Western Europe
Geography
Vocabulary
• European Union - a group of 27
European countries that
coordinate economic policies and
goals
• Euro - the currency adopted by
12 of the 27 member states of
the European Union
European Union
What is the European
Union?
European Union
Climate
Vocabulary
• North Atlantic Drift - an ocean
current that carries water from the
Gulf of Mexico to warm the southern
British Isles
• Marine Climate - cool winters and
warm summers
• Mediterranean Climate - winters
mild and wet, summers hot and
dry
Regions
Northern Europe
(Scandinavia)
Which two countries
are missing?
Iceland
Greece
British Isles
Mediterranean Europe
The British Isles
Scotland
Northern
Ireland
United Kingdom
Ireland
Wales
England
British Isles
What is the difference
between The United
Kingdom, Great
Britain and England?
Northern Europe
(Scandinavia)
Vocabulary
• Fjord - a long, U-shaped valley
carved out by glaciers and partly
filled by the sea
• Isthmus - a narrow strip of land
connecting two larger landmasses
• Peninsula - land area that projects
into a body of water; surrounded by
water on 3 sides
Continental Europe
Benelux
Germany
Austria
France
Switz.
Continental Europe
The Benelux Countries
Netherlands
Belgium
Luxembourg
Vocabulary
• Landlocked – surrounded by land with
no direct access to the sea
• Industrial Triangle - areas of the French
northeast, the Benelux countries, and
the German Ruhr with a concentration
of heavy industry
• Microstate – an independent country
with a very small population and land
area
Industrial Triangle
Microstates
Luxembourg
Malta
Vocabulary
• Polder- land reclaimed from the
sea by construction of dikes
• Dike - a low wall of earth and
stone used to channel water
Land Reclamation
Polders and Dikes
Mediterranean Europe