1. 12.2 Western Europe

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

3. 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

4. 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.

5. History
During World War 1 ( ) and World War 2 ( ), 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

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

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

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

9. Culture: Education Laws require students to go to school
The literacy rate is percent.

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

11. 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.

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