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Week 19 Content

This document provides an overview of the geography, climate, history and countries of West-Central Europe, including: The Netherlands became famous for its tulip industry in the 1500s-1600s. Major countries included France, Belgium, Germany, and Switzerland. The region has varied terrain like the Northern European Plain, Central Uplands, and Alps. Rivers like the Danube and Rhine shaped development. A warm ocean current gives the northwest a mild climate. France had powerful leaders like Charlemagne and Napoleon, while Germany experienced division and reunification after World War 2. Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, known as the Benelux countries, are located in the low-lying western region. Austria

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282 views

Week 19 Content

This document provides an overview of the geography, climate, history and countries of West-Central Europe, including: The Netherlands became famous for its tulip industry in the 1500s-1600s. Major countries included France, Belgium, Germany, and Switzerland. The region has varied terrain like the Northern European Plain, Central Uplands, and Alps. Rivers like the Danube and Rhine shaped development. A warm ocean current gives the northwest a mild climate. France had powerful leaders like Charlemagne and Napoleon, while Germany experienced division and reunification after World War 2. Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, known as the Benelux countries, are located in the low-lying western region. Austria

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WEEK 19 CONTENT: WEST-CENTRAL EUROPE

Tulips were brought to the Netherlands from Turkey in the mid1500s and became a very popular and in-demand flower in the
1500s and 1600s
Countries of West-Central Europe include: France, Belgium,
Luxembourg,
the
Netherlands,
Germany,
Austria,
and
Switzerland
Physical geography of West-Central Europe-important landforms:
o Northern European Plain stretches from Atlantic coast to
Eastern Europe
o Central Uplands stretch from the Massif Central plateau
region in France, the Jura Mountains on the French-Swiss
border to the Black Forest of Germany
This area is also known for having productive
coalfields which make the Central Uplands a difficult
area to farm
Major water features
o North Sea and English Channel to the north
o Bay of Biscay and Atlantic Ocean to the west
o Mediterranean Sea to the south
o Major Rivers that cross the region include
Danube
Rhine
Navigable rivers such as these allow ships to pass
through them due to their width and depth
Climate of this region
o Contains a warm ocean current that flows along Europes
northwestern coast-this is known as marine west coast
climate
o At higher elevations, the clmate is colder and wetter
o Southern France has a Mediterranean climate
o Climate is an important natural resource of this area
Energy and minerals are not evenly distributed across the region
Besides climate, the Alps serve as another important natural
resource due to the number of tourists who come to hike and ski
FRANCE
o Charlemagne-Emperor of the Romans who built a powerful
Christian empire
o William the Conqueror-Duke of Normandy who helped the
Normans of France conquer England in 1066; William
became the king of England as a result

He tried to gain throne of France in Hundred Years


War but was unsuccessful

o France had an empire from 1500 to 1700 until it was


overthrown in the late 1700s by a French general Napoleon
Bonaparte who would later become very powerful and
eventually exiled from France
o The French are proud of their history due to the number of
significant historical events and figures that have impacted
it
BENELUX COUNTRIES
o These include Belguim, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands
o Called Low Countries due to their elevation
o Netherlands:
Capital is Amsterdam
The Hague is the seat for Dutch government
o Belgium:
Capital is Brussels
Brussels is HQ for NATO and the EU
It is cosmopolitan
o Luxembourg
Most people here speak French or German
Most of its income comes from banking
GERMANY
o Capital is Berlin
o Has a rich cultural history
o During WWII, Berlin was controlled by a maniacal dictator
named Adolph Hitler
o Hitler and his Nazi regime lost to the United States and the
Allied Forces in WWII
o In the 1960s, Berlin was separated by the Berlin Wall
which separated communist East Germany from West
Germany
o In 1989-1990, the wall was torn down and Germany was
united as one country
o Germany is a federal republic and its prime minister is
called a chancellor
o Germanys economy is based on a number of different
things from automobiles to farming; however, the economy
has slowed because of the presence of fewer German
farms and high numbers of unemployed people
AUSTRIA & SWITZERLAND

o These are the Alpine countries


o Austria-capital is Vienna; has little unemployment and
successful economy
o Switzerland-capital is Bern; contains 26 districts (cantons)

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