Human Geography of Europe
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Transcript Human Geography of Europe
Human Geography of Europe
Human Geography
48 countries and micro-states
732 million people
One of the most densely populated
realms in the world.
The core of Western civilization:
Greek and Roman
Population Dilemma
-0.2 natural increase (Stage 5)
9% drop by 2050
Aging or graying population
More people over 60 in some countries
than under 20
Immigration from North Africa and
Middle East is complicated and
divisive.
Population Density
Netherlands
over 1000 ppsm
United Kingdom 630 ppsm
Germany 599 ppsm
France 282 ppsm
United States 80 ppsm
The European Union
27 countries
Brought together primarily as an economic
and political venture.
Capitals – Brussels and Strasbourg
Seemingly borderless continent
Dropping of tariffs but increasingly
legalistic with rules and controls
Cultural nation-state issues are still very
important.
The EURO
22 European countries use the currency
16 EU countries plus several smaller non-EU
countries use it.
Which major EU countries chose not to use it?
UK,
Denmark, Sweden
Established in1999
Banknotes an coins began in 2002
Paper money looks the same throughout,
coins have national symbols on them.
The EURO
Nation-States
Related to the ethnic and cultural
aspects that have evolved throughout
history.
Directly tied to a piece of territory.
Conflict and war have been associated
with boundary systems of the nationstate.
Dates to the Peace of Westphalia in
1648
Multi-Lingual Region
Language families:
Latin (Romance)
Germanic
Slavic
Celtic
Finno-Urgic
Baltic
Hellenic
Thracian-Illyrian
Latin – Italian, Spanish, French,
Portuguese, Romanian
Germanic – German, English, Norwegian,
Dutch, Swedish, Danish, Icelandic
Slavic – Russian, Polish, Czech,
Ukrainian, Slovenian, Serbo-Croatian
Celtic – Irish Gaelic, Scots Gaelic,
Welsh, Breton
Finno-Urgic – Finnish, Estonian,
Hungarian
Baltic – Lithuanian, Latvian
Hellenic – Greek
Thraco-Illyrian - Albanian
Religion dominated by Christianity
Religion’s Geographic Division
Division of Europe is essentially a
North/South divide.
Southern Europe remains largely Catholic
as a result of the influence of the Roman
Empire and the Vatican City’s primacy.
Northern Europe developed into a
Protestant realm after the Protestant
Reformation beginning with Luther in 1519.
The Catholic South
Focal point is the Vatican within Rome.
Countries that are pre-dominantly Catholic
are: Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Croatia,
Ireland, Poland, Slovenia, Czech and Slovak
Republics, Austria, Hungary, Lithuania, and
Latvia.
Also, southern Germany, southeastern
Switzerland, southern Netherlands, eastern
Belgium, and a sizable minority in England.
The Protestant North
Pre-dominantly
Protestant nations
are: United Kingdom, Denmark,
Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia,
and Iceland.
Also, northern half of Germany,
northern Netherlands, western
Belgium, and western Switzerland.
Eastern Orthodox Christianity
Primarily found in Eastern Europe.
Countries such as: Greece, Russia,
Serbia, Ukraine, Montenegro,
Macedonia, Bulgaria, Belarus,
Romania, and Moldova.
Islam in Europe
Islam is on the rise with over 30 million in
Europe today.
Primarily coming from North Africa,
Middle East, and South Asia.
Significant numbers in France, United
Kingdom, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Germany,
Sweden, Netherlands, Denmark.
Pre-dominant Muslim countries include:
Albania, Kosovo, Bosnia, and Malta.
Clash of Cultures
France and the headscarf issue
Train bombing in Spain – post 9/11
Subway and bus bombings in the UK
Murder of Dutch filmmaker Theo Van
Gogh
Danish cartoon controversy
Minaret ban in Switzerland
The Jews of Europe
Jews once numbered over 9.5 million.
The Holocaust cost 6 million Jews their lives.
Only 1.2 million Jews remain in Europe
(excluding Russia).
Largest concentrations in cities such as
London, Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, and
Antwerp.
Recent Conflict and Resolution
The
Cold War and the Fall of the
Iron Curtain
The Balkanization of Yugoslavia
The “Troubles” of Northern
Ireland
The Iron Curtain and it’s Fall
Communist Soviet Union sets up satellite
governments in Eastern Europe after
WWII
The Berlin Wall
Erected in 1961 in an attempt by the East
German government to prevent people
from fleeing to the West.
The Fall of the Wall
After the failure of communism becomes
evident, East German police no longer
stop people as they begin to tear down
the wall.
This began on the night of November 9,
1989
The Chain Effect
From
1989 – 1991 a domino
effect across Eastern Europe and
the Soviet Union led to the
dissolution of communist
governments.
Subsequently, new (old) nations
emerged, boundaries changed,
and new maps were created.
On the Map
15 independent countries came from
the 1 former Soviet Union
Germany was re-unified as one
country
Czechoslovakia would become two
nations
Yugoslavia would violently become 6
independent nations (7 if Kosovo is
included)
The Balkanization of
Yugoslavia
10 years after the death of Yugoslavia’s
dictator Marshal Joseph Tito, and as the
Iron Curtain fell, Yugoslavia would begin a
violent implosion.
Several former independent nations
starting with Slovenia and Croatia in 1991,
begin to declare their independence.
Yugoslav President and Serbian nationalist
Slobodan Milosevic reacts with military force.
The Bosnian War
After the central region of BosniaHerzogovina declares its independence,
Serb militias, with backing from Milosevic
begin an attack on ethnic Bosnian Muslims
that becomes a modern day genocide.
From 1992-95 over 250,000 people would
be killed and the beautiful capital city of
Sarajevo would be nearly destroyed.
Sarajevo – 1984 Winter Olympics
Kosovo (90% ethnic Albanian)
Northern Ireland
Part of the United
Kingdom
Northern 6 counties of
Ireland
Only part of the UK in 1921
1960’s began to see
violence in Northern
Ireland between
Catholic/Irish and
Protestant/British.
3,400 people have been
killed in fighting over the
years.
Future?
Currently approximately 55%
British/Protestant
44% Irish/Catholic
Birthrates suggest a more balanced
and possible Irish majority in the
years to come.
Will it lead to Ulster becoming part of
the Republic of Ireland?