GEOG101: World Regional Geography

2a. Describe Europe's physical geography, including the relative and absolute advantages of its location

• Why do parts of Europe exhibit a moderate climate despite its location as a northern continent?
• How have Europe's rivers and mountain ranges shaped the cultural and economic landscape?
• What factors have influenced the location of Europe's primary agricultural operations?
• Why has Europe's geography yielded so much biodiversity, and how has its population contributed to its decline?
  

Europe is a relatively small world region. However, its physical geography includes areas that are below sea level (the Zuider Zee in the Northern Lowlands), to mountains such as Mont Blanc in the High Alps. Most of Europe's agricultural activity takes place in the Northern Lowlands. The Alpine Region has been a barrier to movement and contributes to the temperate Type C climate of the Mediterranean region.
 
The Atlantic Ocean, and the Gulf Stream, in particular, make these temperate regions of Europe possible. However, the climate becomes less temperate the farther you travel from the coastline. Consequently, the winters in Warsaw are much colder than in Amsterdam, although they are both at about 52° N.
 
Although the Rhine and the Danube have separated places, they have also connected them. Europe has long depended on these rivers for its trade routes. Europe also depends on the natural resources and raw materials its physical geography provides. However, retrieving and using these materials has reduced the biodiversity in Europe and damaged the environment. For example, burning fossil fuels has created air pollution and acid rain, which has damaged forests like the Black Forest in southwest Germany.
 
To review, see European Physical Geography and Boundaries, The Physical Geography of Europe, and Map of Four Main Landforms of Europe.
 

2b. Relate Europe's part in the Age of Exploration to its colonial legacy

• What was the Age of Exploration?
• Why were Europeans motivated to colonize other parts of the world?
• What evidence remains for European colonialism in the United States, Canada, and India?
  

Europe's Age of Exploration began in the 1400s and lasted through the 1600s. It marked a significant increase in trade activity and colonialism. European colonialism affected the world in dramatic ways. Ocean access facilitated the ability of its population to colonize other parts of the world.
 
It is no coincidence that small European countries, including Belgium, France, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain, were the major colonial powers. Their access to the ocean allowed them to compensate for their small land area by looking elsewhere for natural resources. For example, the Belgians colonized the Belgian Congo to retrieve its rubber to manufacture tires, while the Portuguese sought mineral resources in Brazil.
 
French and British colonialism explains why we still see English-speaking and French-speaking regions in Canada. The French arrived in the 1500s and established permanent settlements along the St. Lawrence River in today's province of Quebec. French influence was so large in this region that they called it New France. The British eventually gained control of New France after the Treaty of Paris and created the British colony called Quebec. However, the British agreed to maintain the law of France, French as a second language, the Catholic religion, and the French agricultural system when it signed the Quebec Act to placate the French population.
 
In Africa and India, evidence of European colonialism often appears in the form of arbitrary political boundaries that often ignore the ethnic and religious composition of local populations. European colonialism also impacted the national languages spoken in these regions – the languages of Europe – English, French, and Portuguese – are now dominant in these areas.
 
To review, see Map of Colonial Africa and Origins of the Industrial Revolution.
 

2c.  Summarize factors that contributed to the Agrarian and Industrial Revolutions in Europe

• What cultural and natural factors led to the Agrarian Revolution and the Industrial Revolution in Europe?
  

The Romans and Vikings connected Europe to the outside world via its infrastructure and navigation. This new connection to the outside world helped spur Europe's Agrarian Revolution, particularly in Britain, where agricultural production increased at a rapid rate. Europe's network of rivers, forests, minerals, and other natural resources, helped fuel the Industrial Revolution. This European exchange of goods fostered the creation of a new cultural middle class which spread ideas about society, religion, the arts, and philosophy and eventually led to a political revolution.
 
Europe's physical geography and natural resources played a significant role in its agricultural and industrial development. Because these factors vary over space, world regions create their own paths of development and progress at different rates.
 
The temperate climate of Europe features flat terrain, fertile soil, mineral wealth, forests, and access to fresh water, rivers, and coastlines. Access to these resources helped Europe move through the five stages of economic development according to the Demographic Transition Model (DTM). A lack of these resources can challenge a country's ability to attain a post-industrial society.
 
As a post-industrial society, Europe's population has undergone a rural-to-urban shift. Europe is now highly urbanized, the size of its families has decreased, and its population growth has slowed. Consequently, Europe is experiencing a deficit in the supply of low-priced labor, which has led to increased immigration as employers hire foreign workers to meet their needs.
 
To review, see Cooperation and Control in Europe and The Industrial Revolution.
 

2d. Describe Europe's migration patterns and demographic changes

• How did migration patterns in Europe change with the Industrial Revolution?
• What are the current migration patterns in Europe?
  

Before the industrial revolution, migration or the movement of people to Europe usually took the form of invasions from various empires, such as the Romans, Mongols, and Ottoman Empire. One notable exception was the Jewish diaspora which followed the conquest of Judea, the region we call Israel and Palestine, when a number of groups retreated to Europe, including the Assyrians, Babylonians, and Romans. A diaspora refers to a group of people who live outside of their ancestral homeland.
 
With the advent of the Industrial Revolution, migration and demographic patterns changed due to economic changes, especially in the agricultural sector. As the need for farmers decreased and factory workers increased, Europe experienced a rural-to-urban migration. To this day, the proportion of people living in rural areas is declining in the European realm. However, this rural-to-urban shift has not been as strong in Southern Europe as in other areas.
 
Europe's rural-to-urban shift has changed the size, density, and composition of its cities, such as a decline in the size of its families. There are several reasons for this, such as the higher cost of living in urban environments.
 
Other historical changes have affected the population of Europe. With the end of colonialism, Europe experienced an influx of migrants from former colonies in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. In recent years, Europe's population has continued to change with the entrance of refugees from conflicts in North Africa and Southwest Asia, including Syria. As a result, there have been growing tensions between more secular European populations and the relatively more religious people of the greater Middle East.
 
To review, see European Migration, A New Approach to Defending the Human Rights of Migrants, Map of the European Migrant Crisis, and Current Migration Patterns and Debates.
 

2e. Summarize how the European Union and globalization have contributed to devolution in the region

• How has the cultural landscape in EU countries changed now that it is easier to cross borders?
• What are some advantages and disadvantages of sharing a currency such as the Euro with other countries?
• What are some advantages and disadvantages to EU citizens now that the EU negotiates international trade agreements on their behalf?
  

The European Union (EU) has helped many more countries participate in the global community and reap the local benefits of globalization. However, member countries have little control over who gets elected to the European Commission, which acts on their behalf during international negotiations, and the electoral process of EU commissioners is not always transparent.
 
Sharing a common currency is convenient and can help keep inflation low. However, countries with strong economies may come to resent having to bail their weaker neighbors out of trouble. They accuse them of being less fiscally responsible and less inclined to undertake unpopular but necessary structural reforms.
 
Within the European Union (EU), it is now possible to travel freely between member countries and use the same currency. However, this freedom can undermine traditionally-crafted products since it can be easier for customers to buy cheaper alternatives from neighboring countries. It is also easier for employers to employ workers from countries who are willing to work for lower wages than their resident labor pool. Free trade can benefit and hurt buyers or sellers, depending on which side you are on.
 
Although member countries can influence the world market through the EU, some argue the cost is too high. These voices prevailed during England's referendum to leave the EU (Brexit) in 2016.
 
To review, see Map of the European Union, Cooperation and Control in Europe, and Why Brexit Happened – and What to Do Next.
 

Unit 2 Vocabulary

This vocabulary list includes terms listed above that students need to know to successfully complete the final exam for the course.

• Age of Exploration
• Agrarian Revolution
• Alpine Region
• Brexit
• colonialism
• Demographic Transition Model (DTM)
• diaspora
• European Union (EU)
• Industrial Revolution
• Mediterranean region
• migrant
• migration
• Northern Lowlands
• post-industrial society
• refugee
• rural-to-urban shift
• Type C climate