EUROPE
IN THE BEGINNING…
In Greek mythology, Europa was a princess abducted by Zeus (in the form of a dazzling white bull). Zeus took Europa to Crete where she gave birth to Minos (who became a judge of the dead in Hades)
For Homer (author of The Odyssey) Europe was a mythological queen of Crete
Mainland Greece became known as EuropaBy 500BC it came to refer to the lands north
of Greece as well
HISTORY
Prehistory homo georgicus: existed 1.8 million years ago found in Georgia
Classical Antiquity Ancient Greece
Concepts of the city-state and philosophy Ancient Rome
Law and government, architecture and engineering, language
Dark Ages (approx. 500AD to 1000AD) Invasions and migrations
Middle Ages (approx. 1000AD to 1300AD) Feudalism, the Black Death and the Roman Catholic Church
HISTORY
Renaissance (approx. 1300AD to 1700AD) Began in Italy – intellectual pursuits, educational reform
Age of Enlightenment (18th century) Scientific and reason-based thought French Revolution resulted in the nation-state Colonisation of Asia, Africa and the Americas
Industrial Revolution (19th century) Began in Great Britain – invention and implementation of
new technologies20th century
Europe’s power declines after world wars – rise of USSR and USA
GEOGRAPHY
One of the traditional seven continents Sub-continent of EURASIA Separated from Asia by the Ural Mountains, the Ural
River and the Caspian SeaCovers about 10 180 000 square kilometres
2% of the Earth’s surface area 6.8% of Earth’s land area
Number of sovereign states varies (about 50) Includes western Russia, the world’s largest country Includes the Vatican, the world’s smallest country
CLIMATE
Generally mild, particularly in comparison to places in Asia and North America of the same latitude. Gulf Stream
Longer, colder winters and shorter, cooler summers in the north than in the south
Longer, colder winters and shorter, hotter summers in the east than in the west
Most rain falls just west of mountains Britain, Norway
Least rain falls east of mountains, far from the Atlantic and along the Arctic coast Spain, Scandinavia, Russia
POPULATION
3rd most populous continent After Asia and Africa
731 000 000 or 11% of the world’s total population Last century, Europe had 25% of the world’s population Projected population in 2050 is 653 000 000 or 7% of the
world’s total populationInfluences on Europe’s demography…
Religious emigration Race relations Economic immigration Declining birth rate Aging population
POPULATION
Europe’s largest cities are… Istanbul Moscow London Paris Madrid Barcelona Saint Petersburg Milan Berlin Rome Athens
ETHNICITY
Europe’s largest ethnics groups are (in order)…
Russians (90million) Germans (76million) French (63million) Italians (58million) English (45million) Spanish (42million) Poles (42million) Ukrainians (41million)
LANGUAGE
Europe has 30 to 40 major languagesThe EU recognised 23 official languages in 2007There are 8 language familiesThe seven most natively spoken languages are…
German 18% French 13% Italian 12% English 12% Spanish 9% Polish 9% Dutch 5%
LANGUAGE
However, the top eight languages spoken in Europe are… English 51% German 33% French 28% Italian 16% Spanish 15% Polish 10% Russian 7% Dutch 6%
POLITICS
1957: European Economic Community Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxemburg, the
Netherlands 1967: European Communities
Merging of EEC, the European Coal and Steel Community and Euratom (European Atomic Energy Community)
1993: European Union Political centre is in Brussels 27 member states, which are…
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the UK