They have managed to work together toward a common economic objective in spite of their cultural differences. The capital and largest city in Belgium is Brussels, with the other urban areas being the ports of Antwerp and Ghent. Belgium is split into three large geographic areas. The dominant language in the northern region of Flanders is Dutch Flemish , and the people are known as Flemings.
In the southern region of Wallonia, most people speak French and are known as Walloons. German is the third official language and is spoken along the eastern border. When the Industrial Revolution diffused across the English Channel and arrived in Europe, Belgium was one of the early countries to adapt to the technological developments.
Belgium remains heavily industrialized and is a major exporter of products, including finished diamonds, food products, nonferrous metals, technology, petroleum products, and plastics. In general, Belgium imports the raw materials to manufacture these goods for export. Belgium also has a significant services sector. The services sector, including real estate, hotels, restaurants, and entertainment, thrives in part because Brussels is the headquarters of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization NATO and components of the EU.
Many countries and organizations maintain offices in Brussels to have easy access to these headquarters; therefore, Brussels is the temporary home to many diplomats and foreign business people. The European country of the Netherlands also includes the colonies of the Netherlands Antilles in the Caribbean. The Netherlands, sometimes called Holland , is actually the name of two provinces North Holland and South Holland in the northwest part of the country.
The largest city is Amsterdam. Rotterdam is located at the mouth of the Rhine River and is one of the busiest ports on the continent. The country is famous for its Zuider Zee The area enclosed by the most famous artificial sea wall or levee in the Netherlands that restricts the North Sea.
Reclaiming land from the sea in areas called polders Dry land reclaimed from the sea in the Netherlands. For a small country with few natural resources, the Netherlands has an impressive GDP. The Dutch have made good use of their location on the North Sea and of the location of several large navigable rivers. This has facilitated voluminous exports to the inland parts of Europe.
The major industries include food processing, chemicals, petroleum refining, and electrical machinery. The Netherlands is a top exporter of agricultural products, which contribute substantially to its economy. Dutch agricultural exports consist of fresh-cut plants, flowers, and bulbs as well as tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers.
The main languages spoken in the small landlocked country of Luxemburg are French, German, and Luxembourgish. Luxemburg has an enviable economic situation with a stable and prosperous economy, low unemployment, and low inflation.
As steel declined, Luxemburg remade itself as an important world financial center. Luxembourg leads Europe as the center for private banking and insurance industries and is second only to the United States in terms of being an investment fund center. France covers , square miles and is the second-largest European country; Ukraine is slightly larger in physical area. The physical landscapes of France vary widely from the northern low-lying coastal plains to the Alpine ranges of the east.
Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in the Alpine range at 15, feet, is located in France near the Italian border. In the far south, the Pyrenees run along the border with Spain. The south-central region of the country is home to the Massif Central, which is a plateau and highland region made up of a large stretch of extinct volcanoes.
During the colonial era, France was a major naval power and held colonies around the world. The French Empire was the second largest at the time. The French language is still used for diplomacy in many countries. Though the French Empire no longer exists, France has progressed into a postindustrial country with one of the most developed economies in the world.
France is a democratic republic that boasts a high-quality public education system and long life expectancies. The Eiffel Tower, a symbol of the primate city of Paris, was built in The city of Paris started as a citadel on an island in the middle of the Seine River. The city of Paris is on an excellent site, it is favorably situated with regard to its surrounding area.
It is a major core area of France serving a large peripheral region of the country. Even with a large population, the country is able to produce enough food for its domestic needs and for export profits. France leads Europe in agricultural production. Its industrial pursuits are diverse, including the manufacture of planes, trains, and automobiles, as well as textiles, telecommunications, food products, pharmaceuticals, construction and civil engineering, chemicals, and mechanical equipment and machine tools.
Additionally, defense-related industries make up a significant sector of the economy. The country has been a leader in the use of nuclear energy to produce electricity. Agriculture is an important sector of the French economy, as it has been for centuries, and is tied to industry through food processing. Food processing industries employ more people than any other part of the French manufacturing sector.
If you think of cheese and wine when you think of France, you have identified two of its largest food processing endeavors, along with sugar beets, meats, and confectionaries.
World-renowned wines are produced in abundance, sometimes in areas that bear their names, such as in Burgundy, around the city of Bordeaux, and in Champagne in the Loire Valley. French cuisine and fashion have long been held in highest esteem worldwide and are a source of national pride.
Food and wine are important elements of the French way of life, and each region of France boasts a suite of famous dishes. Thanks to the climate and favorable soil conditions, agriculture is highly productive and lucrative for France. France is second only to the United States in terms of agricultural exports. The plains of northern France are excellent for wheat, which is grown on vast agricultural operations.
Dairy products are a specialty in the western regions of France, which also produce pork, poultry, and apples. Beef cattle are raised in the central portion, where a cooler, wetter climate provides ample tracts of grasslands for grazing. Fruit, including wine grapes, is grown in the central and southern regions, as are vegetables.
The region around the Mediterranean is blessed with hot, dry weather ideal for growing grapes and other fruits and vegetables. In response to decades of high unemployment, the French government has, over time, introduced legislation to try to distribute available work more evenly among the population.
Long periods of unemployment and underemployment put France at risk of developing a permanent underclass, along with the social ills, including crime and political unrest, that come with it. The unemployment rate continues to be higher for women, and women tend to have lower-paying jobs.
Additionally, women are underrepresented in government. France has a significant immigrant population, which means that, as in many countries with newcomers, the settlement and integration of new arrivals is an issue.
Some have blamed the high youth crime rate not just on unemployment but on governmental failure to fully integrate immigrants into French society. Another demographic matter is a strong rural-to-urban shift. As people move to the cities, rural areas are significantly depopulated. Though more than seventy languages are spoken in France due to its large immigrant population, French has been recognized as the official language by law. Eighty percent of French people identify themselves as Roman Catholics, though the percentage of practicing Catholics is much lower and declining.
About 5 percent of the population self-identifies with Islam, which is a growing population because of immigrants from North Africa, some of whom are Muslim and tend to have larger families.
Most of these immigrants target the urban areas in search of employment and opportunity. In , France experienced three terrorist attacks, which killed eight people and wounded more than a hundred. The attacks were, of course, troubling, but the real issue before France is how to ensure that it does not become a breeding ground for Islamic extremists bent on terrorist activity. The situation of unemployed, disenfranchised youth can provide the perfect setting from which to attract new terrorist recruits.
After decades of dealing with this type of unrest, France passed laws in response to the Islamic terrorist bombings that some civil libertarians found unsettling. Many forms of surveillance are legal and routine, including forms of surveillance that violate private communications. Balancing civil liberties with the quashing of terrorist plans has become a constant challenge for many countries, including France.
Germany was formed in during the leadership of Otto von Bismarck in an attempt to create a Germanic power base. World War I was fought during the last years of the German Empire. Germany, as part of the Central powers Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Bulgaria , was defeated by the Allies with much loss of life. In , with an environment of poverty, disenfranchisement of the people, and great instability in the government, Germany gave way to the appointment of Adolf Hitler as chancellor of Germany.
Within a mouth of taking office, Hitler suspended normal rights and freedoms and assumed absolute power. A centralized totalitarian state quickly resulted. In a move to expand Germany, Hitler started to expand its borders. In , the Berlin Wall came down, and the two Germanys were reunited in Today, Germany is a vibrant country and an active EU member. Figure 2. To gain national income, Germany has promoted manufacturing as a major component of its economy.
Most exports are in automobiles, machinery, metals, and chemical goods. Germany has positioned itself strategically to take economic advantage of the growing global awareness of environmental issues and problems by focusing on improvements and manufacturing of wind turbines and solar power technology. The service sector also contributes heavily to the economy.
Deutsche Bank holds the enviable position of being one of the most profitable companies on the Fortune list. Germany is also a major tourist destination. The Black Forest, Bavaria, the Alpine south, a variety of medieval castles, national parks, and a vibrant assortment of festivals such as Oktoberfest attract millions of tourists to Germany every year.
German reunification in posed some challenges for the economy. Notably, the East German infrastructure was far behind that of the West. In an effort to update transportation systems, telecommunications, and other areas needed to support industry and commerce, enormous amounts of money had to be poured into the system. While there has been considerable success in the renewal of infrastructure, unemployment in former East Germany is still significantly higher, and the necessary retraining of the workforce is ongoing and expensive.
Language, religion, and education have been strong cultural forces in Germany. German is the official language of the country and the one spoken by most of its people.
More than 60 percent of Germans self-identify as Christian, and another 30 percent self-identify as agnostic or atheistic. During the Cold War, East Germany was under a Communist government that promoted a nonreligious ideology, resulting in a high percentage of people with agnostic or atheistic beliefs in that part of Germany.
Historically, there has been a strong connection between the religious reformation and education. The early leaders of the Christian Reformation were generally highly educated themselves and were strong advocates of education, which they viewed as a path to positive moral and social reform.
The German tradition of excellence in education continues. Education is provided at no cost other than taxation to students at all levels, including the university level, though some universities are now starting to charge very modest amounts for tuition. Landlocked in the center of Europe are the two main states of Switzerland and Austria.
Sandwiched on the border of these two states is the ministate of Lichtenstein. This region is dominated by the Alpine ranges. Switzerland, officially known as the Swiss Confederation, is divided into twenty-six cantons states. Because of its location and close ties with neighboring countries, four languages are spoken in Switzerland: German, French, Italian, and Romansh. Typically, one language predominates in any given canton. Its land area is just slightly larger than the US state of Maryland.
Internationally, Switzerland is well known for its political neutrality. The UN European offices are located there. The Red Cross and the main offices of many international organizations are located in Switzerland. Switzerland joined the UN in and has applied for EU membership. During times of war and political turmoil, creative people found refuge within the Swiss borders. The Swiss people enjoy a high standard of living.
Sports are popular in Switzerland and football, or soccer, is popular as it is in much of Europe. Switzerland has also produced excellence in hockey, skiing, and of late, tennis.
There is an emphasis on science in Swiss culture with good historical reason: the field of modern chemistry originated in Switzerland. The Bernoulli family, famed for their significant contributions to mathematics over many years, hails from Basel. Albert Einstein, though born in Germany, relocated to Switzerland and later became a Swiss citizen. A Viennese specialty, it is a strong black coffee served in a glass and topped with whipped cream; it comes with powdered sugar, which is served separately.
Austria is larger than its neighbor Switzerland and is similar in area to the US state of South Carolina. In , the population was estimated at 8. Austria has various Alpine ranges, with the highest peak at 12, feet in elevation. Only about a fourth of the land area is considered low lying for habitation. The Danube River flows through the country, including the capital city of Vienna. Austria has a well-developed social market economy and a high standard of living. For more than six hundred years, beginning just before the dawn of the fourteenth century, Austria was tightly associated with its ruling dynasty, the Habsburgs.
The Hapsburgs came to power in a new way with the formation of the Austrian Empire in Austria regained its independence a decade after the war ended and joined the EU in Austria is a German-speaking country, and nearly the entire population self-identifies as ethnic Austrian.
Austria is predominantly Roman Catholic and was home to many monasteries in the Middle Ages, influencing a strong Austrian literary tradition. It is famed for its baroque architecture; its music, particularly waltzes; and theater. The Habsburgs were great patrons of the arts, and hence music, drama, and art thrived for centuries in Austria.
The country has been home to many famous composers and musicians and is the setting for the story behind the movie The Sound of Music. Austria has a worldwide reputation in music and the arts.
The British Isles are an archipelago group of islands separated from the European mainland by the English Channel. The British Isles are often included in the region of Western Europe when discussing political geography; however, the fact that they are separated from the mainland of Europe by water provides them with a separate identity. All four regions are now under the UK government. The primate city and UK capital is London, which is a financial center for Europe. The capital city of the Republic of Ireland is Dublin.
Influenced by the Gulf Stream, the climate of the British Isles is moderate, in spite of its northern latitude location. The UK and Ireland are located above the fiftieth degree of latitude, which is farther north than the US-Canadian border.
The northern latitude would normally place this region into the type D climates, with harsher winters and more extreme seasonal temperatures. However, the surrounding water moderates temperature, creating the moderate type C climate that covers most of the British Isles. The Gulf Stream pulls warm water from the tropics and circulates it north, off the coast of Europe, to moderate the temperature of Western Europe.
The Western Highlands and the Northern Lowlands dominate the islands. Scotland, Wales, and parts of England have highland regions with short mountains and rugged terrain.
The lowlands of southern England, Ireland, and central Scotland offer agricultural opportunities. The Pennines mountain chain runs through northern England and was the source of the coal, ores, and waterpower that fueled the Industrial Revolution.
To the east of Britain is the North Sea, which provided an abundance of petroleum resources oil for energy and wealth. Though the heritage of the British Isles is unique to this region, the geographic dynamics are similar to Central Europe—that is, smaller families, urbanization, industrialization, high incomes, and involvement with economic globalization.
The EU has had an enormous influence on the British Isles. This reluctance can be noted in the fact that the United Kingdom kept the British pound sterling as their currency standard after the euro currency was implemented. However, the Republic of Ireland converted to the euro currency.
The regions of the British Isles follow similar dynamics to those of other countries in Western Europe. Though some regions are not as wealthy as others, they all demonstrate a high level of industrialization, urbanization, and technology. These urban societies have smaller families and higher incomes and are heavy consumers of energy, goods, and services. Just as the Industrial Revolution attracted cheap labor, the aging workforce has enticed people from former British colonies to migrate to the United Kingdom in search of increased employment opportunities.
The mix of immigrants with the local heritage creates a diverse community. London has diverse communities with many ethnic businesses and business owners. Devolutionary forces are active in the United Kingdom. Scotland and Wales are already governing with their own local parliaments. Devolutionary cultural differences can be noted by studying the different heritages found in each region. Each region has made efforts to retain local heritage and rally support for its own nation-state.
Gibraltar U. Isle of Man U. Jan Mayen Nor. Svalbard Nor. About Europe. State Profiles U. Cities U. Geography U. The Estonians comprise 0. Its capital is Tallinn and the official language is Estonian.
Estonia holds 6 seats in the European Parliament and will hold the revolving presidency of the Council of the EU for the first time in the first half of Estonia is a member country of the Schengen Area since December 21, The Finnish comprise 1. Its capital is Helsinki and the official languages in Finland are Finnish and Swedish. Finland holds 13 seats in the European Parliament and held the revolving presidency of the Council of the EU twice, in and Finland is a member country of the Schengen Area since March 25, The French comprise Its capital is Paris and the official language is French.
The political system is a semi-presidential republic. France holds 74 seats in the European Parliament and held the revolving presidency of the Council of the EU 13 times between and France is a member country of the Schengen Area since March 26, Its capital is Berlin and the official language is German.
The political system is a federal parliamentary republic. Germany holds 96 seats in the European Parliament and held the revolving presidency of the Council of the EU 11 times between and Germany is a member country of the Schengen Area since March 26, Greeks comprise 2. Its capital is Athens and the official language is Greek. Greece holds 21 seats in the European Parliament and held the revolving presidency of the Council of the EU 5 times between and Greece is a member country of the Schengen Area since January 1, Hungarians comprise 1.
Its capital is Budapest and the official language is Hungarian. Hungary holds 21 seats in the European Parliament and held the revolving presidency of the Council of the EU once in Hungary is a member country of the Schengen Area since December 21, The Irish comprise 0. Its capital is Dublin and the official languages in Ireland are Irish and English. Ireland holds 11 seats in the European Parliament and held the revolving presidency of the Council of the EU 7 times between and Ireland is not a member country of the Schengen Area.
Its capital is Rome and the official language in Italy is Italian. Italy holds 73 seats in the European Parliament and held the revolving presidency of the Council of the EU 12 times between and Italy is a member country of the Schengen Area since October 26, Latvians comprise 0.
Its capital is Riga and the official language is Latvian. Latvia holds 8 seats in the European Parliament and held the revolving presidency of the Council of the EU for the first time in Latvia is a member country of the Schengen Area since December 21, Lithuanians comprise 0. Its capital is Vilnius and the official language is Lithuanian. Lithuania holds 11 seats in the European Parliament and held the revolving presidency of the Council of the EU once in Lithuania is a member country of the Schengen Area since December 21, Luxembourgers comprise 0.
Its capital is Luxembourg and the official languages in Luxembourg are French and German. Luxembourg holds 6 seats in the European Parliament and held the revolving presidency of the Council of the EU 12 times between and Luxembourg is a member country of the Schengen Area since March 26, The Maltese comprise 0.
Its capital is Valletta and the official language is Maltese. Malta holds 6 seats in the European Parliament and will hold the revolving presidency of the Council of the EU for the first time in
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