UNIT 4 EUROPE
Section 1: Physical Geography
The Land
• Europe is part of a large landmass called Eurasia.
• Europe is a large peninsula.
A peninsula is a body of land that is
surrounded by water on three sides.
Topography
• The Northern European Plain is a flat area that extends from France
through the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, and into Russia. The
Northern European Plain has very good soil for farming
Peninsulas
•
Europe has five major peninsulas:
A.
Scandinavian Peninsula
B.
Jutland
C.
Iberian Peninsula
D.
Italian Peninsula
E.
Balkan Peninsula
Scandinavian Peninsula
•The Scandinavian Peninsula is in Northern
Europe. Norway, Sweden, and part of Finland
are on the Scandinavian Peninsula. The
peninsula is surrounded by the Barents Sea,
Baltic Sea, Norwegian Sea, and North Sea.
Fjords
• A fjord is a steep, narrow, u-shaped valley that is carved out by a
glacier. They are found in Norway on the Scandinavian Peninsula
because this area had many glaciers during the last ice age.
Jutland
• peninsula in Northern
Europe projecting into
North Sea & comprising
mainland of Denmark
Iberian Peninsula
• The countries of Portugal and Spain are on the Iberian Peninsula.
The Italian Peninsula
• Italy is on the Italian Peninsula.
The Balkan Peninsula
• The Balkan Peninsula is surrounded by the Adriatic Sea, Aegean Sea, and
Black Sea.
• The Balkan Peninsula is a large piece of land in southeastern Europe. It is
divided into many countries, including Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo,
Montenegro, Macedonia, Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Greece
Strategic Waterways
•
A strategic waterway is a narrow body of water on an important
transportation route or sea lane. Some examples are:
A.
The English Channel
B.
The Strait of Gibraltar
C.
The Dardanelles and Bosporus
The English Channel
• The English Channel separates the island of Great Britain from France.
The narrowest point is the Strait of Dover, which is 21 miles wide.
The Chunnel
• The Chunnel is a tunnel that runs underneath the English Channel
and connects Britain to France.
Strait of Gibraltar
• The Strait of Gibraltar connects the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean
Sea. The strait also separates the continents of Europe and Africa. At the
strait’s narrowest point it is eight miles wide.
The Bosporus and Dardanelles
• The Bosporus and Dardanelles separate Europe from Asia Minor (Turkey).
Part of Turkey is in Europe and the other part is located in Asia.
The Rhine River
• a major European river carrying more traffic than any other river in
the world; flows into the North Sea
Islands
•
Some islands in Northern Europe are:
A.
Great Britain
B.
Ireland
C.
Iceland
D.
Great Britain and Ireland are the two major islands in an archipelago.
Together they are called the British Isles.
Great Britain
Great Britain is the name of an island. The United
Kingdom refers to a country that is located on
Great Britain and Ireland. The United Kingdom is
composed of:
A. Wales
B. Scotland
C. England
D. Northern Ireland
•
Islands
•
Some islands in the Mediterranean Sea are:
A.
Sicily
B.
Corsica
C.
Sardinia
D.
Crete
Mountains
• The Alps are located in Northern Italy, Switzerland, Austria, and
France. The Alps are not very long and the tallest mountain is Mont
Blanc (15,774ft).
Mountains
• The Pyrenees separate the Iberian Peninsula from France.
SECTION 2: CLIMATE
AND VEGETATION
Climate and Vegetation
• Factors that Affect Europe’s Climates
1.
Latitude
2.
Mountains
3.
Ocean Currents
4.
Distance from large bodies of water
Water and Land
• Europe’s northern latitude and its relationship to the sea influence
its climate and vegetation.
• Western and Southern Europe benefit from warm maritime winds.
• Eastern and Northern Europe have a colder climate because of
their distance from the warming effects of the Atlantic Ocean
Europe’s Climates
Western Europe
• Marine West Coast Climate (mild winters, cool summers, and
abundant rainfall)
Gulf Stream (Atlantic Ocean)
North Atlantic Drift :brings warm waters to the Gulf of Mexico and
regions near the Equator
Prevailing westerly winds blowing over these currents carry warm,
moist air across the surface of the European landmass.
Trees and Highlands
• Deciduous Trees: trees that lose their leaves
(ash, maple, and oak)
Coniferous: cone, bearing fir, pine, and spruce. Found in cooler
Alpine mountain areas.
Timberline: the elevation above which trees cannot grow.
Alps have a highlands climate with generally colder temperatures
and more precipitation than nearby lowland areas.
Continued
Foehns: dry winds that blow down from the mountains into valleys
and plains.
Foehns can trigger avalanches.
Avalanches: destructive masses of ice, snow, and rock sliding down
mountainsides. Avalanches threaten skiers and hikers and can be
very destructive. They are serious natural hazard in the Alps.
Foehns
Southern Europe
• Mediterranean Climate: warm, dry summers and mild, rainy
winters
• Alps block moist Atlantic winds so less precipitation falls in
southern Europe than in northwestern Europe
Hot dry summers support the chaparral (shrubs and small trees: cork
oak tree and the olive tree)
Mistral: a strong north wind from the Alps that sometimes sends
gusts of bitterly cold air into southern France
Siroccos: high, dry winds from North Africa that might bring high
temperatures to the region.
Siroccos
MIstral
Eastern and Northern Europe
Humid Continental Climate; cold, snowy, winters and hot summers.
Warm Atlantic currents have less influence on climate in these areas
farther from the Atlantic Ocean.
Varied winter and summer temperatures.
Grasslands cover parts of eastern Europe.
Far North: Iceland, Scandinavia, and Finland: subartic and tundra
climates of bitterly cold winters and short, cool summers.
• Tundra subarctic regions have permafrost.
Permafrost: Soil that is permanently frozen below the surface.
Tundra areas support little vegetation, with the exception of mosses,
small shrubs, and wildflowers that bloom during summer.
Sections 3, 4, 5, 6: HUMAN
GEOGRAPHY OF EUROPE
SECTION 3
MEDITERRANEAN EUROPE
NAME THAT PICTURE!
The Parthenon in Athens,
Greece
The Leaning Tower of
Pisa, Italy
The Colosseum in Rome,
Italy
ANCIENT GLORY
• MILD CLIMATE & THE SEA allowed for:
PROSPERITY, DEVELOP GOVT., DIFFUSION
• TWO GREAT CIVILIZATIONS EMERGED: GREECE & ROME
•
• GREECE
CITY-STATES DEVELOPED DUE TO MTS.
• FIRST DEMOCRACY IN ATHENS (RULE BY PEOPLE)
• CITY-STATES WEAKENED BC OF WAR
•
•
•
PERSIA, SPARTA VS. ATHENS
ALEXANDER THE GREAT OF MACEDONIA CONQUERED
ANCIENT GLORY
• ROMAN EMPIRE
• WAS A REPUBLIC = CITIZENS ELECT A REP. TO RULE
FOR THEM
• ROMAN EMPIRE RULED BY CONQUERING OTHERS
• CHRISTIANITY BEGAN IN A ROMAN TERRITORY,
PALESTINE, AND DIFFUSED
• EMPIRE SPLIT TO EASTERN AND WESTERN
• WESTERN FELL TO GERMAN INVADERS
• EASTERN STAYED STRONG, BYZANTINE EMPIRE, LASTED
1000 YRS.
MODERN TIMES
• ITALY = REBIRTH, SPAIN = EXPLORATION!
•
ITALIAN CITY-STATES
• 1096 CRUSADES LAUNCHED TO RECLAIM HOLY LAND (PALESTINE) FROM
MUSLIMS
• CRUSADES: a medieval military expedition, one of a series made by Europeans to
recover the Holy Land from the Muslims in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries.
• ITALIAN CITIES BANKED FROM PROVIDING SERVICES TO CRUSADERS
• 13TH-14TH CENT. RENAISSANCE = RENEWED INTEREST IN LEARNING AND ARTS
(INSPIRED BY CLASSICAL ART)
• BUBONIC PLAGUE: the most common form of plague in humans, characterized by
fever, delirium, and the formation of buboes.
• SPREAD FROM ASIA TO EUROPE THROUGH TRADE
•
SPAIN’S EMPIRE
• MUSLIMS FROM N. AFRICA RULED IBERIAN PENINSULA
• ISABELLA & FERDINAND RECLAIMED SPAIN & INSTITUTED CHRISTIANITY
• 1492…COLUMBUS DISCOVERED WEST INDIES
• SPREAD CATHOLICISM / LANG. / CULTURE
RENAISSANCE ART
DESCRIBE WHAT YOU SEE..
CULTURAL LEGACY
• ROME’S LEGACY
• GREECE MAINTAINED OWN Language
• REST OF ROMAN EMPIRES LANGUAGES EVOVLED FROM
LATIN
• SPANISH, PORTUGUESE, ITALIAN, FRENCH
• SPLIT OF ROMAN EMPIRE = SPLIT OF CHRISTIANITY
• ROMAN CATHOLIC & EASTERN ORTHODOX (GREECE)
• ART
• PARTHENON (ITALY), AQUEDUCTS & MOSQUES (SPAIN)
• PABLO PICASSO
(SPAIN)
GUERNICA 
ECONOMIC CHANGE
• AGRICULTURE TO INDUSTRY
• TOURISM, FISHING, AGRICULTURE
• INCREASE: TRADE & MANUFACTURING
• IN 80’S PORTUGAL, GREECE, SPAIN JOIN EUROPEAN UNION:
an association of European nations formed in 1993 for the
purpose of achieving political and economic integration
• PROMOTE TRADE W/ OTHER EU NATIONS
• ECON PROBLEMS
• SOUTHERN ITALY
• NORTH IS CLOSER TO THE MORE INDUSTRIAL EUROPE
• SOUTH LACKS ADEQUATE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS
• GOVERNMENT MADE POOR CHOICES FOR INDUSTRY
• LACK OF ENERGY SOURCES
• RELIES ON IMPORTS
• MAKES MEDITERRANEAN VULNERABLE
MODERN LIFE
• BASQUES: a member of a people living in the Basque Country of France and
Spain. Culturally one of the most distinct groups in Europe, the Basques were
largely independent until the 19th century.
STATELESS NATION
• WANT INDEPENDENCE FROM SPAIN
•
• CITY GROWTH
WHY? ECONOMIC TRANSITION FROM AGRICULTURE TO SERVICE &
MANUFACTURING
• URBAN GROWTH = HOUSING SHORTAGE, POLLUTION, TRAFFIC IF LACKING
INFRASTRUCTURE AND SMART GROWTH
•
Cover Your Notes!!
• WHAT WERE THE TWO GREAT CIVILIZATIONS OF THE
MEDITERRANEAN?
• Greece and Rome
• BY WHICH EMPIRE DID CHRISTIANITY DIFFUSE THROUGH?
• Roman
• WHO RULED SPAIN BEFORE ISABELLA AND FERDINAND?
• Muslims from Northern Africa
• WHEN THE ROMAN EMPIRE SPLIT, EVENTUALLY CHRISTIANITY
SPLIT INTO WHICH TWO BRANCHES?
• Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox
• WHY IS THE MEDITERRANEAN VULNERABLE DURING TIMES OF
WAR?
• Lack energy resources, must import
• WHO WANTS INDEPENDENCE FROM SPAIN?
• Basques
CH 13 MINI-REVIEW
• Who established the first democracy?
• Athenians
• Who was this building below built for and where was it built?
• Athena, in Athens, Greece
• What were the Crusades about?
• Christians attempt to reclaim the holy land from Muslims
• Most of the Roman Empire’s languages evolved from which
language branch?
• Latin
SECTION 4
WESTERN EUROPE
NAME THAT PICTURE!
The Alps
Eiffel Tower in
Paris, France
Notre Dame in Paris, France
A HISTORY OF CULTURAL
DIVISIONS
• Two largest, France vs. Germany = RIVALRY!
• Resources, ports, and trade routes
• FROM ROME TO CHARLEMAGNE
• Language Division
•
Roman Empire conquered France
•
•
Rome’s official language was Latin
Northeast France was never conquered…speak Germanic lang.
• Charlemagne (King of the Franks/Charles the Great)
•
Germanic King conquered most of France & Germany
• THE REFORMATION
• People began to question the Church
• 1517, Martin Luther wrote 95 Theses criticizing church practices
• Rivalry of PROTESTANT VS. CATHOLICS
• France = Catholic, Germany and others = Protestant
European Religions
DEVELOPMENT NATION-STATES
• NATIONALISM
Occurred during Middle Ages
• Feudalism: European political system in which a lord owned all the land while vassals and
serfs farmed it, led to strong kings
• Nationalism = advocacy of political independence for a particular country , loyalty to nation
= nation-states
• France was one of the first nation-states
• French Kings had too much power…French Revolution in 1789…est. a republic…
• Napoleon seized power, tried to conquer Europe, lost
• WARS between states broke out
•
•
•
France and Austria; France and German states
Industrial Revolution led to competition for resources = colonies
NATION-STATES CONT.
• MODERN CONFLICTS
•
WW I
•
•
WW II
•
•
Allies (good guys) VS. Central Powers (lost)
Holocaust, Hitler (lost)
COLD WAR
Communist (Soviets) VS. Non-Communist (U.S.)
• Berlin Wall constructed to divide
• 1990, Berlin Wall fell
• European Union was est. to create a more unified Europe
•
ECONOMICS
• AGRICULTURE TO HIGH-TECH
• DAIRY, LIVESTOCK, CROPS
• RICH IN IRON ORE & COAL…INDUSTRY
• ELECTRONICS: NETHERLANDS & GERM.
• TOURISM & LUXURY
• HISTORICAL SITES & CLIMATE
• CARS, WATCHES, CLOTHING INDUSTRY, & FLOWERS
• ECON PROBLEMS
• EAST GERMANY VS. WEST GERMANY
MUSIC & ART
• MUSIC
•
BACH, BEETHOVEN, MOTZART
• PAINTING
•
Jan Vermeer & REMBRANDT
•
•
DUTCH (Netherlands): REALISM: Realist painters and writers take their
subjects from the world around them (instead of from idealized subjects, such
as figures in mythology or folklore) and try to represent them in a lifelike
manner.
Monet
•
FRENCH: IMPRESSIONIST: concentration on the general impression produced
by a scene or object and the use of unmixed primary colors and small strokes to
simulate actual reflected light.
Johannes Vermeer 1632-1675
“Girl with a Pearl Earring”
“Milkmaid”
Rembrandt 1606-1669
Monet 1840-1926
“Tulips in Holland”
“Bridge over a Pool of Water
Lilies”
“Water Lilies”
MODERN LIFE
•CITY LIFE
•MOST LIVE IN CITIES
•RECENT CONFLICTS
•IMMIGRATION
•RACISM
CH 13-2 MINI-REVIEW
• What two countries have dominated the western region
of Europe?
• France and Germany
• What religious movement caused people to question the
Catholic Church?
• The Reformation
• How did Western European countries become a leader in
economics?
• They became highly specialized in luxury items
• Which Western European artist is known for his
impressionist style of painting?
• Monet
SECTION 5
NORTHERN EUROPE
NAME THAT PICTURE!
Buckingham Palace in
London, England
Stonehenge in England
countryside
Big Ben in
London,
England
SECTION 5 Topics
• SEAFARING CONQUERORS
• MODERN AGE
• ECONOMICS
• CULTURAL SIMILARITIES
• LIFE IN NORTHERN EUROPE
HISTORY OF SEAFARING CONQUERORS
• COUNTRIES:
• UK, Ireland & Nordic: Iceland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland
• EARLY CONQUERORS
• Newer arrivals pushed older groups to coasts
• Celtics (ancient British inhabitants) forced North & West
• Vikings, Norsemen, Normans used sea to raid
• 1066 William the Conqueror of Normandy (France)
• Battle of Hastings brought French and English culture together
• DREAMS OF EMPIRE
• No empire for Nordic countries
• Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and England = UK
• Geographic advantage = they were an island
• Built up the navy
• Built a global empire by colonizing “Sun never sets on the British Empire”
Viking Conquests
Sun Never Sets…
MODERN AGE
•
REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT
• Great Brit. is a Constitutional Monarchy:
• Parliament = representative lawmaking body, the highest legislature, consisting of the
sovereign, the House of Lords, and the House of Commons
• 1215 Magna Carta = a document constituting a fundamental guarantee of rights and privileges.
Similar to our Constitution
•
INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
•
rapid development of industry that occurred in Britain in the late 18th and 19th centuries, brought
about by the introduction of machinery. It was characterized by the use of steam power, the growth
of factories, and the mass production of manufactured goods.
• Iron ore and coal allowed for industrialization
• Resource scarcity led to colonization
•
SINCE 1900
• Colonies gained independence…ethnic conflict
•
IRISH
• English took control of Catholic Irish land, left many poor
• Potato famine of 1840s…starvation and poverty
• Ireland split
• The Republic of Ireland (South) & Northern Ireland (part of UK)
ECONOMICS
• INDUSTRY AND RESOURCES
Sweden & UK = cars & aerodynamics
• North is rich in natural resources
•
•
Timber (Sweden), Fish (Iceland), oil (Norway)
• HIGH-TECH
•
Silicon Glen similar to Silicon Valley in US, high tech industry sector in Scotland
• UNION OR INDEPENDENCE?
Most joined EU, not Norway (oil)
• Euro = common currency of EU
•
•
Mixed feelings, want to keep own identity
CULTURE & ART
• LANGUAGE & RELIGION
Mostly Germanic languages, some Celtic
• Mostly Protestant, Rep. of Ireland = Catholic
•
• MODERN CULTURE
Shakespeare = Playwright
• Wordsworth = Poet
• James Joyce = Author
•
LIFE IN NORTHERN EUROPE
• SOCIAL WELFARE
High % of women in politics (Nordic) 
• TAKE CARE OF SOCIETY…HIGH TAXES
•
• CUSTOMS
•
TEA, SMORGASBORD, SAUNA
• LEISURE
•
SKIING, RUGBY, FOX HUNTING
Northern European Activities
Cover Your Notes!
• Who brought the French culture to England?
•
William the Conqueror
• What allowed for Great Britain to become a strong empire?
•
The fact that they are an island
• Where did the Industrial Revolution begin?
•
Great Britain
• What language branch do most Northern European languages derive from?
•
Germanic
CH 13-3 Mini-Review
• Why was Norway apprehensive about joining the EU?
• Worried about their oil reserves
• What year was the Battle of Hastings?
• 1066
• What is important about the battle of Hastings?
• Mingling of French and British cultures
• What year did the British King become limited?
• 1215
SECTION 6
EASTERN EUROPE
NAME THAT PICTURE!
Bran Castle in Romania (Dracula / Vlad the
Impaler)
SECTION 4
• CULTURAL CROSSROADS
• 20TH CENTURY
• ECONOMY
• CULTURE
• MODERN LIFE
CULTURAL CROSSROADS
• CULTURES MEET
•
Asia meets Europe
•
•
Cultural crossroads = point where many cultures meet
Control of the trade
• EMPIRES & KINGDOMS
Rome…Byzantine…Ottoman
• Split by several nations, no self-rule
•
Cultural Crossroads
20TH CENTURY
• WAR AFTER WAR
Ethnic groups wanted self-rule, protect culture
• Balkanization = breaking up of a region into small, hostile units
• Many nations gained independence, end of Ottoman Empire
• Soviets created satellite nations = dominated by another nation
•
20th Century
• Recent of Changes
Reforms under Gorbachev gave Eastern Europe more
freedom…demands for independence
• End of Communist control
•
Unstable governments remained
• Ethnic conflict arised
•
ECONOMY
• INDUSTRY
•
Under Communism
Government controlled
• No competition
• Lag in technology led to pollution
• Food shortages
•
•
Market economy
Goods are determined by demand of people
• Privately owned
• Transition was tough
• Increased economic growth
•
ECONOMY
• Problems
Old equipment
• Shortage of educated/skilled workers
• Lack of raw materials
• Some governments still own business, reduces foreign trade
• Civil war
•
CULTURE
• CULTURAL DIVERSITY
Variety of languages (migration) = difficult to unify
• Variety of religions (ruling empires)
•
•
Which religions would you see?
• FOLK ART
Folk Art = reflect traditional lifestyles
• Folk Music = passing down of traditions
•
MODERN LIFE
• LESS URBAN
• Much less urban than the rest of Europe
• Future urbanization with industrialization
• Growth in economy
• Pollution, housing shortages, traffic
• CONFLICT
• Ethnic conflict: Serbs vs. Croats
• Anti-Semitism = discrimination of Jews
• DEMOCRACY
• Accept rule of law = government officials also have to
follow rules!
Prague, Czech Republic
Cover your notes!
• Why is Eastern Europe considered a cultural
crossroads?
• It is a point where many cultures meet
• What empires have controlled Eastern Europe?
• Romans, Byzantine, Ottomans, Soviets
• Nations dominated by another are called what?
• Satellite nations
• Who is more urbanized, Western or Eastern
Europe?
• Western