Page6
SS6G11
Name_________________________Per______
SS6G11 The student will describe the cultural characteristics of Europe
Journal prompt: 50 words…Other than your primary language, which language do you
feel is the most important and why?
A. Comparing the languages of German, English, Russian, French, and Italian
Three main categories- Germanic, Romance, and Slavic
Europe is home to more than 200 native languages.
Germanic- largest of the three language categories; derived from the Germanic tribes
750 BC- AD1; found in Northwest and Central Europe
German- spoken in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg,
European Union; 100 million people speak German
English- United Kingdom, Ireland, European Union; 62 million speak English
Slavic- Russian is the most widely spoken Slavic language; Russian is the largest native
language in Europe. Found in Central and Eastern Europe. Many Slavic languages (such
as Russian) use the Cyrillic alphabet instead of the Roman alphabet.
Russian- Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrguzstan, United Nations,
Commonwealth of Independent States; 140 million people speak Russian.
Romance- derived from Latin, the language of the Roman Empire; Latin is no longer
spoken as a native language in any country. Found in the South and West of Europe.
French- France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Monaco, Switzerland, United Nations,
European Union; 65-80 million people speak French.
Italian- Italy, San Marino, Switzerland, Vatican, European Union; 63 million
people speak Italian.
Having so many languages in Europe can be a problem. It is hard to live, work and trade
with people who do not speak your language. To help solve this problem, European
children learn more than one language in school. The European Union has 23 official
languages to make sure people can understand laws and decisions made by the
government. Although they want a unified Europe, there are laws in place to protect the
languages and cultures of the people.
Guided reading questions:
1) What are some of the problems of having over 200 languages in Europe?
2) Which languages come from the Ancient Roman Empire language?
3) What is the prominent Germanic language in Europe?
4) What is the prominent Slavic language in Europe?
5) What is the prominent Romance language in Europe?
6) What do the French and Italian languages have in common?
7) Which language has the most native speakers?
8) What is unique about the Russian language?
9) Which language do people in the Vatican speak?
10) Which language do people from Kazakhstan speak?
B. Major Religions in Europe: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
There are three main religions in Europe: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. They have
some similarities and some differences. Some even have a common history. Throughout
history in Europe, religion has caused wars and toppled governments. Most countries in
Europe have “official” religions. Today, Europeans have the right to choose their own
religion.
Judaism
Christianity
Islam
Founder
Abraham- about
Jesus Christ- about
Muhammed- about
2000 BC
30 AD
610 AD
Holy Book
Torah
Bible
Koran
Followers called
Jews
Christians
Muslims
# of followers
About 15 million
About 2.1 billion
ABOUT 1.3 billion
Additional facts
1) Torah is the first
1) the 5 books of
1) Muslims believe
5 books of the
Moses make up the that Muhammad
writings of Moses,
first 5 books of the
was the last of the
believed to be given bible
prophets which
to Moses by God at 2) beliefs are based included Moses and
Mt. Sinai
on the teachings of
Jesus.
2) Talmud is the
Jesus: love of God
2) the main duties of
written version of
and neighbor, a
Muslims (the 5
the Oral law
regard for justice, a Pillars) are prayers,
3) belief is in the
belief that Jesus is
giving to charity,
laws of one God and the son of God.
belief in and
the words of his
3) Christianity is
submission to one
prophets
divided into three
God (Allah), fasting
4) actions and
major groups:
during the month of
following the laws
Eastern Orthodox,
Ramadan, and a trip
are important.
Roman Catholic,
to Mecca once in a
5) Three main types and Protestant.
lifetime.
of Judaism:
4) Protestants
3) Two largest
Orthodox,
include: Anglicans, groups: Sunnis
Conservative, and
Baptists,
(90%) and Shiites
Reform
Methodists,
4) it is the main
6) Jews in Europe
Presbyterians,
religion of the
were nearly wiped
Episcopalians, and
Middle East, North
out by Hitler and
other non-Catholic
Africa, and Asia
Nazi Germany
and non-Orthodox
5) number of
Christians
followers is rapidly
5) Christianity is in growing
most parts of the
world today.
1) Which religion is the oldest?
2) Which religion is growing the fastest?
3) How are these religions alike?
4) Which religion uses the torah?
C. The Literacy Rate and the standard of living in Europe
Literacy is the ability to read and write. High rates of literacy are found in developed or
industrialized countries. Most of Europe has a high literacy rate. More industrialized
countries are wealthier and can provide education, health care, and technology to its
citizen’s. Countries with a high literacy rate usually have a high gross domestic product
per capita. Gross domestic product (GDP) is the value of the goods and service produced
in a country by a single individual. Russia is the exception. It has a high literacy rate but
a low GDP. Russia’s government is developing ways to improve the economy.
Country
Literacy Rate
Per person Gross Domestic Product
United Kingdom 99%
$35,100
France
99%
$33,000
Russia
99%
$14,700
Germany
99%
$33,200
Italy
98%
$30,400
1) Why does Russia have such a low GDP?
2) What does GDP stand for?
3) Which countries have the best literacy rate?
4) What can industrialized countries provide for its citizens?
Graphic organizer
Using the graphic organizer of you choice, compare and contrast the languages of Europe
and the religions of Europe.