EUROPE III
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Review
Questions?
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Virtual field trips?
Geography Today
Iceland/Greenland
Devolution
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United Kingdom
Eastern Europe
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Former Yugoslavia
Two Perspectives on European Union
Iceland/Greenland
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Iceland: 300,000, fishing & tourism
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Declined to join EU, opposes common fishery policy
EFTA member
“Iceland has never held a referendum on joining the EU; it should
be the same beige shade as Switzerland. The book is wrong, and
your student deserves a bonus point! ”
Greenland: 59,000, fishing
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Joins EC in 1973 with Denmark
Home rule in 1979 as Self-governing Overseas Administrative
Division of Denmark: Kalaallit Nunaat
Secedes from EC in 1985
Has access to some EU programs based on its status
A Student Asks…
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“I am trying to look for an article for my
GEOG TODAY assignment. …Would you
mind giving some examples of
assignments done in the past so I can
get a better feel for the NATURE of
topics?”
Responses:
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Re-read the course outline
Look over the FAQs on the course web
page
Read the newspaper everyday!
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Buy a copy in Chapters
Go to university library
Go to public library
Let your curiosity run wild!
Supranationalism Issues
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Loss of autonomy
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Disparities in levels of economic development
& transfer payments
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Technical trade barriers
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Product standards, inspection
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Certification, labelling
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Cultural barriers
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Common Agricultural Policy
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Chunnel/Øresund Fixed Link (16 kms)
European
Regions
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Western Europe
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The British Isles
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Nordic Europe
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Mediterranean
Europe
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Eastern Europe
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Germany of
the past
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The Federal
Republic
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Germany
Today
Germany
British
Isles
Devolution in United Kingdom
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“How convenient it would be if physical geography
and political geography coincided!”
 Northern Ireland Assembly
 Welsh Assembly
 Scottish Parliament
Underlying forces of
Nationalism
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Centrifugal forces
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Forces that tend to divide a country
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Religious, linguistic, ethnic, or ideological
differences
Centripetal forces
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Forces that unite and bind a country together
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A strong national culture and history, shared
ideology, and a common faith
Devolution
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Outcome of centrifugal forces that cause
regions or nationalities within a state to
demand and gain political strength and
growing autonomy
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By peaceful negotiation
By rebellion
Some combination
At ‘the expense of the central government’
Balkanization
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Break up (as in a region) into smaller and
often hostile units
Originates from a mountain range in
Bulgaria
Balkan countries of the Balkan peninsula
DEVOLUTION
IN
EUROPE
Shatter belt
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Term applied to
eastern europe by
geographers to
describe a zone of
chronic political
splintering and
fracturing
Why here?
ETHNIC
MOSIAC
OF
EASTERN
EUROPE
Subregions of
Eastern Europe
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Countries facing the
Baltic Sea
The landlocked
center
Countries facing the
Adriatic Sea
Countries facing the
Black Sea
Countries facing the Adriatic
Sea
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Slovenia: first to secede; ethnically most
homogeneous
Croatia: largely RC
Bosnia: centrally positioned
Serbia: largest and most populous
Macedonia: 65% Macedonian, 21% Albanian
Serbia-montenegro: includes Serbia, Kosovo,
Vojvodina, and Montenegro
Albania: remnant of Turkish Ottoman empire;
70% Muslims; lowest economic ranking in
Europe