Europe

Introduction

Hearth of Western civilizationGlobal imperialism Industrial revolution

History of fragmentation and integrationNationalism: Nation-stateRegional integration: E.U.

Environmental Geography

Landform The European

Lowland

The Alpine Mountain System

Central Uplands

Western Highlands

The European Lowland

Support high population density

Major riversPorts in estuaries

Glacial forces north of the Rhine River deltaaffects soil fertility and land forms (eg. moraines)

The Alpine Mountain System

The northward movement of the African Plate against the Eurasian Plate

Pyrenees, Alps, Carpathian Mountains, Dinaric Alps, and Balkan Ranges

Central Uplands

Between the Alps and the European Lowland

Raw materials for Europe’s industrial areas

Steel industry in Germany and France

Western Highlands Portugal – Northwestern British Isles – Scandinavia

Fjords A long, narrow, deep inlet of the sea between steep slopes Western coastline of Norway

Shield landscape Oldest rock formation by the erosion of ice sheets Fenno-Scandian Shield

Plate movement Plate movement east-west trending mountain chain east-west trending mountain chain Pleistocene glaciation Pleistocene glaciation glacial land forms glacial land forms

Cs

DfCf

Climate controls

Why is western Europe warmer than comparable latitudes?

Mild North Atlantic current

Seas

Baltic Sea North Sea Atlantic Ocean Mediterranean Sea Black Sea

Skagerrak & Kattegat

Strait of Gibraltar

Bosporous Strait & Dardanelles

Rivers Rivers of the European Lowland

Loire, Seine, Rhine, Elbe, and Vistula River Flow into Atlantic and Baltic Sea

Danube River Longest river in Europe Connects between central and eastern Europe

In general, Europe is a region of navigable rivers connected by canals and locks

Ports

Developed at the mouths of rivers Transshipment points for inland waterway Bordeux, Le Havre, London, Rotterdam, Hambur

g, and Gdansk

Polders Protected and reclaimed landscapes (diked agricult

ural settlements) in the Netherlands Windmills are used to pump water from low-lying

wetlands

Environmental issues

Environmental protection in western Europe

Environmental problems cross national boundaries Formation of E.U. aided in addressing problems

Heightened environmental sensitivity“Red-Green Coalition” in GermanyGreenhouse gas emission reduction

Environmental protection in eastern Europe

Legacy of Soviet economic planning (1945-90)

Post-1990 economic and political transition

Acid rain and forest death

Bohemia, Czech Republic

Settlement and Population

Population density in the Core and Periphery

Population pattern is linked to areas of early industrialization

Urban-industrial core is characterized byLow natural growth ratesTarget area for migrants

Continued slow natural growth

Why?

Highly urbanized and industrialized population in western Europe

Labor shortage after WWII in eastern Europe need for female labor government promotes family planning and birth control

Migration into Europe

So far, industrialized countries in Europe have received many immigrants because of

Open-door immigration policy to alleviate labor shortage during the postwar period (eg. guest works in Germany)

Influx of migrants from former European colonies Flight from post-1989 economic and political turmoil

Migration into Europe

Schengen Agreement

EU declaration of intent to reduce border formalities for travelers moving between western Europe (1985)

Resulted in strict border controls between EU and non-EU countries – “Fortress Europe”

Urban landscapes Contemporary landscape expresses different historical

periods Medieval period (900-1500)

Narrow, winding streets, and crowded masonry buildings with little setback from the street

Renaissance-Baroque period (1500-1800) Urban planning, high stories girdled by city walls

Industrial period (1800-present) Industrial districts clustered along transportation lines, often

outside the fortifications

Cultural Coherence and Diversity

Language Major Indo-European language (90%)

Germanic language German, English, Dutch, Flemish, Scandinavian, and Icelandic

Romance language Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, and Moldavian

Slavic language Polish, Czech, Slovakian – Latin Alphabet Serbo-Croatian, Bularian, Macedonian, Slovenian – Cyrillic Alphabet

Language Minor Indo-European language

Celtic language - Breton, Welsh, Scots Gaelic, Irish Hellenic language - Greek Baltic language - Lettish, Lithuanian

Non-Indo-European language Uralic language - Magyar (Hungarian), Finns, Estonian Altaic language - Turkish minorities in southeastern Europe Etc… - Basque

Religion

Historical geography of religious complexity is essential to understanding today’s cultural tension such as

Cultural borders in eastern Europe and Balkans Northern Ireland Ethnic cleansing in Yugoslavia

Historical geography of religion Adoption of Christianity

Edict of Tolerance (A.D. 313) Hierarchical diffusion

Schism between western and eastern Christianity Official split of the eastern church from Rome (1054)

Conflicts with Islam Presence of Ottoman Empire in southeastern Europe (16c ~ early

20c) Muslim incursion into Spain (8c ~ 15c)

Historical geography of religion Protestant Revolt (16c)

Creates north-south boundary between Protestant and Catholic Europe

Geography of Judaism Forced dispersal of Jews from Palestine during the Roman

Empire Mediterranean cities Iberian Peninsula (10c) “Jewish

Pale” in eastern Europe (15c) North America (19c~) Israel (1948~) Germany (1990~)

Patterns of contemporary religion

Roman Catholics (250 million) in southern half except for Ireland and Poland

Protestants (100 million) in northern half

Secularization in western Europe after WWII

Geopolitical Framework

From Empire to Nation-State Legacy of the Roman Empire (B.C 300 - A.D.400)

Cities connected by highway (eg. London, Paris, Frankfurt)

Feudal territories (9c - 15c) Urban power of a merchant class (eg. Hamburg, Venice) Rural polity based on feudalism (formal relation between a super

ior and a vassal)

Nation-states (15c - 18c) Geopolitical entity fostered by ethnic and cultural nationalism Congruence between a shared culture and political space

Redrawing the map in 20th century

WWI

1914-18

Redrawing the map in 20th century

WWII C.W.

1939-45

1945-89

Scale of tensions in the Balkans Local/regional tensions

Provinces of Serbia, Montenegro, and Kosovo

Tensions between Yugoslavia and its neighboring states Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia, Croatia, and Slovenia

Relations with the rest of Europe E.U., NATO

Global implications U.N.

Fragmented geopolitical processes involved with small-scale independence movements and the phenomenon of mininationalism as it develops along ethnic fault lines

Ethnicity in the Balkans

The diverse and complicated mosaic of ethnic diversity in the Balkans has led to geopolitical fragmentation in recent decades

Geopolitical issues in Europe

Economic and Social Development

Birthplace of industrial revolution Economic integration – E.U. Chaotic economic transition in eastern Europe

Industrial revolution

Human labor replaced by machine Machines powered by inanimate energy sources

Began in England between 1730 and 1850 eg. Wool Textile manufacturing by steam-powered

mechanized looms

Locational factors of early industrial areas

Access to coalfieldsCoke replaced charcoal as a fuel to make iron and steeleg. The English Midlands, The Ruhr, Saar-Lorraine

Exceptions to this areLondon, and Po Plain

Industrial regions of Europe

Economic integration in the West ECSC (European Coal and Steel Community) in 1952

Coordinate coal and steel production by a supranational authority

EEC (European Economic Community) in 1957 Foster the free movement of goods, labor, and capital

EC (European Community) in 1965 Add political union to the economic community

Economic integration in the West

EU (European Union) in 1991Aimed at

Single currency through the European Monetary UnionCommon foreign policiesMutual security agreements

Currently 15 members11 Euroland members adopt a common currency (2002)

The European Union

Economic transition in eastern Europe

The Soviet Plan (1949-1989)CMEA (Council for Mutual Economic Assistance)Command economy

Transitions since 1991Discontinuation of subsidiesPrivatization of industry

Regional disparities between western and eastern Europe

Regional disparities within eastern EuropeCzech Republic, Slovenia, Hungary, and Poland

Global linkages and regional disparities