12.2 Western Europe

Western Europe includes: France, Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, and Austria

History Rome conquered much of W. Europe from 40 B.C up until about 400 A.D The Germanic tribes took advantage of a weak Rome and took control

History The empires of W. Europe developed over time, one of the most significant being “The Holy Roman Empire”. This empire lasted from 962 A.D till 1806.

History During World War 1 (1914-1918) and World War 2 (1939-1945), there were a lot of changes in and around W. Europe. New Countries were formed Holocaust occurred (6 million Jews died) Germany split in 2

Culture: the Arts World leaders in literature, architecture, music, and visual arts

Culture: Language Mostly speak Indo-European languages. Examples: German, French (Green = Indo-European language speakers)

Culture: Religion Primarily Catholic Christian Many are Christian in name and not in practice in places like France and Belgium

Culture: Education Laws require students to go to school The literacy rate is 98-100 percent.

Culture: Family Many have a high standard of living For those who are poor, there are government programs to help

Culture: Family W. Europe’s population is aging and birthrates are declining. This is an inverted (upside down) population pyramid Those may pose problems for the future: not enough tax payers to support the old.

Culture: Leisure Since Germany and France have shorter work weeks, they have more time for leisure Soccer is a popular sport in W. Europe