EUROPE TODAY SS6G9, SS6G10, SS6CG5

Essential Questions  How does the diversity of languages in Europe reflect its unique cultural characteristics?  What are the characteristics of the 3 major religions?  How does the European Union encourage voluntary trade among its members?  How do the factors of location, climate and natural resources impact trade in the European nation of the U.K., Russia, and Germany?

Governments Coachbook page 176 & 180  Constitutional Monarchy- A government ruled by a king or queen whose power is determined by the nation’s constitution and laws  Parliamentary System -The head of the government is the leader of the political party that has the most members in the parliament  Presidential System –The head of government is elected by the people.

 Dual System -Government with both a President and Prime Minister; has features of both the Parliamentary and Presidential systems  Federation –A union of states united by a central government.  Unitary –A system of government where the federal government retains power and delegates that power to the lower levels.  Confederation –A union of states…less binding than a federation. States retain their identity.

 Autocratic –Holds independent and absolute power.  Oligarchic –Few hold independent or absolute power.  Democratic –The people hold the power through a vote.  Representative Democracy –The people vote for representatives in their government.

Economies Coachbook pg 184 & 190  Market- An economy that operates by voluntary exchange in a free market and is not planned or controlled by a central authority; a capitalistic economy…Capitalism  Command- Economy in which supply and price are regulated or imposed by a central nonmarket authority; a communist economy…Communism  Mixed- Economy with both privately owned and government controlled business  Traditional- Economy dominated by old-fashioned techniques that are out of date (due to long-standing traditions); such as a agricultural-based economy…Trade or Barter

EUROPEAN CULTURE Cultural diversity exists when within a nation or region there are many differing races, ethnic groups, languages, and/or religions.

European Languages  German  Greek  Italian  French  English  Slavic- Ukrainian, and Russian  Spanish

Major Religions  Judaism  Christianity  Islam

Literacy Rate  Literacy is a person’s ability to read or write to an acceptable level.  It is a strong indicator of how successful a nation is.  The majority of European nations have literacy rates well above 90% with several at 100%.  Hungary’s literacy rate is 99% and it is considered an upper-middle- income country.  France’s literacy rate is 99%, and France possesses the fifth largest economy.  The majority of European nations with high literacy rate enjoy a strong economy too.

United Kingdom

Made up of four political regions:  England  Scotland  Wales  Northern Ireland  The capital is in London.

United Kingdom Government  Constitutional Monarchy  Queen Elizabeth  Parliamentary System  Prime Minister: David Cameron Economy  Mixed  Very industrialized economy  Major Religion-Protestant (mostly Anglican)

United Kingdom: Geography  Island nation- This has caused the need for a large navy to protect themselves over the years  Lack of natural resources and farmland- They have to import raw materials and food  Separated from France by the English Channel and the Strait of Dover

Germany

Germany: Government  Parliamentary government  Federal System of Government  Proportional representation  They have both a President and Chancellor, but only the Chancellor has a lot of power –A dual system

Germany: Economy  Mixed Economy  Very industrial economy  Major religions-Protestant/Catholic

Germany: Geography  Germany is located in central Europe south of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea.  Due to it’s location, they export iron, steel, coal, and cement.  They are members of the European Union.

Russia Federation

Russia Federation: Government and Economy  Constitution adopted December 1993  Presidential Republic –Dual system, the have a prime minister as well but the power is with the president.  Representative Democracy  Mixed Economy

Russia Federation: Geography  Russia is located east of Europe and North of China.  Russia is partly covered by Tundra due to their location near the North Pole.  Due to their large Taiga habitat they export timber, coal, and gas from the region.  They also export minerals from the Ural Mountains.  Due to the proximity of the Caspian Sea, the Black Sea, the Barents Sea and the Baltic Sea, most of Russia’s population lives West of the Ural Mountains.

Europe Today:  Currency- system of money  Euro- currency used by the European countries  Tariff- a fee paid on imported or exported goods; this makes them more expensive  Sovereignty- the right to govern yourself

European Union

 Union of 25 European countries  First formed in 1992 to encourage trade; it has gotten more powerful over the years  One currency-The Euro  U.K. does not use the Euro, but other countries do  This is used to make all goods cost the same  The E.U. is supposed to give more economic prosperity to Europe, but it takes sovereignty away from member countries  Also: language barriers are still around!

 It’s hard to get into the E.U.  Countries have to meet certain criteria to get in  Economic  Environmental  Human Rights  Environmental concerns  Air quality  Emissions  Climate change

Essential Questions  How does the diversity of languages in Europe reflect its unique cultural characteristics?  What are the characteristics of the 3 major religions?

Essential Questions  How does the European Union encourage voluntary trade among its members?  How do the factors of location, climate and natural resources impact trade in the European nation of the U.K., Russia, and Germany?