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EUROPE- Overview

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Geographic Characteristics

– Western edge of Eurasia– Pervasive world influence– Industrialized– Numerous nation-states – Urbanized population– High standards of living in more developed

countries– East v. West differences

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Importance of Location

Centrally located with capability of contact with rest of world.

Every part of Europe is close to the sea (within 300 miles).

Navigable waterwaysModerate distances

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PHYSICALLANDSCAPES

• Alpine Areas: The Alps, Pyrenees, Dolomites, Carpathians

• Peninsulas: Scandinavia, Italian, Iberian, Balkan• North European Plain

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Europe’s Islands• Iceland, an island south of the Arctic Circle in the North

Atlantic Ocean, features volcanoes, hot springs, and geysers.

• The British Isles–primarily Ireland and Great Britain–are cool, hilly, and rainy.

• In the Mediterranean, five large islands–Sicily, Corsica, Sardinia, Cyprus, and Crete–all have rugged terrain and volcanic mountains.

• Greece’s nearly 2,000 islands in the Aegean Sea have rugged landscapes and a sunny climate that attracts tourists

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Europe’s Climate

Marine West Coast dominates Western Europe while Humid Continental dominates eastern Europe. There are pockets of arid areas (steppe) and highland climate. The dry summers of Mediterranean climate are found along the Mediterranean coastline.

Europe’s Climates

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Generalizations on Climate

• Countries closer to warm Atlantic ocean currents and winds have milder temperatures than those farther east and north.

• European climates vary according to distance from the sea (idea of continentality).

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Most of Europe is Temperate Mixed Forest, that is typically cleared for farming. Areas of Scandinavia are Coniferous forests while the Mediterranean coastline has scrubby vegetation known as chaparral.

Land Use is typically Mixed Farming or Dairy Farming. Mediterranean farming would include the wine industry and olive oil production. Much of the highlands in the British Isles is used for grazing.

Biomes and Land Use in Europe

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Historical Geography of Europe

Ancient Greece and Rome (B.C.E. and first four centuries A.D.)

Dark Ages (4-10th century) Middle Ages (10-14th century) Renaissance (15th and 16th century) Enlightenment (18th century) Age of Conquests (15th-20th century)

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AGRARIAN REVOLUTION

Began in Europe in the 1750s Based on new agricultural innovations Enabled increased food production Enabled sustained population increase

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INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION Developed in the UK between 1750-1850 Evolved from technical innovations that

occurred in British industry Proved to be a major catalyst towards

increased urbanization

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Falling share of the world’s population

Fertility at an all-time low

Fewer young people

Smaller working age population

Immigration partially offsetting losses

EUROPE’S CHANGING POPULATION

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URBAN TRADITION

Urbanization- 73% of Europe is urbanized. Related concepts

– Primate city- largest city that encompasses the cultural ideals

– CBD- downtown (business and commerce)– Metropolis- terms used to describe central

city and suburbs

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20th Century Major Political Events

World War I World War II and Holocaust Cold War (primarily USSR) Decrease in Imperialism

(primarily British Empire) Rise and Fall of Communism

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Supranationalism A venture involving three or more nations

Political, economic, and/or cultural cooperation to promote shared objectives

New “Euro”Currency

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European Union (EU)

Original Members: (12) Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, UK

Established: 1992 Aimed to coordinate policy among the

members in three ways: -- economics -- defense-- justice and home affairs

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SupranationalismProblems

Loss of autonomy and controlDifferences in levels of economic

developmentCultural barriers

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Languages In Europe, there are about 50 different

languages and more than 100 dialects, most of which belong to the Indo-European language family

The Slavic languages of eastern Europe, the Germanic languages of northern Europe, and the Romance languages of southern Europe are Indo-European languages.

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Religions- Europe is predominantly Christian. - Most of southern/western Europe’s

Christians are Roman Catholics, whereas most northern European Christians are Protestants.

- In much of southeastern Europe, Eastern Orthodox Christians predominate.

- Many Muslims also live in southeastern Europe (Turkish influence), and Jewish communities exist in all major European cities.

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SUBDIVISIONS OF THE REALM

Western Europe Eastern Europe British Isles Northern Europe Mediterranean

Europe