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European Physical/Cultural Notes. Mr. Broughman Thursday, January 16, 2014. Review of Physical Geography. Unlike the other continents, Europe and Asia share a landmass called Eurasia . Most of Europe lies no further than 300 miles from either a major sea or an ocean.
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European Physical/Cultural Notes Mr. Broughman Thursday, January 16, 2014
Review of Physical Geography • Unlike the other continents, Europe and Asia share a landmass called Eurasia. • Most of Europe lies no further than 300 miles from either a major sea or an ocean. • (1) Water has proven to be a luxury for many countries, but has also proven to be a problem for others. About 25% of the Netherlands lies below sea-level. Some of this land has been reclaimed by building dikes or levees, or walls to keep out the sea. • (2) Polders have been built to reclaim land from the sea, whileDutch windmills have pumped water from low-lying areas. • Sparkling glacial lakes and fjords dot the landscape of Norway, Sweden, and the rest of Scandinavia. • The Strait of Gibraltar on the Iberian Peninsula at the tip of Spain has been an important waterway for trading purposes for centuries.
Review of Physical Geography • Factors that determine Europe’s climate: • (1) Latitude (distance north of the equator) • (2) Mountains and elevation • (3) Ocean currents (both cool currents from the Arctic and warm currents from the Equator) • (4) Distance from bodies of water • (5) Wind directions • Europe’s climates vary from tundra conditions in Iceland and Scandinavia to warm, temperate climates along the coasts of the Mediterranean. • What is the annual climate like in Mediterranean regions? • Warm and dry summers; cooler and wet winters
Review of Physical Geography • The Atlantic Ocean’s North Atlantic Drift brings warm waters from the Gulf of Mexico and Equator and deposits them along the western coast of Europe. • (1) Prevailing western winds (westerlies) blow warm, moist air across much Europe, depositing plenty of rainfall along the way.
Ethnic Diversity • Being home to more than 40 countries, Europe is one of the most diverse places on earth. Europeans today are a mix of people from all over the world, particularly Native European, Asia, and Africa. • Ethnicity is… • The way a person defines him/herself based on his/her heritage • Ethnic groups are… • Groups of people who share a common characteristic such as religion, language, heritage, race, etc. • What has caused Europe’s widespread ethnic diversity? • Centuries of trade and immigration.
Ethnic Diversity • How has European culture spread abroad? • Exploration Britain, France, Spain, Portugal part of the Age of Exploration beginning in the 1400s • Colonization Colonized all of the Americas, Africa, and most of Asia • Imperialism Maintain dominance over much of the world
Cultural Characteristics • More than 50 languages and 100 dialects are spoken in Europe today. • Ex. of Dialects: • (2) Orkney English = “We hid a quey caff yistreen.” • (1) Standard English = “We had a female calf last night.”
Cultural Characteristics • Most people in Europe practice Christianity with Roman Catholicism being the most popular religious denomination. • (A) Catholicism with ~300,000,000 followers • (B) Eastern Orthodox Christianity with ~150,000,000 followers • (C) Protestantism with ~100,000,000 followers • Westernized culture around the world today can be traced to Europe, specifically Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. • (A) What has Ancient Greece contributed to the western world? • Democracy, city-states, early-globalization, philosophy, drama, art, literature, math, medicine • B) What has Ancient Rome contributed to the western world? • Centralized army, science, architecture, engineering, law