The Birthplace of Western Civilization

-A peninsula of peninsulas-A troubled history-A United Europe

Europe

Countries as ranked by GDP

Luxembourg

Sweden

Countries ranked by land size

Countries ranked by Population

The Physical geographyof 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 NorwayCarved 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 Alps-flowing 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 NetherlandsLand 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-GermanyVenice

Rhine, Danube, and Seine

Venice is suffering from severe pollution and it is sinking into the Adriatic.

The ChunnelA 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

Tiled Roofs in the MediterraneanReflect heat/rain runoff

Cultural Characteristics

Chalets in SwitzerlandHeavy snows slide off

Ballooning in Switzerland.

Birthplace of the Industrial Revolution.

Esp. Great Britain

CastlesRemnants of Medieval history

Birthplace of Western Democracy

• Greece and Rome• Republican forms of government were

formulated there.

Spread of European Culture:1. Exploration2. Colonization3. Imperialism

Urbanization

• Many densely populated cities in Europe.

NATONorth Atlantic Treaty

Organization: Intended to form a military alliance against

Communism in Western Europe.

Roman CatholicismThe 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 City-

capital 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 ForceA 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 GDP2. High Life Expectancy3. Low Population Growth Rate4. Low Infant Mortality5. Low % of population under the age of 156. 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