Human Geography of Europe

1. Human Geography of Europe

2. Human Geography • 48 countries and micro-states • 732 million people • One of the most densely populated realms in the world. • The core of Western civilization: Greek and Roman

3. Population Dilemma • -0.2 natural increase (Stage 5) • 9% drop by 2050 • Aging or graying population • More people over 60 in some countries than under 20 • Immigration from North Africa and Middle East is complicated and divisive.

5. Population Density • Netherlands over 1000 ppsm • United Kingdom 630 ppsm • Germany 599 ppsm • France 282 ppsm • United States 80 ppsm

6. The European Union • 27 countries • Brought together primarily as an economic and political venture. • Capitals – Brussels and Strasbourg • Seemingly borderless continent • Dropping of tariffs but increasingly legalistic with rules and controls • Cultural nation-stateissues are still very important.

8. The EURO • 22 European countries use the currency • 16 EU countries plus several smaller non-EU countries use it. • Which major EU countries chose not to use it? • UK, Denmark, Sweden • Established in1999 • Banknotes an coins began in 2002 • Paper money looks the same throughout, coins have national symbols on them.

9. The EURO

10. Nation-States • Related to the ethnic and cultural aspects that have evolved throughout history. • Directly tied to a piece of territory. • Conflict and war have been associated with boundary systems of the nation-state. • Dates to the Peace of Westphalia in 1648

11. Multi-Lingual Region • Language families: • Latin (Romance) • Germanic • Slavic • Celtic • Finno-Urgic • Baltic • Hellenic • Thracian-Illyrian

13. Latin – Italian, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Romanian

14. Germanic – German, English, Norwegian, Dutch, Swedish, Danish, Icelandic

15. Slavic – Russian, Polish, Czech, Ukrainian, Slovenian, Serbo-Croatian • Celtic – Irish Gaelic, Scots Gaelic, Welsh, Breton • Finno-Urgic – Finnish, Estonian, Hungarian • Baltic – Lithuanian, Latvian • Hellenic – Greek • Thraco-Illyrian - Albanian

16. Religion dominated by Christianity

17. Religion’s Geographic Division • Division of Europe is essentially a North/South divide. • Southern Europe remains largely Catholic as a result of the influence of the Roman Empire and the Vatican City’s primacy. • Northern Europe developed into a Protestant realm after the Protestant Reformation beginning with Luther in 1519.

19. The Catholic South • Focal point is the Vatican within Rome. • Countries that are pre-dominantly Catholic are: Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Croatia, Ireland, Poland, Slovenia, Czech and Slovak Republics, Austria, Hungary, Lithuania, and Latvia. • Also, southern Germany, southeastern Switzerland, southern Netherlands, easternBelgium, and a sizable minority in England.

20. The Protestant North • Pre-dominantly Protestant nations are: United Kingdom, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, and Iceland. • Also, northern half of Germany,northern Netherlands, western Belgium, and western Switzerland.

21. Eastern Orthodox Christianity • Primarily found in Eastern Europe. • Countries such as:Greece, Russia, Serbia, Ukraine, Montenegro, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Belarus, Romania, and Moldova.

24. Islam in Europe • Islam is on the rise with over 30 million in Europe today. • Primarily coming from North Africa, Middle East, and South Asia. • Significant numbers in France, United Kingdom, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Germany, Sweden, Netherlands, Denmark. • Pre-dominant Muslim countries include: Albania, Kosovo, Bosnia, and Malta.

25. Clash of Cultures • France and the headscarf issue • Train bombing in Spain – post 9/11 • Subway and bus bombings in the UK • Murder of Dutch filmmaker Theo Van Gogh • Danish cartoon controversy • Minaret ban in Switzerland

26. The Jews of Europe • Jews once numbered over 9.5 million. • The Holocaust cost 6 million Jews their lives. • Only 1.2 million Jews remain in Europe (excluding Russia). • Largest concentrations in cities such as London, Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, and Antwerp.

27. Recent Conflict and Resolution • The Cold War and the Fall of the Iron Curtain • The Balkanization of Yugoslavia • The “Troubles” of Northern Ireland

28. The Iron Curtain and it’s Fall • Communist Soviet Union sets up satellite governments in Eastern Europe after WWII

29. The Berlin Wall • Erected in 1961 in an attempt by the East German government to prevent people from fleeing to the West.

30. The Fall of the Wall • After the failure of communism becomes evident, East German police no longer stop people as they begin to tear down the wall. • This began on the night of November 9, 1989

32. The Chain Effect • From 1989 – 1991 a domino effect across Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union led to the dissolution of communist governments. • Subsequently, new (old) nations emerged, boundaries changed, and new maps were created.

33. On the Map • 15 independent countries came from the 1 former Soviet Union • Germany was re-unified as one country • Czechoslovakia would become two nations • Yugoslavia would violently become 6 independent nations (7 if Kosovo is included)

34. The Balkanization of Yugoslavia • 10 years after the death of Yugoslavia’s dictator Marshal Joseph Tito, and as the Iron Curtain fell, Yugoslavia would begin a violent implosion. • Several former independent nations starting with Slovenia and Croatia in 1991, begin to declare their independence. • Yugoslav President and Serbian nationalist Slobodan Milosevic reacts with military force.

37. The Bosnian War • After the central region of Bosnia-Herzogovina declares its independence, Serb militias, with backing from Milosevic begin an attack on ethnic Bosnian Muslims that becomes a modern day genocide. • From 1992-95 over 250,000 people would be killed and the beautiful capital city of Sarajevo would be nearly destroyed.

38. Sarajevo – 1984 Winter Olympics

42. Kosovo (90% ethnic Albanian)

43. Part of the United Kingdom Northern 6 counties of Ireland Only part of the UK in 1921 1960’s began to see violence in Northern Ireland between Catholic/Irish and Protestant/British. 3,400 people have been killed in fighting over the years. Northern Ireland

48. Future? • Currently approximately 55% British/Protestant • 44% Irish/Catholic • Birthrates suggest a more balanced and possible Irish majority in the years to come. • Will it lead to Ulster becoming part of the Republic of Ireland?