Post on 29-Dec-2015
January 7, 2014
Agenda• Physical Geography – Europe
• Mesopotamia is Greek for “land between two rivers.”• Sumerians (3500 to 2300 B.C.), the developers of writing• Babylon (1792-1595 B.C.), led by Hammurabi, who
developed the eye-for-an-eye legal code• Assyria (883-612 B.C.), the masters of warfare and the first
people to effectively use chariots.• The culture of Mesopotamia spread to Palestine, Greece
and Rome and became components of our culture today.
Sumerians (3500 to 2300 B.C.), go from hunter-gatherer society to agricultural (farming)
Mesopotamia and the Fertile Crescent • Widely regarded as the “cradle of
civilization,”
Peninsulas • Peninsula – a piece of land nearly surrounded on all
sides by water• Northern– Scandinavian– Jutland
• Southern– Iberian– Italian– Balkan
• How would being surrounded/near water affect way of life?
Oceans and Seas• North Sea
• Bay of Biscay
• Mediterranean Sea
• Adriatic Sea
• Baltic Sea
• Norwegian Sea
• Black Sea
• Aegean Sea
• English Channel
Northern European Plain• One of
World’s most Fertile Regions
• Flatness, provided an easy entrance for invaders throughout History.
Unique Features
• Fjords– Steep valley’s carved by Glaciers and then filled
with seawater• Polders– Land in the Netherlands that is drained and dried
• Canals– City of Venice made up of Islands– Boat is primary source of travel
Zuider Zee
• The Dutch built a dike across its entrance.
• It gradually became a freshwater lake.
• Allowed Dutch to reclaim once flooded land.
Zuiderzee - Video (7 min.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6v4yjEmrqRg
Resources• Coal and Iron– Large supply– Peat – partially decayed plant matter used in
Ireland burned as an energy source• Oil – Found in the North Sea
• Land– 33% Suitable for Agriculture– World average is 11%
Major Factors that influence climate in Europe• Ocean Currents
• North Atlantic Drift– Warm water current that
moderates the temperature
• Winds• Mistral – cold wind from
North• Sirocco – Warm wind from
Africa
• Mountains • Block winds and moisture
Prevailing westerlies (wind) blow West to East