The Geography of EUROPE

Unit Overview

In this unit students will learn why Europe has been the home for a wide range of people and cultures throughout history. Students will learn about the economy of Europe, its climate, land, water production, and the source of food. In addition, the students will learn about the growth of transportation, communication, demographics, and the importance of the Industrial Revolution.

The Land

Europe is often referred to as the “peninsula of peninsulas” because it is made up of a large series of peninsulas, an island surrounded on three sides by water. The continent can best be described as a giant peninsula that extends westward from northwestern China. And, because geographically, Europe is a western peninsula of Asia, together this shared landmass of Europe and Asia form the supercontinent Eurasia.

Northern Peninsulas

The Scandinavian Peninsula is located at the northwest corner of Europe and encloses the Baltic Sea. It extends from Russia and Finland in the north and almost reaches Denmark in the south. It contains the countries of Norway on the west and Sweden on the east. The Scandinavian mountain range separates the two countries. During the last Ice Age, in a process known as glaciation, glaciers formed and spread over the peninsulas. They carved out long, narrow, steep-sided inlets called fjords (fee.AWARDZ) on the Atlantic coastline. The deep waters of the fjords created the harbors that are surrounded by rocky cliffs and thick forests. 

Boats steering through a fjord in the Lofoten Islands, Norway.	Scenic fjord, or sea inlet, winding deep into the mountainous coast of western Norway.
Fedafjorden, in Norway.
Glacial erosion produces U-shaped valleys, and fjords are characteristically so shaped. Because the lower (and more horizontally inclined) part of the U is far underwater, the visible walls of fjords may rise vertically for hundreds of feet from the water's edge, and close to the shore the water may be many hundreds of feet deep. In some fjords small streams plunge hundreds of feet over the edge of the fjord; some of the world's highest waterfalls are of this type. Fjords commonly have winding channels and occasional sharp corners. In many cases the valley, floored with glacial debris, extends inland into the mountains; sometimes a small glacier remains at the valley's head. The river that formed the original valley commonly reestablishes itself on the upper valley floor after the disappearance of the ice and begins to build a delta at the fjord's head. Often this delta is the only place on the fjord where villages and farms can be established.

The northern peninsula, Jutland, (marked with a red arrow) is a major geographic feature of Denmark. This peninsula features great sandy beaches. The southern coast is filled with marshes, while the east coast consists mostly of plains and hills.

The peninsula of southern Europe is known as the Iberian Peninsula. Home to Spain and Portugal, the peninsula separates the Atlantic Ocean from the Mediterranean Sea. The land features beautiful mountains and forest, some of the land is suitable for farming. To the north, the Pyrenees Mountains cut off the peninsula from the rest of Europe. Because of this rugged barrier, the people of the Iberian Peninsula were relatively isolated from the rest of Europe.

Aneto Peak in the Pyrenees.

The Apennine Peninsula, which forms Italy, can be best described as a giant boot that extends into the Mediterranean Sea. The southern portion of the peninsula consists mainly of mountains, while the northern portion consists mostly of plains.

APENNINE PENINSULA

The Apennine mountain range is a series of mountain ranges bordered by narrow coastlands that form the physical backbone of peninsular Italy. From Cadibona Pass (see red arrows) in the northwest, close to the Maritime Alps, they form a great arc, which extends as far as the Egadi Islands to the west of Sicily. Their total length is approximately 870 miles (1,400 kilometres), and their width ranges from 25 to 125 miles. Mount Corno, 9,554 feet (2,912 metres), is the highest point of the Apennines proper on the peninsula. The range follows a northwest–southeast orientation as far as Calabria, at the southern tip of Italy; the regional trend then changes direction, first toward the south and finally westward.

The Balkan Peninsula consists of several countries that were once a part of former Yugoslavia. Because of the many wars fought in this region, the boundaries of the countries changed. Surrounded by the Black Sea, Aegean Sea, on the east, the Mediterranean Sea on the South and on the west by the Ionian and Adriatic Seas, the Balkan Peninsula is mountainous and subject to many earthquakes and volcanic activity. You should remember from your study of World History that this region has many different ethnic groups. This is the reason why there is so much tension in the region. It is also the place where Franz Ferdinand was assassinated, the event that triggered World War I.

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In the northeast corner, there is a smaller island known as Iceland. As one might expect, Iceland consists of many glaciers. Though, you would be surprised to learn that it also consists of volcanoes! Further south in the northwest corner lies the British Isles. The British Isles is made-up of two countries, Great Britain and Ireland.

In the north, England is dominated by mountains, plateaus, and deep valleys. As one moves south, plains are a dominant geographic feature. Ireland looks much like a photograph of the countryside. It has endless stretches of green grass, with cool temperatures and much rainfall.

Countryside in Ireland

The very southern portion of Europe makes up the Mediterranean Islands. These islands include, Corsica, Sicily and Malta. These areas are very rugged, with many mountains, but the warm climate attracts many tourists. In Greece these hilly lands are actually very fertile.

Sicilia, the largest island in the Mediterranean, is separated from Italy's "toe" by the Stretto di Messina. Made up almost entirely of mountains, Sicily lies at the convergence of three major tectonic plates. It is thus subject to the dangers of earthquakes and volcanoes, including those of Etna, Europe's highest volcano.	Ajaccio, on the Mediterranean coast of western Corsica, France.

Mountains and Plains

Europe is essentially plains that get interrupted by mountains running through the interior portion of northern and southern Europe.

Rugged highlands run from the northern part of the British Isles through the Scandinavian Peninsula. These mountain ranges are thought to be the oldest rock formations in the world. Located in the Iberian Peninsula, is a rocky barren region that includes mountains and scattered forest that is called the Great Uplands. Located along the Iberian Peninsula, they extend through France and Germany, all the way to Eastern Europe. It includes the Alpine mountain system that runs through Spain into the Balkan area into Russia. The most famous and highest mountain range in this system is the Alps, which covers the Mediterranean coast of France in the west, through northern Italy, Switzerland, southern Germany, Austria and into the northwest part of the Balkan Peninsula region. There are some spectacular peaks that allow the Alps to provide some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. The Alps provide many challenges to expert skiers and mountain climbers.

Plains

Europe is made up of long, beautiful plains that surround the mountains. The northern European plains begin in France, and stretch more than 1800 miles into Poland. This plain even reaches Russia.

Most of the Northern European plain is rolling lands with hills or low mountains. The area was once covered in water, but since the people needed to be able to use that land they made some modifications to it. In the Netherlands, the people created Polders, which are a low-lying stretches of reclaimed land enclosed by embankments known as dikes that held back the sea. This allowed the Northern European plain to become a rich farmland, like most other European plains. It is a prime example of how humans can modify the physical geography of a location to meet their needs.

Flower cultivation in the polders of South Holland near the border with North Holland in The Netherlands.

As you know plains are mostly flat areas, so that makes travel easier. In addition to that, the plains are very fertile. These factors account for the reasons why the plains region is the most populated region in Europe.

Rivers

The rivers play a very important role in the daily lives of the Europeans. The rivers provide the water to irrigate the farms and to produce electricity, as well as allow for transportation between the interior and exterior. All the rivers of Europe have different characteristics. In Scandinavia, the river systems are shorter and make no connections between the cities; however, in the heartland of Europe, the rivers are much larger. The Rhine River is one of the most important rivers in all of Europe. It connects the industrial cities to the Port of Rotterdam on the North Sea. This allows for goods to be easily exchanged with other countries. The Danube River, located in Germany, is an important waterway, flowing eastward to the Black Sea. On this waterway, millions of tons of cargo are transported each year. On the Iberian Peninsula, the rivers are too shallow to allow for any business transactions. However, the Thames River in Britain, allows thousands of products each year to reach London.

Lakes

Most of the lakes in the Scandinavian region were formed during the last Ice Age. These lakes have many purposes. First, they are popular recreation areas and secondly, in Italy, they help create the fertile vineyards for wine making, which is an important part of Italy’s economy.

COAL	MAGNETITE	HEMATITE	GOETHITE	LIMONITE

Natural Resources

Minerals are one of the most important natural resources of Europe. These mineral deposits are found in the plains and mountain ranges. Europe was the first region to experience the Industrial Revolution, which is why Europe is known as the birthplace of modern industry. The reason for this is because the region has an abundance of coal and iron ore. Iron ore is used to make steel. Because of the major mineral deposits the Europeans used the geography to create industry. The region also produces fuels to heat homes and factories. Pleat, a vegetable composed of mosses, was used to fuel many homes. Today, the Europeans use the energy resources such as coal, oil, gas, as well as nuclear and hydroelectric power to power the factories. The very first factories were created near rivers for this very reason.

The other major mineral resource, Bauxite, has been used by many Europeans to improve farming. Major sources of Bauxite are used to create fertilizers that make the land more fertile, increasing the production of agriculture.

The physical geography of Europe plays a key role in not only its economic development, but its history ,as well. We will learn more about that later in this unit.

Climate and Vegetation

Europe’s climate varies from the tundra and subarctic region of Iceland, Scandinavia and Finland to the Mediterranean coasts of Italy, Spain and Greece. Its diverse vegetation includes the dark fir and spruce, short grasses and scattered shrubs of Spain’s dry, central plateau, the Mesta. Just like other parts of the world, climate and vegetation patterns are closely linked. Europe’s location near large bodies of water determines its climate and vegetation.

Climate Regions

A large part of Western Europe has a marine coast climate. This climate region extends from the Arctic Circle to the Alps, from Iceland to the western parts of Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary. Locations in this climate region enjoy moderate temperatures in both summer and winter; they receive roughly 30 inches of rainfall each year.

Most of southern Europe has a Mediterranean climate; places in this part of the continent have hot, dry summers and mild rainy winters. Southern Europe receives less yearly precipitation than northwestern Europe because the Alpine Mountain system blocks moist winds off the Atlantic Ocean. However, in the winter, when the winds switch directions, there will be more rainfall.

Local winds in this region sometimes cause changes in the northern weather pattern. The mistral, a strong northerly wind from the Alps, brings very cold air to southern France. The Siroccos, hot winds from the desert of North African deserts of Libya, bring desert air and dust.

Most of Eastern Europe has a humid climate. This region includes the countries of Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Romania and Moldova. Unlike much of the world, where the temperatures of the ocean currents influence the climate, that is not the case for these Eastern European countries.

Several other climates are found throughout Europe. Most of Iceland, and the northern countries, have subarctic and tundra climates. Places in this climate region have bitterly cold winters, and very short summers. The Tundra and Subarctic regions have permafrost, soil that is often permanently frozen below the surface. The Alps have a highland climate with colder temperatures and more precipitation than the lowlands. Foehns , dry winds blown down from the mountains, occur primarily with southerly winds associated with the leading edges of eastward-moving cyclonic storms across northern Italy. During these times, strong temperature inversions are formed on Alp surfaces between the descending air from above, and the stagnant cold, humid, cloud and fog enshrouded glacial valleys below. Under such conditions, air pollution becomes a major problem in heavily populated and industrialized valleys a little farther north. Foehns along the northern slopes of the Alps are particularly prevalent during the autumn and spring, and they frequently cause disastrous spring avalanches, a mass of ice, snow or rocks sliding down a mountain, because the snow on the upper slopes is melting so rapidly

Europe’s Vegetation

The natural vegetation of Europe consists of forests, grasslands and plants. Of course, the vegetation is directly linked to the climates. Over the centuries as the climate patterns changed, so did the vegetation, but people have caused even greater changes.

Europe’s Natural Vegetation

Natural Vegetation

Deciduous forests, trees that lose their leaves, are the natural vegetation of Europe’s west coast climate. Coniferous forests, or evergreen trees, are the natural vegetation of Northern Europe. In the plains area of Europe, the height of the grass is related to the rainfall. Tall grasses are found in the western plains, while in the country of Hungary only short grass grows. Why? Hungary receives little rainfall. The hot dry summers of the Mediterranean produces Chaparal, or short trees.

Human Interaction

Europeans cut down most of the national forests that once covered large parts of the continent. They cleared the land for farming and industry, and used the timber for fuel and building materials. Today, the areas that once were farms are urban areas. Some European governments have created policies to regulate the cutting of trees to protect the forests. For example, in Germany, laws have been created so that when a tree is cut down, a new one must be replanted.

Air pollution has been a consequence of Europe’s industry. The pollution from automobiles and factories pose a serious threat to forests, as well as the other natural vegetation. In the Czech Republic, it is estimated that 20% of the vegetation has been killed or irreversibly damaged as a result of unregulated pollution.

Diverse Population

Europe’s diverse population reflects its history of migration throughout the continent. In many European countries, there are a variety of ethnic groups. This diversity has led to many tension and violent conflicts. In the early 1990s, the Balkan Peninsula became a battleground between ethnic groups in the former Yugoslavia. Religious differences among Serbs, Croats and Muslims erupted in the newly formed country of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Serbs carried out a policy of ethnic cleansing, in which residents drive out a certain ethnic group, because they were considered enemies of the Serbs.

As a result of this ethnic cleansing, more than a million people became refugees, people who flee a country for safety. Since the 1960s, large numbers of people have migrated to Western Europe for many different reasons. The refugees wanted more political and religious freedom, and better opportunities for work. In fact, to prevent people in East Germany from migrating to West Germany, the Berlin Wall was built. At first, immigrants were welcome to the area because there was a labor shortage. However, cultural and ethnic differences have led to increased tensions. For example, because of the many attacks on Turks by extremist groups, Germany has placed quotas, or limits on immigration.

Despite its many conflicts, Europeans share several values and attitudes. The family is at the center of the economic and social life. They value their history and take pride in the achievements of their culture. They expect government to play an important role in its economics and provide for its people. This thinking is why we refer to them as the people of Europe.

Population Distribution

In terms of its land mass, Europe is the second smallest continent with Australia being the smallest. However, it has the second largest population with Asia having the largest population. Knowing what you know about population density, would the population density of Europe be dense or sparse? Yes, it is a very densely populated area. In fact, Europe has some of the most densely populated areas in the world. If the population of Europe were equally distributed, and we know it is not, the population density of Europe would be 250-260 people per square mile.

Sparsely Populated Areas

As you have read many times, the population density and physical geography are directly related. The population density map below shows areas with low or very low population density in Europe. Most parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland, the Baltic, Northern Scotland and Central Spain have population densities of below 30 inhabitants per square kilometer. Areas with such a low population density can be certainly classified as predominantly rural. Low population density of under 60 inhabitants per square kilometer can be also found in large parts of Ireland, Central and Southern France, Eastern Germany, Northern and North-eastern Poland, the southern part of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Austria, Bulgaria, the western part of Romania, and Greece. The climate is another factor that will determine where people live; fewer people live in dry and subarctic climate regions. An example of this is the Iberian Peninsula and Iceland.

The following map displays only areas with a low or very low population density in Europe.

Sparsely populated areas in Europe (inhabitants per square kilometer)

Densely Populated Areas

This can be very misleading. You will notice a location can have many more people living there, but yet have a smaller population density. This is because of the size of the country. An example of this is the country of San Martino. Surrounded by Italy, San Marino covers just 20 miles, but yet has 20,000 people living there. Using simple math, what is the population density? The population density is one thousand people per square mile.

The areas of Europe that have fertile soil, favorable climate, and easy access to waterways have a high population density. England is an example of one of the countries that has all of these features, therefore, having a high population density. Another factor why some areas have a dense population is because of industry. People will move to areas where there are jobs. This is why Europe experiences urbanization, because many of the jobs were found in urban areas and cities. As with every other area that experiences urbanization, the cities face challenges of overcrowding and pollution. Because the Europeans are so proud of their cultural heritage, they have refused to completely modernize. As a result, Europe has many landmarks that date back hundreds of years.

The following map displays only areas with a high or very high population density in Europe.

Densely populated areas in Europe (inhabitants per square kilometer)

History and Government

Evidence suggests to us that humans lived in Europe more than a million years ago. Somewhere between 300 BC and 500 AD, great empires flourished in Europe, and were influenced greatly by religion. We know the early people had to keep moving to find food. With the development of farms, Europeans no longer had to do this.

The first civilization of Europe was formed on modern day Greece. During the years 1400-300 BC, the Greeks developed a system of writing; they became skilled workers and spread their way of life along the southern and western coasts of Europe.

Borrowing ideas from the Greeks, the Roman Empire reached its height of power in 27 BC and 180 AD. As you read throughout this unit, Greece and Rome led the foundations for western civilization. Geography played an important role in the development of Greece. The mountains separated Greece into city-states or independent communities. Each state had its own way of life, but like the states in the United States, they are united by a common language. The Greeks formed the world’s first democracy and the people had more voice in government than any other civilization. The Greeks spread art, literature and mathematics to the rest of the Mediterranean world.

A group of people called Etruscans, built a traditional empire in Italy sometime around 800 BC. Frustrated by being oppressed, the city of Rome revolted and established a republic by 509 BC. The Romans then became conquerors and expanded their empire into North Africa.

The Romans borrowed Greek art and literature, and built upon the advancements of the Greeks by building a network of roads and bridges throughout Europe. Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire. By the end of the fourth century, the empire was split into two parts, the West Roman Empire and the East Roman Empire. Shortly, thereafter, the West Roman Empire collapsed as tribes from the west overthrew the Romans and formed countries in modern day France, Italy, Spain and England.

The collapse of the West Roman Empire led to the birth of Western Europe. The region now entered the Middle Ages, the period known as feudalism, a system of government in which the powerful lords gave lands to nobles for pledges of loyalty. This replaced the idea of having one central government. The Roman Catholic Church now became the most powerful force in Europe.

The Byzantine Empire influenced the culture of Europe; they sent missionaries to convert the people in Eastern Europe. This led to the split of the Christian church into two bodies.

1. Roman Catholic Church

2. Eastern Orthodox Church

Islam, a religion based on the belief in one God, spread to Asia, North Africa and Spain and is a major influence on the culture of Europe. The Muslims spread the inventions of the Chinese gunpowder, and medicine to much of Europe.

In 1000 A.D. the countries of Europe carried out the crusades a series of religious wars to win Palestine from the Muslims. Though they never fully won control of the area, they were able to extend trade routes to the eastern Mediterranean. This led to a rebirth in the learning of the arts in what is known as the Renaissance. This was a 300 year period of learning about Europe’s great advancements.

During the Middle Ages, the culture of Europe was centered on the Catholic Church. However during the Renaissance, the culture was now influenced by artists and scholars. The ideas of the Renaissance placed importance on human ideas and feelings.

The Roman Catholic Church would lose some of its power during a period called the Reformation, which laid the foundations for the Protestant Church. Both the Reformation and Renaissance stressed advancements in science and world exploration. A new form of type was created so that ideas could spread faster and easier.

In the Middle Ages, China was ahead of Europe in the field of economic development. In the 1400s, Asia and Portugal searched for new trade routes to Asia by sailing around Africa. In the late 1400s and 1500s Italian explorer, Christopher Columbus, discovered.America. Remember, his idea was, you could reach Asia easier by sailing west proving that the world was round.

Trading with the Americas, Asia, Australia and Africa brought great wealth and power to Europe. Europeans began colonizing the world and destroyed existing cultures and replaced them with their own. Remember, having colonies was a symbol of great strength. In the early 1700s wars and the building of powerful empires had created powerful European nations. That would change dramatically over the next 200 years. Two world wars would change the map and the balance of power. By 1990, a new Europe would emerge.

Revolutions

As we said earlier, and as you learned from World History, the Industrial Revolution began in England in the 1700s, and spread rapidly throughout Europe. The idea of using power-driven machines, rather than manual labor and new ideas in production was responsible for the birth of cities. The Industrial Revolution created a wealthy class of business owners and a very poor class of workers. The workers living in poor conditions created a revolution of their own, the Communist Revolution. Communism is an economic and political system designed to create a classless society in which workers control the industrial process.

Revolutions also occurred in governments. People, who wanted a voice in governments, began political revolutions. To prevent revolutions, the English passed a Bill of Rights that limited the power of the Monarch. In 1789, the French Revolution occurred, which ended in France becoming a republic. These revolutions spread throughout the 1800s in Spain and Italy, to name a few. By 1900 most European nations had democratic governments that guaranteed human rights.

World War I left many problems for Europe, including a major economic depression. This changed the political landscape as dictators, such as Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini, gained control of Germany and Italy. Both Hitler and Mussolini engaged in aggressive campaigns to expand their territories. As a result World War II broke out. Most of Europe became involved in one way or the other. One of the horrors of World War II was the Holocaust, the mass killing of six million Jews by the Germans.

The consequence of World War II altered the course of 20th-century world history. The war resulted in the Soviet Union's dominance of the countries of Eastern Europe and eventually enabled a Communist movement to take power in China. It also marked a decisive shift of power away from the countries of Western Europe and toward the United States and the Soviet Union.

This downfall would lead to the Cold War, a worldwide struggle between the communist countries controlled by the Soviet Union and the non-communist countries led by the United States. The division of Germany into two countries East and West Germany became the symbol of the Cold War.

Europe in 1900

During the Cold War, governments in the east and west differed greatly from each other. Western European was committed to democracy and private ownership. The countries of Eastern Europe were committed to communism and allowed people little voice in government, the society or the economy.

Tired of having little voice in a communist system, reform movements in the 1980s swept through Eastern European countries as the people demanded more freedom. In the early 1990s free elections were held and the people voted to end communist rule. In 1990, East and West Germany reunited into a single Non-communist nation.

Changes in Western Europe occurred as well. The countries of Western Europe banded together to form the European Union or EU, an economic unit to create a single market for their resources. This allowed for goods, money and services to spread easily through Europe. This has led to nations having higher wages, greater freedom and more choices.

Cultures and Lifestyles

Differences in the European way of life were influenced by culture and tradition, as well as economic and political development. Rural people followed more traditional ways of life than urban people did. Political factors produced different lifestyles in Eastern and Western Europe, for instance, people in Western Europe did not experience the limits placed on social, economic and political freedoms placed on people living in communist nations.

Forms of Language

Almost all major languages in Europe belong to the Indo-European language family, comprised of hundreds of languages and dialects. A language family is a group of related languages that developed from an earlier language. Many European countries have one or more official languages, those recognized by the government.

Religion

Today some European countries are almost totally of the Christian religion while other countries have a diversity of religions. Most of Europe’s Christians who live in the southern areas of Western Europe and the Northern area of Eastern Europe are Catholics. The Protestant religion another Christian religion is dominant in Northern Europe, while Muslims from the Islam religion live in the Balkan area Bosnia-Herzegovina and Albania.

When communism collapsed, religious freedom had been restored to many east European people. Religious differences in Europe sometimes resulted in violence. Recently, bitterness between Catholics and Protestants has caused conflict in Northern Ireland. A conflict between Christians and Muslims has played a role in the violent warfare in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Many historians believe that Christian ideas and values encouraged economic, political, and scientific developments, as well as art forms in Europe.

The Arts

After the Renaissance, new art forms surfaced. New music forms, such as opera and symphony developed in Europe during the 1600s and 1700s. Romanticism, an artistic style that showed feelings and emotions, can generally be said to have emphasized the personal, the subjective, the irrational, the imaginative, the spontaneous, the emotional, and even the visionary and transcendental in works of art. Other art forms that developed were realism, an artistic style that tried to portray life as it really was. It was followed later in the century by impressionism, a style that showed that natural appearance of objects using primary colors.

Education

Respect for education is a traditional European value. The quality of education in Europe is linked to the economy. Nations with higher standards of living have more money to improve schools and provide specialization training for students. Very few European nations have literacy rates below 90%.

Health Care

Good nutrition and health care have given Europeans high life expectancies. Western European nations have very low infant mortality rates, deaths among infants, only about 8 of every 1,000 babies born die. Almost all European governments subsidize, or help pay for, healthcare services. Some countries have a national health-care system that uses taxes to pay for medical care.

The Role of Government

European governments play a major role in their nations’ economies. They control most of the public industries including the airlines, electric company and railroads. Most European governments provide some social welfare programs. In welfare states, the government assumes responsibility for its people. Welfare states are found in England, Norway and Sweden. European governments guarantee annual four-week vacations that are paid for by the government.

Lifestyles

Cultural and economic differences have produced a wide variety of lifestyles in Europe. But since industrialization brought more cultures together, these differences have lessened because people became adapt to other cultures.

Sports and Recreations

Soccer is the national sport of Europe. Though western sports, such as basketball and football are increasing in popularity. Communist governments required school children to play sports. Those with special talents are enrolled in a rigorous sports training programs, which have produced many Olympic champions.

Celebrations

Like in America, European celebrations include many family gatherings for special occasions. Most European countries celebrate festivals to honor historical events. Much like we celebrate our independence on July 4th, the French celebrate Bastille Day on July 14th. Bastille Day commemorates the storming of the Bastille Prison in 1789 and the beginning of the French Revolution.

Modern Europe

When the nations of Eastern Europe took steps toward economic and political freedoms, they struggled to adjust to free enterprise. As with everything, change is difficult. Earlier, we read about the formation of the European Union or EU, though it did not provide the positives right away, the EU was designed to create economic growth, but when it first began, it did create a recession, or economic slowdown. In order to end the recession and make themselves competitive in a world market, European countries began cutting jobs to increase profits. One thing Europeans do not believe in doing is cutting social programs, such as welfare, as they believe that would only increase hardships.

For more than 40 years communist governments closely tied to the Soviet Union, controlled most Eastern European industries. The government made all the decisions and regulations about what to produce, how to produce them, the distribution process and determined the prices, this type of regulation is known as command economy. In this system, the government had more workers than it needed, so profits were low. The factories also lacked much of the technology that was available to Western European nations, so there was no way to control pollution. When the governments moved to a free market economy, workers had to be let go or retrained. The factories had to be updated. This requires money, and the countries were seeking investments to help in the change. This is why it has not been easy.

Agriculture

Europe, as we have said earlier, has some of the world’s most fertile land. The Europeans are able to use advancements from the Industrial Revolution to make advancements. They are easily able to obtain fertilizers to make the soil even more fertile, remember the opposite is the case in the African countries).

Economic Expansion

As we learned earlier, Europe is the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. The development of industry is linked to the availability of natural resources. Because Europe has so much coal, this provided for the invention of heavy industry, manufacturing of machines needed for factories. Even those nations lacking the natural resources have been able to thrive. Countries like the Netherlands and Denmark, where natural resources are not as readily available, specialize in light industry, or manufacturing aimed at making consumer goods rather than heavy machinery.

Food Production

The countries in Europe are able to produce their own food supply. Imports, goods brought into a country mostly consist of coffee, and cocoa. European nations specialize in few goods and trade among themselves for the things they do not specialize in.

Europe also leads the world in the production of barley, oats and potatoes. Wheat is the major cash crop, and is grown in most European countries. In Southern Europe, grapes are used to make much of the world’s wine. In addition to farming, fishing provides a large amount of the food supply.

Soil and climate determine what crops get produced in a region. Farmers have to find ways to make it despite these limitations. Farmers rely on organic farming, use of natural resources as well as chemical to increase crop yields. Another method Europeans use to increase production is by using mixed farming, raising several kinds of crops and livestock on the same farm. Farmers are always looking for ways to increase profits while reducing costs, this is through farm cooperation, organization in which farmers share in the growing and selling of products.

When the countries of Eastern Europe were under communist rule, the government owned all farming. The governments used the idea of collective farming. In collective farming, the farmers receive a wage, plus a bonus if they meet certain production goals.

Like every other communist government, the countries often used outdated equipment, when they finally embraced democracy; new challenges were created because now the farms also had to be modernized.

Manufacturing

In Western Europe most industries were owned by private individuals, while countries under the former communist rule were owned by the state. Western European countries focused on consumer goods, or household goods, while communist focused on heavy machinery.

Services and Trade

Because of Europe’s beautiful landscapes it is expected that tourism would be very important to its economy. Because the political differences that existed during the Cold War no longer exist, people for the most part travel freely in Europe. The formation of the European Union (EU) eliminated tariffs, tax on goods traded among themselves. This has allowed for Europe to be both the world’s largest importer and exporter.

Communication and Transportation

In Europe, all communication systems are owned by the government. Just as in the United States, the communication links all of Europe together as well as the rest of the world. Books, magazine and newspapers are published throughout Europe. When communism fell, so did censorship, or limiting what can be written, stopped as well.

Highways, Railways and Waterways

Europe has a well developed system of highways and roads that link all major cities in Europe. This allows for easy travel to transport goods. Germany is home to the famous autobahn, a four-lane superhighway in which there is no speed limit.

Europe has a very complex system of rivers and canals, these are critical for transporting goods and services, while railroads are used to transport natural resources from one part of the region to the other.

Environmental Concerns

As in North America, acid rain precipitation carrying large amounts of pollution has destroyed millions of acres of farms, wildlife and historic buildings. Acid rain is responsible for the destruction of close to three million acres of forests.

As successful as the Industrial Revolution was for the economy, it provided many consequences for the environment. In the winter, the snow brings the industrial pollution to the earth. In spring, the melted water, the result of melting snow, and ice flow into the rivers and lakes. The melt water destroys fish, which in turn limits the amount of food available to people. This industrial pollution is also causing global warming.

Europeans care very much about their environment and are taking steps to reduce the amount of pollution. They have constructed new sewage systems to handle the waste. The task of cleaning up the government requires the cooperation of all European governments. Citizens must be aware of the problems and solutions they can do to help limit pollution. Because of all the advancements in Europe, the process will be slow and expensive.

Summary

The continent of Europe can best be described as a giant peninsula that extends westward from northwestern China.

The Scandinavian Peninsula is located at the northwest corner of Europe

The southern portion of Europe makes up the Mediterranean Islands. These islands include, Corsica, Sicily and Malta.

The northern European plains begin in France, and stretch more than 1800 miles into Poland.

The rivers play a very important role in the daily lives of the Europeans. The Rhine River is one of the most important rivers in all of Europe.

Europe was the first region to experience the Industrial Revolution.

Europe’s location near large bodies of water determines its climate and vegetation.

The natural vegetation of Europe consists of forests, grasslands and plants.

Europeans share several values and attitudes. The family is at the center of the economic and social life.

Europe is the second smallest continent with the second largest population.

The first civilization of Europe was formed on modern day Greece.

World War I left many problems for Europe, including a major economic depression.

Very few European nations have literacy rates below 90%.

Europe leads the world in the production of barley, oats and potatoes. Wheat is their major cash crop.

Below are additional educational resources and activities for this unit.

Unit 15 Main Points Worksheet

Unit 15 European invasion: DNA reveals the origins of modern Europeans Article and Quiz