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Europe Chapter Summary: This chapter introduces Europe as a region. Europe is important because many traits present in the world today have a European, or "Western" origin, and historically Europe has had a disproportionate effect on the rest of the world. Physically, Europe is an irregular shaped peninsula of Eurasia, and in this text is defined as being comprised of the land and islands which lie west of the former Soviet Union. It has a diverse topography, including high mountains, plains, plateaus, and dissected hills. Almost every climate type except desert and tropical wet can be found in Europe. Given the abundance of precipitation, rivers have been historically and economically very important. Principle ones include the Thames, Rhine, Elbe, and Danube. Culturally, Europe is the home of ancient languages such as Latin, Greek, and Celtic languages which have given rise to many modern Indo-European ones. Europe is famous as a core region for Christianity, although significant minorities of Jews and Muslims have historically existed as well. Starting in the Age of Discovery, European colonists began to interact with the New World as well as Asia and Africa. As a result, Europe profited by setting up favorable trading networks. The Industrial Revolution spurred a huge increase in manufacturing, which led Europe to a high level of prosperity. Other factors responsible for European dominance have included the development of capitalism, advances in technology, and innovations in science. In the 20th century, Europe's prominence has diminished, due in part to aftereffects of World War II, internal problems with nationalism, shifts in global manufacturing shares to the US and East Asian countries, and its lack of energy resources. Europe is responding to many of these challenges by initiating new forms of economic and political cooperation under the auspices of the EU. This chapter explores the geography of the industrial core of Europe: the British Isles, and West Central Europe including the countries of Germany, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and Austria. The United Kingdom is made up of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Also referred to as Great Britain, it can be subdivided into Highland and Lowland Britain, which each have distinctive physical and cultural landscapes. The Industrial Revolution, which started in Britain, occurred around several key industries. It was spurred by numerous factors, including youth in-migration to the cities as the enclosure movement made rural farming untenable. Recent changes in the world economy have diminished Britain's international status, however, and it has suffered numerous economic difficulties since World War I. France is another former great colonial power currently undergoing crises from the changes in the world economy. A major producer of agricultural exports, French farmers are concerned about the EU's relaxation of tariffs, the rise of large export-oriented farms, and growing rural-to-urban migration. France's primate city, Paris, is a historic location for the arts and industry. While the cities of Marseilles, Lyon, and other continue to grow however, Paris is losing its economic dominance within France. Though never a major colonial power, Germany's economy has been a world leader since the late 19th century, especially in heavy manufacturing. The earlier locations of industry and proximity to coal resources had much to do with the internal geography of German economic development. The Benelux countries have high population densities, high standards of living, and high productivity. Switzerland and Austria, though physically similar, have developed along different paths and have different economic roles. This chapter discusses the rest of the countries of Europe in three groups: Northern Europe, Southern Europe, and East Central Europe. Northen Europe (also called Norden or "the North", sometimes Scandinavia or Fennoscandia) consists of Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Iceland. All of these countries are known for their democratic traditions. While Denmark is a low- lying country with fertile soils, Norway has large areas of very rugged mountainous terrain. Sweden is more varied, with lush agricultural areas in the south, and glaciated mountains in the north. Its economy is largely structured around its engineering, metallurgical, and wood-products industries. Finland is a heavily forested country which derives much of its wealth from exporting forest products and metal goods. Iceland is a large island in the Atlantic, with numerous active volcanoes. Southern Europe is largely in the Mediterranean climate region. This mild climate is good for agricultural crops such as wheat, olives and olive oil, grapes, citrus, and vegetables. Although all of the countries of this area achieved greatness in ancient and medieval times, they have not fared as well during the 20th century, mainly because of lagging industrial development and a number of social and political factors. They have all made the transition from relying mainly on agriculture to a variety of industrial and service sectors. East Central Europe is poorer and has more problems than the other regions of Europe. Historically a collection of many different peoples, its political geography results from the collapse of a number of empires in the 19th and 20th centuries, large-scale movements of population during and immediately after World War II, subsequent control by Soviet power, and rising nationalism since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Wholesale changes in Eastern Europe's economic geography highlighted by a move towards privatization have occurred since 1989. Important Terms: capitalism |