Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Geography 13.2 Questions

1) What did you learn about EU countries in this section?
France and Germany started the EU Nation to stop fighting each other

2) How do language and religion reflect the cultural division in Western Europe?
Language and religion together help shape the countries

3) Which Western European leaders tried to unify Europe through conquest?
Hitler, Charlemagne, and Napoleon

4) In what way does Western Europe have a diverse economy?
Tourism is a major economy in France, Switzerland, and Austria. German cars and Swiss watches are status-symbols / France is famous for high-quality clothes and food / and Holland exports high-quality flower bulbs

5) What was the Reformation?
A period where many Christians broke free from the Catholic Church and started Protestant churches

6) What was the Holocaust?
A program of mass murder of Jews and other minorities by the Nazis and Hitler

7) What was the Berlin Wall?
A wall in Berlin constructed to separate the split sides of Germany, one Communist and one not Communist

8) What are some characteristics of Modern Life in Western Europe?
Western Europe has good public transportation / people usually socialize outdoors / People in Western Europe have 30 days of paid vacation a year that is usually spent biking, hiking, or skiing
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Three interesting things : France has one of the world's fastest passenger trains, many famous musicians and artists are from Western Europe, and most houses in Western Europe are smaller than houses in America.

Quiz question : Q: What can be contributed to the rise of Nation-States?
                         A: Nationalism


Outline for Chapter 13 Section 2

Western Europe

I) A History of Cultural Division

France and Germany are the dominant countries of Western Europe (largest, have the best access to trade routes, resources, and ports) Other countries include Austria, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Belgium, The Netherlands, and Monaco

      A) Rome to Charlemagne
             1) Roman Empire had conquered the Celtic tribes in France by B.C.
             2) French is one of the Romance languages evolved from Latin
             3) In the late 700s Charlemagne, a Germanic King, conquered most of the region
             4) His empire fell under his death

      B) The Reformation
             1) A religious movement where people questioned the church's authority - Renaissance
             2) in 1517, Martin Luther published the 95 that criticized the way the church did things
             3) Christians broke away from the Catholic Church and started protestant churches
             4) Hostility between the two churches lead to a series of holy wars
             5) France is primarily Catholic and Germany is primarily Protestant

II) The Rise of Nation-States

Between the fall of Rome and the Renaissance was a period called the Middle Ages. Europeans developed the nation-state, an independent nation containing a common culture.

       A) Nationalism
              1) After Rome fell, feudalism developed. Feudalism is a political system where powerful lords rule own most of the land
              2) Over time, strong kings took over and nationalism evolved. Nationalism is the belief that people should be loyal to their nation; those they share land, culture, and history with
              3) Nationalism lead to modern nation-states, the first being France
              4) French kings held absolute power, which they used for themselves, not their people - in 1789 the people started the French Revolution - soon after that Napoleon Bonaparte declared himself emperor and tried to conquer all of Europe before being defeated
              5) From the 1600s to 1945, many wars broke out between France and Austria or France and Germany
              6) Germany unified in 1871
              7) In the 1800s, industrialism caused European nations to set up colonies in other lands for raw materials and markets.

        B) Modern Conflicts
              1) Competition for colonies lead to WW1
              2) Harsh terms on Germany from the Allied Powers caused from losing WWI leads to WWII
              3) Holocaust takes place from Nazi Germany during WWII
              4) After the war, Germany splits into West Germany (non-Communist) and East Germany (Communist) - Due to this, the Berlin wall is constructed in Berlin.
              5) In 1989 East Germany opens the Berlin Wall in response to protests - Germany reunites in 1990
              6) France and Germany have tried to end their rivalries and were two leaders in the movement of establishing the European Union

III) Economic: Diversity and Luxury

Western Europe has been rich in Agriculture since the Middle Ages and was one of the first regions to industrialize in the 1800s.

          A) Agriculture to High-Tech
                1) Dairy farming and Livestock provide agricultural income in Belgium, France, Holland, and Switzerland - major crops are wheat, grapes, and vegetables - France is the biggest producer in W. Europe
                2) Western Europe was a leader in developing industry because it's rich in iron ore and coal - today it has 3 Europe's top manufacturing nations: France, Germany, and Holland
                3) Electrons are a major product of Holland - Germany too, as well as scientific instruments
                4) France has one of the fastest passenger trains and mostly relies on nuclear energy, as nuclear plants produce 80% of France's electricity
                5) Switzerland specializes in banking since people believe money's safer there because Switzerland refuses to fight any wars
       
           B) Tourism and Luxury
                1) Western Europe is popular with tourists due to its varied scenery, history, and mild climate                 2) Tourism is a major part of the French, Swiss, and Austrian economies
                3) W. Europe exports luxury goods - German cars and Swiss watches are considered status symbols - France is famous for its high-fashion clothing and gourmet food and Holland exports high-quality flower bulbs
       
VI) Great Music and Art

Each Western European country has a distinct identity shaped by language and religion - but the region as a whole has a strong artistic legacy

           A) Music
                1) Germany and Austria are famous for music - Johann Sebastian Bach and Beethoven were German, and Mozart was Austrian

           B) Painting
                1) France and Holland had many important painters - Jan Van Eyck was from Flanders
                2) Jan Vermeer and Rembrandt were oil painters who painted with great realism
                3) French artists Claude Monet, Paul Cezanne, and Paul Gauguin paved the way for modern art

VII) Modern Life

Most of Western Europe lives in Cities and can enjoy a standard of high living while being able to afford to buy material goods such as cars and computers.

           A) City Life
                 1) Western European Cities offer many things; movies, concerts, art galleries, and museums - they also have good transportation systems
                 2) Lower crime rate than U.S.
                 3) Europeans live in smaller homes than Americans do - because of this many people socialize in public areas, sitting at outdoor tables in nice weather
                 4) Europeans gain more paid vacation time than U.S. - Germans get 30 days of vacation time a year - usually vacation to bike, hike, or ski
 
           B) Recent Conflicts
                 1) Immigration has become a problem - in the 1980s many workers from Turkey came to Germany for jobs - Some Germans protested this, leading to them being called racist.
                 2) Austria's tensions come from Joerg Haider - he had made a comment which defended Nazis and insulted the immigrants - due to this he had to step down as political leader but is still a big part of Austrian public life
                 

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Chapter 12 Main Ideas

1.) They do good and bad things. The good side is if they're tall enough, they help block cold wind and make the land below them warmer; like in Italy. The bad side is they make it harder to travel.

2.) They are used for transportation since the mountains block most of it.

3.) Oil was found in the North Sea floor in 1959. Norway, the Netherlands, the UK, and Denmark pump oil from it.

4.) They blow West to East and carry warmth and moisture, bringing rainfall with them.

5.) The Mediterranean Region has citrus because it has dry, hot summers.

6.) Mosses and Lichen

7.) To help protect the land and people from floods

8.) By transforming an arm of the North Sea into a freshwater lake, they were able to get a lot more land.

9.) Industrial waste, sewage, and saltwater

10.) Forests were chopped down in Europe for houses and boats, heating, and in Venice - supports that go underground to help hold buildings up.

Bratislava

Location - Absolute location : 49°36'48" and 47°44'21" northern latitude and 16°50'56" and 22°33'53" eastern longitude. Relative : Central Europe, south of the Czech Republic and north of Hungary.

Region - Bratislava is in the Administrative region of Slovakia. It is the smallest region in Slovakia, but the richest. Many companies are established here, as well as the national bank of Slovakia.

Place - Influenced by many ethnic and religious groups, such as: Germans, Slovaks, Hungarians, and Jews.  The most popular religion is Roman Catholicism. People here enjoy going to theaters, cinemas, galleries, museums, and concert halls. Slovakia uses 30% of its land for cities and towns and its main language is Slovak. Has a population of 5,483,000.

Human-Environment Interaction - In Slovakia, 3% of people work agriculture, 32% work industry, and 65% work services. Fields cover about 29% of Slovakia and they grow: wheat, barley, maize, sugar beets and potatoes. The main industries in Slovakia are manufacturing, electrotechnical, chemical, petrol, steel, textile and food processing industries.










Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Chapter 12 Questions

1) Why can Europe be called "a peninsula or peninsulas"?
Europe itself is a peninsula and has a bunch of smaller peninsulas on it as well

2) What European islands are located in North Atlantic?  In the Mediterranean Sea?
NA - Iceland, Belfast, Ireland, and the UK | MS - Corsica, Sardinia, and the Balearic Isles

3) How do mountains and uplands affect life in Europe?
Mountains act as walls and make it difficult for peoples, goods, and ideas to travel. They also affect climate because the wind cant get over them so lower places like Italy are warmer.

4) The Alps arc across what countries or places?
France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and the northern Balkan peninsula

5) The Pyrenees are located where?
Near Spain and Portugal

6) Where does the Danube flow?
Cuts through the heart of Europe west to east.

7) How are rivers used in Europe?
As waterways for trade and transport

8) What is the most important plain in Europe?
The European Plain

9) Why is it important?
It is one of the most fertile fields in the world and has provided a quantity of food over the centuries

10) How are the landforms of Europe both an advantage and disadvantage?
They are an advantage because they control the weather and could help with defense. They're a disadvantage because it makes the transport of people, goods, and ideas harder.

11) How did natural resources help Europe to become industrialized?
Because Europe has an abundance of coal and iron, which are needed for an industrialized economy. The two can also be used to make steel.