Chapter 12 powerpoint

Human-Environment
Interaction Europe is one of
the economic powerhouses of
the world, home to many large
companies that sell goods in
the United States. Europe is
also an important market for
goods and services produced
in North America, such as
movies and computer
programs. What factors help
make a region an important
world economic center?

Section 1:
Northern Europe
Geographers organize the
Earth into regions that
share common
characteristics. The
countries of northern Europe
have developed diverse
economies and high
standards of living.

The United Kingdom
Once the center of a
worldwide empire, the United
Kingdom has had a great
impact on the rest of
the world.
Have you ever seen a picture of Big Ben, the large
clock tower located in London?

The United Kingdom (cont.)
• Four regions make up the United Kingdom:
England, Scotland, and Wales on the island
of Great Britain, and Northern Ireland on the
nearby island of Ireland.
• Everyone in the United Kingdom is considered
British, but people sometimes differentiate by
referring to the English, the Scots, the Welsh,
or the Irish.
• The island of Great Britain is separated from
the rest of Europe by the English Channel.

• England’s productive farms are in the
rolling fertile plains in the eastern and
southern parts of the country.
• Sheep herding is found in the rough
highlands and mountains in Scotland
and Wales.

• The United Kingdom exports manufactured
goods and machinery and is increasing its
computer, electronic, and service
industries.
• London is a world center of finance and
business.

• Oil and natural gas, extracted from fields
beneath the North Sea, are the leading
energy sources, as well as valuable
exports, for the United Kingdom.
• The government of the United Kingdom is
a constitutional monarchy.
• A king or queen serves as head of state
and takes part in ceremonies, but elected
officials run the government.

• The British trace this form of government
to the early 1200s when King John of
England signed the Magna Carta, a
document that took away some of the
king’s powers.

• The United Kingdom is a parliamentary
democracy as well as a constitutional
monarchy.
• Voters elect members of Parliament, and
the leader of the party with the most
elected officials becomes prime minister,
or head of the government.

• Parliament is a lawmaking body that arose
in 1628.
• One of its first acts was to force King
Charles I to sign the Petition of Right,
reducing the power of the monarchy.
• Parliament gained more power in 1689
through the English Bill of Rights.

• Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland
have regional legislatures that control
matters such as health care and
education.

• Almost all of the United Kingdom’s 60
million people live in cities and speak
English, although Welsh, Scottish and
Gaelic are spoken in some areas.
• Most are Protestant Christians.
• During the 1700s and 1800s, the United
Kingdom had a powerful empire, and
British culture spread to many lands.

Knowledge Check
How has the location of the United
Kingdom shaped its history?

The Republic of Ireland
Ireland is growing
economically, but a territorial
dispute remains unsettled.
Why do you think Ireland is called the Emerald
Isle?

The Republic of Ireland (cont.)
• The Republic of Ireland is a Catholic country
that occupies the southern five-sixths of the
island of Ireland.
– It won its independence from the United
Kingdom in 1922, but the British still
control Northern Ireland.
– The interior of Ireland is a lowland plain
with gently rolling hills.
– The coastal areas are rocky highlands
and towering cliffs.

• Low-lying areas are rich in peat, or plants
that have partly decayed in water.
– Peat is dug from bogs, or low
swampy lands.
– It is then dried and can be burned
for fuel.

• Irish farmers raise sheep and cattle and
grow vegetables such as sugar beets and
potatoes.
• Other Irish citizens work in industries that
produce clothing, pharmaceuticals, and
computer equipment.

• In recent years, the productivity of the Irish
workers has helped Ireland’s economy.
– Productivity is a measure of how much
work a person does in a specific amount
of time.
– More goods produced mean more profits
and higher wages.

• The Irish trace their ancestry to the Celts
who settled the island hundreds of
years ago.
• Irish Gaelic, a Celtic language, and English
are Ireland’s two languages.
• About 60 percent of the Irish live in cities
or towns.
– Nearly one-third live in Dublin,
the capital.

• Catholics in the Republic of Ireland and
Protestants in Northern Ireland have
disputed for many years over whether to
unify the two countries.
– In 1998 the two sides agreed to end the
violence, but the issue still is not
resolved.

Knowledge Check
What happened as a result of the potato
crop failure in the 1840s?

Scandinavia
The Scandinavian countries
have similar cultures and high
standards of living.
How would you like to live in a place where the
sun never sets in midsummer?

Scandinavia (cont.)
• Scandinavia, the northernmost part of
Europe, is made up of Norway, Sweden,
Finland, Denmark, and Iceland.
– Warm winds from the North Atlantic give
Scandinavia’s southern and western
areas a mild climate.
– Central Scandinavia has long, cold
winters and short, warm summers.

Scandinavia (cont.)
– The region near the Arctic Circle is
always cold.
– It has summer days when the sun never
sets and winter days when the sun
never rises.

Scandinavia (cont.)
• Scandinavia’s landscape is varied
because of its large size.
– The region has islands along the coasts,
lowland plains, mountains, forests, and
lakes as well as barren tundra that
remains frozen most of the year.

Scandinavia (cont.)
– This creates hot springs and geysers,
which are springs that shoot hot water
and steam into the air.
– Two tectonic plates are pulling apart
near the island of Iceland, allowing hot
magma to rise to the surface.

Scandinavia (cont.)
• Norway is known for its many beautiful
fjords, or narrow inlets of the sea.
– Fjords provide inland waterways that
supply fish for food and export.
• The countries of Scandinavia are wealthy
and prosperous, with an economic mix of
agriculture, fishing, manufacturing, and
service industries.

Scandinavia (cont.)
• Oil, natural gas, and hydroelectric power
are the energy sources for Norway,
Finland, and Sweden.
• Iceland taps molten rock beneath the
surface to make geothermal energy, or
electricity produced by natural
underground sources of steam.
• Sweden has reserves of iron ore that it
uses to produce steel for a variety of
products, including Saab and Volvo cars.

Scandinavia (cont.)
• Shipbuilding is important in Finland and
Denmark, as are wood and wood product
industries in Finland and Sweden.
• Most Scandinavians belong to the
Protestant Lutheran Church.

Scandinavia (cont.)
• During the Middle Ages, Scandinavian
sailors and traders known as Vikings laid
the foundation of the modern nations.
• Today Denmark, Norway, and Sweden are
constitutional monarchies.
• Finland and Iceland are republics with
elected presidents.

Scandinavia (cont.)
• The Scandinavian countries are welfare
states, providing health care, child care,
elder care, retirement benefits, and help
for the needy.
• In return for these services, the people pay
some of the highest taxes in the world.

Knowledge Check
What energy resources are found in
Scandinavia?

Section 2:
Europe’s Heartland
People’s actions can
change the physical
environment. Today the
countries of Europe’s
heartland are agricultural and
manufacturing centers.

France and the Benelux Countries
France and the Benelux
countries are important
cultural, agricultural, and
manufacturing centers of
Europe.
What do you think of when you think of France?

France and the Benelux Countries (cont.)
• France, the second-largest country in
Europe, includes the vast Northern
European Plain, southern mountain
ranges, and important rivers, such as the
Seine and the Loire.

• France’s agriculture is characterized by
specialization, or the focus on certain
activities to make the best use of
resources.
• Two areas of specialization are growing
grapes for making wine and raising dairy
cattle and sheep for milk to make cheese.

• Workers in industrial areas make cars and
trucks, chemicals, textiles, and processed
foods.
• High-technology industries and tourism
are also important to the economy.
What are some examples of high-technology
industries?

• The majority of the population speaks
French and is Roman Catholic.
• Islam is France’s second religion, as a
result of recent immigration from Muslim
lands in Africa.
• Most of France’s 60.7 million people live in
urban areas, including almost 10 million
in Paris.

• France is a democratic republic with both a
president, elected by the people, and a
prime minister, appointed by the president.
• The president has a great deal of power
and can even dismiss the legislature,
forcing new elections to be held.

• Belgium, the Netherlands, and
Luxembourg—the Benelux countries—are
low, flat, and densely populated.
– Most people live in cities, work in
businesses or factories, and enjoy a
high standard of living.
– All three nations are parliamentary
democracies with monarchs as heads
of state.

• Belgium, with few natural resources of its
own, imports raw materials to make and
export vehicles, chemicals, and textiles.

• Brussels, the capital of Belgium, is
headquarters of the European Union (EU).
• Antwerp is the center of the world diamond
industry.
• Some of Belgium’s people speak Dutch,
some speak French, and some are
bilingual, speaking both Dutch and
French.
• Bilingual means you can speak two
languages fluently.

• The people of the Netherlands are known
as the Dutch, and about 90 percent live in
cities and towns.
– They work in service industries,
manufacturing, and trade and also
export cheese, vegetables, and flowers
including about 2 million tulip bulbs
each year.

• About 25 percent of the Netherlands lies
below sea level.
• The Dutch have built dikes, or banks of
soil, to control and confine the sea.
• Then they pump the wetlands dry,
leaving drained land called polders,
which has rich farming soil.

• Luxembourg, whose people have a mixed
French and German background, is one of
Europe’s smallest countries.
• Many multinational companies, or firms
that do business in several countries, have
their headquarters here.

Knowledge Check
How does France’s physical geography
contribute to its agriculture?

Germany and the Alpine Countries
Germany, Switzerland, and
Austria are known for their
mountain scenery and
prosperous economies.
Have you ever found yourself working alongside
someone you used to compete against?

Germany and the Alpine Countries (cont.)
• Germany’s physical features include the
flat Northern European Plain; rocky
highlands containing rich coal deposits;
the forested Alps; and the Danube, Elbe,
and Rhine Rivers, which are major
transportation routes.

• Germany was created from a collection of
states in 1871, but after World War II, it
was split again into Communist-ruled East
Germany and democratic West Germany.
– After the collapse of communism, the
two parts of Germany were reunited
in 1990.

• Germany today is a federal republic, or a
system in which the national and state
governments share powers.
• An elected president serves as Germany’s
ceremonial head of state, but the country’s
chancellor, chosen by Parliament, is the
real head of government.

• Germany has the largest population in
Europe, with nearly 90 percent of the
people living in urban areas.
• Almost all of the country’s people are
native Germans, Protestant or Catholic,
and speak German.
• Immigrants from eastern Europe and
Turkey include many Muslims and Jews.

• Germany is a global economic power and
a leader in the European Union (EU).
• Its economy is driven by agriculture and by
industry, especially the manufacture of
steel, chemicals, cars, and electrical
equipment.
• German firms, investing money for
research and development of desirable
and competitive products, avoided a
decline in manufacturing in the late 1900s.

• In 1990 East and West Germany agreed to
reunification, or joining together under
one government.
• The Alpine countries are Switzerland,
Austria, and Liechtenstein.
• Liechtenstein is a tiny country of only 62
square miles (161 sq. km)—smaller than
Washington, D.C.

• Switzerland, an important country
internationally, practices neutrality, or
refusal to take sides in wars.
• Many different ethnic groups and religions
and four national languages are found in
Switzerland.

• Switzerland is known for producing
electronic equipment, chemicals, fine
clocks and watches, chocolate, and
cheeses.
• A large part of the economy is dependent
upon banking services.

• Austria’s primary resources are timber and
iron ore that come from the mountains,
and its rivers generate hydroelectric
power.
• The country produces machinery,
chemicals, metals, and vehicles but also
has strong banking and insurance
industries.

• The people of Austria mainly speak
German and are Roman Catholic, and
most live in cities and towns.
• Vienna, the capital, has long been a
cultural and learning center.
– It is a popular destination for visitors.

Knowledge Check
How do the economies of the western
and eastern parts of Germany differ?

Section 3:
Southern Europe
Places reflect the
relationship between
humans and the physical
environment. Seas and
mountains have influenced
where people live and how
they work in southern
Europe.

Spain and Portugal
Spain and Portugal are young
democracies with growing
economies.
Can you imagine chasing bulls down the main
streets of your hometown?

Spain and Portugal (cont.)
• Spain and Portugal are located on the
Iberian Peninsula.
– They share it with tiny Andorra, nestled
in the Pyrenees Mountains.

• Most of Spain is covered by the Meseta, a
dry plateau surrounded by mountains.
• Dry farming, or leaving the land unplanted
every few years so that it can store
moisture, allows wheat and vegetables to
be grown in this area, which has little rain.

• Spain’s mild climate along the Atlantic
Ocean and Mediterranean Sea provides
ideal conditions for the growing of citrus
fruits, olives, and grapes.
• Castilian Spanish is Spain’s official
language, but some regions have their
own languages.
• In the Pyrenees, the Basque people speak
Euskera, a language that is unrelated to
any other in the world.

• Most of Spain’s 43.5 million people live in
urban areas, such as Madrid, the capital,
and Barcelona, the leading seaport and
industrial center.
• Most are Roman Catholic, although a large
number of North African Muslims have
migrated to Spain in recent years.

• After years of rule by a dictator, Spain
became a democracy in the late 1970s.
• In recent times, Spain’s democratic
government has given the different regions
of Spain greater autonomy, or self-rule.

• In the Basque region of the country, many
people want to be separate from Spain
and have used terrorism to try to achieve
this goal.
• Similarly, Spain was shaken in 2004 when
terrorist attacks by suspected Muslim
militants killed 191 people on Madrid
trains.

• Most Portuguese live in small villages on
the Atlantic coast, where some earn a
living by fishing.
• Important crops are grapes for wine
making and oak trees that provide cork.
• Closeness to the ocean helped Portugal
become a sea power during the 1500s.

• Portugal has a democratic government,
and its economy is growing stronger
through subsidies from the European
Union (EU).
– Subsidies are special payments a
government makes to support a
particular group or industry.

Knowledge Check
What languages are spoken in Spain?

Italy
Italy’s north and south form
two distinct economic
regions.
Do you have a favorite Italian food?

Italy (cont.)
• Italy and its island of Sicily are on the
Mediterranean Sea.
• The Alps tower over northern Italy, and the
Apennine Mountains form a backbone
through the country and into Sicily.

Italy (cont.)
• Northern Italy has a leading industrial
economy, producing cars, technical
instruments, appliances, clothing, and
high-quality goods.
• The north’s fertile Po River valley is a rich
farming region, producing grapes, olives,
and livestock.

Italy (cont.)
• Southern Italy is poorer and less
industrialized than northern Italy.
• Many people have left the south to find
work and a better life elsewhere.
• About 90 percent of Italy’s 58.7 million
people live in urban areas, speak Italian,
and are Roman Catholic.

Italy (cont.)
• Rome, the capital, was once the center of
the Roman Empire.
– Today it is home to the country’s
democratic republic form of government.

Knowledge Check
How do the economies of northern and
southern Italy differ?

Greece
Mountains, seas, and islands
have shaped Greece’s people
and economy.
Do you ever go boating or fishing?

Greece (cont.)
• Greece extends from the Balkan Peninsula
into the Mediterranean Sea and includes
not only the mainland, but also about
2,000 islands.
• Agricultural production is declining in
Greece, but some farmers still raise
sheep, goats, wheat, and olives.
• In recent decades, Greece has developed
new industries. Greece also has one of the
world’s largest shipping fleets.

Greece (cont.)
• About 60 percent of Greeks are urban
dwellers with nearly a third living in or
around Athens, the capital.
• The Greeks speak a form of Greek similar
to that spoken in ancient times.
• Most are Greek Orthodox Christian.
• Greece is a democratic republic and a
member of the European Union.

Knowledge Check
How has geography affected the way
Greeks earn a living?

Section 4:
Eastern Europe
Geography is used to
interpret the past,
understand the present,
and plan for the future.
After changes in government,
eastern Europe’s economies
are struggling to recover.

Poland, Belarus, and
the Baltic Republics
Poland and the Baltic
Republics have become
democratic, while Belarus is
still influenced by its
Communist past.
How do you feel when someone orders you to do
something?

the Baltic Republics (cont.)
• Poland borders the Baltic Sea. The
Carpathian Mountains rise on the southern
and western edges of the country, but
most of Poland is a fertile lowland plain.
• After World War II, a Communist
government came to power in Poland and
set up a command economy, in which the
government decides what, how, and for
whom goods will be produced.

• Poland’s postwar government produced
few products for consumers, which led to
food shortages.
• The Poles wanted a better life, and, in the
1980s, workers and farmers formed
Solidarity, a labor group that supported
peaceful democratic change.

• Communist leaders allowed free elections
in 1989, and a new democratic
government was formed.
– This event helped bring about the fall of
Communist governments that had long
ruled in eastern Europe.

• Poland quickly moved toward a market
economy, a system in which individuals
and businesses make the decisions about
how they will use resources and what
goods and services to make.

• Poland is one of the world’s top producers
of rye and potatoes, but industries are
growing, too, making use of coal and other
minerals.
• Many people are moving from rural areas
to the cities of Warsaw and Kraków.

• Belarus, independent now but once part of
the Soviet Union, still has strong ties to
Russia.
• Its leaders favor strong government and a
command economy.

• Belarus has few resources other than
potash, a mineral used in making fertilizer.
• Industries include processing fertilizer and
manufacturing trucks, radios, televisions,
and bicycles.
• Government-controlled farms produce
vegetables, grain, and other crops.

• Most people in Belarus are Eastern
Orthodox Slavs, two-thirds of whom live in
cities, such as Minsk, the capital.

• The Baltic Republics—Lithuania, Latvia, and
Estonia—lie on the shores of the Baltic Sea.
• These Baltic countries became independent
when the Soviet Union broke apart in 1991
and have large Russian minority populations.
• Most people in Estonia and Latvia are
Protestant, while Roman Catholics make up
the majority in Lithuania.

• All three Baltic Republics have seen strong
economic growth since the mid-1990s.
• Their well-developed economies are based
on dairy farming, beef production, fishing,
shipbuilding, and the manufacture of
telecommunications equipment.

Knowledge Check
What do the Baltic Republics, Belarus,
and Poland have in common? How are
they different?

The Czech Republic, Slovakia,
and Hungary
and Hungary share common
histories but have distinct
cultures.
Have you ever ended a close friendship?

and Hungary (cont.)
• The Czech Republic has a landscape of
rolling hills, lowlands, and plains bordered
by mountains.
• Large fertile areas make the country a
major agricultural producer.

• Although Communists controlled the
government for years, the Czechs rapidly
moved from a command economy to a
free market economy in the 1990s.
• Czech factories produce machinery,
vehicles, metals, textiles, beer, and crystal.
• Rapid industrialization, however, has
caused environmental problems.
and Hungary (cont.)

• The Czechs have a relatively high
standard of living.
• Most of the country’s people live in cities,
such as Prague, the capital.
and Hungary (cont.)

• Slovakia is a popular vacation spot with its
mountains, forests, and lakes.
– Independent since 1993, the Slovaks
are moving slowly to a free market
economy.
– Most Slovaks are devout Catholics, and
nearly 60 percent live in towns and
cities, such as Bratislava, the capital.
and Hungary (cont.)

• Hungary, once part of the
Austro-Hungarian Empire, later
came under Communist rule.
• Today it is a democracy headed by
a president.
• Its capital, Budapest, straddles the
Danube River.
and Hungary (cont.)

• Hungary’s language is unique.
• The people descend from the Magyars, who
moved into the area from Central Asia about
1,000 years ago.
and Hungary (cont.)
• Hungary has few natural resources besides
its fertile farming land, but it imports raw
materials for manufacturing and then
exports chemicals, food products,
and other goods.

Knowledge Check
Why did Czechoslovakia split into two
countries?

Countries of Southeastern Europe
Because of limited natural
resources, political upheaval,
and ethnic conflict, many
countries in southeastern
Europe face challenges.
Do you adapt easily to change?

Countries of Southeastern Europe (cont.)
• Ukraine is the largest country in all of
Europe.
– It lies on a lowland plain near the Black
Sea, with the Carpathian Mountains
along its southwestern border.
– Ships carrying goods to distant markets
navigate the Dnieper River.

• Ukraine’s western region is agricultural
and produces grains, fruits, vegetables,
cattle, and sheep.
• Most of the people in the west are of
Ukrainian descent.
• The eastern region, with its own coal and
iron ore, is industrial, producing cars,
ships, locomotives, and airplanes.
• The people here are mostly ethnic
Russians.

• Ukraine became independent when the
Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, but now
ethnic divisions trouble the country.
• Romania drove out the Communists in a
bloody revolt in 1989.
• With a wealth of natural resources, such
as coal, petroleum, and natural gas,
Romania’s industrial output is rising after a
deep economic slump.

• Romans once ruled this region, and the
Romanian language is based on the Latin
spoken in ancient Rome.
• In rural areas, farmers grow grains,
grapes, and other crops. Many of
Romania’s citizens are Eastern Orthodox
Christian.

• Moldova is sandwiched between Ukraine
and Romania.
– As Europe’s poorest country, Moldova
has productive farms but little else, due
to few mineral resources and limited
industry.

• Farming, manufacturing, and tourism form
the base of Bulgaria’s economy.
– Most Bulgarians are Eastern Orthodox
Christian, but a sizable minority
is Muslim.

• Albania, on the Adriatic Sea, is the only
country in Europe with a majority Muslim
population.
– In Albania, farmers outnumber factory
workers.
– It is one of the poorest countries
in Europe.

• Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Macedonia, Serbia, and
Montenegro are part of the Balkan region.
– All of these countries came into
existence in the 1990s, pulling apart
from a Communist country called
Yugoslavia.

• When Yugoslavia dissolved, fighting broke
out among the regions, with Serbia striving
to dominate.
– The heaviest fighting took place in
Bosnia and Herzegovina, where the
Serbs carried out ethnic cleansing, or
removing or killing an entire ethnic
group.

• Slovenia is one Balkan country that has
experienced economic growth since it
gained independence.
– Slovenian industries produce machinery,
appliances, vehicles, and medical
supplies.

Knowledge Check
Why have conflicts been fought in the
Balkan Peninsula?

Chapter 12 powerpoint

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Chapter 12 powerpoint