Europe
The Birthplace of
Western
Civilization
-A peninsula of
peninsulas
-A troubled history
-A United Europe
Countries as ranked by GDP
Luxembourg
Norway
Countries ranked by land size
U
K
R
A
I
N
E
Countries ranked by Population
Physical Characteristics
of Europe
Part of a large landmass called
Eurasia
A Peninsula of Peninsulas
• Iberian: Spain and Portugal
• Italian: Italy
• Scandinavian: Norway and
Sweden
• Jutland: Denmark
• Balkan: Greece and others
Large Islands in Europe:
Iceland
British Isles
Sicily
Fjords in Norway
Carved by glaciers as they receded
Mountains:
• Alps: Switzerland,
Germany, Italy, and France
• Pyrenees: form a natural
border between France and
Spain.
North European Plain
FARMING:
North European Plain
• Advanced farming techniques increased
crop yields
• Rich, black soil called Chernozem
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.
Climate Regions in Europe
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
of Europe
Cultural Characteristics
Tiled Roofs in the Mediterranean
Reflect heat/rain runoff
Chalets in Switzerland
Heavy snows slide off
Ballooning in
Switzerland.
Castles
Remnants of Medieval history
Birthplace of the Industrial
Revolution.
Esp. Great Britain
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 wan to
unify all of Ireland
as a Catholic state.
Ethnic Heritage and diversity
• Yugoslavia: Serbs, Croats, Bosnians, and
Albanians
• Conflict: War in Bosnia, “Ethnic Cleansing.”
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
Warsaw: capital of Poland, located on
the Vistula River.
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.
Economics
Economic Characteristics
• Well-educated workface
• Industrial and technological societies
• Banking in Switzerland: limited natural
resources.
• High-Tech farming
• Well-developed infrastructure
• Fertile soils
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.
Mountain Regions:
Tourism, recreation(Skiing), and
mineral resources.
Rivers and canals serve as
major transportation links.
Oil Reserves in the North Sea.
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
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
A Converse All-Star
Production
Edited by: Cheri LaPorte