than Eastern and Southern Europe
Education
Literacy rates 90% except for war-torn Balkan
countries
Number of years required vary from country to
country
 Portugal 6 yrs., UK 12yrs.
State-Sponsored Human Services
Sweden and the United Kingdom are welfare
states
 Tax-supported programs for higher
education, health care and social security
In recent years proposed government cuts to
social services met with opposition from
voters and unions
Home Life
 Today women entered workforce families are
more mobile
 Government tends to social concerns that
were once family concern
 Most maintain close ties to extended family
and family life still very important
Sports, Recreation
 Soccer major sport
 Rugby football popular in UK ,France and
Ireland
 Tennis, British tournament at Wimbledon
major international championship
 Bullfighting in Spain was most popular until
only just recently
 Ice skating marathon in Netherlands along
frozen canals and rivers
 Figure skating in Ukraine
 Cross-country skiing in Alpine areas
Celebrations
Greeks celebrate Easter with roast lamb
 Ukrainians intricately decorate eggs called
pysanky
Jews make potato pancakes called latkes
during Hanukkah
Muslims have family feast at end of Ramadan,
a month long period of fasting during
daylight hours
British Isles Yule logs and mistletoe for winter
solstice
French celebrate July 14 Bastille Day start of
French Revolution
 Celebrations maintains peoples cultural
heritages when progressing forward in a
continually shrinking world
 Complete Ch. 12 Vocabulary/Section 3 Review WS
*due tomorrow 12/4
Changing Economics
European Union
1992 countries signed Maastricht Treaty which set up
European Union
 Goals included the free movement of goods, services
and workers between members
 Unify all Europe with a Central bank and common
currency
 Working towards a unified foreign policy
Enjoys larger volume of trade than any other single country
Eastern Europe
After WWII for 40 years or more countries under
communism
 Government planned everything under the command
economy
Since 1989 countries have moved from command economy
to market economy
Are overcoming:
 Outdated equipment and methods, acquiring new
technology and pollution
Manufacturing
Heavy industry manufacture of machinery
industrial equipment
Light industry textiles processed food
The Ruhr and Middle Rhine districts in
Germany lead Europe in manufacturing
Service, Technology Industries
Service employs 60% people
 Banking, insurance led by UK and
Switzerland are top employers
 Tourism in Western and Southern Europe
also large part of service sector
High technology is a growing sector of
Europe’s economy
 Ireland leading manufacturer computer
products software
 More Europeans earn a living from farming than any
other economic activity
Percentage of farmers varies greatly country to country
 Albania 50%, UK 2%
Farming techniques
In western Europe, farmers use advanced technology to
make better use of limited space
 Mixed farming raising several kinds of crops livestock
on same farm common
 Most western Europeans own farm averaging 30 acres
Denmark farm cooperatives, where farmers share in
growing selling products
 Reducing costs increasing profits
 Eastern Europe under communism farmers worked on
collective farms, government-owned farms
 Received wages and share of crops and profits
 Or worked in State farms wages only, like factory
worker
After fall of Soviet Union countries shifted to private
ownership of land
 Yields and profits increased with better equipment and
fertilizers
Agricultural Issues
Genetically modified foods genes
altered to make grow faster bigger
resistant to pest
 Opposed by many Europeans
 Organic farming use natural
substance instead of chemicals for
increase crop yields
2001 outbreak foot-and-mouth disease,
a prion virus in livestock, depleted
United Kingdom
 Threatened to spread across Europe
U.S. banned all imports of animal’s
milk meat
 Increased regulations have improved
quality controls
Railways and Highways
TGV "very fast trains"
 France introduced in 1981
 High-speed rail triangle links Paris Brussels London
 Passes beneath English Channel called Chunnel
Germany's 4 lane superhighway called autobahn
 Best roads in Europe
Seaports and Waterways
Europe handles half of the world’s international shipping
Large ports in:
 London, England; Antwerp, Belgium; Genoa, Italy; Le Havre
and Marseille, France; Odessa, Ukraine; and Gdansk, Poland
 Largest port in the world in size, volume, and docks is
Rotterdam in the Netherlands at the mouth of the Rhine
Communication Links
Use series of satellites to broadcast TV programs
 Eurovision links Western Europe
 Intervision network links Eastern Europe
Cellular telephones and high speed internet have revolutionized
Europe
 Spread faster in West than the East, but East is making large
strides to reduce gap
 What challenges do eastern and western Europeans
face as they move toward unification
 What are some European products that you know of
are sold in the US today?
 What is your opinion on the organic food debate?
 What are the benefits and potential problems of high
speed rail, like the ones used in Europe, in the U.S.?
Humans and Environment
Farmers in arid areas of south Europe practice
dry farming techniques
 These don’t use irrigation and conserves soil
moister
Delta project
1953 severe Atlantic storms killed 1800 people
in Southwest Netherlands
 Next 30 years Dutch engineers built dams
and dikes to prevent that from ever
happening
Floods
 Recent years much of Europe has flooded
 Some scientist blame natural cycle global
warming
Black triangle industrial area of Poland eastern Germany Czech
Republic
Soot covers ground, air smells like sulphur
Acid Rain
Acid rain is pollution from industrial sites combined with
moisture that falls as acid rain
 Most severe in Eastern Europe
 Damaged 35% Hungary's forest 82% Poland 73% Czech
Republic Slovakia
 Runoff and meltwater from snow runs into lakes and rivers
killing aquatic life
 Car exhaust also adds acid-forming compounds to atmosphere
acid
 Acid deposition harms natural environment historical
buildings (Acropolis and Tower of London)
Air Pollution
Traffic exhaust and industrial fumes cause respiratory problems
deaths
 Eastern European countries are the most polluted in world
Global Climate Change
Environmentalists are people
concerned with environment
 Study effect carbon dioxide in
atmosphere
Greenhouse effect traps the sun's heat
near Earth
 Without it everything would freeze
there would be no life on earth
 Burning of fossil fuel raised
greenhouse effect raising global
temperatures as much as 2 since 1980
and 3.5 since 1860
 Sea levels have risen in ever increasing
amounts almost every year on record
Scientists call this Global climate
change and its effects will be felt for
centuries to come
Water Pollution
Mediterranean Sea countries use it for
transportation recreation
Unfortunately it is also used for waste disposal
dumping sewage garbage industrial waste
 Takes almost century to renew itself
 Health hazard for people animals
Danube River full of fertilizers
 Caused growth of algae
 Robs river of oxygen led to loss of fish
 Raw sewage dumped into river
Seas and rivers in most parts of Europe have
been overfished
Disease and invasive species have endangered
or outright wiped out native species of fish,
seals, shellfish and seaweed
Environment Concerns
Europeans enjoy nature and want to preserve what little
wilderness is left, while promoting economic growth which
can sometimes contradicts themselves
 Reintroducing wolves in some parts of Europe in underway
 Protection of last untouched forests in Poland and the
Carpathian Mts.
Cleanup Efforts
 EU fines countries for pollution and not meeting standards
 Biologists, scientists who study plant and animal life, are
researching effects of acid rain levels on fish
 Eastern European cities put acid-resistant coating on
buildings statues
 England successfully cleaned up Thames River
Future Plans
Power plants are now burning clean natural gas instead of
lignite coal
 U. S. & Western Europe aiding Eastern Europe to help
modernize industry, clean up pollution