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Introduction to class –
Review syllabus & Website –
Texts
Assignments & Policies - modifications to syllabus
Power Points – self study
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Lecture Introduction to Geography
Organization of Course – Themes
Regionalization of Europe – Chapter 1 and pages 209 - 230
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Course in context – Nature of Geography
Question: “Why do things occur/happen where they do?”
Focus & Parameters – The Study of Man-Land Relationships
- Provide fundamental insights into the world in which we live by examining the spatial
organization and character of the earth’s surface.
- Physical and human geography are the two great branches of geography with humanenvironment interaction being the interface between the two.
- The use of a spatial perspective (the why of the where) promotes a focus on location,
interaction between humans and the environment, regions, place, movement, and
landscape.
- Geography is concerned with the identification, description and analysis of patterns and
distributions, as these reveal relationships that exist between different places and things.
- The use of maps and GIS reflects the centrality of a spatial perspective to geography.
- Maps are used to portray the distinctive character of places; their relationship to
environmental issues; the movements of people, goods, and ideas; and, regions of various
types.
- People’s perception of places and regions are influenced by their individual mental maps
as well as printed maps.
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Organization of the course – Themes of Human Geography
Regionalization
Resources
Population
Human- Environment Interaction
Culture
Revolution
Urbanization
Economic Activities
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Regionalization – To divide a space into regions for study and analysis.
- Characteristics of regions
o Area – a defined spatial extent
o Location – all regions lie somewhere on the earth’s surface and thus can be located
In some manner
o Boundaries – defined areal extent (all regions have limits to their areal extent defined
by the presence and/or absence of the criteria used to define the region)
o Variability – regions are expressed through an identified criteria or internal
“sameness,” but there is high variability in the types of regions and how regions are
defined.
- Types of Regions
o Physical – regions defined basis of the presence or absence of a physical feature
(mountains for example).
o Formal – defined by cultural criteria (language, religion, house-types, economic
activities)
o Functional – is a product of interactions, such as movements of various kinds.
Examples – a city and its suburbs defined by commuter traffic. Functional regions are
defined by spatial systems.
o Perceptual Regions – example – “The Midwest” – definition changes depending on
who you ask.
o Hierarchal regions – regions form a hierarchy based on size and importance.
Megalopolis is a region within North America. Within this region are various smaller
functional regions.
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Resources
– those things identified in the landscape that are used and/or modified by
humans. How “resources” are identified and used are functions of culture and
technology.
- Resources are held within the physical environment, therefore an
understanding of the physical environment is necessary (i.e. study of
physical geography)
o Resources may include ores contained in mountains, soil, climate,
proximity to the sea.
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Population
– refers to the demographic characteristics of people (gender, age, fertility,
mortality, race) and the distribution and movement of people across the
earth’s surface and through time. It includes the study of migration (the
movement of people) and transitions which take place within populations
such as the fertility transition, and on a larger scale, the demographic
transition. Changes (transitions) within a population are frequently linked
to changes in the level of development.
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Human- Environment Interaction
– how humans use the environment and interact with it and the results
of this interaction. Interactions may include topics such as how humans
make a living with the environment, from hunting and gathering, farming
or industrialization. Global warming is the result of human-environment
interaction.
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Culture
– the way of life of a people. Defined by language, ethnicity, religion,
costuming, kinship, and economic activities, etc. and how these are
manifested. Includes the study of items of material culture. Culture
characteristics may be modified through diffusion.
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Revolution
–
anything, or any event, that causes a significant and lasting change
within a group, population or culture. Includes the agricultural (Neolithic)
revolution, industrial revolution, political revolutions, etc.
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Urbanization
– process of city building, including the historical shift from rural to urban
dominance. Urbanization implies the movement of people within a spatial
system (infrastructure) and the growth of economic activities (across
space).
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Economic Activities
–
how a group, population or culture chooses to make a living. There are
different types of economic activities including primary, secondary,
tertiary, and quaternary (possibly a fifth, quintinary). Economic activities
are driven by culture (selection of resources), technology (how resources
are collected and modified), and spatial systems, such as infrastructure
(how goods are distributed). Shifts in economic activities may be the
result of migration and diffusion.
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Chapter 1 - Introduction
Regionalization according to Ostergren & Rice
- a region is a bounded segment (area) of the earth’s surface (boundaries).
Types of Regions
- (Naively) Perceived
- Instituted
- Denoted
Important Note – all regions are constructs (meaning they include multiple
concepts) and are products of the human mind.
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Naively Perceived Regions
- Regions that are created informally, coming into existence through
popular recognition without official sanction.
- Internally Perceived Regions
o Regions defined by people (usually the elite/controlling class) living
within them
o Associated with the idea of “community”
 “This space belongs to us, not them.”
 Frequently defined by metes & bounds – use of landmarks,
trees, stones, rivers
- “Imagined Regions”
o defined by social group to reflect the views of an elite trying to foster
the idea of a bond between a group and a place, or area of space
(where none may actually exist historically).
- Such definitions contributed to the development of a sense of
nationalism and nation-hood
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Instituted Regions
- Regions created by some authority within an organization such as
national, state, local governments, religious organizations, private
businesses, etc.
- These regions are created so that the organization may be more easily
administered.
- Once instituted, these regions are recognized as existing entities that have
clearly defined borders.
- Systems of instituted regions are frequently hierarchical.
- Example - Secular instituted regions
o Independent State (US)
 Constituent state (Texas)
 County (Smith)
o City (Tyler)
 Rural Township (Winona)
- Each level has its own functions and administrative responsibilities
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Denoted Regions
- Pedagogical regions
o Regions identified and defined for purposes of classification
o These regions include
 Uniform (formal) regions
 Nodal (functional) regions
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Europe as a Culture Realm – Shifts in the regionalization of Europe
A realm is a collection of regions.
Europe is defined as a uniform denoted region.
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Europe as a continent
- Continent – “a continuous body of land contained within water.”
- Europe is not a continent
o Europe is a peninsula of Asia
 Europe contains 5/6 peninsulas
 Scandinavian
 Jutland
 Brittany (not usually included)
 Iberian
 Italian
 Grecian/Balkan
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Naively Perceived Europe
I.
Europe as a continent, was invented by the Greeks.
- The Greeks divided the world into known (ecumene) and unknown (anecumene)
o Ecumene
 Temperate Zone of northern hemisphere
 Divided into occidens (west) and oriens (east)
 Occidens = Europe
 Oriens = Asia
II. The Romans discarded the use of the concept of “Europe” because it was not
useful. Romans divided the world into
- Romania (urban, cities, civilization)
- Barbaria (rural, non-Roman, foreign)
III. Following fall of Roman Empire
- Civilization was identified with Christianity.
- World divided into
o Christendom
o Pagan world (Non Christian – pagus, paganus, country dweller)
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IV. Christianity as a failed unifier
- Goal – Christianity would become a global religion
- 7th Century
o With spread of Islam, Christianity is spatially confined to the area the
Greeks called Europe.
- End of Middle Ages
o Orthodox and Roman Catholic split becomes irrevocable
o Protestant reformation shatters the “unity of Western Christendom”
o Secular states arise attaining equal or greater importance than Church
 People are progressively more loyal to their states than the
Church
o Age of Discovery & Exploration
 Christianity spreads beyond Europe to New World
 Europe is focus for spread
 “in discovering the world, Europe discovered herself.”
o Return of the use of the Greek designation of “Europe” as
a perceived region.
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Instituted Europe
pages 209 - 230
Development of the idea occurs after WWII as a result of post-war recovery
and economic cooperation.
1947
Benelux Union includes Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg
creates customs union.
1951
European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) includes France,
West Germany, Italy and the Benelux nations. Goal – integrate
steel coal and steel industry under a supranationalistic authority
(economically integreate the participating countries)
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1957
Treaty of Rome includes Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg,
France, West Germany and Italy. Creates the European Economic
Community (EEC, “Common Market”). Treaty established a
supranationalistic organization dedicated to
1.
eliminating internal barriers to trade;
2.
creating a common external tariff;
3.
allowing for the free movement of capital, services,
goods and people among the member states; and,
4.
developing common integrative policies in key areas such
as agriculture, energy, fisheries, monetary policy, and
regional policy.
Treaty recognized the movement toward shared government and the
subordination of national sovereignties over a wide range of issues. Treaty
also laid the foundation for the creation of an “European culture,” by
advocating the use of a common educational curriculum.
Treaty also created the European Atomic Energy Commission (Euratom)
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Nations not included in Treaty of Rome go on to develop their own
organizations including
1959
European Free Trade Association (EFTA) includes the UK,
Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Portugal, Switzerland, Austria.
In 1960s EFTA member nations are known as the “outer seven,”
In contrast to the “inner six” member nations of the EEC.
EFTA focused on the promotion of free trade among its member
nations and improved trade relations throughout western Europe.
Did not include, or encourage and policy that entail the loss of
sovereignty among its member nations.
1961
UK, Ireland, Denmark and Norway begin negotiations for
membership in the EEC
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1967
Reorganization of the EEC.
EEC, ECSC, and Euratom merged into a single structure,
The European Community (EC). Goals –
- creation of single market economy
- creation and use of a single currency
- creation of a federalist political union
1973
UK, Ireland and Denmark become members. Norway had
petitioned for membership but declined offer after a dispute over
fisheries.
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Nations petition for membership over time and are largely admitted
including
1981
Greece joins EC
1986
Spain and Portugal join EC
1995
Austria, Sweden, Finland join.
1998
1999
Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia
join.
Negotiations to admit Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta,
Romania and Slovakia. These nations granted associate
membership.
2004
Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia admitted as full members.
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While nations are being admitted the EC continues to undergo change –
1992
Treaty of European Union (Maastricht Treaty)
- Ratified in 1993, this treaty provided for the “deepening” of
cooperation among member nations in three areas (“Pillars”)
- EC (European Community)
- The Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP)
- The Fields of Justice and Home Affairs (JHA)
- The EC is the umbrella organization that contains these 3
“pillars”
- The Maastricht Treaty also set a specific time table for the
adoption of a common currency throughout the EU
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Continuing Progress towards Unification
1995
Schengen Agreement, including Belgium, France, Germany,
Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain and Portugal
- establishes the “Schengen Area” within the EU – committed
to the gradual removal of checks at shared borders
1999
Amsterdam Treaty – provides for the free movement of people
and common police and border controls across the EU with
special provisions applied to Denmark, Great Britain, and Ireland.
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The move towards a common currency
1994
European Monetary Institute (EMI) established
1995
Birth of the “Euro” within the EC. Launch date for Euro set at
Jan. 1st, 1999.
2001
European Central Bank established
2002
Euro banknotes & coins introduced – “biggest money swap” in
history as national currencies of 12 member nations disappear.
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The EU is a work in progress
(See Map, page 210)
- Turkey has applied for membership (1987), and this has been contested.
It was formally offered candidacy in 1999 but membership talks have not
been set. Problems with Turkish membership;
- poor human rights record (problems with Kurdish minority)
- continuing problems with Greece over Cyprus
- unstated problem – Turkey is a Muslim country and lies in Asia
- Turkey’s population is growing rapidly, as an EU member this
nation could hold political sway in EU decisions
- The problem of the Balkans
- Bulgaria and Romania have associate status but have yet to be fully
admitted
- Other Balkan nations want to join including Albania and the 5 former
republics of Yugoslavia. Only Slovenia has been admitted so far.
Croatia is the strongest candidate for admission. These nations will
be admitted one by one (not as a block) as they qualify.
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Other Issues with the EU
- Each step towards unification results in an incremental loss of national
sovereignty
- Question of whether a true supranational identity can overcome longstanding national identities
- Integrationist vs decentralist
o Decentralists want to keep national and regional rights
o Integrationists want votes to extend to the majority, rather than having
national referendums and national vetoes.
- Resurgence of regionalism
o “Hollowing out” of nation-state authority
o Reaction to growing impact of supranationalism
o Argument that the region may be the most relevant political unit
 “A Europe of Regions”
 EU legitimizes the idea by emphasizing the importance of
regional diversity and interregional cooperation, including crossborder region building (largely based on economic activities)
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Macro regions
- Latin Crescent
- Baltic League
- Slavic Federation
- Atlantic Coast
- Mitteleuropa
- Alpine Arc
- Danube Basin
- Balkan Peninsula
(See map & discussion pg 227)
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Denoted Europe
Traits used to define Europe as a “denoted” region (9 overlapping)
1.
Middle Eastern Heritage
- basic fabric of European civilization borrowed from Middle East
“Environmental Transformation” of Europe includes
- domestication of plants & animals
- development of shifting cultivation
- Discovery and use of bronze
- Development of the wheel and sail
- Domestication of the horse
- Concentration of people in cities
- Development of civilization
- central authority
- infrastructure
- organized philosophy/religion
- commerce
- writing systems
- Development of iron
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2. Greek & Roman Thought & Heritage
- Greeks adapted Middle Eastern culture to European scene
- Romans took culture of Greeks and what they themselves developed and
spread it throughout the Mediterranean and into northern Europe
3. Christianity
- Developed in Middle East
- Roman vs Eastern Orthodox split
- Protestant Reformation
4. Indo-European Legacy
- Majority of Europeans speak languages of the Indo-European
family
5. Impact of Renaissance & Humanism
- Scientific Transformation
- Age of Discovery and Exploration
- Breakout of Christianity from Europe
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6. Impact of Enlightenment
- Separation of science from theology
- secularization of Europe
7. Nationalism & Romanticism
- Governments belong to the people, not ruling families
- political states should coincide with homogenous peoples
- Romanticism rejected “elitism” emphasizing the “common people”
- favored “simple popular cultures of nations, attached to their native
soil”
8. Commercial – Industrial Society
- Development of uniquely European economic systems
- Capitalism
- Marxism (Socialism, Communism)
- Europe’s industrialization became the standard for the rest of the world
- “Westernization” – Western Model
- Impact is seen in
- Demographic Transition
- Rostow’s Stages of Economic Growth
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9. Cultural Diversity
- Europe as a “family of cultures” (inter-related as a result of trade and
conflict)
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The Regions according to Ostergren & Rice
The Inner Zone
- Western Europe (1)
- Britain and Ireland (2)
- West-Central Europe (3)
The Outer Zone
- East-Central Europe (4)
- Nordic and Baltic Europe (5)
- The Western Mediterranean (6)
- Eastern Europe & European Russia (7)
- The Balkans (8)
The European Periphery – Transitional Regions
- Siberia (9)
- Western Turkestan (10)
- The Southeastern Periphery (11)
- The Maghreb (12)
(see Map page 18)
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The Inner Zone
1.
Western Europe
- Cornerstone of Europe since the Middle Ages
- Includes majority of European “Heartland”
- Includes
o France, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg
- Core area – France
o Paris – Europe’s largest city
- Randstand – mercantile capital of Europe
o Ring-City of Netherlands
- Anchored by Rotterdam
- Europe’s largest port
- Den-Haag
- Seat of national government
- Amsterdam
- Capital and cultural center of Netherlands
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- Cultural Characteristics
o Religion
 Roman Catholicism predominates (French & Dutch)
 Netherlands - Protestant
o Languages
 French dominant
 Dutch to north
 German in eastern Belgium, Luxembourg, Alsace
 Region sits astride the Germanic – Romanic boundary
2.
Britain and Ireland
-
-
Includes
- 2 Major Islands
- Britain
- Ireland
- United Kingdom
- England
- Scotland
- Wales
Republic of Ireland
Northern Ireland
Home to Agricultural Revolution & Industrial Revolution
(this is disputed)
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-
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Language - English
has surpassed French and prime medium for international
communication
Culture
meeting place between Germanic and Celtic cultures
Anglo-Saxon invaders (5th century) bring in dialects of ancestral English
and drive Celts into peripheral areas.
Norse bring in Germanic influence
Religion
Protestant majority
Catholic Ireland and Irish catholic enclaves in major cities
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3.
West Central Europe
-
Includes
Germany, Austria, Switzerland
Language – Germanic
Religion – Catholic to south & west, Protestant to north and east
Major Foci
The Rhineland
Frankfurt & Rhine-Ruhr Conurbation
Frankfurt – leading financial center
Rhine-Rhur – Germany’s greatest center of heavy industry
Hamburg – traditionally focused on trade, now diplomacy
- Has more consulates than any other city in the world except
New York
Berlin
Vienna
Munich
Zurich
-
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The Outer Zone
4.
East-Central Europe
-
-
Includes
Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Lithuania
also includes Kaliningrad
Russian exclave
Oblast – Territorial administrative center
Culture – meeting ground of Germanic and Slavic cultures
Germanic invading culture (since Middle Ages)
Languages – Germanic & Slavic
Religion
Germanic – Protestant
13 million ethnic Germans were forcibly removed from the area after
WWII
Small minority remain in Poland
Slavic – Catholic
Judaism – 14th century – fleeing pogroms in western Europe
Almost all were killed during WWII
Removal of Jews and Germans increased Slavic dominance in the region
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-
-
Foci
Region lacks clear urban foci
Cities have historical importance but none are “cores”
Prague
Budapest
Warsaw
Kaliningrad
Port city of Kaliningrad & its hinterland
Previously known as Konigsberg when it belonged to Germany (East Prussia)
After WWII
area divided between Poland and USSR
Germans moved out, Russians moved in
Important industrial city/port for USSR
USSR’s only ice free Baltic port
Home to Russian Baltic Sea Fleet
Today
Characterized by
illicit activities (smuggling)
industrial decay
pollution problems
poverty (even by Russian standards)
has one of the worst economies in the Russian Federation
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5.
Nordic and Baltic Europe
-
-
Includes
Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Denmark, Iceland
Nordic Europe
includes Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Iceland
core are Denmark, Sweden and Norway
- Languages- most related to Germanic family
- Urban Foci – Copenghagen, Stockholm
Nordic Region well defined – “Norden Region”
1952 Nordic Council
- promotes cooperation among member nations
1971 Nordic Council of Ministers
intergovernmental vehicle for cooperation in different policy
areas
included Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Faeroes,
Greenland, and Aland
established passport union, common labor market, common
diplomatic representation, promoted cultural unity (to
distinguish itself from the rest of Europe) and function as a
block in UN
Denmark, Sweden and Finland belong the EU
Norway and Iceland do not
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6.
Baltic Europe
includes Estonia, Latvia
Estonians, close cultural relatives of Finns
Finland promotes economic development in Estonia
Latvia more closely related to Lithuania, and Latvia includes a large
number of Russians in its population
Lutheran religion dominates in Lativia (major religion of Nordic
Europe)
Western Mediterranean
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-
Region includes Iberian and Italian peninsulas
Includes Portugal, Spain, Italy
Languages derived from Latin (Romance family)
Exception – Basques
Religion – Roman Catholic
Culturally diverse
cultural diversity manifested in regionalization
Spain divided into 17 autonomous regions
Italy has 5 autonomous regions
Sicily, Sardinia, German speaking northeast region, Friulian region
(also northeast), French speaking region in northwest
Economic Diversity
Northern Italy “wealthy,” southern Italy “indigent”
Spain: Catalonia better off than Andulusia
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7.
Eastern Europe
-
-
8.
Includes Ukraine, Belarus, European Russia
linked to 9 other former Soviet republics through membership in CIS
(established Dec. 8, 1991)
Language – East Slavic
Religion – Eastern Orthodox (includes Russian Orthodox)
Urban Focus – Moscow
St. Petersburg
Economy – unregulated capitalist
great regional differences in prosperity
The Balkans
-
-
Poorest region in Europe
Includes Croatia, Bosnia-Herzogovina, Serbia and Montenegro, Macedonia
(“The Former Yugoslav Republic of”), Albania,
Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldava
Languages – highly varied (mostly Slavic)
Religion
Eastern Orthodox majority
Islam minority
Roman Catholic (to the north)
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-
-
No clear focus
Greece richest nation in region
member of EU
Athens is urban focus
Politically Unstable
Break up of Yugoslavia and resulting wars
Conflict between Greece and Turkey over Cyprus
Cyprus divided into
Greek Cypriot Republic of Cyprus
Turkish Republic of North Cyprus (recognized only by Turkey)
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The European Periphery
-
Outside Europe
Transitional to the non-European world
Populations have contributed to Europe
Outside the focus of course, but worth mentioning
9. Siberia
- Absorbed into Russian Empire in 16th and 17th centuries
- Indigenous population
o Turkic speaking
o Sparsely populated
 Concentrated in Arctic – Lena River basin
- Institutions and Language of the region became and remain Russian
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10. Western Turkestan
- Identified historically as Turkic-speaking, Muslim Inner Asia
- Bridge between Europe and Islamic World
- Irredentism (“recovery of lands of which a nation has been deprived or of
a culturally or historically related territory that was subject to the
authority of a foreign government”)
o Spread (rejuvenation) of Islam following breakup of USSR
 Building of mosques and schools funded by Islamic nations
including Saudi Arabia and Iran
- Region now includes
o Kazakstan
o Turkmenistan
o Uzbekistan
o Krygyzistan
o Tajikistan (Iranian language family)
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11. The Southeastern Periphery
- Includes Turkey, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan
- Turkey & Azerbaijan are secular states with populations that are almost
100% Muslim
o Turkey – Sunni
 Altaic people closely related to people of Inner Asia
o Azerbaijan - Shiite
- Armenia & Georgia are Christian states
o Armenia – Apostolic (Monophysite) Church
o Georgia – Eastern Orthodox
- Caucasus region includes hundreds of people who are culturally and
ethnically distinct from the four major groups.
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12. The Maghreb
- “Land of the Setting Sun”
- Bridge between Europe and Islamic world
- Northern Coast of Africa
o Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia
- Conquered by Ottomans 16th century
- Colonized by France 19th & 20th centuries
o French – Lingua Franca of commerce
- Tunisia – associate status in EU
- Late 1980s
o Arab Maghreb Union
 Includes nations of Maghreb & Libya
 Largely inactive
 Tunisia and Morocco are calling for its revival
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Use of Denoted Regions in this Course
You are expected to know what nations fit into what regions and their basic
characteristics. However, this course is not structured as a “regional” course.
The regions have been identified and reviewed to provide a structural
background for thematic discussions.