Chapter 17, Section 1

 Spain has a Mediterranean climate, with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers.  The mountainous regions are good for raising corn and cattle, and the flat regions support wheat and barley.  Spain has good natural defenses, including the Pyrenees and a coastline with many steep cliffs.  Most of Spain is on a high plateau called the Meseta.

 Sheep and goats graze on the slopes of hilly land.  In southern Spain, irrigation is needed to grow citrus fruits and olives due to the dry climate.  Spain’s economy is shifting from agriculture to industry, especially in transportation equipment, plastics, iron and textiles.  The country still has high unemployment rates.

 Centuries ago, the Muslim Moors from Morocco invaded and kept a presence in Spain for 700 years until  At that point, the country was reclaimed by Christian, European monarchs Isabel and Ferdinand in the “Reconquista”.

 The capitol of and largest city in Spain is Madrid.  Many migrants have come to the city, which has helped it prosper but has also created bad traffic and pollution

 Different regions in Spain still hold to their independent identities.  The Basque of northern Spain have their own language and customs, and want to protect their culture from outside influences.  There have been some violent separatist attempts against the Spanish government.  The Catalan people in Barcelona, who speak a mixture of Spanish and French, also have tense relations with the government.

 Portugal is a relatively small country, but has a high population density.  Heavy rainfall means farming is easy in the region, and olives, grains, wines and cork (from oak) are all profitable exports.  Lisbon, the capitol of Portugal, was historically a key global trading port.

 The economy of Portugal is moving from agriculture to industry as many automobile companies have begun building plants there.  Cork, textiles, clothing and footwear are major businesses.  Pollution and a lower literacy rate represent the economic, environmental and human challenges the country faces for the future.

Chapter 17, Section 2

 Italy is defined by mountain ranges, and experiences a lot of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.  Italy’s climate is hot and dry in summer, and mild and wet in winter.  Overfarming and overgrazing have led to poor soil, yet Italy has historically relied on agriculture.

 Populated areas in Italy are very crowded since the unpopulated mountains take so much of the land area.  Unemployment and poverty are high is many areas.

 Italy is trying to grow its secondary economic sector with steel, machining parts and auto production.  Since poor Italian workers will produce goods for lower wages, Italian industry has benefited with lower priced goods to trade.  Creativity and innovation in cars and fashion have also helped the Italian economy.

 After the fall of Rome, city-state princes and the Catholic Church held most of the land and power.  In 1861, the states united to form Italy.

 Northern Italy shares much of its culture with Europe, is fertile for agriculture and is a center of Italian industry due to hydroelectric power.

 Central Italy is characterized by Rome and is the seat of power for the Catholic Church.  Vatican City is home to the Pope and 1000 other people, and is the smallest functioning country on earth.  Art and culture in Central Italy benefitted from the Renaissance: a great period of learning and art that began in Italy in 1300 AD.

 The Southern region of Italy is intensely hot, and bad roads here make travel difficult and bad soil means farming is hard.  People here are very poor and many migrate elsewhere, only to end up still unemployed due to lack of jobs.

Chapter 17, Section 3

 The land area of Greece is composed of the mainland, plus 2000 islands.

 Much of the land in Greece is mountainous with rocky soil, and parallel ranges making travel difficult.  On the coastal plains, farmland for olives and citrus groves are available, but the region faces the challenge of difficult soil and sparse rainfall.  On the rugged mountain slopes, sheep and cattle are grazed – unfortunately, these animals have destroyed the natural forests of Greece leading to soil erosion.

 Athens is the capitol of Greece – it is a newer world capitol, but has ancient roots which are visible in its Acropolis ruins.  No point in Greece is more than 85 miles from the sea, so shipping is very important.  Greece has one of the world’s largest commercial shipping fleets and many important ports and harbors.  Ocean travel also helps Greece keep in contact with its many islands, most of which are inhabitable: able to support permanent residents.

 Greece was the birthplace of Western ideals like democratic government, and treasured literature like the Iliad and the Odyssey.