CENTRAL--WESTERN EUROPE CHAPTER 16 CENTRAL--WESTERN EUROPE

CHAPTER 16-SECTION 1 FRANCE CALLED A “HEXAGON” IF YOU STRAITEN IT OUT IT HAS 6 SIDES WATER SURROUNDS THIS COUNTRY ON 3 SIDES ENGLISH CHANNEL ATLANTIC OCEAN MEDITERRANEAN SEA

REGIONS AND ECONOMICS NORTHERN FRANCE CAPITAL--PARIS PARIS BASIN CENTER OF POLITICS AND INDUSTRY PARIS BASIN ENTIRE SEINE RIVER REGION LILLE--INDUSTRIAL CITY NEAR PARIS PRODUCES STEEL, TEXTILES, CHEMICALS

FRENCH REGIONS BY NAME

VINEYARDS OF THE SOUTHWEST WARMER AND DRIER REGION NOTED FOR GRAPE VINEYARDS AND THE PRODUCTION OF WINE BORDEAUX REGION PRODUCES FAMOUS BORDEAUX WINE,COGNAC, BURGUNDY WINES

SOUTHERN FRANCE BORDERED BY 2 MOUNTAIN RANGES MASSIF MOUNTAINS ALPS MOUNTAINS REGION BISECTED BY THE RHONE RIVER MASSIF REGION--LIMITED INDUSTRY AND AGRICULTURE ALPS REGION-BORDER TO ITALY NOTED FOR TOURISM--SKI RESORTS

SOUTHEASTERN FRANCE ALONG THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA NOTED TOURIST AREA RIVERIA RESORT AREA CANNES--FAMOUS FILM FESTIVAL MARSEILLES--CHIEF SEAPORT CONNECTS TO ALL THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA PORTS

EASTERN FRANCE-INDUSTRIAL AREA RHINE RIVER VALLEY--RHINE RIVER PART OF BORDER WITH GERMANY ALSACE AND LORRAINE CHIEF RESOURCE REGION STRASBOURG-CHIEF PORT BOTH GERMANY & FRANCE WANTED THIS REGION DURING WW I AND WW II

HISTORY OF FRANCE INITIALLY CALLED GAUL CONQUERED BY ROMANS IN 100 B.C. CHARLEMAGNE TURNS FRANCE INTO DOMINANT EMPIRE IN 800 A.D. BECAME A KINGDOM OF FRANCE-1500’S 1870-1940 GERMANY INVADES FRANCE THREE TIMES.

HISTORY OF FRANCE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1lreM8e6EM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eUfcZ1r5aE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=By7LvganKGY&NR=1

LANGUAGE AND CULTURE STRONG NATIONAL IDENTITY ONE LANGUAGE-DIFFERENT DIALECTS VARIATIONS OF LANGUAGE FAMOUS FOR ACHIEVMENTS IN: ART--IMPRESSIONIST PAINTING PHILOSOPHERS--VOLTAIRE & DESCARTES FAMOUS MUSEUM--THE LOUVRE THEATER, BALLET, OPERAS, ETC

FRANCE TODAY NATIONALIZED MANY BUSINESSES JOINED THE ECONOMIC ALLIANCE CONTROLLED BY THE GOVERNMENT JOINED THE ECONOMIC ALLIANCE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC UNION FACED RECESSION IN 1990’S-2000 HAS REFUSED TO JOIN OR HELP THE U.S. IN IRAQ.

CHAPTER 16--SECTION 2 GERMANY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqjlIgK0bXg&feature=related

GERMANY-A HISTORY OF BEING DIVIDED 800 AD, PART OF THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE BROKEN INTO INDEPENDENT STATES EMPIRE FURTHER DIVIDED BY PROTESTANT / CATHOLIC SPLIT IN 1500’S BECAME THE GERMAN CONFEDERATION IN 1700’S

GERMANY IN WW. I AS PART OF TRIPLE ALLIANCE FOUGHT IN WWI WITH THE CENTRAL POWERS GERMANY, AUSTRIA-HUNGARY, OTTOMAN EMPIRE (TURKEY) LOST THE WAR-FORCED TO PAY REPARATIONS PAYMENTS TO “REPAIR” THE DAMAGES CAUSED INFLATION, LED TO A DEPRESSION IN GERMANY. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41KXZHmIn-o

GERMANY 1939-1945 RULED BY ADOLF HITLER CONQUERED FRANCE & EASTERN EUROPE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE HOLOCAUST FELL TO THE ALLIES IN 1945 OCCUPIED IN EAST BY SOVIET UNION AND IN THE WEST BY U.S., ENGLAND, AND FRANCE. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lesNQAf0F0I&feature=related

GERMANY 1949-1990 GERMANY SPLIT INTO 2 SECTIONS FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF WEST GERMANY GERMAN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC-EAST BERLIN WALL BUILT TO SEPARATE CITY WALL TAKEN DOWN BY 1990 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZCwlKiiZrs&feature=related

REGIONS OF GERMANY NORTHERN PLAIN--FARMING AREA CAPITAL CITY OF BERLIN. ELBE RIVER IS THE CHIEF RIVER OF THIS AREA. LARGEST PORT--HAMBURG http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICrLx5aoo9w

CENTRAL GERMANY CHIEF INDUSTRIAL AREA MOST POPULATED AREA RUHR VALLEY (IRON & STEEL PRODUCTION LIGNITE (SOFT COAL) MOST POPULATED AREA 2 MAJOR RIVERS OF THE AREA RHINE RIVER ELBE RIVER FRANKFURT--BANKING CENTER OF GERMANY

MUNICH--CHIEF CULTURAL CENTER SOUTHERN GERMANY DOMINATED BY THE ALPS RHINE AND DANUBE RIVER MUNICH--CHIEF CULTURAL CENTER

GERMANY TODAY LEADING INDUSTRIAL NATION OF EUROPE 5TH IN THE WORLD IN GDP PART OF THE EUROPEAN UNION FAMOUS FOR: INDUSTRY BEER AND WINE THE AUTOBAHN PROBLEMS OF GERMANY: OLDER POPULATION UNEMPLOYMENT POLLUTION

THE AUTOBAHN http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYPCLtA-ETk&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbdH-J6UoYI&feature=related

CHAPTER 16 SECTION 3 THE BENELUX COUNTRIES BELGIUM, NETHERLANDS, LUXEMBOURG ALSO CALLED THE LOW COUNTRIES SMALL LAND AREA BUT DENSE POPULATION. (26.4 MILLION PEOPLE)

THE NETHERLANDS MOST OF LAND SURROUNDED BY EMBANKMENTS OF EARTH & ROCK DIKES BUILT BY DUTCH AND ROMANS RECLAIMED LAND BY PUMPING OUT WATER--LAND CALLED “POLDER” 1/3 OF THE LAND IS BELOW SEA LEVEL. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zDauA9QEkQ

MAKING USE OF THE LAND AND LOCATION 16 MILLION PEOPLE IN SMALL AREA 50% OF LAND USED IN AGRICULTURE RANDSTAD--METROPOLIS OF 4 CITIES http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cZmLj90fPo&feature=fvsr LAND CANNOT BE WASTED PORT CITIES MAKE IT LEADING TRADE NATION OF EUROPE! CAPITAL IS AMSTERDAM (THE HAGUE IS WHERE THE GOVERNMENT IS LOCATED)

BELGIUM A LAND OF DIFFERENT CULTURES 30% SPEAK FRENCH--WALLOONS 55% SPEAK FLEMISH--(DUTCH) ONLY ALLOWED THE WALLOONS TO HOLD GOVERNMENT JOBS CAPITAL CITY OF BRUSSELS GOVERNMENT DECENTRALIZED DIVIDED INTO 3 REGIONS: WALLONIA, FLANDERS, BRUSSELS

FACTS ON BELGIUM Belgium has a literacy rate of 99% The life expectancy is 78.6 85% of Belgians live in towns and cities Nearly 80% of the population of Belgium is Roman Catholic

LUXEMBOURG ONLY 990 SQUARE MILES 3 MAIN LANGUAGES SMALLER THAN RHODE ISLAND 3 MAIN LANGUAGES FRENCH, GERMAN, LUXMBOURGISH VERY HIGH STANDARD OF LIVING. STEEL AND HIGH TECH INDUSTRY MEMBER OF THE EUROPEAN UNION CAPITAL CITY IS ALSO “LUXEMBOURG”

SECTION 4--SWITZERLAND AND AUSTRIA ALPS MAKE UP HALF OF THESE COUNTRIES BOTH COUNTRIES POLITICALLY NEUTRAL NEITHET BELONG TO NATO

SWITZERLAND HAS 3 OFFICIAL LANGUAGES GERMAN (64%) FRENCH (19%) ITALIAN (ROMANASCH) OFFICIAL NAME IS “CONFEDERATION HELVETICA” CAPITAL CITY IS “BERN”

SWITZERLAND-PAST HISTORY AND PRESENT CULTURE FORMED IN 1291 WHEN 3 CANTONS OR (STATES) COMBINED--SWISS CONFEDERATION. SWITZERLAND HAS NOT BEEN IN A WAR SINCE 1798--BEEN NEUTRAL! TODAY COUNTRY HAS 26 CANTONS! EACH CANTON IS SELF GOVERNING

SWITZERLAND’S ECONOMY NO RESOURCES-NO HEAVY INDUSTRY SKILLED LABOR PRODUCTS SWISS WATCHES MICROSCOPES MEDICINES SWISS BANKING WORLD FAMOUS RELY HEAVILY ON TOURISM TO THE SWISS ALPS

AUSTRIA ONCE WAS PART OF LARGE AUSTRIA-HUNGARY EMPIRE. DEFEAT IN WWI COST AUSTRIA LARGE AMOUNTS OF LAND TODAY DOMINATED BY THE ALPS. MOST OF THE POPULATION LIVES IN EASTERN LOWLANDS

AUSTRIA’S ECONOMY LIKE SWITZERLAND, CONCENTRATE ON SPECIALIZED INDUSTRY. MACHINE TOOLS, CHEMICALS, TEXTILES AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITIES: DAIRY FARMIMNG MINERAL RESOURCES INCLUDE IRON ORE IN EASTERN ALPS, ALUMINUM, MAGNESIUM, COPPER, LEAD. STRIP MINING

VIENNA-CAPITAL CITY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZBUHZxtDJM&feature=related