What does Northwestern Europes landscape mostly consist of?

Plains and mountains

What is loess?
A rich, wind-borne sediment left by glaciers

What is the highest peak in the Alps?

Mont Blanc

What are the Central Uplands?

Made up of eastern France, southern Belgium, and southern Germany... contains low rounded
mountains and hills, rich in natural resources

What are the British Isles?

Consist of two large islands, Great Britain and Ireland, and thousands of smaller ones... rocky
cliffs, mountains, valleys in north and west... low hills and rolling plains in the south and Ireland

What roles do water systems play in Northwestern Europe?

People depend on rivers for transportation, trade, and recreational activities... lakes provide
power for industry and locations for tourist attractions

What have the Dutch done to try to keep out water from their land?
Built dikes: large banks of earth and stone that hold back water, has helped them reclaim land
from the sea... reclaimed land is called polders, drained and kept dry by windmills... used for
farming and settlement

What is the most important river in Northwestern Europe and why?

The Rhine River, flows from Swiss Alps and into the Netherlands... connects many industrial
cities

Which factors affect climate in Northwestern Europe?

The presence of the alps and proximity to large bodies of water

How would you describe Northwestern Europes climate?

Mild compared with other regions at the same latitude... Gulf Stream flows warm water and
wind... marine west coast climate with mild winters, cool summers, and abundant rainfall

What is a mistral?
Strong north wind from the Alps that send gusts of very cold air

What is a foehn?
Dry winter winds that can trigger avalanches
What is humus?
Material formed from decaying leaves and other organic matter that makes soil extremely fertile

What kind of trees are found in NWE?

Deciduous trees like beech and oak are found in the marine west coast climate, coniferous trees
like pine and spruce are found in alpine mountain areas

What kind of natural resources are found in NWE?

Coal and iron ore were previously the most important, but now people rely on oil, natural gas,
nuclear, and hydroelectric energy sources

What energy source does France depend on?

Nuclear power

Netherlands?
Natural gas and windpower

Switzerland and Austria?

Renewable sources like hydroelectricity

Ireland?
Peat

Which empire did Northwestern Europe used to be a part of, and what happened to
them?
The Roman Empire, collapsed and allowed Germanic groups to invade

What was the official religion during Roman times?

Christianity

What were the Crusades and what was the result of them?
Series of religious wars against Islamic states with the goal of regaining the Holy Land, Europe
did not win permanent control but this opened up trade routes

What was the Protestant Reformation?

A religious reform movement that began in Germany, launched by Martin Luther, decreased the
power of the Roman Catholic Church

What was the Enlightenment?

A movement to value reason and question tradition

What was the Industrial Revolution?

Transformed manufacturing by changing from human labor to machines, started in Great Britain
What is industrial capitalism?
An economic system in which owners use profits to expand companies, negative impact-- many
factory workers were poorly paid and lived in unhealthy conditions, led to communism

What is communism?
Theory that calls for economic equality and ownership of resources and factories by the state

Who made up the Central and Allied Powers?

Central: Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, Bulgaria... Allied: Britain, France,
Russia

What ended WW1 and what were its effects?

The Treaty of Versailles demanded Germany make reparations for starting it, led to WW2

What is devolution?
Granting of powers of self-rule to local and regional authorities

What factors support large populations in NWE?

Temperate climates, fertile soil, manufacturing, and trade

Which two countries have the highest population densities?

The Netherlands and Belgium

What did Germany try to do after the 1950s to encourage economic growth?
Invite guest workers.. foreign laborers working temporarily in an industrialized country

How would you describe the population of NWE and why is it this way?
Older population... low birthrates and higher life expectancies.. also decreasing because women
are developing careers and delaying having children, fewer children are being born

What is the primary religion of NWE?

Christianity... most people are only nominally members (they state they have a religion but do
not attend church or regularly practice their faith)

How would you describe education in NWE?

The population is pretty literate, innovators in education and developing programs

How would you describe treatment of women?

Countries are supporting equal work opportunities and a balance between work and family life..
find opportunities in political participation

What industry makes up a large percentage of countries GDPs?

Service... top industries are international banking and insurance as well as tourism
What is agribusiness?
An industry engaged in large-scale, corporate farming operations

What kind of energy does this subregion lead in the development and use of?
Wind energy

What was the European Economic Community?

A united movement by Belgium, West Germany, Luxembourg, France, Italy, and the
Netherlands to further integrate their economies

What treaty started the European Union and what is it?

The Masstricht Treaty... aimed to make Europes economies competitive with the worlds by
getting rid of restrictions on the movement of goods, services, and people across member
borders

Chapter 11, Lesson 3 summary:

pollution contaminates marine and animal life, creating health hazards for humans
France and other countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea use the sea for waste
disposal-- was a good idea until disposal overpowered waste-breaking bacteria
small tides and weak currents keep pollution where it is discharged
overfishing is a problem as well as invasive species
new roads and railways fragment the landscape, isolating animal populations
degradation of marine/coastal ecosystems is a result of overfishing, agriculture,
pollution, tourism, industrial chemicals, and coastal development
air pollution is a problem due to manufacturing industries and heavy use of vehicles...
causing health problems to people living nearby
many Communist-era factories are still giving off soot, sulfur, and carbon dioxide
acid deposition: wet or dry acid pollution that falls to the ground, withering forests and
damaging rivers, even buildings
countries in the EU can face legal action if they do not respect environmental protection
laws
power plants are now burning natural gas instead of coal
Kytoto Protocol: an amendment to the international treaty on climate change designed to
reduce the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by specific countries... set emission
targets for participating countries
cap-and-trade: a method for managing pollution... a limit is placed on emissions,
businesses/countries can buy and sell emissions allowances
NGOs (nongovernmental organizations): Greenpeace, Oceana, and Seas At Risk...
working to limit degradation of marine areas/loss of species