Geography of Europe

• Study notes pertaining to Europe

Geography

• Europe has five geographic climate regions:
  • Marine West Coast: Warm summers and cool, wet winters.
  • Steppe: Semi-desert with occasional rain.
  • Arctic: Short, cool summers and long, cold, snowy winters.
  • Humid Continental: Summers range from wet to hot, winters are cold and snowy.
  • Mediterranean: Hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters.
• The two tectonic plates that make up Iceland are the North American and Eurasian Plates.
• The Mid-Atlantic Rift causes volcanic eruptions roughly every 4 years in Iceland.
• Over 85% of housing in Iceland is heated by natural geothermal heat from hot springs.
• Meltwater from glaciers in Iceland provides hydroelectric power.
• Northern Europe, south of Scandinavia and the United Kingdom, consists of low-lying plains with low elevation.
• A dike is a defensive structure against flooding.
• One of the largest issues facing the geography of Great Britain is erosion because of the high ratio of shoreline to land on the continent.
• The Ural and Caucasus Mountains separate Europe from Asia.

Society and Culture

• The culture regions of Europe are:
  • Mediterranean: Hot, dry summers and humid, cool winters.
  • Scandinavia (Nordic Region): Known for a welfare system, pickled herring, and salted meats.
  • Alpine: High elevations, spanning eight countries.
  • Baltic: Located near a significant sea in Northern Europe, including Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania.
• The Basques are an ethnic group located on the border of Spain and France near the Bay of Biscay and the western foothills of the Pyrenees Mountains.
• The Romani migrated from northern India to Eastern Europe in the 14th and 15th centuries and are traditionally nomadic, migrating seasonally along tribal links.
• The Sami are indigenous to Scandinavia and traditionally are nomadic reindeer herders.
• Universal Healthcare is where the population pays for healthcare as a society, intending to minimize overall expense and spread around cost and risk.
• Martin Luther started Protestantism.
• Islam has greatly increased in Europe because of conflict in North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and the Middle East.
• Germany is known for its automotive industry.

History

• Various reasons for WWI:
  • Alliances
  • Imperialism
  • Militarism
  • Nationalism
• WWI was characterized by trench warfare.
• New technologies that made trench warfare possible included tanks, machine guns, poisonous gas, and airplanes.
• The two powers in World War One were the Allied and Central Powers.
• The harsh terms of the Treaty of Versailles for Germany led to the rise of a dictator, contributing to World War II.
• Dictators who rose to power and their promises:
  • Spain - Franko - freedom
  • Italy - Mussolini - Economic recovery
  • Germany - Hitler - To make Germany a great nation
  • Japan - Tojo - Resources and power
  • Russia - Stalin - Economic recovery
• Appeasement was the policy of Britain and France in the 1930s of making concessions to Nazi Germany, led by Adolf Hitler, in an attempt to avoid war.
• WWII started when Germany invaded Poland.
• The US entered the war after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
• Blitzkrieg, meaning "lightning war" is a series of quick and decisive short battles to deliver a knockout blow to an enemy state before it can fully mobilize.
• Island hopping was a US military strategy where Allied forces bypassed heavily fortified Japanese islands, focusing instead on capturing strategically important islands to establish bases for air and naval operations, gradually moving closer to Japan.
• The dropping of the nuclear bomb finally stopped Japan.

Politics and Economy

• The United Kingdom consists of Great Britain (England, Wales, and Scotland) and Northern Ireland.
• Founding governments of the Greeks and Romans:
  • Greeks - Democracy: Known for creating city-states that collected taxes, raised armies, and wrote laws.
  • Romans - Republic: Formed as an early Republic with Patricians and Plebeians.
• The purpose of the European Union is to ensure peace in Europe, create a high standard of living, ensure culture is respected, and maintain a strong economy.
• Types of economies:
  • Mixed economy: Part market economy and part command economy.
  • Market economy: Consumers and privately owned businesses determine supply.
  • Command economy: Production, investment prices, and income are determined by the government.
• The largest major exports in Europe are machinery and/or motor vehicles/transportation equipment.