 | Term | Definition |
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parliamentary democracy |
government in which voters elect representatives to a lawmaking body which chooses a prime minister to head the government |
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constitutional monarchy |
government in which a king or queen is the official head of state, but elected officials run the government |
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multilingual |
able to speak several languages |
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federal republic |
government divided between national and state powers |
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neutrality |
refusal to take sides in disagreements and wars between countries |
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welfare state |
country that uses tax money to support people who are sick, needy, jobless, or retired |
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What is the standard of living for Norway? |
wealthy country because of oil and natural gas pumped from beneath the North Sea |
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What is the standard of living for Sweden? |
it is a wealthy and industrial country with its wealth coming from abundant natural resources such as iron ore deposits and extensive pine forests |
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What is the standard of living for Finland? |
it is a wealthy country with most of its wealth coming from huge forests of spruce, pine, and birch as well as having much industry, producing machinery and being a leader in communications |
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What is the standard of living for Denmark? |
enjoys a high standard of living with some of the richest farmland in northern Europe |
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What is the standard of living for Iceland? |
have a high standard of living due to its fishing industry |
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Where does Norway's wealth come from? |
from oil, natural gas, and fish |
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What is Norway's nickname? |
Land of the Midnight Sun |
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Why is Sweden a welfare state? |
its wealth enabled it to use high taxes to provide services to people who are sick, needy, jobless, or retired |
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Why is the Finnish culture different from the other Nordic nations? |
The people who settled there were originally from Siberia and Russia and as a result their language and culture is much different than the other Nordic countries |
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What effect is there for Iceland because it is located on a fault line? |
It is a land of glaciers and geysers because of this and is at the mercy of constant volcanic activity |
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How are Norway, Sweden,and Finland alike? |
located in northern most part of Europe, are known as Scandinavians or Nordic Countries, have standards of living that are among the highest in the world, mostly cold climates, have highly educated people, have large cities located mostly in the south, most people live in the south because the climate is milder there |
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How are Norway, Sweden, and Finland different? |
Norway is not part of the European Union (EU) while Sweden and Findland are members, different types of government - Norway has a parliamentary democracy, Denmark has a constitutional monarchy, and Finland has a parliamentary republic |
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What are the four regions of the U.K.? |
England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland |
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What is Ireland's nickname and how did it get it? |
it is called the Emerald Isle because of its landscape |
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Why did Ireland join the European Union? |
to market its products more widely |
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What disagreement led to the fighting in Northern Ireland? |
a disagreement between the Catholics and the Protestants - the Loyalists wanted to stay under British rule and the Nationalists wanted to break away from the U.K. and become part of Ireland |
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What does BE stand for? |
Belgium |
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What does NE stand for? |
the Netherlands |
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What does LUX stand for? |
Luxembourg |
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What are some things French culture is known for? |
food, fashion, and art |
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What foods does France produce and export? |
France is the second largest exporter of foods in the world - second only to the United States - export wine and cheese |
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Why do so many tourists want to visit France? |
millions visit the famous sites of Paris (France's capital) - such as the Arch de Triomphe, Eiffel Tour, cathedral of Notre Dame, and the famous museum - Louvre |
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What foods are produced and exported in the Netherlands? |
due to high technology the small Dutch farms export cheese, vegetables, and flowers - ranks 3rd in the world (1st U.S. and 2nd France) in the value of its agricultural exports |
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Why do foreign countries come to Luxembourg? |
it is centrally located and most people there speak several languages (mulitlingual) |
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Why are Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and Liechtenstein called the "Alpine" countries? |
because these countries contain a significant portion of the Alps mountain ranges |
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Why has Switzerland remained neutral? |
it has remained neutral or refused to get involved or take sides in wars because it is located in the center of Europe and surrounded by powerful nations |
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What are the national languages of Switzerland - and why so many? |
German, French, Italian, and Romansch - because there are so many different ethnic groups living there due to its geographic location |
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What type of job do most Austrians have? |
in manufacturing or service jobs |
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Does Austria have a strong economy? |
yes - and varied |
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What is Germany's history in regards to WWII? |
the leader of Germany at that time was Adolf Hitler. His armies invaded Poland, Britian, and France. The countries that fought against each other were Germany, Italy, and Japan as the Axis Powers and Great Britain, the United States, and Russia as the Allied Powers. Hitler sought ethnic purity and began the Nazi Party as a means of killing Jews |
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Who were the Axis Powers? |
Germany, Italy, and Japan |
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Who were the Allied Powers? |
Great Britain, the United States, and Russia |
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Who created the Nazi Party? |
Adolf Hitler |
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Who were the Gestapo? |
secret police force of the Nazis |
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What is anit-semitism? |
hate for Jewish people |
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What is genocide? |
the planned killing of an entire race or group of people |
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What was a ghetto? |
an enclosed and restricted area of a city where the Jews were required to live |
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What were concentration camps? |
prisons where the Germans sent the Jews, Gypsies, mentally or physically impaired, and political opponents |
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What was Auschwitz? |
a death camp built especially for the purpose of mass murder - the execution of large numbers of Jews in gas chambers |
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When and What was D-Day? |
June 7, 1944 and this is when the Allied Powers invaded France |
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What was the Berlin Wall? |
a barrier that symbolized the split between East and West Germany |
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What problems occurred as a result of German reunification? |
many old and inefficient industries in the east and they had less experience and training in modern technology so they could not compete with those in the west and were forced to close |
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What is Germany's economy like now - how? |
strong economy - now a global economic power and a leader in the European Union - has area - Ruhr - important industrial center - rich deposits of coal - factories produce high quality steel, ships, cars, machinery, chemicals, and electrical equipment |
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What type of government does Germany have now? |
it is a federal republic like the United States with a national government and state government that share powers |
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What countries make up the Iberian Peninsula? |
Spain, Portugal, and Andorra |
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Why does the sea play an important role in Southern Europe? |
all these countries are surrounded by the Sea - make their living by the sea - and use it to import and export products |
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What is the conflict among Basque people in Spain and why do they feel separate from the rest of Spain? |
the speak a totally different language and they seek their independece in order to preserve their way of life - some even use violence against the Spanish government |
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What type of Government does Spain have? |
it has a constitutional monarchy, but elected officials run the government |
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Why is tourism important to the Iberian Peninsula? |
many people travel here to enjoy the sunny climate, beautiful beaches, and ancient castles and cathedrals - each of the countries in this area depends upon this industry |
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What is the difference among the prosperity in Italy from the north and the south? |
most manufacturing takes place in northern Italy - tourism is also important in the north - southern Italy is poorer and less industrialized |
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Why was the Roman Empire important to Italy's history? |
central Italy is where the capital is located - Rome - in classical times this was the seat of the Roman Empire - still can find Roamn ruins there |
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What is Vatican City? |
it is surrounded by Rome and is the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church and home of the Pope - it is its own country |
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Why is Greece's economy dependent upon the sea? |
all of Greece is surrounded by the sea - from its furthest point inward there are only 85 miles to the sea - it is made of 2,000 islands- shipping is viatl to the economy |
