Human Geography Europe

Mediterranean Europe Human Geography

LEARNING TARGET

• WHAT? WE WILL IDENTIFY AND ANALYZE THE CULTURES AND HISTORY OF MEDITERRANEAN EUROPE.

• HOW? WE WILL COMPLETE THIS LESSON SHEET.

• WHY? IT WILL HELP US UNDERSTAND AND VALUE THIS REGION OF EUROPE.

VOCABULARY

city-state a political unit made up of a city and its surrounding lands

republic a government in which citizens elect representatives to rule in their name 

THE DUOMO IN VENICE

Crusades a series of wars in which European Christians tried to take the Holy Land from the Muslims 

Renaissance a time of renewed interest in learning and the arts, lasting from the 14th through 16th centuries 

aqueduct structure that carried water for long distances

Poll

WHICH VOCABULARY WORD IS IMPORTANT TO OUR HISTORY IN THE U.S.?

• CITY-STATE

• CRUSADES

• REPUBLIC

• RENAISSANCE

RISE OF GREECE

The Mediterranean was the birthplace of European civilization. 2 geographic advantages helped cause this. The mild climate made survival easier. The Mediterranean Sea encouraged trade. The rise of Greece began about 2000 B.C. Mountains isolated the villages, so they grew into separate city-states. A city-state is a political unit made up of a city & its surrounding lands. 

Poll

WHY DID GREEK GOVERNMENTS DEVELOP INTO CITY-STATES?

• CLOSENESS TO THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA

• MOUNTAINS SEPARATED CITIES

• GREECE IS ON THE BALKAN PENINSULA

The city-state of Athens had the first democracy, a government in which the people rule.

Greek science, philosophy, drama, and art shaped modern culture.

Multiple Choice

Greek philosophers believed that one thing was more important than anything else in life.  What was it?

• using the human mind to think and understand
• helping others to be happy and comfortable
• encouraging people to worship the gods
• understanding how the human body works

THE OLYMPICS

THE ANCIENT OLYMPICS STARTED IN GREECE BETWEEN THE CITY STATES. ATHENS WAS THE LEADER OF THE GREEK CITY STATES

ALEXANDER THE GREAT

In the 400s B.C., conflict weakened Greece. Several city-states fought wars with Persia. In 338 B.C., Macedonia (a kingdom to the north) conquered Greece. Alexander the Great of Macedonia then conquered Persia and part of India. He spread Greek culture, but the empire broke apart after his death. 

Poll

WHAT DO YOU THINK WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTION OF THE GREEKS TO MODERN LIFE?

• DEMOCRACY

• ART, SCIENCE PHILOSOPHY

• SPREAD OF GREEK CULTURE BY ALEXANDER THROUGHOUT THE WORLD

• THE OLYMPICS

ROME

As Greece lost power, Rome grew. Rome ruled most of the Italian Peninsula by 275 B.C. At that time, Rome was a republic. That is a government in which citizens elect representatives to rule in their name. Rome conquered the Iberian and Balkan peninsulas. In Italy, turmoil caused the end of the republic. Emperors began to rule Rome. 

CHRISTIANITY

One of Rome’s territories was Palestine, where Jesus was born. Christianity spread from there across the empire. By the late 300s, Christianity was the official religion of Rome. 

BYZANTINE EMPIRE

In A.D. 395, the empire split in two. The Western Roman Empire fell to German invaders in 476. The Eastern Roman Empire lasted nearly 1,000 years longer

Poll

WHICH ACHIEVEMENT OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT TO PEOPLE IN THE U.S. TODAY?

• Christianity

• The Republic

• The spread of Greek and Roman Culture

• The Byzantine Empire

WESTERN EUROPE IN THE MIDDLE AGES

The invaders who overran the Italian Peninsula did not have a tradition of strong central government. Italy became divided into several small states. The Crusades began in 1096. European Christians fought these wars to take the Holy Land from the Muslims. Italians grew wealthy by supplying ships to Crusaders. Banking and trade made Italian city-states rich. 

Multiple Choice

The Crusades led to an interest in exploration to find better/faster trade routes.

• True

• False

THE RENAISSANCE

The Renaissance was a time of renewed interest in learning and the arts. It began in Italy’s city-states. It lasted from the 14th through 16th centuries. 

SPAIN

Muslims conquered the Iberian Peninsula in the 700s. The Catholic rulers Isabella and Ferdinand retook Spain from them in 1492. Queen Isabella also paid for Christopher Columbus’s first voyage. Both Spain and Portugal set up colonies in the Americas. They spread their languages and Catholicism around the world. 

Poll

WHICH DEVELOOPMENT IN THE MIDDLE AGES AND RENAISSANCE IMPACTS THE MODERN WORLD THE MOST?

• THE CRUSADES

• THE RENAISSANCE

• THE SPREAD OF CATHOLICISM BY SPAIN AND PORTUGAL

• THE SPREAD OF THE SPANISH LANGUAGE

• Mediterranean Europe’s history shaped its languages, religions, and culture. Greece kept its own language. Portuguese, Spanish, and Italian came from Latin, the language of Rome. 

• The two halves of the Roman Empire had different forms of Christianity. Eastern Orthodox Christianity is the main religion of Greece. Roman Catholicism is strong in Italy, Spain, and Portugal.

• Greece and Italy have ancient ruins from classical times. Spain has Roman aqueducts, structures that carried water for long distances. Spain also has Muslim mosques. 

Multiple Choice

Why would Spain have both Roman aqueducts and Muslim mosques?

• SPAIN HAD BEEN RULED BY BOTH THE ROMAN EMPIRE AND THE MUSLIM EMPIRE

• SPAIN NEEDED BOTH WATER AND RELIGION

• FERDINAND AND ISABELLA WERE MUSLIMS

ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES

The region’s sunny climate and historic sites encourage tourism. Through history, the economy of the Mediterranean region was based on fishing and farming. But the region’s economy changed in the late 20th century. 

EUROPEAN UNION

Manufacturing and service industries, such as banking, are increasing. In the 1980s, Greece, Portugal, and Spain joined the European Union (EU). This aided growth by promoting trade with other EU nations. 

SOUTHERN ITALY

Southern Italy has had less growth than northern Italy. The north is closer to other regions of Europe. Poor transportation and bad planning hurt the south. 

Poll

What slowed the development of southern Italy?

• POOR TRANSPORTATION

• LACK OF PLANNING AND INFRASTRUCTURE

• THE NORTH OF ITALY IS RICH

• JOINING THE EU

POLITICS IN THE 20TH CENTURY

Dictators ruled Spain and Italy for long periods during the 20th century. In 1975, Spain set up a constitutional government. After World War II, Italy became a republic but since then has had dozens of governments. Greece has also experienced political instability. 

BASQUE REGION OF SPAIN

Spain has had an ongoing conflict with the Basques, a minority group. The Basques live in the western foothills of the Pyrenees and speak their own language. In the late 1970s, Spain granted the Basque region self-rule. But some Basques want total independence, and the conflict remains unresolved. 

URBAN GROWTH IN MEDITERRANEAN EUROPE

Urban growth in Mediterranean Europe has created housing shortages, pollution, and traffic jams. Europeans are trying to solve these problems and protect their historic cities. 

MASS IMMIGRATION FROM ASIA AND AFRICA

Poll

WHAT PROBLEM IS THE MOST IMPORTANT TO DEAL WITH IN SOUTHERN EUROPE?

• POLITICAL CONFLICTS LIKE THE BASQUE ISSUE

• ECONOMIC POVERTY IN SOUTHERN ITALY AND GREECE

• TOO MUCH IMMIGRATION

• URBANIZATION AND SPRAWL