CHAPTER 23
“INTRODUCING EUROPE”
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
A. Europe Can Be Divided Into 4 Major
Landforms
1. The Northwestern Highlands
includes the hills of Ireland and
England, the Scottish Highlands,
Brittany in northwestern France,
most of the Iberian Peninsula, and
the Kjolen Mountains in Norway.
2. The Northern European Plain, the
largest landform region, extends
from the Atlantic coast of France
into Russia and borders the North
Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea,
and the Baltic Sea.
3. The Alps, western and central
Europe’s highest mountain range,
extend from the Mediterranean
coast of France through
Switzerland, Austria, and northern
Italy to the Balkan Peninsula.
4. The Central Uplands includes the
Massif Central of France and the
Jura Mountains on the FrenchSwiss border. It also includes the
Black Forest and Bavarian Plateau
of Germany, the Bohemian
Highlands of Germany and the
Czech Republic, and the
Ardennes in the Benelux
countries.
B. Climate Regions
1. Most of Europe has mild
conditions throughout the year.
2. Europe has three major climate
types.
a. Marine-west-coast climate
throughout most of Northern
and West Central Europe.
b. Humid-continental climate to
the east and inland of the
marine-west-coast climate.
c. Mediterranean climate in the
countries of Portugal, Spain,
Italy, Albania, Macedonia,
Greece, and parts of France,
Croatia, and Bulgaria
3. Pockets of minor climate types
cover part of Southern and
Northern Europe.
YOU WILL NOW BE DIVIDED INTO 4
GROUPS. YOUR TASK IS TO
RESEARCH ONE OF THE
LANDFORMS OF EUROPEAN AND
TEACH OR GIVE MORE
INFORMATION TO THE CLASS. USE
IN FORM YOU WOULD LIKE BUT
EVERYONE MUST BE INCLUDED IN
THE PRESENTATION. YOUR
GROUPS WILL BE GRADED ON THE
FOLLOWING: CLEARNESS,
EVERYONE INVOLVED,
KNOWLEDGE. (30 PTS.)
NATURAL RESOURCES
A. Water
1. Europe’s long, irregular coastline
has hundreds of natural harbors,
generally located near the
mouths of navigable rivers,
making Europe ideally situated
for world trade. (Coastline is
about 37,877 miles: Half the
distance around the equator.
2. The Mediterranean Sea is the
largest sea bordering Europe.
Other major European Seas
include the North Sea and the
Baltic Sea.
3. The Rhine and Danube rivers are
Europe’s most developed rivers,
each providing important access to
the sea.
B. Forest and Agriculture
1. Most of Europe’s original forests
were cut for timber or cleared for
farming centuries ago. Recently,
many of the remaining trees have
been destroyed by acid rain and
pollution.
2. Only Finland and Sweden have
large areas of timber-producing
forest.
3. Intensive farming techniques and
modern technology have made
Europe’s crop yields among the
highest in the world. Much of
Eastern Europe, however, lags in
agricultural production.
C. Minerals and Energy
1. Europe relies heavily on imports
to meet its current industrial and
energy needs.
2. The United Kingdom, Germany, the
Benelux countries, and the Czech
Republic have deposits of iron and
coal.
3. Sweden and France also have
large iron deposits.
4. Oil reserves and natural-gas
deposits below the North Sea
waters and the natural-gas
deposits in the Netherlands do not
satisfy Europe’s industrial demands.
5. Hydroelectricity is plentiful in the
mountainous nations such as
Norway and Switzerland.
6. France has been successful in
producing ocean tidal power and
in using solar energy.
HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY
A. Rise of Nations
1. From 900 B.C. to 300 B.C. most
of Europe was controlled by
warring tribes.
2. Most of central and western
Europe was part of the Roman
Empire.
3. After the fall of the Roman Empire,
around 500, various Germanic
groups established a number of
new kingdoms, the most important
being the Frankish kingdom.
4. Around 1000, Europeans
increasingly ventured out onto the
oceans, dominating world trade for
centuries.
5. By 1500, France, Spain, Portugal,
and England had become nations.
6. France was Europe’s strongest
power until the British defeated
Napoleon’s French army at
Waterloo in 1815, after which
Britain was Europe’s leading
political and economic power.
B. Imperialism
1. By the second half of the
nineteenth century, Spain,
Portugal, Britain, France, the
Netherlands, and Belgium had
established colonies in the
America’s, Africa, Asia, and the
Pacific.
IN YOUR SMALL GROUPS DISCUSS
WHY THESE COUNTRIES WERE
ESTABLISHING COLONIES (4 MIN.)
2. Britain's colonial empire became
the largest in the world. At its
height, the British Empire included
1/4 of the world’s population and
1/5 of the world’s land area.
C. The World Wars
1. World War I
a. After its unification in 1871,
Germany became one of the
strongest military and
industrial powers in Europe.
b. This frightened many other
European nations into forming
alliances.
c. Germany lost World War I.
2. World War II
a. 21 years later
b. Germany and its ally, Italy,
conquered much of Europe
before being defeated by the
allied forces of Britain, the
U.S., the former Soviet Union,
and several other nations.
D. Post-World War II
1. Germany was divided into two
nations, East Germany and West
Germany.
2. The countries of Eastern Europe
came under Communist rule and
the control of the Soviet Union.
The end of World War II marked
the beginning of a period known as
the Cold War.
3. In 1949, the military alliance of the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
(NATO) formed to provide for the
common defense of Western
Europe.
4. During the early 1990’s, Europe
again experienced historic
changes.
a. Soviet Union began to break up.
b. The reunification of East and
West Germany took place.
c. Czechoslovakia peacefully split
into two nations.
d. The new nations of former
Yugoslavia engaged in a civil
war.
e. The Warsaw Pact/Treaty of
Friendship-dissolved
HUMAN GEOGRAPHY
A. Population Changes
1. Throughout history, Europe
experienced changes in its
population.
a. Rapid growth occurred
between 1000 and 1300.
b. Major declines occurred due to
diseases, famines, and wars
between 1300 and 1450.
c. As the Industrial Revolution took
hold during the seventeenth and
eighteenth centuries, trade
increased and living standards
rose. London, Paris, Milan,
Amsterdam, and Berlin all grew
dramatically during the 1800’s
2. Over the past several centuries,
millions of Europeans have
immigrated to the United States,
Canada, Australia, and South
America seeking new
opportunities, or escaping
religious persecution, wars,
famine, and poverty.
3. Today, Western Europe is attracting
immigrants from Eastern and
Southern European countries, and
from Turkey, North Africa, and Asia.
4. Even with immigration, European
population growth rates are the
lowest in the world.
B. Language
1. English is the most widely spoken
language in Europe.
2. Most of the languages spoken in
Europe are of the Indo-European
family, including the Germanic,
Celtic, Romance, Slavic, and
Greek language groups.
3. 90% of all Europeans between
the ages of 15 and 24 speak a
second language. Some countries
are considered multilingual.
(speak 3 or more languages.)
C. Religion
1. Roman Catholicism dominates
Southern Europe. Catholics are
also in the majority in Poland,
France, Austria, Ireland, and
Belgium.
2. Northern and Central Europe is
mainly Protestant.
3. Small numbers of Jews live in
many parts of Western Europe.
4. Significant numbers of Muslims
are found in south-eastern Europe.
D. Economic Cooperation
1. World War II put severe stress on
the economics of the European
nations. Moreover, several
European colonies gained their
independence.
2. To strengthen their economies, the
nations of Western Europe formed
economic associations.
a. European Union, or EU, was
formed in 1957.
- Combines the natural
resources and industries of its
members.
- The world’s largest exporter
- Seeking a common European
currency and passport-free
borders.
- Has eliminated most tariffs on
goods traded among members.
ASSIGNMENT FOR TOM. LIST THE
COUNTRIES THAT MAKE UP THE
EU.
b. The European Free Trade
Association (EFTA), made up of
Switzerland, Norway,
Liechtenstein, and Iceland, holds
trade agreements with the EU.
E. European Ways of Life
1. Europe is a society of consumers.
2. Advanced transportation and
communication networks
crisscross much of Europe. In
some Eastern and Southern
European nations, transportation is
not as well developed.
3. Social programs often provide for
the health care, education, and
welfare of citizens throughout their
lives. These programs are
supported by high taxes.
IN YOUR SMALL GROUPS DISCUSS
WHETHER OR NOT YOU WOULD BE
WILLING TO PAY HIGHER TAXES
FOR BETTER/MORE SOCIAL
PROGRAMS OR SHOULD THE
GOVERNMENT TAX LESS? (4 MIN.)
F. Issues
1. Unemployment, crime, traffic
congestion, limited energy
resources, and environmental
pollution are all growing concerns.
2. Some minority groups in Europe
are seeking independence. In
some instances, these
movements have led to violence.
3. Many cities now have large foreign
populations. Violence toward these
immigrants has broken out,
especially in former East Germany.
4. Terrorists groups have carried out
bombings , assassinations,
hijackings, and kidnappings.
5. Europe is seeking to strengthen
economic and political unity among
its many countries.
IN YOUR SMALL GROUPS DISCUSS
WAYS IN WHICH YOU COULD HELP
EUROPEANS WITH THE ISSUES WE
HAVE JUST TALKED ABOUT. (4 MIN)
POSSIBLE ASSIGNMENTS:
1. Map of Europe
2. Chapter 23 quiz
3. Learning About Your Geography
(pg. 271)
4. Using the Five Themes of
Geography (pg. 271)
5. Graphic Organizer and Critical
Thinking (Unit 6 pg. 1 & 3)
6. Reteaching (Unit 6 pg. 5 & 6)
7. Section Review (pg. 263, 264, 266,