Geography: Europe – Flashcards

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European Debt Crisis- what does it mean, how did happen
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all economies are tied together, and meaning the failure of the euro; because of unbalanced fiscal policy
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What's a good fiscal policy?
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making citizens pay taxes and prevent borrowing/ spending (in the example of Europe= to remove trade barriers)
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6 facts about the European Debt Crisis
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1. Fastest way to rebuild after WW2 was to remove trade barriers 2. Maastricht Treaty led to European Union 3. Gave control to European Central Bank 4. Countries could borrow more because if they couldn't pay the big countries would step in 5. Put in austerity measures to cut government spending 6. Must be a political organization to cut spending/ raise taxes
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Define monetary and fiscal policy.
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Monetary policy controls how much money is in the economy, and fiscal policy is how much the government collects in taxes
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How are the areas of Europe separated, and how do the cultures stay separate?
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By geographical features (mountains, water, island), helps cultures stay homogenous
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Is Europe a continent and a distinct landmass?
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Yes; no (actually an appendage/sub-continent of Eurasia)
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Europe is a culture region made up of the countries of Eurasia lying west of _____,_______,__,__,______________
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Turkey, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, and Moldova (the political divide)
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Traditional physical dividing line between Europe/Asia drawn from= _______ down to the Caucasus
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Ural Mountains (so technically Russia/Turkey/Ukraine/etc. are part of Europe)
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Ural divides Europe/Asia continents ______ while the Baltic states divide it ______
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geologically; politically
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What are 2 chokepoints of Europe?
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Turkey's 2 parts on Europe/Asia; Gibraltar of UK
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True/False. Politically, Europe is much bigger than it is physically.
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False; other way around
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What is the main part consisting of UK, France, Germany, or the countries with most people/ importance in economics/ politics in Europe called?
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European Core
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Besides the Core, name the other 3 parts of Europe
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Northern, Southern, and Eastern Europe (the Periphery)
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Eastern Europe is politically _____ because of the breakup of socialist _______
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unstable; Yugoslavia
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Is Europe smaller or bigger than the US?
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smaller (half size of the US's lower 48)
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True/False. Europe contains one of the world's great clusters of human population.
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True (total population 532 million in 2007)
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True/False. 1 out of every 7 people in world is European.
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False; 13
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How does the population density go in Europe?
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Varies widely; lots of people per square mile in Netherlands vs. little in Iceland
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Name the 4 countries that alone comprise half of Europe's population, and that dominate the economy.
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1. Germany 2. France (same as UK number) 3. United Kingdom 4. Italy
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The greatest population densities are found in the ________________ near historical sources of coal and hydroelectric power
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2 belts of industrialization and urbanization
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The industrial belts go approximately
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North-South from the UK to Italy; East-West from from UK to Poland
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Difference between Eurozone, EU, and Schengenland.
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Eurozone= 19 countries currently using the euro as its currency; center of the EMU (european economic and monetary union) EU= most important of Europe's supranational organizations, has 38 countries and began as the Common Market (or European Economic Community) Schengenland= a situation in which there would be no passport/ visa/ control issues at any internal frontiers of member countries (The Eurozone is mostly about currency, whereas European Union is a social cause, trade, and free movement of people, goods and services.)
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True/False. These belts contain large cities and produce less goods and services than the rest of Europe combined.
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False; more (goods/services)
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Since it produces the most food, the industrial belts are a __________
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breadbasket
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Name 3 other areas on Earth that resemble Europe's urban-industrial belts.
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Eastern North America (Bowash), Japan, and China
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True/False. Europe's population is the same.
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False; declining
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True/ False. Europe's population peaked in 1984.
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False; 1997
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Name the 2 levels of demographic transition Europe went through.
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1st level (more babies needed for agriculture, more death from disease) and to 4th/going into 5th (population decreasing)
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Nickname that show's that Europe's population is declining
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Birth Dearth
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"Birth Dearth" shows that the birth rates are __
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low
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Why are the birth rates in Europe low?
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Employed and educated women choosing not to devote time and money necessary to raise children (P.S No European country maintaining its population through births--birth rate is under death rate!)
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The fertility rate in Europe is _____ population replacement level.
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below
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Europe's population is ____ faster than all other world regions
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aging
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The low birth rates in Europe means that there is not enough people which is ____ for the economy.
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bad (less people than jobs, etc.)
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Why are the low birth rates ironic? And what does this mean?
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Catholicism religion (cherishes babies); religion is decreasing (Catholic church is losing its hold on Europe)
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Name the 2 strategies Europe has implemented to raise the birth rates.
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1. Cash incentives ("baby bounties") to parents who have multiple children 2. Offering welfare benefits to immigrants
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Where do most of the immigrants come from?
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North Africa
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If birth rates remain at their current low level, the European Union will have a shortfall of 20 million _____ by 2030; the EU would need _______ migrants per year to prevent this
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workers; 3 million
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Government used to not want to impose harsh measures on restricting migration, but now that's changing. Why?
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Immigrants increasingly viewed as a financial burden on society, and unraveling the social safety net of the welfare state.
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What does "Immigrants threatening to unravel the social safety net of the European welfare state" mean?
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Immigrants using up all of the welfare money, European countries worried about their country becoming bankrupt and not being able to use welfare for own citizens
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True/ False. The immigrants are living outside mainstream European society instead of becoming integrated within it.
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True
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The expectation from Europe was to have outsiders ______, but that's not happening.
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assimilate
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With immigrants, there is what kind of phobia?
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Islamophobia
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True/False. Immigration Statistics: 500,000 people enter EU legally each year; 1.8 million people more people enter the EU illegally each year
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False; switch numbers
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The main physical characteristic of Europe, that accounts for mountains, islands, etc., is its ____ ____
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irregular shape
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Other physical characteristics of Europe include (3)
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high latitude, temperate climate, and jagged coastal outline (good for natural harbors)
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What physical characteristics of Europe offers protection for shipping? (2)
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estuaries (semi-enclosed/brackish, tidal mouths of rivers) and harbors
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Much of Europe's history has focused on __borne trade, __fisheries, and __ power (1 word)
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sea
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Much of Europe lies ____ of conterminous U.S resulting in ___ ___ days and __ ___ days
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north; long, summer; short, winter
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Europe has mild climates, despite its _____ _____
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high latitude
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The Warm Ocean Currents of Europe include the (2)
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Gulf Stream; North Atlantic Drift
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What is the North Atlantic Drift?
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Area in the North Atlantic Ocean where warm water of the Gulf Stream and cold water from the Arctic Ocean mix
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What is the North Atlantic Drift good for? (hint: swordfish)
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fishing
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Why does Britain have so much rain?
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Westerly winds go across North Atlantic Drift, which is warmed by the Gulf Stream
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Europe has _____ Winds
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Westerly
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Name the 3 characteristics of the Westerlies.
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1. Winter winds absorb heat from ocean and transport to land 2. In the summer, the ocean is cooler than land, so the winds have a cooling effect 3. Winds bring abundant moisture (average annual precipitation in European lowlands is 20-40 inches)
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True/False. Average annual precipitation in European lowlands is 20-40 inches.
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True
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Europe's topographic features are very _____, and have been enriched by human associations of an eventful ____
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diverse; history
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The greater part of Europe's cultivated land, extending from the French-Spanish border far into Russia is the
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North European Plain
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The North European Plain is the most _____
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populated
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Underlain by deposits of coal, iron ore, and other minerals important in the region's industrial development= ________
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North European Plain
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The North European Plain has people-wanted what 3 items, also making it a _____
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food, water, minerals (!); breadbasket
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____ of the North European Plain, the region is ___ and _________, with notable peaks including Mount Blanc (French- Italian border) and the iconic Swiss Matterhorn
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South; hilly, mountainous
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True/False. Swiss Matterhorn is in the North European Plain.
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False; south of it
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___ created favorable sites for hydroelectric installations in Europe.
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Glaciation
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Glacial deposition left fertile deposits on most of the _________ that are productively farmed today, meaning ___ ___
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North European Plain; good soil
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North European Plain carves earth for water, but it has _____, so it makes it running water, allowing for _________
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elevation; hydroelectricity
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Despite its relatively small size, Europe has remarkable _______&____ diversity
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climatic, biotic
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Name the climates of Europe.
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1. Marine West Coast 2. Humid Continental Short-Summer (Cold) 3. Humid Continental Long-Summer (Warm) 4. Mediterranean 5. Subarctic and Tundra (northern) 6. Undifferentiated Highland
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Why is there marine west coast climate in Europe?
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Winds flow along the North Atlantic Drift
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Uses of rivers systems: (4)
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transport (rivers still make it possible to move cargo at low cost), water supply, electricity generation, and recreation
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Dutch developed the ___ ____ for canals
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pound lock
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The ____ and ____ traverse many countries and are important arteries for the flow of goods )2 important rivers)
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Rhine; Danube
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Important Seaports ___ a lot of ___ for the EU
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move; goods
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Name the 4 important seaports of the EU
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1. London on the Thames (estuary) 2. Antwerp on the Scheldt (especially) 3. Rotterdam in the delta of the Rhine (especially) 4. Hamburg on the Elbe
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Europe is a region marked by extraordinary cultural diversity (t/f); many countries into a relatively large land area however, so richness cannot be experienced through a brief train ride through Europe (t/f)
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true; false
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Euurope emerged from prehistory as homeland of many different peoples; great expansion of ____ and ____ peoples/ languages
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Greek; Celtic
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Name the major language families, and the languages in each (3)
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1. Romance (the big languages):Italian, French, Spanish & Portuguese 2. Germanic: German, English, Dutch, Danish & Swedish 3. Slavic: Russian, Polish, Czech, Slovak & Serbian
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Romance language family evolved from ____
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Latin
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Europe's religious roots were with the dominance of _____
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Christianity (Embraced by Emperor Constantine in the 4th Century)
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What is Europe's largest religious group (280 million followers), and where is its' center?
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Roman Catholic Church; Vatican City
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What religious group developed in Constantinople during Middle Ages as rival to Rome?
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Eastern Orthodox Church
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Sects emerging from ___ reformation in the 16th century
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Protestant
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Protestant religion has what: (3 parts)
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1. Church of England (Henry the 8th made for Protestants; however in the UK, Ireland is still very Catholic) 2.Calvinism 3. Lutheran Protestantism
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Europe has become increasingly ____ (referring to its religion)
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secularized
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What does being secularized mean?
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You don't have a religion (but you still believe in something; less religious)
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____ is fastest growing religion in Europe
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Islam
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Islam is growing faster on where, and why
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On 2 industrialized belts; immigrants needing jobs from North Africa
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How many Jews in Europe, after Holocaust/ emigration to Israel, are left today?
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one million
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The __ ___ was an important global trade route, connecting China and Venice.
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Silk Road
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What 2 main things were shipped on the Silk Road?
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spices and textiles
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The balance of of world affairs started shifting to Europe with the beginning of the __ _ _______ in the 15th century
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Age of Discovery
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The process of exploration and discovery began with _____ expeditions down the west coast of _____.
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Portuguese; Africa
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Explorers were the ______ of a global European invasion that would bring the missionaries, soldiers, traders, settlers, and administrators
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vanguards
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What are vanguards?
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soldiers sent in front of an army
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What was important in reshaping the world's biogeography?
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The Columbian Exchange
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What was the Columbian Exchange?
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the transfer of plants and animals from one place to another following Europe's conquest of the Americas
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Europe had significant material and cultural riches, which the colonial system built on to make it the world's wealthiest region for centuries. How did it become that way?
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They conquered anywhere they could get rich in.
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Achievements in shipbuilding, navigation, and the manufacture and handling of weapons gave Europe decided advantages; true/false
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True
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Foundations of modern science primarily came out of Asia; true/false
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False; Europe
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1st world region to evolve from an ___ to an ___ society
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agricultural; industrial
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The ______ Revolution began in Europe, specially in ____ ___
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Industrial; Great Britain
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True/ False. By 1800, European cities created about 90% of world's manufacturing output
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False; 1900
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True/ False. In 20th century, Europe's preeminence in world trade and industry diminished to about 45% of the world's manufacturing output.
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False; 25% (only a quarter)
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Why did Europe's industry manufacturing output diminish so much? Name all 5 reasons.
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1.Warfare (World Wars) 2. Rising nationalism (1 country vs. another country) 3. Rising economic and political stature of US and USSR 4. A major shift in global manufacturing patterns 5. Dependence on outside sources of energy
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Explain the major shift in global manufacturing patterns away from Europe.
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Happening now; making things where labor is cheaper
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_____ Europe is wealthier than ____ Europe
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Western; Eastern
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Trend dates to at last the 1870s when per capita incomes in the west were twice those in the east; After World War II, eastern European countries were in effect colonized by the Soviet Union; what is this describing?
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how Western Europe is wealthier than Eastern
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Eastern countries served as ____ states that gave up human and material resources to service the motherland; what does the underlined term mean?
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vassal; refers to itself as independent but not really
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What is the hope for Eastern Europe?
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Dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, and admission of eastern European countries to the EU
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Iron Curtain was divided part between ___ Europe from ___ Europe
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Free; Communist
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What was the original foundation of and is still very important of Europe's economy?
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agriculture
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What were some agricultural advances after about 1500? (4; first 2 more important )
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1. Introduction of new crops, such as the potato (Columbian Exchange) 2. New systems of crop rotation (Fertile soil) 3. Scientific advancements 4. Industrial cities provided growing markets for farmers
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Farmers protected through tariffs or direct ____
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subsides
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The subsides/tariffs that protect the farmers artificially ___ _ ____
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inflate the market
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_____ is an important part of the European food economy
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Fishing
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Name 2 characteristics of fishing in the economy.
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1.Control of fishing grounds as commercial/ political objective 2. Overfishing of cod
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Europe's Post industrial Economy is a shift from big industries toward what?
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economy based on services and production of high-tech goods
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Europe's shift from big industries to smaller causes what problem?
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unemployment (these industries do not employ as many people as the old manufacturing sector)
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Many European nations fit the model of _____ state
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welfare
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Welfare state means that the ____ provides a lot of _____
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government; services
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How does the government get the money to use for resources to provide services to citizens?
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high taxation rates
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The EU has what major problem?
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Nationalism
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EU headquartered in
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Brussels, Belgium
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EU is important of Europe's _____ organizations
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supranational
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EU began as the European Economic Community, also known as ____ ___ in 1957
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Common Market,
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Beginning countries of EU were (6)
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France, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands
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True/ False. EU was initially designed to secure the benefits of large-scale production by pooling resources and markets of its members.
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True!
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What were the first things the EU did? (if goal was to improve economies/ markets)
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1. Tariffs eliminated on goods moving between member states 2. Restrictions on the movement of labor and capital between member states were eased 3. Monopolies that restricted competition were discouraged 4. Common set of external tariffs established to regulate imports
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True/ False. European Union was always the name of the organization.
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False; acquired in 1993
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By 1996, 9 more members had joined the EU; true/ false
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true
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How many countries currently in the EU?
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38
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What single European Union currency was launched in _____?
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the euro; 1999
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Euro was launched as centerpiece of= (name, and abbreviation)
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European Economic and Monetary Union; EMU
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Who decides interest rates and other critical decisions of most of Europe?
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European Central Bank
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What are some of the believed advantages of a common currency? (for the euro specifically)
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Lower transaction costs, more certainty for investors, enhanced competition, more consistent pricing, restrain public spending/ reduce debt/ tame inflation
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Currently __ countries using the euro as its currency
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19
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Why are some countries not using the euro as its currency?
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Nationalism
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Europe's Big Bang comprised of what?
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10 eastern european nations joining the EU (2004) (Poland, Hungary, etc.), which created a Mega-Europe (450 million people and an economy worth $10 trillion)
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Most outstanding differences between the old/new EU members?
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Their economies; old EU having 95% of continent's wealth (embracing the less wealthy)
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True/False. After the big bang countries joined, the EU's average wealth per person rose by 13%.
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False; it fell
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How are Europe's geopolitical issues?
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Their situation has changed more profoundly and violently in the past 100 years than any other world region.
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Why is Europe's geopolitical issues so bad?
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2 world wars (lots of devastation; I and II), and then followed by the Cold War
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What happened post-war Europe?
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European Union created, largest post-war supranational organization (federation similar to US_
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The European Union member countries are united _____ the authority of any _____ national government and planned/ controlled by a ____ of ____
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beyond; single; group; nations
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After the Cold War, what was formed?
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NATO (west European nations and US; a military alliance) and Warsaw Pact (Soviet Union/eastern satellites)
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Cold War ended with what?
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collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991
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Once the Cold War ended, the __ ____ was dissolved, ____ arsenals of the respective alliances were reduced and plans made to turn the path of the Iron Curtain into the European ________, a mosaic of national ____ and other protected areas
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Warsaw Pact; nuclear; Greenbelt; parks
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NATO ____ today with a membership of 28 countries
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remains
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What is Schengenland?
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EU would like to have a situation in which there are no (passport, visa, or other) control issues at any internal (land, sea, and airport) frontiers of its member countries
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What Agreement seeks this integration for Schengenland?
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Schengen
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Schengen Agreement allows for the __ ________ of people between nations that signed the agreement; member states exercise common visa, asylum, and other _____ at their external borders
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free circulation; policies
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Why are truly open borders probably still far in the future? Name the 3 problems.
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1. Anti-immigrant fears 2. Cheap eastern labor 3. Terrorists
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Differences between Europeans and Americans= -Concept of ____ ___ -Provision of and spending on ____ ______ -Taxes on ___ -Views on U.S "____ ______" (e.g., Hollywood films) -Allowance of questions of ______ into political debates -Acceptance of ___ ____ (outlawed in EU countries) Differences on the ____ front
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social justice; public education; gasoline; cultural industries; spirituality; death penalty; geopolitical
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Countries of the European Core
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Great Britain, Ireland, France, Germany, smaller nations in British Isles, and Benelux
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West central portions of European mainland=
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Benelux
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Benelux=
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Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg
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What is the European Periphery made up of?
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Northern, Southern, and Eastern Europe
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Properties of the European Core= -Densest, most ___ _____ -Most prosperous ____ -Lowest ________ -Most productive ______ -Most conservative ______ -Greatest _________ ___ ______ and railroads -Highest levels of crowding, congestion, and ____
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urbanized population; economy; unemployment; agriculture; politics; concentration of highways; pollution
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The European Core is 1 of only 4 world regions classified as a
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major cluster of continuous settlement
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