Chapter 12 Southern Europe

Physical Geography 1. Iberian Peninsula – Spain and Portugal Pyrenees Mountains– Spain and France; have high massifs (formed by fault line activity) 2. Italian Peninsula – Italy

Peninsulas 3. Balkan Peninsula – Greece (mountainous surrounded by 3 seas) Apennine Mountains – spine of Italian peninsula Alps – natural border between Italian peninsula and Northern Europe, Alps – Mount Blanc – highest point

Physical Greece – over 2,000 islands, Mount Pindus is the mountain range, Mount Olympus is the highest point Larger islands – Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, Crete, Cyprus Mt. Etna – Europe’s tallest active volcano on island of Sicily 3 seas around Italy – Adriatic, Ionian, Tyrrhenian

Water Tagus River – goes through Spain & through Portugal into the Atlantic Ebro River– Spain’s longest river

Rivers in Italy Po River – runs through the plains of Lombardy and is Italy’s longest river Venice – mouth of the Po River on Adriatic Sea, city built on dikes and canals Tiber River – Italy’s 2nd largest river, primary water source for Rome

Water Maritsa River borders Greece and Turkey Aegean Sea separates Greece from Turkey

Climate of Southern Europe Mediterranean climate of Southern Europe; 30 inches of rain a year Winters in southern Europe are mild and rainy

Natural Resources Portugal – copper Spain – coal, tin and tungsten (heavy metal element) Spain and Italy-hydroelectricity Spain and Portugal contain the world’s largest supply of cork

Roman Republic Founded in Italy Largest empire in 27 BC 200 years of peace was called Pax Romana Julius Caesar Christianity became dominant religion 450 First Roman Law Code

Roman Republic Roman Republic founded in Italy – law and balance of power Renaissance – “rebirth” in Florence, Italy (1300-1600)

Greece History Ancient Greece – city states (independently governed community of a city and surrounding land) 400BC’s Athens – democracy, every citizen votes Sparta – war and battle

Italy Capital – Rome Vatican City – (smallest country in the world) within Rome relies on complementarity or interdependence with Rome (Roman Catholic) Universal healthcare system Women in Italy are highly educated, but do not hold high offices in politics

Italy The automobile is one of Italy's greatest products.  In addition to the Fiat brand, Fiat owns the Lamborghini, Ferrari, Maserati The Italian peninsula is home to two microstates, San Marino and Vatican City .

Italy Government: Democracy, Republic Italy has two bigger islands Sicily and Sardenia and many smaller ones such as Capri, Elba and Ischia. Po – longest river in Italy, Venice is on the mouth of the Po Tiber River goes through Rome

Greece Capital – Athens Family is important in culture (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) Economy – high unemployment, small farms, rely on tourism, banking, retail Pindus Mountains – highest point is Mount Olympus

Greece Athens is one of the oldest cities in Europe. It is also the birthplace of democracy, Western philosophy, the Olympic Games,Parthenon, the Acropolis Introduced democracy to the world

Spain Spain – capital Madrid Spain is known for its olive oil production. It produces about 45% of all olive oil in the world.  Government type: parliamentary monarchy 94% of the citizens of Spain are Roman Catholic

Spain The Pyrenees is a mountain range that divides Spain and France. Football (soccer) is the most popular sport in Spain. The Running of the Bulls takes place in Pamplona, Spain to help kick off the festival of San Fermin

Portugal Capital – Lisbon The Economy--Portugal Benefits from textile (clothing) Economy contains - Subsistence farming Wine grapes, citrus fruits, olives, rice, cork, wheat