III. Southern Europe A. Spain 1. Most of Spain is covered by the Meseta, a dry plateau surrounded by mountain ranges. a) Reddish-brown soil is poor, and rain is scarce. b) Crops such as wheat and vegetables are grown by dry farming, land is left unplanted every few years so it can store up moisture. 2. Farming is easier in other parts of the country. a) Northwestern Spain has mild temperatures and plenty of rain.

III. Southern Europe b) Southern Spain has wet winters and dry summers and produce citrus fruits, olives, and grapes. 3. In the late 1900s, Spain’s manufacturing and service industries grew rapidly. a) Processed foods, clothing, footwear, steel, and cars. b) Tourism is also important with attractions like castles, cathedrals, and Mediterranean beaches. c) Bull fighting and flamenco dancing. 4. Most of Spain speaks Castilian Spanish, the country’s official language. a) Catalonians in the northeast , speak Catalan, which is similar to an old language of southern France.

III. Southern Europe b) In the Pyrenees, the Basques speak the unique language of Euskera. 5. After years of rule by a dictator, Spain became a democracy in the late 1970s. a) Spain’s democratic government has given the different regions of Spain greater autonomy, or self-rule. b) In the Basque region many people want to be completely separate from Spain. 6. Most of Spain’s people live in urban areas. a) The main cities are Madrid, the capital, and Barcelona. b) Southern cities show Muslim influence.

III. Southern Europe B. Portugal 7. Most people in Spain are Roman Catholic. a) Muslims have recently clashed with the Spanish population. B. Portugal 1. Spain’s smaller neighbor to the west is Portugal. a) Most of Portugal’s land is a low coastal plain split by the Tagus River. b) Wine, cork, and fishing are the major industries with most of the population living near the coast and major cities of Lisbon and Porto. 2. Closeness to the ocean helped Portugal become a sea power in the 1500s.

III. Southern Europe C. Italy a) The Portuguese built an empire that included Brazil and parts of Asia and Africa. b) Portugal has a democratic government. c) Portugal’s shaky economy has been helped with subsidies, or special payments a government makes to support a group or industry, from the EU. C. Italy 1. Italy juts out into the Mediterranean Sea. a) Looks like a boot kicking Sicily. 2. In Italy’s north, the Alps tower over the broad Lombardy plain. a) In central and southern areas, the Apennine Mts. Form a backbone that stretches into Sicily.

III. Southern Europe D. The Economy b) Volcanoes also dot the landscape. D. The Economy 1. Since the mid-1900s, Italy has changed from a mainly agricultural country into a leading industrial economy. a) Mostly in northern Italy. b) Milan, Turin, Genoa = cars, technical instruments, appliances, clothing, and high quality goods. c) Po River is highly fertile. d) Livestock, grapes, olives, and other crops. 2. Southern Italy is poorer and less industrialized than northern Italy. a) Much of the terrain is mountainous, with limited mineral deposits, poor farming, and few navigable rivers.

III. Southern Europe E. The People b) Unemployment is high. E. The People 1. About 90% of Italy’s population lives in urban areas. a) Past intermingles with the present. b) Italy’s capital, Rome, is home to its democratic republican government. 2. The people of Italy speak Italian (duh!) and are mostly all Roman Catholic. a) Vatican City is encircled by Rome, yet is considered a separate country, the smallest in the world.

III. Southern Europe F. Greece 1. Greece extends from the Baltic Peninsula into the Mediterranean Sea. a) Mainland and over 2,000 islands. b) Rocked by earthquakes. 2. Agriculture is poor and declining. a) People in the highlands raise goats and sheep. 3. Greece has developed new industries, such as textiles, footwear, and chemicals. a) Shipping is a major business. b) Tourism is also popular due to the ancient ruins in Athens.

III. Southern Europe 4. 60 % are urban dwellers. a) 1/3 live in and around Athens, the Greek capital. b) Most speak Greek (duh). c) Most practice the Greek Orthodox Christian. d) Greece is a democratic republic and is a member of the European Union.