Chapter 11
 The countries of Western
Europe are united by
cultural and political ties.
 The region is made up of
countries that have
democratic governments.
 This division dates back to
the end of WWII, a war that
involved nearly every
country of Europe.
 Much of Western
Europe is made up of
peninsulas.
 Scandinavian Peninsula
 Jutland Peninsula
 Apennine Peninsula
 Iberian Peninsula
 Balkan Peninsula
 Because of all the seas,
gulfs, bays, inlets, small
fjords and thousands of
islands, Europe has more
miles of coastline than
any other continent.
 Europe also has some of
the world’s best harbors.
 Europe’s landforms fall into 4
regions.
1. the Great European Plain



this region is on the
northern coast of the
continent.
It runs from the Ural
Mountains to France and
has very fertile soils.
With large rivers and flat
land, this area is the center
for transportation and
trade.
the Central Uplands
2.


Runs from Spain across
the middle of Europe.
Because of the thin, rocky
soil this is a poor place for
farming.
the Alpine Region
3.



The young and large Alps
dominate this region.
There is still a lot of
earthquake and volcano
activity here.
Despite their size, the Alps
are not a major barrier to
trade.
the Northwest
Mountains
4.


Includes the hills and
mountains of France, the
British Isles and
Scandinavia.
Again, thin poor soils on
these slopes makes
farming difficult.
 Even though most of
Europe is at the same
latitude as most of Canada,
their climate is much
milder than ours.
 The Gulf Stream carries
warm water from the Gulf
of Mexico across the
Atlantic to help keep most
of Europe warm.
 Winter days are often
cloudy, rainy, and humid.
Temperatures are rarely
very cold.
 Southern areas are even




warmer and often much
drier.
Northern areas are cold and
snowy, much like Canada.
Forest use to cover much of
Western Europe, but very
little is left today, especially
in the southern parts.
Large areas were cut for fuel,
or to make room for farms,
towns and cities.
Europe
From Notes
1.
2.
3.
What are the 4 major
landform regions of
Western Europe? Briefly
describe each.
Tell why the climate of
Europe is warmer than
the climate of parts of
Canada that lie at the
same latitude.
What happened to much
of Europe’s forested area?
Use an Atlas
4. Name the mountain
range in…
a.
b.
c.
5.
Central Italy
Between Spain and
France
In Northern Italy
Through what 3
countries in Western
Europe does the Arctic
Circle pass?
 Beginning in the 1500’s,
European’s
revolutionized trade and
transportation.
 Western European
religions, legal and
political ideas, scientific
discoveries, and arts and
literature affected people
all over the world.
 380 million people live in
Western Europe.
 The Netherlands is the most
crowded country in Europe
with 346 people per square
km.
 Other heavily populated
areas are:
 Ruhr Valley
 Southern part of British
Isles
 Parts of Italy
 Parts of Spain
 Only in parts of
Western Europe are
there few people.
 Iceland
 parts of Scandinavia
 the Alps,
 the highlands of
Spain,
 Over 75% of Western
Europeans live in towns or
cities.
 Some of the largest with
over several million each
are…





London, England
Paris, France
Madrid, Spain
Rome, Italy
Athens, Greece
 About 50 other cities have
a population of over 1
million.
 Europe has a lot of different cultures because most
societies developed apart from each other until the
years of trade and exploration.
 Language – there are more than 50 languages spoken
throughout Europe. Most come from 2 main branches
language.
1. Romance languages (based on Latin)


Most common in the south and west
French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish
Germanic languages
2.


Most common in the north and the west
English, German, Swedish
Education – Europeans are among the best-educated
people in the world.
 The literacy rate (number of people able to read and
write) in Western Europe is around 95%.
 The literacy rate is often lower in the southern parts of
Europe as their standard of living is lower and they
cannot afford the education that the northern parts
can.
Religion – Most Europeans
are Christian although
there are some other
religions with large
numbers.
 In the southern parts of
Western Europe, most are
Roman Catholic.
 The Pope is the spiritual
leader of the Catholic
Church.
 He governs the church
from Vatican City, an
independent country
located in Rome, Italy.
 Most Northern Europeans belong to a different branch
of Christianity called Protestant.
 Many non-Christians also live in Western Europe.
Jews are the largest of these groups, but Hindu and
Muslims also have increasing numbers in Western
Europe.
 In 1933, when Hitler’s Nazi Party took control of
Germany, the persecution of Jews sky rocketed.
 After the start of World War II, Hitler attempted to
wipe out all the Jews in Europe.
 Jews in conquered areas of




Eastern Europe were killed.
Later, Jews from all over
Europe were gathered up
and sent to death camps.
By 1945, the Nazis had killed
about six million Jews.
These events are known as
the Holocaust.
Band of Brothers
 After the fall of the Nazis and their allies in 1945, all
countries in Western Europe have democratic
governments.
 Because most governments here provide so many free
service to help their citizens (health care, old age
pensions, etc…), they are sometimes called welfare
states.
 Most Western European countries are members of
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) which
helps guard against enemy action from other
countries.
 Some countries are neutral, which means they don’t
take part in international conflict.
 In a few countries of
Nicolas Sarkozy,
Western Europe, like
President of France
France, voters elect
members of a legislature
and a president.
 Most countries elect
members of a parliament
and the majority in
David Cameron,
parliament then choose one Prime Minister
of Great Britain
of its members as Prime
(coalition
Minister.
government)
Queen of England
 Unlike Canada and the
United States, European
countries usually have a
number of parties running for
power.
 Ten countries are
constitutional monarchies
which means they have a king
or queen as the head of state,
but they don’t have any real
power. The power belongs to
the government.
King of Sweden
 Western Europe was
home to the Industrial
Revolution. Today, many
European countries are
among the top
manufacturing countries
of the world.
Resources
 The region has
important deposits of
natural gas, iron ore, coal
and bauxite.
 Recent finds of oil in the
North Sea have made
Europe less dependent
on oil imports than in
the past.
 In Western Europe, farmers
produce 2 or 3 times as
much food per acre as
farmers in the US. They
have to because of the
limited space.
 In Northern Europe farmers
grow potatoes, rye, wheat,
oats.
 In the France, Germany and
Southern Europe they grow
grapes for wine.
 Ocean shipping and airlines
link Europe with most of the
world’s countries.
 Almost all of Western
Europe is serviced by
highways, railroads, rivers
and canals, and pipelines.
 The railroads are especially
fast and easy to use.
 test train
Define
 Holocaust
 Welfare State
Use an Atlas
1. Name the sea…
a.
b.
c.
d.
Between Iceland and
Norway
Between England and
Norway
East of Greece
South of Europe
From Notes
2. Describe settlement
patterns in Western
Europe.
3. What are some of the
cultural divisions here?
4. What forms of
government are most
common here?
5. What are Western
Europe’s main
economic activities?