Europe: Population and Culture

Diversity and Urban life in Western Europe

• People speak a variety of different languages, about half of the people speak English.

• Languages sometimes unites those from different cultures.

• Christianity has been the dominant religion.

• In Western Europe, most people live within 100 miles of the coast.

*Quality question: How do you think living near the water affects jobs?

The Urban Continent• Europe has been called

the “urban continent” because so many people live in urban areas.

• An urban area may include a city and its surrounding areas.

• Most countries in Western Europe have dense populations clustered in small land areas.

• Most countries set strict limits on the expansion of cities and suburbs

Most Europeans use public transportation.

Life in Northwestern Europe• With almost universal access

to the Internet, cell phones, and television, faraway people and places seem much nearer.

• Many of the large cities are capital cities with rich history and culture

• Region of many ethnic groups due to a large immigrant populations.

• Immigrants take part in cultural borrowing (an exchange that takes place when groups comes into contact and share ideas, language, customs, and even food)

West Central Europe TodayEuropean Union• Effort by European

countries to ensure peace and improve economies through a single market.

• It is an example of cooperation between and among cultures.

• The EU has 24 official languages.

• The EU works to expand prosperity, to spread democracy, and defend human rights and the rule of law.

West Central Europe Today• Countries include France,

Belgium, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

France• France’s main industry is

tourism. Paris is the nation’s cultural and economic center.

• More than 5 million immigrants live in France

• Roman catholic is main religion with Islam making up 5-10% of the population.

Germany: Culture and Immigration• German culture includes

some of the world’s finest music, art, poetry, films, and literature.

• Germans have also been leaders in the study of botany, mathematics, and military technology.

• The country ranks high in the number of university professors, published book titles, and Nobel laureates.

• Because of its past and its diverse population, modern Germany encourages tolerance.

Austria and SwitzerlandAustria• Austria shares a language as

well as economic and cultural ties with Germany.

• Austria has become a prosperous democracy.

• Tourism is a top industry.Switzerland• Switzerland is one of the

world’s oldest democracies.• Switzerland has a long

history of neutrality, or not taking sides in wars.

• Joined United Nations in 2002.

Southern Europe Culture• Cultural Diffusion:

spread of culture.• Cultural diffusion has had

a strong impact on the cultures of world societies, including those of Southern Europe.

• Art, music, and literature in Southern Europe reflect universal themes (subjects or ideas that relate to the entire world

• Examples: Michelangelo, Vatican City