Europe is the smallest and at the same time the most “closed” part of the world in the world. Its nearest neighbor is Asia, and together they form the largest continent, Eurasia. But today the focus is on foreign Europe.
There are different approaches to dividing Europe into regions. Until the end of the 80s of the last century, in history and geography, the term "Western Europe" was understood as a set of independent European states, which, after the end of the Second World War, continued capitalist development. There were 32 of them, and the countries of the socialist camp - Eastern Europe - served as a counterweight to them. In 1991, after the collapse of the USSR and the formation of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), a new concept of "Foreign Europe" appeared.
It unites 40 countries located on the territory of Europe, except for those that are part of the CIS.
Talking about the physical and geographical position Foreign Europe, it should be said that it occupies a fairly compact territory on a global scale: its total area is 5.4 million square meters. km. The island of Svalbard is the extreme point in the north, and the island of Crete is in the south. The length of the region from north to south is 5000 km, and from west to east - 3000 km. Foreign Europe is washed on three sides by the waters of the Atlantic and Arctic oceans and their seas. The coastline is very indented. Most of the territory is dominated by plains, and only about 17% is occupied by mountains. Among them, the main ones are the Alps, the Pyrenees, the Apennines, the Carpathians, the mountains on the Balkan and Scandinavian peninsulas. AT this region four climatic zones dominate, which gradually replace each other from north to south:
Rice. 1 Regions of Foreign Europe
Geographically, Foreign Europe is divided into four regions according to the cardinal points: Northern, Southern, Western and Eastern. However, recently, in addition to North, South and Western Europe new terms appeared in the everyday life of geographers - Central-Eastern and Eastern Europe. The latter just includes Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova and Russia - countries that are members of the CIS. How many states, and to which regions of Foreign Europe are "credited", is summarized in the following table:
|
Northern Europe |
Southern Europe |
Western Europe |
Central Eastern Europe |
|
Finland Iceland Norway |
San Marino Gibraltar Portugal |
Switzerland Germany Netherlands Great Britain Ireland Liechtenstein Luxembourg |
Croatia Slovenia Slovakia Serbia and Montenegro Macedonia Bulgaria |
Rice. 2 Modern leaders of the G7 countries
Overseas Europe is one of the most economically developed regions in the world. Both in political terms and in the sectoral and territorial structure of the economy of the region, there is diversity and richness. If foreign Europe is presented in the form of a large four-story apartment building, then at the bottom there will be countries with transition economy: Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia. On the second and third - developed countries with market economy: Spain, Greece, Denmark, Norway, Iceland and others. However, their level of economic and social development has not yet reached the high level of leaders, which include the "neighbors" from the top floor - Great Britain, Germany, France and Italy. They account for about 70% of the total GDP. They are also members of the "Group of Seven" or "Big Seven" - an association of seven leading economic developed countries(USA, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Japan.
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The leaders of these states gather annually to discuss not only the problems of foreign Europe, but the pressing issues facing humanity: political, military (universal security, terrorism, causes of aggravation of local conflicts), social (protection of human rights, support and conditions for cooperation with developing countries) , environmental (global warming, climate change) and economic (science and finance, market regulation, import and export sizes).
Among the many features of Europe abroad, it is worth noting one important thing - the presence of the "Central Axis of Development". This term refers to the Western European part with a length of 1600 km, which, in fact, is the center, the core of the Old World with the largest concentration of population (300 people per 1 km2) and the main sectors of the economy. The conditional border of the “axis” originates from Manchester, then “rushes” through Hamburg, Venice, Marseille and returns to Hamburg again, forming a banana-shaped loop. It covers a large section of Europe, including the following parts: the regions of Great Britain, the western lands of Germany, the north and south of France, Switzerland and the north of Italy.
If you look at the map of Europe, you can see that on the territory of the "Central Axis of Development" there are "world centers" - London and Paris, each of which houses about thirty headquarters of the largest corporations. In addition, it is the location of more than half of the entire industrial potential of Europe: coal and steel enterprises, general engineering, automotive, enterprises chemical industry, the latest high-tech industries, port industrial complexes and much more.
Rice. 3 Europe's “central axis of development”
Features of foreign Europe - under the gun of our attention. After considering this topic in geography for grades 10 and 11, we come to the following conclusion: a relatively small area on a vast continent is one of the most successful, developed in terms of the quality of life of the population, in terms of production structure, in terms of scale economic activity and level of technological development. Many factors contributed to this: geographical location, favorable natural conditions, the small size of countries and their close proximity, and much more.
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Europe... This geographical name first of all reminds of the ancient Greek myth about the daughter of the Phoenician king Agenor, the ruler of Sidon, Europe. According to the myth, Europa was abducted by the almighty Zeus, who took the form of a white bull. On the back of this bull, she sailed across the Mediterranean Sea from Phoenicia to about. Crete (remember the famous painting by Valentin Serov "The Abduction of Europe").
However, toponymists usually produce title"Europe" from the Assyrian "ereb" - "darkness", "sunset", "west" (as opposed to Asia, whose name is associated with the word "asu" - "sunrise"). At first, the name "Europe" referred only to the southern part of the Balkan Peninsula, but gradually spread to the entire territory of this part of the world.
Europe ... This geographical name also reminds of the huge contribution to world civilization, which began in the era Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome, was continued in the Renaissance and the Great geographical discoveries, and then in the era of industrial upheavals and social revolutions - and so on to the present day. The largest German geographer of the XIX century. Karl Ritter wrote that, historically, Europe was destined to develop much better and more beneficially than Asia and Africa, richer endowed with nature. Thus, the smallest part of the world became the most powerful, outstripping others both materially and spiritually. “She dominates them,” writes Carl Ritter, “leaves a European imprint on them, just as once she herself, at least in part, was subject to the dominion of the East. Europe is the center of the enlightened and educated world. Beneficent rays radiate from her to all corners of the globe.”
Probably, in this panegyric to Europe, something can be challenged. And in relation to spiritual superiority, and in relation to only "beneficial rays." Let's not forget about the endless bloody wars that were fought in Europe: the Hundred Years, the Thirty Years, the Seven Years and hundreds of others. In Europe, the first World War. The Second World War also broke out here, engulfing 9/10 of its population. Nevertheless, the “old stones of Europe” are indeed the greatest asset not only of European, but of the entire world civilization. It is generally recognized that European civilization is one of its main pillars.
Europe occupies square about 10 million km2. Including 5 million km 2 now falls on foreign (in relation to the CIS) Europe, which is less than 4% of the total area of inhabited land. The territory of foreign Europe stretches from north to south (from Svalbard to Crete) for about 5 thousand km, from west to east (from the Atlantic coast of Portugal to the Black Sea coast of Romania) for about 3100 km.
Population of foreign Europe in 1900–2007 increased from almost 300 million to 527 million people. But its share in the world population during this time decreased from almost 18 to 8%, which is explained by a noticeable decrease in the rate of population reproduction. Over the course of many centuries and even millennia, foreign Europe was second only to foreign Asia in terms of the number of inhabitants; now both Africa and Latin America are ahead of it in this indicator.
For physical map foreign Europe many features, of which two are worth noting.
First, this "mosaic" structure of its territory, which is interspersed with low-lying, hilly and mountainous regions; in total, the ratio between plains and mountains is approximately 1: 1. Physical geographers of Moscow State University distinguish 9 physical and geographical countries in foreign Europe, subdividing them into 19 regions and 51 districts. But at the same time - unlike, say, Asia or America - it is not "fenced off" by high mountain ranges. Among the mountains of Europe, medium-altitude ones predominate, which do not represent insurmountable barriers to economic and other ties. Transport routes have long been laid through their numerous passes.
Secondly, this seaside position most countries of foreign Europe, many of which are located on islands and peninsulas, close to busy sea routes from Europe to Asia, Africa, Australia and America. Navigation and maritime trade have long played an important role in their development. This was especially favored by the ruggedness of the coastline. Back in 1914, Osip Mandelstam wrote in the poem "Europe":
Its living shores are indented,
And peninsulas are airy statues,
Slightly feminine bays outlines,
Biscay, Genoa lazy arc.
Indeed, the coastline of Europe, including the islands, is 143 thousand km. In foreign Europe, there are almost no places that would be more than 600 km away from the sea, the average distance is 300 km. And in most of the UK there are no settlements further than 60–80 km from the coast.
We add to this that the natural landscapes of foreign Europe have experienced the greatest anthropogenic changes over the past millennia. Back in the Bronze Age, shifting agriculture, hunting, gathering appeared here, and the domestication of livestock began. In ancient times, nomadic cattle breeding on the Danube plains was added to them, and in Southern Europe the reduction of forests to arable land increased. In the Middle Ages, extensive agriculture and animal husbandry played the main role, and there was an expansion of cultivated land. And today it is a region of intensive agriculture and animal husbandry, agrolandscapes are widespread. Of all parts of the world, it is Europe that is the most “cultivated”: only 2.8% of its territory is free from traces of human activity.
Political map of foreign Europe also differs in a kind of "mosaic". In the mid 1980s. there were 32 sovereign states (including microstates - Andorra, San Marino, Monaco, the Vatican and Liechtenstein). In the early 1990s in connection with the separation of the Baltic countries from the USSR, the collapse of the SFRY and Czechoslovakia, the number of such countries increased markedly. The most important change on the political map of the region was also the unification of Germany in 1990.
Most of the countries of foreign Europe are relatively small in size. Not to mention the microstates, Luxembourg and Malta, nine of them have an area of up to 50 thousand km 2: Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Switzerland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Macedonia, Albania and Estonia (for comparison, we recall that the Moscow region occupies 47 thousand square kilometers). km 2). Eleven countries have a territory of 50 thousand to 100 thousand km 2: Iceland, Ireland, Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic, Latvia, Lithuania, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Portugal. Ten countries have a territory from 100 thousand to 500 thousand km 2: Norway, Sweden, Finland, Great Britain, Germany, Italy, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Greece. And only the areas of two countries - France and Spain - exceed 500 thousand km 2.
To understand the "scale" of the countries of foreign Europe, it is also very important to get acquainted with their linear dimensions. Norway is more elongated than others (1750 km), then come Sweden (1600), Finland (1160), France (1000), Great Britain (965), Germany (876 km). In countries such as Bulgaria or Hungary, the longest linear distances do not exceed 500 km, and in the Netherlands - 300 km. Therefore, the "depth" of the territory in most of them is not very large. For example, in Bulgaria and Hungary there are no places that would be more than 115-120 km away from the borders of these countries. Such a borderline can be considered as an important favorable prerequisite for the development of integration processes.
Finally, one cannot fail to say that foreign Europe has been and remains one of the largest centers of the world economy. Its total GDP is over $15 trillion, or about 22% of the world's. This region ranks first (40%) in world trade. He also holds leadership in the field of gold and foreign exchange reserves and foreign investment. Most of the countries of foreign Europe have entered the post-industrial stage of development. They are characterized by high and very high level the quality of life of the population.
Especially radical transformation occurred in foreign Europe in the late 1980s - early 1990s. In its western part, they were associated primarily with the formation single European economic area based on 15 European Union (EU) countries. In its eastern part, they found expression in the change social order and transition from centralized state economy to the market economy. Folds up and single political space foreign Europe, which is facilitated by the fact that in the second half of the 1990s. in most of its countries, the “right”, conservative parties were replaced by the “left” parties of social democrats and socialists. The formation of a single political (geopolitical) space also occurs as a result of the activities of international organizations. Two of them are of particular importance.
First, this Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which occupies a central place in the system of European security. Created in 1975, it proceeds from the fact that the basis of interstate relations in Europe should be: respect for the sovereign equality of states, their territorial integrity, inviolability of borders, non-use of force or threat of force, peaceful settlement of disputes, non-interference in internal affairs, observance of human rights . In 1999, the OSCE adopted a Charter for European Security, which became a kind of "code of conduct" for European states and organizations. The structure of the OSCE includes many permanent bodies (meetings, councils, committees, bureaus, missions, etc.). In 2008, this organization included 56 states (including the USA, Canada, Japan, the CIS countries and some others).
Secondly, this Council of Europe (CE), established in 1949 as an advisory political organization promoting integration processes in the field of human rights, fundamental freedoms and parliamentary democracy. The main bodies of the Council of Europe are the Committee of Ministers (at the level of foreign ministers), the Parliamentary Assembly (PACE), an advisory body with advisory functions, and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe. The Secretariat of the Council of Europe is located in Strasbourg (France).
Lately, more and more people have been writing about common European idea about problems European upbringing, which should contribute to the spiritual rapprochement of European peoples. It also includes the formation European consciousness, aimed at making the inhabitants of the region aware of themselves not only as Germans, French or British, but above all as Europeans, who are connected by the commonality of Western European civilization with its many unique features. This means that the younger generations of Europeans must be brought up in accordance with the principle of "double loyalty" - both to their country and to a united Europe.
Along with this, at the turn of the XX and XXI centuries. in foreign Europe there were also such changes that affected the international political landscape and violated the existing system of collective security. First of all, this refers to the desire of the North Atlantic Alliance to extend its influence to the post-socialist countries of the Central of Eastern Europe. So, in 1999, Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary joined NATO. In 2004, three Baltic countries, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia and Slovenia were admitted to NATO. This meant that the bloc's borders were close to the Russian border and was perceived negatively, at least psychologically, in Russia, which poses no threat to NATO. This also applies to NATO's claim to play a major role in important political decision-making, bypassing the major international peace and security organizations.
Russia - as a European country - takes an active part in all European affairs. It is a member of the OSCE and in 1996 was admitted to the Council of Europe, becoming its 39th member. In 1997 Russia and NATO signed the fundamental Act on Mutual Relations, Cooperation and Security. It noted that Russia and NATO do not see each other as adversaries, and their common goal is to overcome the remnants of past confrontation and rivalry and strengthen mutual trust and cooperation. A permanent Russia-NATO Council was also created. In 1999, relations between them were markedly overshadowed by NATO's military action in Yugoslavia. Then they began to gradually improve and became especially stronger after the September 11, 2001 terrorist act in the United States and the creation of a broad anti-terrorist coalition, which included Russia. In 2002, new relations between Russia and NATO were officially established in the form of the so-called G20 (19 NATO countries and Russia). However, in mid-2008, in connection with the decision to place elements of the American missile defense system in the Czech Republic and Poland, and even more so after Georgia's military action in South Ossetia, relations between Russia and NATO deteriorated sharply.
Lesson topic: 10 general characteristics Foreign Europe
Lesson Objectives: to form an idea about the features of the EGP of European countries, the population and the natural resource potential of Foreign Europe.
develop the ability to listen to a lecture and keep notes of a summary of the lesson material, analyze cartographic and statistical materials, draw up diagrams, compare and summarize, review, annotate. To consolidate the skills of teamwork, the ability to draw up the answers of individual students in the form of a single answer.
LESSON CONTENT:
Material, technical and didactic equipment of the lesson: computer, presentation slides, abstracts.
Teaching methods:
by source of knowledge : verbal, visual, practical;
by the level of cognitive activity : information-receptive, reproductive
LESSON STRUCTURE
Lesson stage
Duration
Stage content
1. Organizational
1.5 min
Preparation for the lesson;
Greetings
2. Home preparation check
10 min
Student's answer at the blackboard;
Cross-Study of Students
3. Preparing to learn new material
2 minutes
Students' answers to leading questions
Message about the topic and purpose of the lesson
4. Presentation of new material
25 min
Explanation of the topic "General characteristics of foreign Europe"
5. Fixing new material
5 minutes
Block of obtaining knowledge and skills
6. Summing up the lesson
1 minute
Message about the achievement of the objectives of the lesson;
Voice and mark students for work in the lesson
7. Issuing homework
0.5 min
Registration by students d / s
TOTAL:
45 min
LESSON CONTENT:
1. Organizational stage (1.5 min.):
Preparation for the lesson;
Mark those present in the journal;
Greetings.
2. Preparation for learning new material (2 minutes.):
Ask leading questions:
1. What is the role of European states in the modern world political, economic and cultural processes?
2. Name the European leading countries in the extraction of types of minerals.
3.What features of the age and sex structure of the European population do you know?
4. What are the features of the population resettlement in the region ?
State the topic and purpose of the lesson.
4. Presentation of new material (25 min.):
1. Place and role of foreign Europe in the world.
For many centuries this region has been at the center of world development. Since the Renaissance, since the time of the Great geographical discoveries, Europe has acted as the most dynamic continent. developed rapidly productive forces, culture, science. In the 20th century, Europe experienced very dramatic events. At the same time, there was a noticeable weakening of positions in the world economy. Leadership has passed to the USA. Today, however, Europe remains one of the centers economic power in modern world.
2.Features geographical location region.
Europe includes 40 states. According to the geographical principle, it is customary to divide into subregions. EGP is determined by: coastal position, neighboring.
Exercise . Highlight + and - (favorable and unfavorable features of the EGP of Europe)
3.History of the formation of his political map . Read page 180.
Read the text of the textbook Maksakovsky V P page 180
Tell us about the changes in the political map of the region during the 20th century.
The political consolidation of the region contributes to the activities of the OSCE, which includes 53 countries. The Council of Europe and the NATO bloc are also playing an increasingly important role.
Exercise. Using the flyleaf of the textbook, specify the characteristics of their political system.
Republics examples of countries
Monarchies country examples
4.Characteristic features of the natural resource potential, population and economy.
Exercise. Determine what natural resources Europe is provided with. Group work.
Resource type
northern
western
southern
Eastern
Coal
Germany, UK
Poland
Brown coal
Germany, UK
Poland, Hungary, Romania, Czech Republic
Oil
Great Britain
Romania
Gas
Norway
Hungary
Iron ore
Sweden
Belgium
aluminum ores
France
Greece
Potassium salts
Poland
Sulfur
France
Poland
Forest
secured
Aquatic
secured
secured
Weakly provided
secured
Land
Weakly provided
secured
secured
secured
Agro-climatic
unfavorable
Favorable
Favorable
Favorable
recreational
secured
secured
secured
secured
CONCLUSION:
Population: reproduction, migration, national composition, urbanization.
Exercise . Fill in the chart:
Europe is characterized by a complex demographic situation.
Atlas task "Population reproduction" page 10
Find countries that are leaders in terms of fertility, mortality, natural increase. What conclusion can be drawn about the reproduction of the population of Europe.
In which countries is it especially worth demographic problem?
National composition. Remember which countries are called single-ethnic, multinational? Which countries belong to each group?
Exercise . Using the text of the textbook from 180. Complete task number 4 - migration, 5 - peoples, 6 p. 216
Exercise . Use the atlas maps to categorize the countries of Europe by level of urbanization
5. Fixing new material (5 minutes)
1. Give an assessment of the EGP of Europe and its impact on the development of the region?
2. What is the peculiarity of the national composition of Europe?
3. What changes took place on the political map of Europe in the 90s of the 20th century?
4. How does insufficient provision of fuel resources manifest itself?
6. Summing up the lesson (1 minute)
Achieving the objectives of the lesson;
To voice and mark students for work in the lesson.
7. Homework (0.5 min). Textbook: pp 179-186.
Independent work . "Hot spots" on the map of foreign Europe.
Europe
Europe- one of the six parts of the world, forming, together with Asia, the largest continent in terms of area and population of Eurasia. The area of Europe is 10 million km², the population is 730 million people.
The average height is about 300 m. Plains prevail (large - East European, Central European, Middle and Lower Danube, Paris basin), mountains occupy about 17% of the territory (the main ones are the Alps, the Caucasus, the Carpathians, Crimean, Pyrenees, Apennines, Ural, Scandinavian mountains, mountains of the Balkan Peninsula). There are active volcanoes in Iceland and the Mediterranean.
In most of the territory, the climate is temperate (in the west - oceanic, in the east - continental, with snowy and frosty winters), in the northern islands - subarctic and arctic, in southern Europe - Mediterranean, in the Caspian lowland - semi-desert. On the islands of the Arctic, in Iceland, the Scandinavian mountains, the Alps - glaciation (area over 116 thousand km²).
Main rivers: Volga, Danube, Ural, Dnieper, Western Dvina, Don, Pechora, Kama, Oka, Belaya, Dniester, Rhine, Elbe, Vistula, Tahoe, Loire, Oder, Neman, Ebro.
Large lakes: Ladoga, Onega, Peipus, Venern, Balaton, Geneva.
Countries of foreign Europe. Economic and geographical characteristics. Common features and regional differences.
Europe is washed by the Atlantic and Arctic oceans and their seas.
Geographically, Europe is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean in the west and the Arctic Ocean in the north, the Black, Marmara and Mediterranean Seas, the Bosporus and Dardanelles in the south. As the eastern and southeastern borders of Europe, the eastern foot of the Ural Range, the Emba River and the Caspian Sea, the northern border of Ciscaucasia along the Kuma, Manych, and Don rivers are usually considered.
The countries of Europe are divided into four regions: Western, Eastern, Northern and Southern. Some geographers distinguish the fifth region - Central. In total, there are 65 countries in Europe: 50 of them are independent states, 9 dependent territories and 6 unrecognized republics. 14 countries are islands, 19 are inland, 32 have wide access to the seas and oceans.
Three states - Russia, Turkey and Kazakhstan, according to all authoritative sources, have territories both in Europe and in Asia; two more states (Azerbaijan and Georgia) are attributed entirely to Asia (when drawing the Europe-Asia border along the Kuma-Manych depression), but a number of American sources (when drawing the border between Europe and Asia along the Greater Caucasus) state that these Asian states have small European parts, there are also sources that consider the countries of Transcaucasia and Cyprus to be closely connected with Europe. Geographically located entirely in Asia, Armenia and Cyprus are referred to Europe according to a number of geopolitical criteria.
A number of European states have part of their territory in Africa - this is Spain (Africa includes the Canary Islands and the so-called "sovereign territories of Spain" on the Moroccan coast), Portugal (Portuguese Madeira belongs to Africa), and France (which has in its the overseas departments of Mayotte and Reunion belonging to Africa).
Two European states have part of their national territory in America - this is Denmark (America includes its autonomous region of Greenland) and France (America includes its overseas departments and communities of French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Saint Martin, Saint Barthélemy, Martinique and Saint- Pierre and Miquelon).
Also to European countries include all the island states and territories of the Mediterranean Sea.
27 states are members of the European Union, 25 are members of the NATO bloc, 47 states are members of the Council of Europe.
On the territory of Europe are located both the largest (Russia) and the smallest (Vatican) states of the world.
Western Europe- a geopolitical region that unites mainly Latin-speaking countries, as well as the countries of the Celts and Germans, located in the western part of the European peninsula. One of the most economically developed regions in the world.
The beginning of the formation of the region is considered to be the end of the existence of the Roman Empire and its division into Western and Eastern.
Main religions in the region are Catholicism and Protestantism.
EGP is determined by the coastal position of most countries, also by the position on the main world sea routes leading from Europe to America, by the neighboring compact position of countries in relation to each other; proximity to many developing countries means proximity to sources of raw materials. The countries of Africa and Asia supply cheap labor to Western Europe.
Commercial oil reserves are in the Netherlands, in France; coal - in Germany (Ruhr basin), Great Britain (Wales basin, Newcastle basin); iron ore - in France (Lorraine), Sweden; non-ferrous metal ores - in Germany, Spain, Italy; potassium salts - in Germany, in France, etc. But in view of the fact that the countries of Western Europe have long embarked on the path of industrial development, many deposits are close to depletion. In some countries, the problem of primary energy resources is acute. Western Europe is less well endowed with minerals than North America, which increases its dependence on raw material imports. The northern and western parts of Western Europe are well endowed with fresh water resources. Large river arteries - Danube, Rhine, Loire. In Norway, 3/4 of all electricity comes from hydroelectric power plants. characteristic feature region is the almost complete absence of natural landscapes.
The leading countries of Western Europe are the countries - members of the "big seven" - Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy. The region is characterized by a high level of regional economic integration, the unification of countries in the EU, the opening of state borders within the framework of the Common European Economic Space.
Eastern Europe-The region was formed during the heyday of the Byzantine Empire.
Basic religion is Orthodoxy and Catholicism. The region uses Cyrillic script (in the Slavic states with a predominance of Orthodoxy) and Latin script.
The countries of Eastern Europe represent a single natural-territorial array stretching from the Baltic to the Black and Adriatic Seas. The region and its adjoining countries are based on the ancient Precambrian platform, covered by a cover of sedimentary rocks, as well as an area of alpine folding.
An important feature of all the countries of the region is their transit position between the countries of Western Europe and the CIS.
Out of stock natural resources stand out: coal (Poland, Czech Republic), oil and natural gas (Romania), iron ores (the countries of the former Yugoslavia, Romania, Slovakia), bauxite (Hungary), chromite (Albania).
In general, it must be said that the region is experiencing a shortage of resources, and in addition, it is a vivid example of an "incomplete" set of minerals. So, in Poland there are large reserves of coal, copper ores, sulfur, but almost no oil, gas, iron ore. In Bulgaria, on the contrary, there is no coal, although there are significant reserves of copper ores and polymetals.
The population of the region is about 130 million people. The population of Eastern Europe is characterized by a complex ethnic composition, but the predominance of the Slavic peoples can be noted. Of the other peoples, the Romanians, Albanians, Hungarians, and Lithuanians are the most numerous.
in the 2nd half of the 20th century. in the economies of countries Big changes. Firstly, industries developed at a faster pace - by the 80s of V. Europe turned into one of the most industrial regions of the world, and secondly, previously very backward regions also began to develop industrially (For example, Slovakia in the former Czechoslovakia, Moldova in Romania, northeast Poland). Such results became possible thanks to the implementation of regional policy.
Due to the shortage of oil reserves, this area is focused on coal, most of the electricity is generated at thermal power plants (more than 60%), but hydroelectric power plants and nuclear power plants also play an important role.
Now the leader in terms of traffic volume railway transport, BUT the automobile and marine industries are also intensively developing. The presence of the largest ports contributes to the development of external economic ties, shipbuilding, ship repair, fishing.
Northern Europe- a geopolitical region that unites the Scandinavian and Baltic states located in the northern part of Europe.
The region was formed in the second half of the first millennium AD on the basis of the Germanic colonists, and inherited many features of this people.
dominant religions in the region are Lutheranism and other areas of Protestantism.
The EGP of Northern Europe is characterized by the following features: firstly, advantageous position regarding the intersection of important air and sea routes from Europe to North America, as well as the convenience of access of the countries of the region to the international waters of the World Ocean, secondly, the proximity of the location to the highly developed countries of Western Europe(Germany, Holland Belgium, Great Britain, France), thirdly, the neighborhood on the southern borders with the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, in particular Poland, where market relations are successfully developing, fourthly, land proximity to Russian Federation , whose economic contacts contribute to the formation of promising markets for products; fifth, the presence of territories outside the Arctic Circle (35% of the area of Norway, 38% of Sweden, 47% of Finland).
The climate of remote territories (islands) is arctic, subarctic, maritime.
Importance for the Nordic countries have hydropower resources. Norway and Sweden are best provided with hydropower resources, where abundant rainfall and mountainous terrain provide the formation of a strong and uniform flow of water, and this creates good prerequisites for the construction of hydroelectric power plants. One of the greatest wealth of the Nordic countries is forest resources, that is, "green gold". Sweden and Finland stand out in terms of forest area and gross timber reserves, occupying the first and second places in Europe, respectively. Forest cover in these countries is high. In Finland it is almost 66%, in Sweden it is more than 59% (1995). Among other countries of the Northern macroregion, Latvia stands out with high forest cover (46.8%).
The northern lands are among the least populated territories.
The countries of Fenoscandia, except Sweden, are characterized by positive but low natural population growth, with the exception of Iceland, where natural increase remained at the rate of 9 people per 1000 inhabitants. Such a tense demographic situation is explained, first of all, by low birth rates.
Southern Europe- a geopolitical region that unites the South Slavic, Roman and Greek-speaking states located in the southern part of Europe.
The region began to form in the era of Ancient Greece about 2 thousand years BC and was finally formed in the era of the dawn of the Roman Empire. This is the oldest European region.
The religious composition is represented mainly by Orthodoxy and Catholicism.
important EGP feature countries of Southern Europe, which are located on the peninsulas and islands of the Mediterranean Sea, is that all of them are on the main sea routes from Europe to Asia, Africa and Australia, and Spain and Portugal - also to North and South America. All this, since the time of the great geographical discoveries, has affected the development of the region, the life of the countries of which is closely connected with the sea. No less significant is the fact that the region is located between Central Europe and the Arab countries of North Africa, which have multilateral ties with Europe. The former metropolises of Portugal, Italy and Spain still retain influence on some African countries. In the post-war years, by the beginning of the 21st century, mass migration to the countries of Southern Europe was observed.
All countries (except the Vatican) are members of the UN, the OECD, and the largest are members of NATO and the European Union, Malta is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, led by Great Britain.
Foreign Europe stretches from north to south for 5 thousand kilometers, and from west to east - for 3 thousand kilometers. Its territory in total occupies 5.4 million square kilometers, and the population is 520 million people.
Foreign Europe is one of the centers of world civilization, and is of incomparable importance for world politics, economics and culture.
On its territory there are 40 sovereign states, which are interconnected by a historical past, close cultural and political relations.
If we talk about the economic and geographical position of countries, then it is determined by two main criteria. The countries of foreign Europe are relatively close to each other, they either closely border on natural boundaries, or there is an insignificant distance between them, which does not affect the convenience of transport links.
The second main criterion is the coastal position of most countries that are connected to each other and countries of other continents by sea.
Countries such as Italy, Spain, Portugal, Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands have been associated with the sea since ancient times.
The political picture of foreign Europe changed significantly three times during the 20th century.
The First and Second World Wars significantly changed it, and at the end of the century there were significant changes associated with the Social Democratic parties that came to power.
As for the structure of states in this territory, in foreign Europe there are republics, unitary states, monarchical and federal.
By the 21st century, the Organization for Security and Cooperation - the OSCE, was formed, which is represented by 56 countries (it also includes the USA, Canada and the CIS countries).
On the territory of foreign Europe there are many minerals. The northern part includes ore and fuel minerals.
And hydropower resources fall on the territory of the Alps, Dinaric and Scandinavian mountains. Forestry is developed in Sweden and Finland, for which forest landscapes are typical.
The number of inhabitants of this part of the world is growing very slowly; a rather difficult demographic situation has been recorded in foreign Europe. The territory is a hotbed of global labor emigration; there are about 20 million foreign workers here.
It is important to note that most European countries are highly urbanized, the most high performance urbanizations refer to Belgium, Great Britain and the Netherlands.
The countries of Europe belong to the Indo-European family, there are four main types of states according to their national composition. These are mononational (Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark), with a sharp predominance of one nation (Great Britain, France, Finland), binational (Belgium) and multinational (Switzerland, Latvia).
Europe occupies a leading position in the world economy in terms of agricultural and industrial production, for the development of tourism and the export of goods and services.
The most powerful countries in terms of economic situation name Great Britain, France, Germany and Italy. They have the most developed complexes of various industries, unlike other countries, which have one or two industries that are highly developed.
