Transcript EUROPE- Overview

EUROPE- Overview
Geographic
Characteristics
Western edge of Eurasia
 Major world influence
 Industrialized
 Numerous nation-states
 Urbanized population
 High standards of living
 East v. West differences

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 waterways
 Moderate distances
PHYSICAL LANDFORMS & FEATURES
•
Mountains: The Alps, Pyrenees, Dolomites, Carpathians,
Kjolen, Apennines, Caucasus, Ural
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Peninsulas: Scandinavia, Italian, Iberian, Balkan
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North European Plain
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Rivers: Danube, Rhine, Seine, Thames, Tiber, Rhone, Po,
Don, Volga, Loire, Elbe, Tagus, Dnieper, Vistula
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
•
Europe’s Climates
Marine West Coast dominates
Western Europe.
Humid Continental dominates
Eastern Europe.
Pockets of steppe and highland
climate.
Mediterranean climate is found
along the Mediterranean coastline.
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).
Biomes and Land Use in Europe
• 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.
EUROPE’S CHANGING
POPULATION
 Declining share of the world’s population
 Fertility at an all-time low
 Fewer young people
 Smaller working age population
 Immigration partially offsetting losses
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.
Languages
In Europe, there are about 50 different
languages and more than 100 dialects,
most of which belong to the Indo-European
language family
 Slavic languages in eastern Europe
 Germanic languages in northern Europe
 Romance languages in southern Europe

Religions
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Europe is predominantly Christian.
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Most of southern/western Europe’s Christians are
Roman Catholics.
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Most northern European Christians are
Protestants.
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Eastern Orthodox Christians dominate much of
southeastern Europe.
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Many Muslims also live in southeastern Europe
(Turkish influence).
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Jewish communities exist in all major European
cities.