Unit 6 Europe

Satellite View

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3,800 square miles

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RegionsRegions

Europe Population Density

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Climate

Climate

Strait of Gibraltar

Separates Europe from Africa

LandmarksStrait of Gibraltar- separates Europe from Africa at the mouth of the Mediterranean Sea Climates varied climate regions--everything

from tundra to Mediterranean Western & Northern Europe dominated

by Marine West Coast, due to the prevailing westerly winds off the Atlantic Ocean

Eastern by Cool & Subarctic, Southern by Mediterranean

North Atlantic Drift

• Is a powerful warm ocean current that continues the Gulf Stream northeast. West of Ireland it splits in two; one branch, the Canary Current, goes south, while the other continues north along the coast of northwestern Europe.

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Average Annual Precipitation

Average Annual Precipitation

Peninsulas and Islands

• Europe is a large peninsula made of smaller ones.

• Europe has islands in the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea. All have depended on trade.

European Peninsulas

• Northern Peninsulas:• Scandinavian• Jutland

• Southern Peninsulas:• Iberian• Italian• Balkan

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Northern PeninsulasNorthern Peninsulas

Jutland Peninsula

Scandinavian Peninsula

Scandinavian Peninsula

• Norway and Sweden

Jutland Peninsula

• Denmark and a small part of Germany

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Southern PeninsulasSouthern

Peninsulas

Iberian Peninsul

aItalian

Peninsula

Balkan Peninsul

aAnatoleanPeninsu

la

CrimeanPeninsul

a

Iberian Peninsula

• Spain and Portugal

Italian Peninsula

• Italy

Balkan Peninsula

• It is very mountainous and is surrounded by the Adriatic, Mediterranean, and Aegean Seas.

European Islands

• Larger Islands: Located in the North Atlantic.

• Great Britain• Ireland• Iceland• Greenland

• Smaller islands: Located in the Mediterranean Sea.

• Corsica• Sardinia• Sicily• Crete

North Atlantic Islands

Mediterranean Islands

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Mediterranean Sea:Mediterranean Sea:

2,400 miles long & 1,000 miles wide

“Crossroads of 3 Continents”

Strait of Gibraltar- separates Europe from Africa at the mouth of the Mediterranean Sea

Strait of Gibraltar & the “Pillars of

Hercules”

Mountains

• Mountains and uplands have made movement of people, goods, and ideas more difficult. They also affect the weather.

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The AlpsThe Alps

Cover most of Switzerland, Austria, and parts of Italy and France.

*Innovations in transportation and technology have made the alps much less of a barrier to travel and trade

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Mt. Blanc in the AlpsMt. Blanc in the Alps

Highest mountain in the Alps: 15,771 feet

The Pyrenees Mountains

• Restrict movement from France to Spain and Portugal.

The Apennine Mountains

• Divide the Italian Peninsula between east and west.

The Balkan Mountains

• Blocks off the Balkan Peninsula from the rest of Europe.

• Historically, have isolated the peninsula’s ethnic groups from each other.

Uplands

• Uplands are hills or low mountains that may contain mesas or high plateaus.

The Meseta

• Spain’s central plateau, this an upland region.

Massif Central

• French uplands.

Rivers: Europe’s Link

• The two major rivers are the Danube and the Rhine.

• They are or were used for transportation, power, and trade.

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Po R.

Tiber R.

RiversRivers

Rhine River

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The Danube RiverThe Danube River

1770 miles

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The Danube RiverThe Danube River

Flows through the 12 countries of Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Romania, and the Ukraine.

Fertile Plains• The most important plain in

Europe is the Northern European Plain.

• It produces a lot of food but is also an avenue for invasion.

• Europe has an abundance of coal and iron ore and those resources are essential for making steel.

• The Irish burn peat because they lack other kinds of energy resources.

• Peat – is partially decayed plant matter found in bogs (is a wetland).

Environmental Issues

Dikes

• *The Dutch needed land reclaimed from the Sea. To do this they built Dikes, earthen banks to hold back the sea.

Polder

• *The Dutch then drained the water off the land. The land that is reclaimed by dikes and drainage is a polder.

Zuider Zee

• An arm of the North Sea that the Dutch transformed into a freshwater lake.

Ijsselmeer

• Name of the freshwater lake created by the Zuider Zee.

Waterways for Commerce

• Water transportation is important in Venice because the city is made up of islands and canals.

• Venice grew because it is a good location for trade.

• Problems Venice faces are pollution, flooding, algae, and it is sinking.

Water Pollution• Mines and factories

create much of Europe’s water pollution.

• Sewage contaminates rivers and many cities do not have treatment plants.

• Oil spills spread and kill wildlife.

• *Spain built Europe’s first desalination plant.

Cleaning Up the Water

• Because water pollution spreads so easily, nations must cooperate to solve the problem.

• The EU also set up the European Environmental Agency, which provides the EU with reliable information about the environment.

Deforestation

• One fourth of Europe is affected by acid rain.

• Acid rain is produced when sulfur emissions from factories combine with water vapor.

• Clearing of forest for fuel and building and industrial pollution have all led to deforestation.

Agricultural Pollution• Chemical fertilizers

cause algae and plants to grow faster than fish can eat them. Plants and algae die, a process that uses up oxygen.

• Agricultural pesticides can harm wildlife, contaminate water, and kill beneficial insects.

Air Quality

• Air pollution is made up of harmful gases and particulates, very small particles of liquid or solid matter.

• Using fossil fuels causes much air pollution.

• Other causes are fires, chemical use, and industry.

Cultural Characteristics

Religions of Europe

• Catholicism dominates the countries that border the Mediterranean Sea.

• *Catholic religion in Europe can be related to cultural diffusion through the power and reach of the Roman Empire that brought Christian/Catholicism

• *Based on current immigration trends, Islam is most likely to increase in Western Europe over the next 20 years.

• Enclave – an enclosed territory that is culturally distinct from the foreign territory that surrounds it (Ex. Vatican City within the city of Rome)

• Exclave – a territory whose geographical boundaries lie entirely within the boundaries of another territory (ex. Kaliningrad, Alaska).

C is B’s Exclave, and A’s EnclaveKaliningrad is an Exclave of Russia

Cultural Landscape

• **The rich history of Europe attracts many tourist.

• In Paris the following cultural icons can be found:–Notre Dame, Arc de Triomphe, Louvre, Eiffel Tower

Notre Dame

Eiffel Tower -- Paris

• In Italy the following cultural icons can be found:–Colosseum, Leaning Tower of Pisa, St. Peter’s Basilica

Colosseum--Italy

Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy

St. Peter’s Basilica

• In Greece—the Parthenon

• In England--Westminster Abbey and Big Ben

• In Europe in general--windmills (Netherlands) and castles

Parthenon in Greece

Big Ben--England

Westminster Abbey

Windmills and Castles

Economic Issues and Influences

Developing the Economy• *Eastern European countries

moved from farming to industry because the soviet Union promoted industry.

• Communist governments restricted economic development because factories were state owned and told what they could produce.

• Moving toward a market economy has been of benefit in Eastern Europe because factories can make products that are in demand.

• There are oil reserves in the North Sea. Great Britain has claimed many of them.

• Most countries of Europe, especially Western Europe, have a well educated workforce.

• *The economic level that most European countries are at is the quaternary level.

Economic Problems in Mediterranean Europe

• The region faces economic challenges, for example Italy’s northern region is much more developed than its southern half. The reason for this is…

1.The north is closer to other industrial countries of Europe, such as Germany and France.

2.The south has poorer transportation systems.

3.The Government made bad decisions trying to promote economic growth (starting industries that did not benefit the local people.

 

*High Speed Rail in Europe

• Is emerging in Europe as a popular and efficient mean of transportation

Reason’s for:

1.Tourism to Europe from other parts of the world.

2.Need for day travel so that business can be taken care of thus eliminating overnight stays.

3.European Union creating connections across political lines for work and trade.

4.Economics

Above 250kph = 155+ mph180-250kph = 111-155 mph

Characteristic – a distinguishing feature or quality

*Supranationalism – the principle or practice of international cooperation above and beyond national

limitations. Examples: NATO, UN, EU

Satellite Nations

• After World War II, the Soviet Union set up communist governments in Eastern Europe. It became a region of satellite nations. These are nations that are controlled by another nation.

• Globalization – can be described as a process by which the people of the world are unified into a single society and function together.

In the Starbucks photo we see the global effect of Starbucks with the use of Coffee beans, Sugar, and Paper. A single cup of Coffee can depend upon as many as 19 different countries bringing you that perfect blend and cup of coffee. Looking at the McDonald's photo there are 4-5 locations that have 2,000-10,000 plus restaurants. Also, look and compare the $41 billion McDonald’s makes in sales to the other big name restaurant companies such as Taco Bell, Wendy’s, Pizza Hut, and Burger King. McDonald’s alone has over 31,000 restaurants in 118

countries employing more than 1.5 million people worldwide.

wikispaces.net/Globalization

European Union

European Union• In 1993, the

European Union (EU) was formed. It is an alliance of free market countries.

• The EU faces many issues including settling economic and political differences, replacing national currencies with the Euro, and expanding membership.

AustriaBelgiumBulgariaCyprus

Czech RepublicDenmarkEstoniaFinlandFrance

GermanyGreeceHungaryIreland

ItalyLatvia

LithuaniaLuxembourg

MaltaNetherlands

PolandPortugalRomaniaSlovakiaSlovenia

SpainSweden

United Kingdom

As of January 1, 2007, there are twenty-seven member countries of the European Union

European Union

• Norway has chosen not to join the European Union.

• Even nations belonging to the European union have mixed feelings about the euro, European common currency.

European Union

Pro- More global power joined together

-Economic benefits

Con- Want own money- Worry about former

communist countries- Don’t want to lose

national identity

*Immigration• Immigration is a major issue in Europe

today. France has passed many immigration reforms aimed at Muslim immigrants from the Middle East and Northern Africa.