World Regional Geography
January 27 & February 1, 2010
Reading:
Marston Chapter 2
pages 58–71, 74-95
Goode’s World Atlas
pages 145 - 157
Next Week:
Map Quiz #1
Paper Topics Due
No US/Canada
Europe
1. Political Boundaries: What/Where is Europe?
2. Physical Geography
a. Physiographic Regions
b. Climate & Land Use
c. Environmental History & Issues
3. Human Geography
1. Population Characteristics
2. Migration Patterns / History
3. Cultural and Ethnic Characteristics
4. Key Concepts
a. Nations & States
b. The Welfare State
5. Europe in a Global Context: Historic & Contemporary
1. Political
2. Economic
Political Boundaries
Physical Features
Physiographic Regions
Physiographic Regions: a broad region within which
there is a coherence of geology, relief, landforms,
soils, and vegetation.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Northwestern Uplands
North European Lowlands
Central Plateaus
Alpine System
The Gulf Stream and
North Atlantic Drift
Climate
• Maritime / Continental
• Humid / Arid
Annual Precipitation
Average Temperature
July
•
•
•
January
Greater variations are inland.
Mild coastal temperatures in winter.
Cool summer temperatures across
northwest coast.
Forested Land
Land Use
see World Atlas
pg. 148
Environmental History
•
•
Europe was initially dominated by temperate forests
(deciduous). Today only 5% of Europe remains forested.
1000 – 1300: Agriculture becomes dominate land-use.
•
Need for more agricultural land:
•
1300 – 1500: Reduction in agricultural land use.
•
18th century industrialization dramatically altered the
landscape:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Warm climactic period.
Technological advances in agriculture.
Population boom (~36 million to ~80 million).
Large-scale drainage projects
Sea-reclamation projects
Settlement on less-than-optimal agricultural land.
Black Plague
“Little Ice Age” shortens growing season.
Marginal agricultural lands abandoned.
Population concentration
Mining
Pollution
Environmental Issues
• Derelict landscapes:
•
•
Strip mining
Exposed chemical hazards
• Air / Water pollution:
•
•
Originally a western European issue resulting from
industrialization.
Eastern European countries suffer from sub-standard
industrial infrastructure.
• Water usage / scarcity:
•
•
Nine EU nations currently using water at unsustainable
levels.
Agricultural and personal use.
• Natural Resources:
•
•
Many resources used in production must be imported.
Over-fishing.
Population Density
•Dense Core (Golden Triangle)
•Sparse Periphery
Population Characteristics
Region
Population
(Millions)
Birth
Rate
Death
Rate
Natural
Increase
(%)
Net
Migration
Rate
Projected
Pop. Change
(2050)
Northern
99
13
10
0.3
4
+20%
Western
189
10
9
0.1
1
0%
Eastern
153*
11
14
-0.2
1
-18%
Southern
155
10
9
0.1
6
-3%
* Excluding the western portion of Russia.
Population Characteristics
Region
Northern
Western
Eastern
Southern
Region
Northern
Western
Eastern
Southern
Infant
Mortality Rate
Total Fertility
Rate
% Pop
<15
% Pop
>65
Life
Expectancy
4
4
8
5
1.9
1.6
1.5
1.4
18
16
15
15
16
18
14
18
79
80
70
80
HIV/AIDS
%
% Urban
GNI PPP
(US$)
0.2
0.2
0.4
0.4
77
75
69
67
36,090
36,430
14,430
26,740
Population Pyramids
Ukraine
Male
Female
• Age-Sex Pyramid
• Age-structure of the
population by sex.
• Useful for comparisons.
• Male/Female
• Relative size of
generations
• Birth rates
• Can be used to forecast
future population
structure.
• Level of development.
Ireland
Male
Female
The European Diaspora
• Beginning early in the 19th century there was a
massive out-migration of Europeans to other parts
of the world.
• Population pressures
• Poverty
• Poor living conditions due to industrial revolution
• Largest migration flows:
•
•
•
•
•
North America
Central & South America (Spanish & Portuguese)
Australia & New Zealand (English, Scottish, Irish)
North Africa (French & Italian)
South Africa (Dutch)
Migration Within Europe
• Industrialization
• Workers to industrial areas near coal fields
• Rural to urban
• War and political upheaval
• World wars
• Ethnic cleansing
• Current Migration
•
•
•
•
•
Rural to urban
Migrant workers
East to west
Balkan conflict
Refugees
Culture & Ethnicity
• North
• Protestant
• Germanic languages
• South
• Catholic
• Larger families
• Romance languages
• East
• Orthodox
• Slavic languages
Nations and States
• A state is an independent political entity with
boundaries that are internationally recognized by
other states.
• A political identity
• A nation is a group of people usually sharing
common cultural elements such as religion,
language, history, or political identity.
• A cultural identity
• A nation-state is an independent political entity
whose inhabitants are culturally homogeneous.
• When the boundaries of the political and cultural entities
coincide.
Ethnicity & National Identity
• A true nation-state rarely exists in practice.
• Distinctive religious, cultural, linguistic, and familial
patterns led to many unique cultural subregions
within Europe. This has led to:
•
•
•
•
•
Regionalization (i.e. Northern Europe)
Separation (i.e Basque movement)
Balkanization
Enclaves and exclaves
Ethnic cleansing
• European cultural diversity has contributed to the
development of the modern nation-state.
• 1648 The Treaty of Westphalia
Nations without States
The European Welfare State
• The welfare state refers to a social system
whereby the state assumes primary responsibility
for the welfare of its citizens, as in matters of
health care, education, employment, and social
security.
• Social Policy
• “Decommidification”
• Social services
• Basic rights
• Individual market performance
• The “European Dream”
The European Welfare State
• Objectives of Social Policy
• Redistribution of wealth
• Progressive taxes and welfare payments.
• Income and standard of living maintenance
• Elderly, disabled, temporary illness.
• Helping disadvantaged social groups / regions
• Rural poverty, families with children, economic
adjustments.
• Public safety net
• Last resort
• Economic governance
• Protect workers, promote collaboration
• Low-income relief
• Poverty alleviation, minimum standard of living
Social Policy Models
• Social Democratic Model (Nordic Model)
• Most universal social welfare model.
• Health care, education, social security.
• Reduces class and income differences.
• Progressive taxes and welfare payments.
• Low poverty and unemployment levels.
• Most effective poverty alleviation model
• High rates of public employment.
• Social Insurance Model (Continental Model)
• Based more on security.
• Pensions, unemployment payments, accident insurance.
• Government compensation as opposed to employment.
• North/Central Regions
• More effective poverty alleviation.
• Strong health care programs.
• Mediterranean Regions
• Higher poverty rates.
• Excellent pension programs.
Social Policy Models
• Residual Welfare Model (Anglo-Saxon Model)
• Much lower level of state expenditures.
• Smaller pension funds.
• Social assistance spending (i.e. unemployment).
• Encourages the market to act as a co-provider.
• Tax-credits for providing insurance and savings programs.
• Negative stigmatism surrounding social services.
• Those that can afford private insurance tend to opt-out.
• Creates two-class society (dependent, non-dependent).
• Effective at combating unemployment, but not alleviating
poverty.
Equality
Efficiency
High
Low
High
Nordic
Continental
(North-Central)
Low
Anglo-Saxon
Continental
(Mediterranean)
Europe in a Global Context
• Historical economic influence.
• Merchant capitalism (15th century)
• Banking and finance systems.
• Technical innovation
• Mechanization of manufacturing
• Shipbuilding and navigation
• Political and economic expansion
• Exploration and exploitation
• New commodities and markets
• Reorientation of Europe
• Industrialization
• Diffusion of technology
• The Golden Triangle
Europe in a Global Context
• Imperialism and War
• Global competition (territorial and economic).
• Geographic expansion to protect national economic
interests.
• Led to imperialism as European countries sought to
expand administrative control of overseas territories.
• War
• World Wars I and II create rift between Eastern and
Western Europe.
• Unites States heavily involved in reviving economies of
Western Europe.
• Cold War
• State Socialism in Eastern Europe
• The Soviet Bloc
• Command economies
• “Egalitarian” societies affect on the social and physical
landscape.
The European Union
• Common currency
• Coordination of economic
policy (i.e. agricultural)
• Infrastructure
• Development funds
• Addressing environmental
concerns
• United economic and political
front.
•The European Union in a Global Context
•Protectionist economic polices and barriers to markets
•Restructuring of trade
•Integration of Eastern Europe.
Europe in a Global Context
• Contemporary Europe and the Future
• The European Union
• How much power will the E.U. have?
• The European identity.
• Future expansion.
• Economic Importance
• 12% of the world’s population.
• 35% of the world’s exports.
• 43% of the world’s imports.
• Political importance
• Economic and military power.
• Ties with the United States and China.
• Strong colonial ties still exist.