United Kingdom, Russia, Italy, &
Germany
EQ: Why do people choose to live in
certain places?
United Kingdom
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Consists of 4 regions:
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England
Scotland
Wales
Northern Ireland
Location
UK’s location has helped the country become
an international banking and insurance center
-more foreign bank branches than any country in
the world
 Location helps with US trade
-US is UK’s #1 trading partner!
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Location
UK’s location makes it
HUB for trade
 Across the English
Channel is France, west is
Ireland, east is Scandinavian
Peninsula
 10 major ports along the
coast
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Climate
The UK has a mild (temperate)climate, with
plentiful rainfall all year round.
-No section go without rain for more than two
weeks
-Winter are mild and wet; summers are warmest
in the south
 The Gulf Stream crosses the Atlantic Ocean
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Natural Resources
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Major export: manufactured goods
coal, petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, lead,
zinc, gold, tin, limestone, salt, clay, chalk, slate,
arable land
Major Industries: automobile production, steel
manufacturing, shipbuilding
Natural Resources
Fishing is a large and profitable industry in UK
 Nearly 25% of country has arable land
(suitable for faming)
-Over half of the land is used for farms
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Population / Where People
Live/Land Area
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About 60 million people live in the United
Kingdom.
Around 90% of the UK’s people live in cities.
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London has over 7 million people.
Land Area – 243,610 sq. miles
Russia
Location
Location
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Spans two continents – Europe and Asia
Shares a border with 15 countries
At its closest point, Us and Russia are only 3
miles apart across the Bering Straight!
European Russia is mostly landlocked
(surrounded by land on all sides)
Exceptions – Murmansk and St. Petersburg
Climate
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Most of the western part of Russia has a humid
continental climate. Summers are warm and
rainy, while winters are cold and snowy.
Only two seasons: winter and summer. Eastern
Russia experiences cool, short summers and
long, snowy winters.
Asian Russia (Siberia) northern border is a
tundra (nearly frozen, treeless plain).
73% of population lives in European Russia
Natural Resources
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Major export: petroleum
Bauxite, coal, copper, fishing, gold, iron ore,
lead, natural gas, nickel, tin, & zinc
Volga River – hydroelectric power
Lots of forest with lumber have been cleared to
build European cities
With Russia’s harsh climate and rugged
terrain, natural resources and difficult to get to
Population/ Where People Live/
Land Area
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Russia is one of the most populous countries in
the world, with 145.5 million people.
Most people live WEST of the Ural mountains,
where the climate is mildest and the land is the
most fertile.
Land Area – 17,098,242 sq. miles
Germany
Location
Location
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North Central Europe – European Plain
Southern region – mountainous
Central region – hilly and mountainous
Northern region – flat
Rhine River – most important commerical
waterway in Europe
Climate
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Because of its mountainous landscape,
Germany has a cool climate.
West – winters are mild and summers are cool
with rainfall year round
East – winters are very cold and summers are
very hot with long dry periods
Natural Resources
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An area in western Germany called the Ruhr
ranks as one of the world’s most important
industrial centers because of its rich deposits
of coal and iron ore.
Germany imports about 1/3 of its food,
although farmers grow grains, vegetables, and
fruits.
Germany’s Black Forest is a huge producer of
timber, although recently acid rain has severely
damaged tree growth.
Natural Resources
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Iron ore, coal, potash, uranium, nickel, natural
gas, and copper
Timber is also a resource but most of it has
been cut down
1/3 of land is arable
Population/Where People Live/Land
Area
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Germany’s population is 82.6 million people.
Because of its rivers and fertile land,
Germany’s northern plain has many cities and
towns.
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One of Europe’s most important waterways
flows through southern Germany.
85% of people live in cities (Berlin is the largest
and the capital)
Land Area: 357, 022 sq. miles
Trade
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Rhine River is important for trade
Many German cities lie on the Rhine
Italy
Location
Location
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Long, boot-shaped peninsula surrounded by
the Mediterranean Sea
Alps form northern border
Apennine Mountains run from the Alps to the
sea
2 small islands, Sardinia and Sicily, are part of
Italy
Climate
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Most of Italy has a mild climate of sunny
summers and rainy winters. In spring and
summer, hot dry winds called siroccos blow
across Italy from North Africa.
Temperate (mild) climate with regional
differences
Coast – mild winters, warm summers
Mountains – cold, wet, snowy winters and
humid summers
Natural Resources
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Major export: metal
coal, petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, lead,
zinc, gold, tin, limestone, salt, clay, chalk,
gypsum, potash, silica sand, slate,
26% arable land
Grapes and olives are important crops
More than 800 ports for fishing boats
Population/Where People Live/Land
Area
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Italy has 57.2 million people.
About 70% of the population live in towns and
cities. (More than 90% of Italians work in
manufacturing and service industries.)
7 out of 10 people live in urban areas (Rome,
Naples, Milan, Turin)
Almost half of the people live in the northern
1/3 of the country
Land Area: 301,340 sq. miles
Trade
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Apennine Mtns. Are like a backbone across
Italy
They affect where people live and how they
transport goods and people
Location on Mediterranean Sea affects trade
with other countries
Has a long history of shipping goods to Africa,
Asia, and Europe