1. Southern Europe

2. Greece

3. 98% Greek Orthodox

4. Greece Tourism makes up 15% of Greece’s income

5. Greece One of the world’s largest merchant fleets

6. Greece Cradle of Western Civilization

7. Italy

8. 98% Roman Catholic

9. Italy North is more prosperous than the south

10. Italy Europe’s Renaissance began here

11. Italy Politics is volatile—12 major political parties

12. Spain

13. 99% Roman Catholic

14. Spain Moorish past—rule lasted from 711 to 1492

15. Spain Tourism is important to Spain’s economy

16. Spain 17 autonomous regions

17. Spain Basque separatism

18. Portugal

19. 97% Roman Catholic

20. Portugal Mostly rural

21. Portugal One of Europe’s poorest countries

22. Germany

23. Lutheran in the north and Roman Catholic in the south

24. Germany One of the world’s strongest economies

25. Germany Had been divided after WWII Berlin Wall came down in 1989

26. Austria Was the center of the Austro-Hungarian Empire

27. Austria 74% Roman Catholic

28. Luxembourg 97% Roman Catholic

29. Luxembourg Highest GNP/capita in Europe

30. Luxembourg Center of banking and finance

31. The Netherlands “Holland” “The Dutch”

32. The Netherlands 1/3 of land area lies below sea level

33. The Netherlands Rotterdam (on the Rhine) is the world’s busiest port.

34. Belgium 75% Roman Catholic

35. Belgium Hundreds of multinational headquarters

36. Belgium Shipping and steel industries

37. France 90% Roman Catholic

38. France Approximately the same size as Texas – Texas has 19 million – France has 58 million

39. France Productive and diversified economy – Wine in the SW – Industry in the N – Grazing in the SE – Oil refineries along the Mediterranean – Tourism

40. Switzerland 52% Protestant/45% Roman Catholic

41. Switzerland Linguistic diversity

42. Switzerland A tradition of neutrality

43. Switzerland Banking, specialized manufacturing