Europe
Netherlands
Norway
Finl
an
d
Sw
ed
en
England
Belgium
Ireland
Belarus
Germany
France
Estonia
Latvia
Lithuania
Poland
Ukraine
Switzerland
Black Sea
Portugal
Spain
Iceland
Czech
Republic
Moldova
Italy
Romania Bulgaria
Sicily
Greece
Denmark
Slovakia
Hungary
Austria
Slovenia
Serbia
Croatia
Bosnia
Montenegro
Albania
Macedonia
Europe’s Geography
• Known as the
“Peninsula of
Peninsulas”
• Northern Peninsulas
Scandinavian
Balkan
Jutland
– Scandinavian- Norway
& Sweden
– Jutland- Denmark
– Southern Peninsulas
• Iberian- Spain & Portugal
• Apennine- Italy
• Balkan- Greece, Albania,
Bulgaria, Romania, ETC.
Iberian
Apennine
Europe’s Geography
• Atlantic Islands- Iceland, GB, Ireland.
• Mediterranean Islands- Corsica, Sicily, & Malta
Atlantic Islands
Europe’s Geography
• Mountain Regions
• Alpine Mt. System- go
from Spain to the
Balkan Penin.
• Covers most of
Switzerland & Austria
& parts of France &
Italy.
Europe’s Rivers
• Important for travel & the movement of goods.
• 1. Rhine- most important in Western Europe, flows
from Switzerland, to France, then North to Germany
& the Netherlands & empties in the North Sea
Europe’s Rivers
• 2. Danube-Eastern Europe’s most important river.
Carry goods east to west to the black sea
Europe’s Rivers
• 3. Thames- Is an important port for London
Natural Resources
• Europe is considered the
birth place of modern
industry because of the
amounts of Minerals, Iron,
& Coal
• Minerals = most important
(gold, silver, copper, iron)
• Iron & Coal are
considered the traditional
necessities of an
industrialized society
cause used together they
make steel.
Energy Sources
• Home fuels vary greatly
• Peat moss is burned in western Europe
• Other fuel sources include natural gas, oil, coal,
nuclear & hydroelectric power.
Climates
• Overall, Europe is a mild climate.
• Regions
– W Europe- West coast climate: extends from arctic
circle to the Alps, Ireland to western parts of Poland,
Czech Republic, & Hungary.
– NW Europe- moist climate that are caused by the
Prevailing Westerly Winds- wind currents that bring
warm air to Europe. North Atlantic Drift- a current
of warm water from the tropics that blows warm air
W-E
– S Europe= Mediterranean climate- hot dry summers
& mild rainy winters. Alps keep it from raining too
much by blocking the moist Atlantic winds during
the summer
– E & N Europe- humid continental climate- warm
summers & cold winters.
Environmental Probs
• Pollution= #1
• Acid Rain- pollution that condenses into
moisture, creating an acidic drop of water.
• Acid rain has damaged millions of acres of
forests, wildlife, & buildings.
• Air Pollution- covers the land w/ soot, poisons
the crops, & creates health issues for the people.
• Water Pollution- drinking water & wildlife
Acid Rain
• When humans burn fossil
fuels, chemical gases react
with water, oxygen, & other
substances to form mild
solutions of sulfuric and
nitric acid.
• Has many ecological
effects, but none is greater
than aquatic environments.
• Also damages forests,
especially those at higher
elevations. It robs the soil
of essential nutrients &
makes it hard for trees to
take up water.
• Its estimated that Acid Rain
does $1billion of damage to
the environment each yr.
Air Pollution
• Started when
industrial firms in
Europe built huge
smoke stacks to
carry pollution away
from their sites.
• Some of the most
polluted areas of
Europe are Poland,
Czech Republic, &
Romania.
• Its ruined crops, &
has raised many
health concerns.
Water Pollution
• Problem is the dumping of raw or partially
treated sewage & just regular trash into the
water systems of Europe.
• The Mediterranean Sea takes about 1 century to
completely renew its self.
Cultural Geography
• Many Europeans are Multicultural- having more
than 1 culture.
• Europe has 30 countries & there are 50 different
languages.
• This is good & bad
• Trying to work toward unity but centuries of
conflict & competition have made progress slow.
• Biggest challenge is dealing w/ peoples
differences.
Human Characteristics
• How did Europe get so multicultural?
• Through a history of migrating people.
• BIGGEST conflict happens when different
ethnic groups disagree.
• You could be in the same country & still try to
kill each other. (EX: Serbs & Croats)
• Fought each other in the Balkan Penin, in the
early 90s.
Population Distribution
• Europe has the 2nd highest population &
pop density.
• They have about 264 people per sq mile.
• Pop density is closely related to physical
geo, cause of things like climate, terrain,
& resources.
• Some countries are so dense cause they
are so small.
Mediterranean Europe
• For folks back in the day, what would be
some geographical advantages?
– 1. Mild Climate- made survival easier
– 2. Med. Sea- encouraged trade w/ other places
– 3. Alps- blocked invasions from the North.
Mediterranean Europe
• Main civilizations• 1. Greeks
• They moved into
the Balkan Penin
around 2000 B.C.
• Geography played
an important role in
the development of
the Greek
civilization.
Mediterranean Europe
• 80 % of Greece is
made up of
mountains or hills,
making the country
one of the most
mountainous in
Europe.
• How would this
impact human
settlement?
• Mountains made
people spread out
into independent &
isolated
communities.
Mediterranean Europe
• Because most Greeks were isolated, they
had to form City-States- a political unit
made up of a city & the surrounding lands.
• Each City-State was independent & had its own
economic, political, & cultural system.
• Largest & most important were Athens & Sparta.
• Why are the Greeks Important?
• They developed the 1st form of Democracy.(
Helped inspire U.S. form of Democracy)
• They became very advanced in the areas of math,
science, & philosophy.
Mediterranean Europe
• What happened to the Greeks?
• Began having many problems w/ outside
countries & w/ each other.
• 1st conflict was the Persian War
• 2nd conflict was Peloponnesian War
Persian War
• Persia was trying to
expand their empire
under the leadership
of Darius.
• Started in 490 B.C. at
the Battle of
Marathon, Greeks
won
• Darius dies & his son
Xerxes takes over &
starts the 2nd Persian
invasion of Greece in
480 B.C.
Persian War
• Xerxes had 200,000 men & the Greeks only
about 60,000.
• Athens & Sparta argued the best tactic to
win (water or land).
• Sparta led by Leonidas, took 300 Spartans &
forced Xerxes to fight @ the battle of
Thermopylae.
• Loss for the Greeks but showed Xerxes
Greece was united.
• Naval Battle of Salamis sunk & killed so
many Persian ships Xerxes left Greece & the
war ended in 479 B.C.
Peloponnesian War
• The Spartans weren’t
happy w/ the 30 yr
peace they had agreed
to w/ Athens & they
were weary of the
power & wealth of the
Athenians.
• Started in 431 B.C.
• Spartan Strategy:
– 1. Fight a land war
(thought they were
better on land)
– 2. Out # Athens so
thought they could
outlast them.
– 3. Starve Athens into
surrender.
Peloponnesian War
• Athenian Strategy:
–
–
–
–
– 1. Fight a naval war.
– 2. Take the fight to the
Spartan Allies
– 3. Had enough money to
hold out
They fought for 10 yrs w/out
anything being solved so
they signed a peace treaty
where both City-States got
to keep all they had before
the war.
Peace lasted 50 yrs when
Athens tried to attack the
island of Sicily.
Athens’ army was captured
so the Spartans decided to
attack.
404 B.C. Athens surrendered
to Sparta.
Romans
• #2.
• Rome was a Republic- a government in
which citizens elect representatives to
rule in their name.
Romans
• How did their empire
get so big & why did it
fall?
• 1. Conquered many
territories over seas
• 2. Political UnrestPeople became
unhappy w/ the
republic form of gov &
wanted a strong
leader. So they chose
to have an Emperor.
• 3. A divided nationEmpire became too
big for just 1 gov so it
split into E & W
halves.
Romans
• What caused the fall of Rome?
• 1. Conquered- cause of the split, each
emperor of each section wanted to rule
the whole Empire.
• Because of the fighting btw each other,
the Empire was weakened & Rome was
overrun by people that didn’t have a
strong central gov.
• 2. Dark Ages (A.D. 476-800)- W/ Rome out
of pwr the ideas of philosophy, gov, lit, &
architecture were gone.
Med. Europe
• Renaissance- a time of renewed interest in learning
& art that lasted from the 1300’s-1500’s
• Economics of Med Europe:
• Agricultural to industrial:
• For centuries, the economy of Mediterranean
countries was based on Ag & fishing.
• Now w/ growing manufacturing Med. Europe is
slowly industrializing.
• Problems w/ Med Europe:
• 1. Some regions are more developed than others
(N & S Italy
• 2. The whole Mediterranean region is poor in
energy resources & relies on a lot of imported
energy resources.
Western European History
• 3 main/dominant countries
• England, Germany, & France
• Why
– 1 largest
– 2 Access to ports, resources, & trade routes
to help them to build productive economies.
• Cultural divisions:
•1. Language- Since Rome conquered France,
French was a Romanic Language
•2. Rome NEVER conquered Germanic tribes so
that’s why its still spoken today.
Western European History
• Reformation- period when many Christians
broke away from the Catholic Church & started
Protestant Churches.
• 3 Main Reformers.
• Martin Luther
• John Calvin
• Henry VIII
Martin Luther
• German Priest that started the
PR
• He taught that salvation is not
earned by good deeds but
received only as a free gift of
God through belief in Jesus.
• Before his teachings, the only
way to God was through a
Roman Catholic Priest &
donating $$$$ to the church.
• Best known for his 95 Theses
which were 95 ways that he
disagreed w/ the teachings of
the Catholic Church on the
topics of forgiveness, the Pope’s
authority, & the usefulness of
indulgences.
John Calvin
• Began Calvinism which
believed that
• 1 Imperfect Man is
predestined to their fate.
Some for eternal salvation
while the others would fall
short of heaven.
• 2. If you were predestined
for heaven or hell there was
nothing that you could do to
change that.
Henry VIII
• Known for his role in the
separation of the Church of
England & the Roman
Catholic Church.
• Famously remembered for
having six wives—2 he had
beheaded
Nation-State & Nationalism
• Nation-State- a independent nation of people
w/ a common culture.
• Nationalism- the belief that people should be
loyal to the nation
– This often causes groups that want their own
countries so it helped with the rise of nation-states.
o Modern Conflicts:
oWWI & WWII
oHolocaust- the mass murder of the Jews during WWII.
oBerlin Wall- divided Germany into Communist &
Democratic sides.
Economy of W Europe
• Ag to High Tech- there has been a shift from
farming (dairy, wheat, grapes, & vegetables) to
producing high tech equipment ( electronics,
scientific instruments, passenger trains, &
nuclear energy.)
Economy/Tourism
• W Europe is very popular w/ tourists cause of
mild climate, scenery, & historical sites.
• It exports luxury goods like German cars, Swiss
Watches, & French clothing & food.
Econ Problems
• Eastern Germany’s
factories are
outdated & may
have been/have to
be shut down.
• Because of the
availability of jobs,
Western Germany
has a higher
standard of living.
• Its going to take
about $80 billion
& until the yr 2019
for E Germany to
catch up to W
Germany’s
Economy.
W Europe & the Arts
• Each Country has a certain identity, shaped by
language, religion, & culture.
• W Europe has a strong artistic legacy.
• Music: Known for classical music from composers
like Beethoven, Mozart, & Bach
W Europe & the Arts
• Art France & the Netherlands were important
for artists like Rembrandt & Monet
Eastern Europe
• 3 issues in E Europe
– 1. Conflict
– 2. Pollution
– 3. European Union
Eastern Europe
• Cause of Conflict
• Comes from the fact that
many different groups want
to control the same land.
• In 1897 Serbia broke away
from the Ottoman Empire
• March of 1992 Bosnia
declares independence
• Serbia tried to take over
Kosovo
• Effect of Conflict
• People started forming
their own kingdoms.
• Yugoslavia was formed
• Serbia went to war to
stop Bosnia from getting
their independence
• Kosovo went to war w/
Serbia to gain its
independence.
Pollution
• Cause of Pollution
• Mines & factories
create much of
Europe’s water
pollution
• Sewage, Chemical
Fertilizers, & Oil
Spills also pollute the
water.
• Burning of Fossil
fuels, & discharge
from factories
contributes to the air
pollution
• Effect of Pollution
• European
Environmental Agencyprovides Europe w/
info about the
environment & helps
set up laws that the
factories must go by.
• This creates smog &
can cause many
breathing diseases
like asthma, & can
even cause lung
cancer.
Toxic Sludge in Hungary
European Union
•
•
•
•
• Cause
1. Many differences to
settle like; political,
economic, & currency.
2. The members of the EU
use the same currency
called the Euro
3. If affects politics by
supporting certain
governments on certain
issues
4. The EU is wanting to
include all countries in
Europe
•
•
•
•
•
• Effect
1. The EU was formed to
solve the differences tween
countries.
2. Some countries believe
that switching to the Euro
will mean losing control of
some economic factors.
3. Not all of the EU’s
governments agree w/ all of
the issues brought up by
the EU, creating tension.
4.Running a big alliance isn’t
easy.
5. Not all countries have the
experience w/ democracy
or a successful economy.