Europe. Leading countries according to GDP Switzerland Luxembourg Sweden.
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Transcript of Europe. Leading countries according to GDP Switzerland Luxembourg Sweden.
Europe
Leading countries according to GDP
• Switzerland• Luxembourg• Sweden
Leading countries according to Land Size
• Ukraine• France• Spain
Leading countries according to population
• Germany• United Kingdom• Italy• France
PHYSICAL CHARATERISTICS• Part of a large landmass called
EURASIA• Europe includes six peninsulas
–A peninsula is a body of land surrounded by water on three sides
• Europe’s peninsulas are the:– Iberian– Italian– Scandinavian– Jutland– Balkan– Crimean
• Europe also has three ISLANDS
• an island is a body of land completely surrounded by water
• Europe’s main three islands are Great Britain, Ireland and Sicily
• Europe is also home to many FJORDS
• A fjord is a narrow valley or inlet from the sea--originally carved out by glaciers
Fjord
• Two Major mountain ranges exist in Europe–Alps-Central Europe–Pyrenees- border between
France and Spain
Alps
• The largest physical characteristic in Europe is the North European Plain
• The North European Plain is a large flat fertile stretch of land important for agriculture, especially in Western Europe
• Rivers also play an important role in Europe.
• They are or were used for transportation, power, and trade.
• The most important are the Danube (Germany), Rhine (Germany), Seine (France), and the Thames (United Kingdom)
• Seas Oceans–Adriatic Atlantic–Aegean Arctic–Mediterranean–Baltic–Black–North (Oil)
• Landmarks–Strait of Gibraltar- separates
Europe from Africa at the mouth of the Mediterranean Sea
• Climates–varied climate regions--
everything from tundra to mediterranean
–Europe’s climate is also affected by the North Atlantic Drift and the prevailing westerlies
• North Atlantic Drift is a powerful ocean current that carries tropical water toward the coast of Europe.
• The winds which blow across the North Atlantic Drift are known as the prevailing westerlies.
• Combined they help to produce a warm, moist climate in most of Europe
Economic Characteristics• The Mountain regions of Europe
are famous for tourism, recreation and mineral resources.
• Many areas of Europe are threatened by air and water pollution.
–1 polluted Forest--Black Forest of Germany (acid rain)
–1 polluted City--Venice,Italy–3 polluted Rivers--Danube,
Rhine, and Seine
• Many of Europe’s largest industrial and transportation centers developed near mineral deposits, especially coal and iron ore–Ruhr Valley (Germany)–Po Valley (Italy)
• Rivers and canals served as the major transportation links
• There are oil reserves in the North Sea. Great Britain has claimed many of them.
• Most countries of Europe, especially Western Europe, have a well educated workforce.
• Most are industrial or technological societies (Switzerland specializes in banking).
• The countries of Western Europe also use advanced farming techniques which gives them high crop yields.
• Fertile soils and the chernozem (black earth of Russia) are also found in Europe.
• Most of Europe has a well developed infrastructure.
• Infrastructure is things such as roads, power companies railroads and air carriers
• France and Great Britain have built the Chunnel to provide a railroad transportation between their countries.
• Western Europe and Eastern Europe have different industrial systems and different industrial development because of different economic and political systems since 1945.
• Most of western Europe belongs to the EUROPEAN UNION today. Eastern Europe is slowly catching up after changing their systems in the early 1990s
• The EUROPEAN UNION is a economic union used to tie the economies of Europe together for the benefit of all members. It is an ECONOMIC ALLIANCE.
• Trade is important in Europe, especially to the island nations.
• Sweden and Denmark allow their governments to play a large role in their economies.
• Eastern Europe has begun the switch from communism to capitalism
• the Netherlands grows crops on land reclaimed from the sea (Polders)
• Their demographics are typical of a developed nations.
• High per capita GDP• High literacy rate• High life expectancy
• Low population growth• Low infant mortality• Low percentage of the
population under the age of 15
Cultural Characteristics
• Europe is the birthplace to the Industrial Revolution
• The Industrial Revolution was the switch from hand or manual labor to using machines for labor
–England was the center of the Industrial Revolution
• Europe is the home to many ethnic groups
• each group brings different languages, religions and customs
• This has led to sporadic conflict among the groups
• such as war and revolution
• Europe is the birthplace of modern democracy
• Greece is the home of Democracy
• Europe has spread its’ culture to other parts of the world through
• exploration• colonization• imperialism
• Europe is highly urbanized• It is one of the most densely
populated areas of the world• Most of Western Europe is a
member in the political/military alliance called the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
• All of the following cities act as centers for culture and trade in Europe
• Berlin, Germany Rome, Italy• London, England Paris, France• Madrid, Spain• Athens, Greece• Warsaw, Poland
Cultural Landscape
In Paris the following cultural icons can be found:–Notre Dame, Arc de Triomphe,
Louvre, Eiffel Tower
Notre Dame
Arc de Triomphe in Paris
Eiffel Tower -- Paris
• In Italy the following cultural icons can be found:–Colosseum, Leaning Tower
of Pisa, St. Peter’s Basilica
Colosseum--Italy
Leaning Tower of Pisa--Italy
• Cultural Landmarks in Greece:–The Parthenon
Parthenon in Greece
• Cultural Landmarks in Great Britain:–Big Ben, England–Westminster Abbey, England
Big Ben--England
Westminster Abbey
In Europe in general--windmills (Netherlands)
and …castles (homes of feudal lords)
Castles
The Channel Tunnel Eurostar speeds you through the Channel Tunnel, one of Europe's biggest infrastructure projects to date. The $15 billion Channel Tunnel makes the old dream of a ground link between Great Britain and continental Europe a reality for the first time since the Ice Ages.
Riding the Chunnel from London to Paris HD
Rail Eurostar Website
The Chunnel