Southern Europe Chapter 12

Iberian Peninsula Italian Peninsula Balkan Peninsula Southern Europe is also called Mediterranean Europe

Physical Features Islands such as Crete and Sicily Peninsulas Rugged mountains such as the Pyrenees and Alps Coastal plains River valley plains Seas such as the Adriatic

Mediterranean climate Warm sunny days, mild nights Rain in the winter, little rain in the summer

Industries of Southern Europe Agriculture – Crops such as citrus fruits, olives, wheat, and many other products Fishing – Fish and shellfish Tourism – Sunny beaches, breathtaking scenery

Greece: The Birthplace of Western Culture Ancient Greeks were pioneers in – Art – Building – Literature – Science – Developed democracy As a result of Alexander the Great, Greek culture spread through Egypt and much of Southeast Asia

History of Greece Foreign Rulers – The Roman Empire conquered and ruled Greece – Around 400, Greece became part of the Byzantine Empire – The Muslim Ottoman Turks invaded Greece in the 1300s and 1400s Independence – 1800s Greece revolted and won their freedom – Became a monarchy – It is now a democracy

Culture Greek language: one of the oldest languages spoken in Europe Most Greeks belong to the Orthodox Church, a branch of Christianity Greek cuisine consists of olives and lamb Family is important to Greeks

Village life often centers around the villiage square where people gather to chat and make decisions.

The Greek Economy Main industries – Shipping – Tourism Challenges – Few mineral resources – Relatively little farmland – pollution

Italy Italian history can be divided into three periods – Ancient Rome – The Renaissance – Unified Italy

Ancient Rome Founded in the 700s BC Formed and empire that stretched from Britain to the Persian Gulf Famous for art, literature, and political ideas Helped spread Christianity DTN0 DTN0

Unified Italy 1861: Italy is unified as a country 1920s, Mussolini takes power – Dictator – Leads Italy into WWI Italy becomes a democracy after the war

Italy’s Culture Roman Catholic Pope, lives in Vatican City, an independent state within the city of Rome Olives, tomatoes, and pasta are common Home to some of the worlds greatest painters, sculptors, fashion designers, composers

Italy’s Regions Northern Italy Strong economy Fertile farmland Major industrial cities: – Milan, Turin, Genoa Tourist sites – Florence, Pisa, Venice Southern Italy Poorer than the North Depends heavily on agriculture Beautiful beaches and ruins Capital city: Rome

Spain and Portugal Located on the Iberian peninsula Once part of the Roman Empire The Moors, Muslims from North Africa, invaded Iberia after Rome fell They ruled the area for 600 years

Spain and Portugal By the end of the 1400s Christian rulers from Spain and Portugal banded together to drive the Moors from Iberia Spain and Portugal built huge empires that included lands in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas wIqY wIqY

Cultures of Spain and Portugal Language: Spanish or Portuguese – The Basque people of northern Spain have their own language and customs – Many of them want independence Religion: Roman Catholic Music and art: Spanish flamenco – Muslim influence in architecture

Spain and Portugal Today Once the wealthiest countries in Europe – Due to gold and silver from the Americas – Result: They did not develop industrial economies – As colonies became independent, their source of wealth dried up – They were unable to compete and became poor Today their economies are growing rapidly

Portugal Today Republic with elected leaders Lisbon is the capitol and largest city Agriculture is still important to the economy Portuguese farmers are famous for growing grapes and cork

Spain Today Spain is a parliamentary monarchy Manufacturing is a major economic activity Madrid and Barcelona are centers of industry, tourism, and commerce

Visual Summary