Chapter 12: Western Europe Today
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338-344 U4 CH12 S1 TWIP-860976 3/14/04 12:06 AM Page 338 pter ha C WesternWestern 1212 EuropeEurope TodayToday Social Studies To learn more about the people and places of western Europe, view Chapter Overview Visit The World and Its The World and Its People People Web site at twip.glencoe.com and Chapters 10–12 videos. click on Chapter 12—Chapter Overviews to preview information about western Europe. 338 338-344 U4 CH12 S1 TWIP-860976 3/14/04 12:06 AM Page 339 Categorizing Information Make this foldable to organize information from the chapter and to help you learn more about the people and places of western Europe. Step 1 Collect three sheets of paper Step 2 Fold up the bottom edges of the and place them about 1 inch apart. paper to form 6 tabs. Keep the This makes edges straight. all tabs the same size. Step 3 When all the tabs WESTERN EUROPE TODAY Staple together along are the same size, crease The British Isles the fold. the paper to hold the tabs in France and Benelux Countries place and staple the sheets Germany and Alpine Countries together. Turn the paper and The Nordic Nations label each tab as shown. Southern Europe Reading and Writing As you read, use your foldable to write down what you learn about western Europe. Write facts under each appropriate tab. Building a Community Western Europe has been a center of world trade for hundreds of years. In the past, however, the nations of this region often set up trade barriers against one another in order to protect their own industries. Today, as the European Union, these same countries are working together to make their region a stronger, united economic power. ▼ ▼ The Eiffel Tower in Paris, France 338-344 U4 CH12 S1 TWIP-860976 3/14/04 12:07 AM Page 340 Guide to Reading 11 Main Idea The British Isles The United Kingdom and Ireland are small in size, but their people have had a great impact on the rest of the world. Every year millions of tourists visit Terms to Know London, England. They come to • moor see the crown jewels or dun- • parliamentary democracy geons in the Tower of London. • constitutional They also visit the Houses monarchy of Parliament and the tall •peat clock known as Big Ben. • bog You cannot be afraid of Reading Strategy heights if you ride one Create a diagram like of London’s newest this one. Fill in the attractions. Known as names of the four the London Eye, it is regions that make up the tallest Ferris wheel the United Kingdom and one fact about in the world. each. Create a second diagram for Ireland and include one fact about it. The countries of the United Kingdom and the Republic of United Ireland are known as the British Isles. They lie in the North Atlantic Kingdom Ocean, west of the European continent. These two countries share similar physical characteristics but are different culturally. Ireland The United Kingdom About the size of Oregon, the United Kingdom is made up of four regions. England dominates the United Kingdom, in population and economic strength.However,Scotland and Wales are important parts of the United Kingdom. Both were conquered by England centuries ago. Today, movements for independence have grown in both coun- tries. In 1999 Scotland and Wales set up legislatures to run their local affairs. The people of Scotland and Wales also take pride in their ancient languages—Scottish Gaelic in Scotland and Welsh in Wales. These languages are taught in schools to keep the old cultures and tra- ditions alive. In northern England, Scotland, and Wales, you find rugged hills and low mountain ranges.You also cross moors—treeless,windy highland 340 CHAPTER 12 338-344 U4 CH12 S1 TWIP-860976 3/14/04 12:07 AM Page 341 areas with damp ground. The United Kingdom’s fourth region— Northern Ireland—shares the island of Ireland with the Republic of Ireland. In Northern Ireland, you see a landscape of gentle mountains, valleys, and fertile lowlands. The Economy Over 250 years ago, inventors and scientists here sparked the Industrial Revolution. Today, the United Kingdom is still a major industrial and trading country.Manufactured goods and machin- ery are the leading exports. New computer and electronic industries, however, are gradually replacing older industries. Service industries such as banking, insurance, communications, and health care employ most of the country’s people. Farming is very efficient here. Still, the United Kingdom must import about one-third of its food. Why? A lack of farmland and a lim- ited growing season make it impossible to feed the large population. The Government The United Kingdom is a parliamentary democracy. In this form of government, voters elect representatives to a lawmaking body called Parliament. It has two houses—the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The political party that has the largest number of members in the House of Commons chooses the government’s leader, the prime minister. The House of Lords has little Western Europe: Political 60 ° 30°W 20°W10A °W0° 70°N 10°E20°E30°E40°E50°E60°E N RC TIC Reykjavík CIR CLE ICELAND a Se n D National capital ia eg w N or Y 0 mi. 500 N Faroe Islands N N ia A Den. (LONDON) A n E h L 0 km 500 W t W o Lambert Azimuthal D B N E R f Equal-Area projection MERIDIAN OF GREENWICH o E I S f O l u F Rockall W G U.K. N S Helsinki Oslo ATLANTIC NORTHERN Applying Map Skills SCOTLAND North k Stockholm IRELAND rra 50 OCEAN Sea ge ° ka N S a e S IRELAND UNITED DENMARK c Copenhagen lti 1. What four regions make Dublin KINGDOM Ba ENGLAND E up the United Kingdom? l WALES be Celtic NETH. R London Amsterdam . 2. What capital in western Sea R h Berlin i Europe is farthest north? English Brussels n BELG. e GERMANY Channel Se R in . e Paris Find NGS online map resources @ R LUX. www.nationalgeographic.com/maps Bay of FRANCE LIECH.Vienna Bern Biscay AUSTRIA . SWITZ. R 40 e ° n N ˆo SAN h R MARINO Black Sea ANDORRA Adriatic S MONACO ITALY Madrid Corsica Lisbon Fr. SPAIN Rome VATICAN CITY ea PORTUGAL (Within Rome) Tyrrhenian GIBRALTAR BalearicSp. Is.Sardinia Sea Strait of Gibraltar U.K. It. Aegean Mediterranean Sea Ionian GREECESea Sea Athens Sicily Valletta Nicosia MALTA Crete CYPRUS 338-344 U4 CH12 S1 TWIP-860976 7/8/04 8:50 AM Page 342 power. Most members of the On Location House of Lords are nobles who have inherited their titles or who have been given titles by the queen. • The United Kingdom’s gov- ernment is also a constitutional monarchy, in which a queen or king is the official head of state. Although the monarch represents the country at public events, he or she has little power. The People and Culture About 60 million people live in the United Kingdom. The British London people speak English, although Welsh and Scottish Gaelic are People get around spoken in some areas. Most people are Protestant Christians, although London by riding col- orful double-decker immigrants practice Islam and other religions. buses or by using the About 90 percent of the United Kingdom’s people live in cities and subway, which the towns. With more than 7 million people, the capital city of London is British call “the Tube.” one of Europe’s most heavily populated cities. Place What percent- For centuries, the people of the United Kingdom have left their age of the United mark on world culture. Visitors see prehistoric stone monuments, ruins Kingdom’s people live of Roman forts, and medieval churches and castles. Famous writers, in towns and cities, such as William Shakespeare, have also made an impact on the world. such as London? What form of government does the United Kingdom have? The Republic of Ireland Surrounded by the blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea, Ireland has lush green meadows and tree-covered hills. It is called the Emerald Isle because of its landscape. At Ireland’s center lies a wide, rolling plain covered with forests and farmland. The area is rich in peat, or plants partly decayed in water which can be dried and used for fuel. Peat is dug from bogs, or low swampy lands. The Economy Potatoes, barley, wheat, sugar beets, and turnips are Ireland’s major crops. Farmers raise sheep, as well as beef and dairy cattle. Manufacturing employs more people than farming and con- tributes more to the country’s economy. Ireland joined the European Union so that it could market its products more widely. The Irish work in many manufacturing industries.These include processing foods and beverages and making textiles, clothing, pharmaceuticals, and com- puter equipment. The Northern Ireland Conflict Ireland has suffered hundreds of years of unrest under British rule.The southern,mostly Catholic,coun- ties of Ireland won independence from Britain in 1921. They later 342 CHAPTER 12 338-344 U4 CH12 S1 TWIP-860976 3/14/04 12:08 AM Page 343 became a republic. The northern counties, where many British Protestants had settled, remained part of the United Kingdom. Peace still did not come to the island. The Nationalists, who are typically Catholic,want the six counties of Northern Ireland to be reunited with the Republic of Ireland.The Loyalists,who are typically Protestant,pre- fer that Northern Ireland remain under British rule.