Europe: A Cultural Region
Cultural Region Key Terms CULTURE: Refers to the various characteristics of life (language, livelihood, religion, food, customs) that are shared by a group of people. CULTURAL REGION: An area characterized by a common culture where people have one or more cultural traits, like language or religion, in common CULTURAL TOURISM: Tourism designed to encourage people to experience the culture of a specific people and region
Europe: An introduction Today – most countries in Europe are the envy of the world. Its people enjoy high living standards, which we can see in the high levels of literacy, health care and income. Its languages are now spoken throughout much of the world as many countries in Europe explored and conquered various parts of the world.
Europe: An Overview 6th largest continent, population ~ 740,000,000 Despite sharing landmass with Asia, Geographers consider it a continent due to distinct cultural differences Europe separated from Asia by Ural Mountains and the Caspian and Black Seas 47 countries (not including those shared with Asian continent) and assorted dependencies and territories Incredible global influence from early exploration, colonization, present day
There are 5 ways that geography has helped European societies flourish: Location: on the North Plain with fertile farmland along coastline Climate: temperate, moderating effect of the water; Atlantic storms encourage people to be adaptable Mountains: settlement in lower elevation along coastlines and rivers Peninsulas: as a point of land surrounded by water; numerous settlements developed along the many coasts Proximity to water (rivers & ocean): transportation, trade, fishing, power, exploration and colonization potential.
Europe & Tourism Western Europe top tourist region in world due to: People’s historical/cultural ties Wide range of historical/cultural attractions Small continent means travellers can see many places in a short period of time Highly developed transportation and tourism industry Peaceful, accessible