Western Europe
Created JDG 2000
Western Europe
Quick Facts
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15 nations soon to have unified currency--Euro
Top Fifth in Wealth
Population clusters along the Northern European Plain
Core: Industrial Heartland
Periphery: Med & Iberian Peninsula
Created JDG 2000
Western Europe
Sub-Regions & States
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Industrial: UK, Eire, France, Benelux & Germany
Northern (Scandinavia): Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Finland
Alpine: Austria & Switzerland
Mediterranean: Italy, Spain, Portugal, & Greece
Created JDG 2000
Source: U-Texas Map Library (2000)
Created JDG 2000
Western Europe
Physical Geography: Climates
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Mid-Lat West Coast Dominates
Highland
Arctic
Created JDG 2000
Western Europe
Physical Geography: Physiography
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Glaciation Important (Plains, Dramatic Mtn. Landscapes, Channels, & Fjords)
Mtns: Alps, Apennines, Pyrenees
N. European Plains
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Tundra
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Created JDG 2000
Western Europe
Physical Geography: Hydrography
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Channels & Straits: English, Dover, Gibraltar
Seas: Baltic, North, Med., Adriatic, Aegean
Bays of Biscay
Rivers: Rhine, Seine, Elbe, Danube, Lire, Rhone, Thames & Po
Created JDG 2000
Western Europe
Physical Geography: Resources
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Soil
Water & Waterways
Marine Life
Minerals
Coal
Increasing NG & Oil
Created JDG 2000
Western Europe
Physical Geography: Environmental Problems
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Acid Rain
Water Quality
Waste Management
Population Density in Fragile Ecosystems
Soil Erosion
Created JDG 2000
Western Europe
Physical Geography: Natural Hazards
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Flooding
Created JDG 2000
Western Europe
Human Geography: Culture Groups
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Celts (N. France & UK)
Germans: Saxons & Franks (Germany, N. France, & Coastal England)
Germans: Bavarians & Lombards (Alpine)
Romans (Med. Through UK)
Vikings (Scandinavia & UK)
Greeks (Med & Asia Minor)
Berbers (Iberian Peninsula)
Basques??? (France)
Created JDG 2000
Western Europe
Human Geography: Religion
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Protestant
Roman Catholic
E. Orthodox
Judaism
Islam
Created JDG 2000
Western Europe
Human Geography: Population
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Highly Controlled--Particularly in Industrial & Northern Regions
ZPG in N. Europe?
Created JDG 2000
Western Europe
Industrial Heartland
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Economically dominated by the continents largest & smallest states
Historically, driven by access to waterways & coal fields
Classic Agglomeration Economies
New Development not tied to resources
Birthplace of Industrial Revolution & Industrial Capitalism
Highly integrated production systems
New left-center politics & economics
Created JDG 2000
From Pulsipher (2000)
Created JDG 2000
Western Europe
Industrial Heartland: Concerns?
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Ethnic Tolerance during times of economic stress
Stabilizing trouble areas, such as N. Ireland & former E. Germany
Neo-Fascism?
Sovereignty Issues associated with EU
Created JDG 2000
Western Europe
Northern (Scandinavia)
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Hi-Productivity
High Development Indicators
Highly urbanized societies
Diversified Economies: Hi-Tech Manufacturing, Agriculture & Extractive
Industries
Governments are committed to strong social ‘safety nets’
Created JDG 2000
Western Europe
Alpine: Switzerland & Austria
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Two very different countries
Switzerland characterized by 3 linguistic groups: French, Italian, & German
Tourism Important
Other service industries, such as banking, important
High Value Added Manufacturing essential to economic based
Created JDG 2000
Western Europe
Mediterranean
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Poorest region in WE
Italian economy anchors region
Portugal has experienced very little industrialization
Tourism is the most successful service industry shared by all
Created JDG 2000
Western Europe
Landscapes
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Surburbanization
Post-WWII investments
Gentrification
Dense & Thriving Urban Centers
Classic Agglomeration Landscapes
Ancient Landmarks
Future of rural lands increasingly a
political question
Created JDG 2000
Western Europe
Future: Globalization
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Integration of EE into EU
Ethnic Tolerance
Sovereignty
Old World Core replaced by New World Cores (US, CANADA, &
JAPAN)
Created JDG 2000