|
|
Table of Contents
MAJOR GEOGRAPHIC QUALITIES
1. western extremity of Eurasia 2. many industrial resources 3. lingering world influence 4. high degrees of specialization 5. manufacturing dominance 6. numerous nation-states 7. urbanized population 8. aging & declining population 9. high standards of living
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS 1. central uplands – heart of Europe – hills, low plateaus, raw materials 2. alpine system – highland region 3. western uplands – geologically older, lower, more stable than Alpines 4. north European lowlands – lengthy arc – aka Great European Plain – rivers and waterways – avenue for migration
CULTURAL CHARACTERISTICS Agrarian Revolution
1. began in Europe in 1750s 2. based on new agricultural innovations 3. enabled increased food production 4. enabled sustained population increase
Industrial Revolution
1. developed in UK between 1750-1850 2. evolved from technical innovations that occurred in British industry 3. proved to be a major catalyst toward increased urbanization 4. produced a distinct spatial pattern in Europe
Political Revolution
1. Treaty of Westphalia in 1648 – key step in evolution of state system – ended decades of war 2. past & present 3. Centrifugal forces –forces that tend to divide a country – religious, linguistic, ethnic, ideological differences 4. Centripetal forces – forces that unit a country – strong national culture, shared ideological objectives, common faith
DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS 1. falling share of world’s population 2. fertility 3. fewer young people 4. smaller working age population 5. boom and bust age dependent 6. immigration partially offsetting losses
ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS 1. Supranationalism a. A venture involving three or more states b. Political, economic, and/or cultural cooperation to promote shared objectives 2. European Union (EU) a. Original Members: (12) Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, UK b. Established: 7 February 1992 c. Effective: 1 November 1993 d. Aimed to coordinate policy among members in three fields: i. economics ii. defense iii. justice and home affairs 3. Problems a. Loss of autonomy b. Disparities in levels of economic development c. Technical barriers d. Cultural barriers
POLITICAL CHARACTERISTICS Western Europe — Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, Switzerland British Isles — Ireland, United Kingdom Nordic Europe — Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden Mediterranean Europe 1. 6 countries - Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Spain 2. discontinuous region 3. on the periphery 4. cultural continuity dates from Greco-Roman times 5. Mediterranean climate – hot, dry summers & warm/cool, moist winters Eastern Europe 1. Europe’s largest region 2. adjoins 3 of 4 other European regions 3. contains the most countries - Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia 4. includes Europe’s largest country 5. includes Europe’s poorest country 6. In 1990, none of its states could meet criteria for membership in EU 7. reaches into Russian zone of influence
This is the web site of the Pope. Catholicism has had a significant impact on the development of Europe and the world for nearly two thousand years. It continues to influence events around the world. The head of the Catholic religion is the Pope who lives in Vatican City, an enclave within the city limits of Rome, Italy. This site provides access and links to information about this major religion, from history to current issues and Papal announcements. It also provides access to the Vatican library catalogue, which contains an extensive array of historical documents. For example, the first page of a simple search on Erasmus returned several documents dating back to the 16th century.
| Return to Top |
MAJOR GEOGRAPHIC QUALITIES
1. immense territorial state 2. world’s northernmost large populous country 3. former world colonial power 4. comparatively small (<145 MILLION) and concentrated population 5. concentrated development 6. multicultural state 7. minimal ports
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
1. Russian Plain – eastward continuation of North European Lowland – first core area 2. Ural Mountains – not high but separate two large plains – minerals & fossil fuels 3. West Siberian Plain – world’s largest unbroken lowland – permafrost, marsh 4. Central Siberian Plateau – remote & sparsely settled - permafrost 5. Yakutsk Basin – last non-mountainous land to east 6. Eastern Highlands – precipitous, severe climate, inhospitable – lumber, fur, gold, diamonds 7. Central Asian Ranges - glaciers 8. The Caucasus Mountains – extension of Alpine Mountains
CULTURAL CHARACTERISTICS 1. Mongol Legacy 2. Tsarist Legacy 3. Colonial Legacy 4. Soviet Legacy
DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS 1. low standard of living 2. extreme nationalism 3. population decline 4. problems — suicide, alcoholism, drug abuse, poor diet 5. Russian dominance
ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS 1. raw materials 2. few exports 3. industrial resources 4. transportation infrastructure 5. manufacturing capacity
POLITICAL CHARACTERISTICS 1. emergence of a “commonwealth” of Slavic countries to replace Soviet Union 2. Russian Federation (1992) a. 89 political units b. 21 Republics c. 11 autonomous regions (okrugs) d. 49 provinces (oblasts) e. 6 territories (krays) f. 2 autonomous federal cities 3. regions
This web site provides access to information organized on the basic regions of modern day Russia. It includes several maps, access to topography, and information about each of the republic centers. Clicking on the links brings up general information about that center as well as additional links to information about the area, including history and current issues.
This web site was developed by a librarian in Georgia to tell others around the world about his homeland. It contains some interesting information about the country as well as the Georgian Constitution and information that might be of interest to a visitor. It also has links to several other sites relating to Georgia. Some of it is still under construction and only available in either Russian or Georgian.
| Return to Top | |
Copyright © 1996 Amy S. Glenn |