Introduction

1
Introduction

• Geography of Europe

2
What is geography?

• Geo the earth
• Graphos to write about

2
3
Five themes of geography

• Location
• Place
• Human, physical
• Human-environment interaction
• Adaptation, modification, dependence
• Migration / Movement
• Regionalization
• Formal, functional, vernacular

3
4
The world of geographic study
4
5
Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859)
One of the pioneers of modern geography
5-year expedition in South America
Later expeditions in Russia, central Asia, and
Europe Wrote Kosmos Contributed to meteorology,
botany, biology, astronomy, ecology
5
6
What is geography?
6
7
Ancient Greek view of the earth
7
8
The evolution of Europe

• Middle Age T-O maps divided earth into three
  parts
  
• Shem, Ham, Japheth
• Caucasoid, Negroid, Mongoloid
• Divided by bodies of water
• Asia and Europe not viewed as connected

UT Arlington
8
9
9
10
Physical borders of Europe

• On three sides, generally easy
• But, include Iceland? Arctic islands?
  Mediterranean islands?
  
• On East
• Caucasus Mountains, Black Sea to the Bosporus,
  Ural Mountains

10
11
What is Europe?

• Write down 5 words or phrases associated with
  Europe

11
12
Traditional definitions of Europe

• Christian
• Indo-European
• White
• Healthy
• Educated
• Urbanized

• Wealthy
• Good transit
• Non-agricultural
• Stabilized population
• Democratic
• Densely populated

12
13
Non-European traits

• An example of core vs. periphery

13
14
Fault lines of European culture

• Limits of Roman Empire
• Economic
• Industrial Revolution
• Religion
• Orthodox / Islam / Catholic / Protestant
• Ideological
• Iron Curtain
• Limits of the European Union

14
15
Europe as a Christian Entity

• Concept goes back historically
• Roman Empire
• Crusades
• Colonization and missionaries
• Present day EU constitution preamble?

15
16
How world geography books are divided
16
17
The Caucasus
17
18
Ex-Soviet states?
18
19
Ex-Soviet states?
19
20
Turkey
20
21
European Union

• Geography is a consideration
• Moroccan and Israeli applications rejected
• Cyprus joined
• French Guiana is part

21
22
Euro coins
22
23
Europe on money
23
24
The new EuropeA loss of individuality?
24
25
Europe as a cultural hearth

• Colonialization and its legacy
• Othering

25
26
Europeanization of the world

• Democracy
• Discovery
• Printing press
• Industrial revolution
• Modernity
• The nation-state
• A modern culture hearth?

26
27
Europe as affected by elsewhere
27
28
Europe in sum

• No precise boundaries
• Consider Europe internally as well as externally
• Contested space

28
29
For next week

• Countries on this map

29
30
For next week

• Rivers
• Rhine
• Danube
• Elbe
• Rhone
• Volga
• Thames
• Mountains
• Alps
• Carpathian
• Caucasus
• Pyrenees
• Urals

• Bodies of water
• Baltic Sea
• North Sea
• Mediterranean Sea
• Black Sea
• Caspian Sea
• Adriatic Sea
• Strait of Gibraltar

30