EU - Culture, Location, and Governance (Lesson)
Culture, Location, and Governance
Introduction
Europeans come from all different ethnic backgrounds and ethnic groups. An ethnic group is a group of people who share similar ancestry, languages, religions, and customs. In Europe, different ethnic groups were created over time from human migration, battles that occurred throughout Europe over many centuries, and the changing of political boundaries and government systems.
Culture in Europe
Religion plays an important role in European culture, art, and lifestyle. Christianity has been the dominant religion since the turn of the 18th century among different culture groups throughout Europe. The majority of Christians are Roman Catholic. A large Roman Catholic population can be found throughout countries located in western and southern Europe. The Eastern Orthodox Church can be found primarily in Eastern Europe and Southern Europe. There is a smaller population of Protestants that reside in the areas of the United Kingdom, central Europe, and Scandinavia. Judaism and Islam also have a strong influence in European culture. Despite implications from the Holocaust, there are many Jewish communities that have flourished throughout Europe. In recent years, there has been a strong movement of Muslim immigrants that have settled throughout the southern European continent.
Europeans generally have a strong sense of belonging to a particular country or ethnic group. This can have a positive or negative impact on a country. This strong sense of belonging has created conflict with other nations in the past. For example, conflict and hatred between different ethnic and religious groups in Yugoslavia caused Yugoslavia to split into seven separate countries. These countries that were once part of the country of Yugoslavia are now divided into present day Bosnia, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia.
Other cultural aspects that are important to Europeans include art and language.
In a positive light, Religion and culture have directly impacted the Arts in Europe. Art formations have been in existence for many centuries and can be seen in just about any building, statue, church, temple, or structure in Europe. In ancient times, art forms that date back to the Greeks and Romans can be found in buildings and ancient temples. The Gothic period in Europe contributed to a unique style of architecture that dates back to the middle ages. It was during this time when Europeans built mysterious and elaborate churches throughout Europe. Other types of art including Leonardo DaVinci's "Mona Lisa", Michelangelo's masterpiece painting on the ceiling of the Sistine chapel, and William Shakespeare's plays came directly out of European culture.
Language is another important aspect of culture. There are over 200 languages spoken throughout Europe today. Most European languages come from the Indio-European language family.
Geography of Europe
- Europe is the 2nd smallest continent in the world.
- Europe is 3/4 the size of the United States.
- Europe is located to the northeast of the United States, north of Africa, west of Asia and directly east of Canada.
- The Eurasian landmass includes all of Europe and Asia.
- Europe has approximately 50 countries
- Russia is the largest
- Vatican City is the smallest
Click on each of the items below to learn more.
Europe's Climate
Europe's climate varies significantly depending upon whether you are close to a coastline along the Mediterranean Sea, in the high Mountains of the Alps, close in northern Finland close to the Arctic circle, or in various other locations as you travel the continent of Europe.
Europe has a total of eight climate zones including the Steppe, Mediterranean, Humid Subtropical, Marine West Coast, Humid Continental, Subarctic, Tundra, and Highland. Learn more about them below.
Governance
The development of civilizations and government in Europe began near Greece more than 2500 years ago. The Greeks eventually created city-states or independent regions. City-states are small geographic areas where people share similar cultures, languages, and ideas. The most powerful city-state among all the Greek city-states was Athens. The first democracy was established in Athens around 500 b.c.e. The Greek leader Cleisthenes called the word, demokratia, or "the rule by the people." Although the “rule by the people” meant the rule by Athenian men, it set an important example for later civilizations to follow in Europe.
The idea of democracy and the principles behind free-thinking and self-governance came from some of the greatest thinkers of all time including Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. All three of these important philosophers lived in Athens.
While Greece dominated territories in the East, the Roman Empire captured the area surrounding the Italian peninsula and areas to the north and northwest in Europe. Rome began as a monarchy meaning that a king or queen once ruled, but quickly changed to a republic. A republic is where the matters of a society are made public. There were two consuls who governed Rome and they were elected by the people. The consuls were directed by the Senate, a governing body that was composed of many wealthy landowners. The most important government document to come out of this age was the "Twelve Tables", or bronze tablet. This was an ancient piece of legislation that came directly from Roman law. The Twelve Tables outlined the rights of Roman citizens, including the right to be treated equally under the law and that people are considered innocent until proven guilty.
The Roman Empire expanded and became one of the largest empires in the world around 200 b.c.e. The emperor Augustus came to power about 27 b.c.e. and he ruled many of Rome's territories. The Roman Empire was in decline by 300 c.e. The eastern half of the Roman Empire survived several hundred more years, but the western part of the Roman Empire collapsed in 476 c.e.
Many important governing practices came out of Rome including the principles of Rome's legal system, the concept of a republic and the importance of basic human rights.
As many cultures and societies spread throughout Europe, they conquered the land, spread culture and changed the way governments were organized and functioned. Today there are many different types of government at work in the nations of Europe.
Take a closer look...
Use an atlas or a map to find the different locations listed in the table above (list is also reprinted below.) and create your own map The information on your map should include Europe's major countries and capitals, oceans and seas, important rivers, mountain ranges, and Europe's peninsulas. Click HERE for a downloadable blank map. Links to an external site.
Countries
- Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland (island), Ireland (island), Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta (island), Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom (islands), Vatican City.
Major Rivers
- Volga, Ob, Seine, Rhine, Danube
Oceans & Seas
- Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Baltic Sea, Red Sea, Atlantic Ocean, Arctic Ocean, English Channel, North Sea, and Aegean Sea.
Mountains
- Ural Mountains, Alps (highest mountain range), Pyrenees, Carpathian Mountains, Caucasus Mountains
Major Cities
- London, Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Frankfurt, Warsaw, Vienna, Kyiv (Kiev), Bucharest, Istanbul, Athens, Naples, Rome, Venice, Barcelona, Madrid, Lisbon, St. Petersburg, Moscow, Vladivostok
Other Landforms-
- Iberian Peninsula, Scandinavian Peninsula, Great European Plains.
Europe is a very diverse continent both geographically and culturally. We have explored the different nations of Europe with regard to their geographic features like mountain ranges and rivers as well as the cultural elements that exist in Europe such as religion, art and music. Europe’s systems of government, while very different, all share a similarity—they are rooted in history.
Now it’s time to continue our journey!
MAP IMAGES VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
ALL OTHER IMAGES CREATED BY GAVS OR AVAILABLE IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN