Europe
SS6G10 A
United Kingdom and Russia
LOCATION, CLIMATE, AND NATURAL
RESOURCES OF THE UNITED KINGDOM AND
RUSSIA
HANDOUT FOR FORMATIVE GRADE–
“EUROPE’S GEOGRAPHY”
After watching this video, use your best ELA skills
to answer these questions in your notebook:
1. How does location effect where people
live? (give specific examples)
2. How do natural resources effect where
people live? (give specific examples)
3. How does climate effect where people
live? (give specific examples)
…continued…
4. What do the words “population
density” mean?
5. What do the words “push factor”
mean? (give realistic examples)
6. What do the words “pull factor”
mean? (give realistic examples)
Draw 2 Venn diagrams in your comp. book on 2 different
pages/ sides. Label: Russia & the UK; Germany & Italy:
See Anchor Charts
Location of the United Kingdom
 The U.K. is a country of islands
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Great Britain
Northern Ireland
Scotland
Wales
 Historically dominated world trade
 International trading hub -- many ports & harbors
 Ten major ports along the coast
Location of the United Kingdom
 London’s Heathrow Airport (World’s Busiest
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Airport)
Ranks 3rd In Number Of Airports In Europe
International Banking & Insurance Center
More Foreign Bank Branches Than Any Country
In The World
Atlantic Ocean Location Helps U.K. Trade With
#1 Trading Partner -- USA.
Climate of the United Kingdom
Mild climate
 Mountains
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protect driest area, SE Great Britain
keeps ports free of ice & open for trade all year
Rainfall during the year – no longer than 3 weeks dry interval
 Non-Mountain -- mild, wet weather; seasonal temperature change
Mild, wet winter – mountain snow not very deep
 Warmest summers in the south.
 The Gulf Stream winds – Gulf of Mexico
 Water is warm & mild causes milder winters
 Fertile land – good agriculture & grazing
 less than 2 % of population are farmers
 urban areas -- jobs more available
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Natural Resources of the United Kingdom
Primary
 coal, petroleum, natural gas, and iron ore
Other
 lead, zinc, gold, tin, limestone, salt, clay, chalk, gypsum,
potash, sand, slate
Industrial backbone
 auto production, steel manufacturing, and shipbuilding
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Losing manufacturing jobs – resources used up soon
Change to cleaner forms of energy
Natural Resources of the United Kingdom
Mining & manufacturing
 retrained for service industry 80% employment
 tourism, health care, education, banking, insurance
 move to urban areas for lower wage jobs
Fishing -- profitable crabs & shellfish, cod, herring, &
mackerel
 25% arable land, but 50%+ land is agriculture
 Produces approx. 60% of its own food.
Location of Russia
European Russia is almost landlocked
 Most of the land is far from the sea or frozen over for most of the year
St. Petersburg
 Capital of Russia for 200+ years
 Baltic Sea port city
 Czars of Russia
 Beautiful canals, gardens & palaces
 Major trade center
 Railroad network – international shipment of goods
 5 million+ people
 1990’s tourism growth
Location of Russia
Spans 2 continents – mostly landlocked
Covers eastern Europe & spans northern Asia
 West to East train trip would take a week
 Border 15 countries:
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China, North Korea, Finland, Norway, Poland, & Ukraine
Eastern side -- bounded by the North Pacific Ocean
Northern side -- bounded by the Arctic Ocean
Bering Strait – closest to USA (approx. 3 miles)
Climate of Russia
European Russia
 73% population lives here
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Harsh weather, but mild compared Asian Plains & Siberia
climate, distance from the sea, & rugged terrain prevent use of
many resources
 Only 2 seasons (winter & summer)
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July – hottest; January – coldest
Annual below freezing average temp
Permafrost – permanently frozen soil in many areas
Winter arctic winds, harsh winters – RR changed to cross
frozen lakes & rivers
Climate of Russia
Moscow
 Nation’s capital
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Winter –
dreary -- gray skies
 Ground snow for 4-5 months
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 Summer
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southerly winds = warmer temperatures & little rain
Asian Russia
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extreme climate (-40oF)
but mild summers
Natural Resources of Russia
Vast lumber (deciduous and evergreen) forests
 European side mostly cleared for cities and farms.
Ural Mountains: gold, aluminum ore, coal, and iron
 Production & exports
 Leading gold, minerals, metals, and machinery.
 process iron and other metals
 large mining cities
 Today, machinery is produced in many of the factories
The Volga River
 50+% major cities
 Industrial hydroelectric power
 ship manufactured goods.
Country’s size & climate – difficult to use their resources
For example, Siberian & Asian Russian oil and gas resources difficult to reach
Comparing the United Kingdom and Russia
 Russia and the United Kingdom are geographically very different.
 By area, Russia is the larger country with a long coastline bordering
the Arctic Ocean.
 Its port cities are locked by ice most of the year. The United
Kingdom is an island country with mild climate and many ports
accessible all year round. The natural resources of both countries
include fossil fuels, like coal and oil. While the United kingdom’s are
dwindling, much of Russia’s coal and oil is untouched because of the
climate and the geography of the country. London, on the River
Thames, is the capital of the United Kingdom. It is home to one of
the largest financial centers in the world. International stocks are
traded on the London Stock Exchange, and many foreign banks
have branches there. Moscow, the capital of Russia, is its larges city.
Moscow is the center for all transportation with Russia, but it is St.
Petersburg, on the Baltic Sea, that is the Russian center for trade.
Europe
SS6G10 B
Germany and Italy
LOCATION, CLIMATE, AND NATURAL
RESOURCES OF GERMANY AND ITALY
Location of Germany
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Germany is located in north-central Europe on the European Plain.
Germany is about the size of South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama combined.
However, five times more people live in Germany than in these three states.
Germany is one of the most densely populated parts of Europe.
About 85 percent of people live in urban areas.
The land is generally in three zones. Alps Mountains in the south, hilly to mountainous in
the middle, plains in the north.
The Rhine River, much of which lies in Germany, is very important for trade. This river is
over eight hundred miles long. The Rhine begins in the Alps and flows north, through
Germany to the North Sea. Many German cities lie along the Rhine. This location gives
those cities an excellent way to transport goods and people.
Germany’s location in the center of Europe make it a crossroads of travel and trade.
The country’s excellent highway system has helped Germany take advantage of its
location.
Countries from Eastern Europe and Western Europe transport goods to and across
Germany.
Germany has built many highways, bridges, and tunnels to improve trade with countries
to the south.
Germany has eight major ports, which handle the country’s exports and imports.
Fourteen major airports transport good and people all over the world
Climate of Germany
 Most of Germany has a marine climate.
 The waters of the Gulf Stream warm the region.
 That means that the warm waters of the ocean help to
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keep the land warm in winter.
The sea also cools the land in summer.
The ocean also brings moisture to the land.
Precipitation provides enough moisture for the land to
produce good crops.
Eastern Germany is farther from the effects of the sea.
This part of the country has longer, colder winters.
Summers tend to be longer, hotter and drier.
Natural Resources of Germany
 Germany has many nature resources.
 Iron ore, coal ,and potash are major products from
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mining
Uranium, which is used for nuclear fuel, is found in
Germany.
Nickel, natural gas, and copper are important too.
Timber is a renewable resource.
Much of the forest in the north has been cut to provide
land for farms, villages, and towns, but there are still
large amounts of timber in the south.
About one-third of the land is arable.
Natural resources such as coal helped to build large
industrial areas.
These areas became large cities in Germany. Many of
these are along the Rhine River.
Location of Italy
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Italy is a country in southern Europe.
It is on a long, boot shaped peninsula.
The peninsula is surrounded on three sides by the Mediterranean Sea.
The northern border of Italy is in the Alps.
Italy is about twice the size of the state of Georgia, but it has seven times as
many people.
Seven out of ten people in Italy live in urban areas.
The largest urban areas are Rome, Naples, Milan and Turin.
About half of the people in Italy live in the most northern one third of the
country.
Islands and mountains affect life in Italy.
The mountains affect where people live and how they transport goods and
people.
Italy’s location on the Mediterranean Sea affects trade with other countries.
Italy has a long history of shopping goods to and from other countries in
Europe and Asia.
Merchants took advantage of Italy's location to trade goods from Africa,
Asia Europe.
Today there are seven major airports and about one hundred smaller one.
Eight major seaports can handle the larges ships pm the sea/ Excellent
highways, bridges, and tunnel connect Italy with their neighbors to the
north
Climate of Italy
 Most of Italy has a Mediterranean climate.
 The Mediterranean Sea surrounding Italy keeps the
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temperature comfortable most of the year.
Summer skies are generally clear, and rain is rare in the
summer.
Dry summers are one of the main characteristics of this
climate.
Winters are usually cloudy and rainy.
Not all of Italy has the same kind of climate.
The mountains have a climate that changes with altitude.
The temperature is usually cooler than the temperature in
lower elevations.
The south is drier than the north.
Northern Italy has enough rain for growing crops.
Southern Italy is much drier. It only gets about half as much
rain as northern Italy.
Natural Resources of Italy
 Italy has few mineral resources.
 Natural gas is the most valuable mineral resource found in Italy.
 It is used to help supply the country’s energy needs.
 Marble and granite are available.
 These are used in the construction of buildings and artwork.
 Coal, mercury, zinc, and potash are other minerals found in Italy.
 Arable land is important in Italy.
 Small farms cover much of the country.
 Grapes and olives are important crops.
 Italy is one of the world’s top wine-making countries because of its
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excellent grape crop.
The sea is an important resource, too.
The long coastline allows for more than eight hundred ports for fishing
boats.
About 50,000 Italians make their living as fisherman.
Anchovies and sardines are two fish important to the economy.