Southern Europe Southern Italy Spain Portugal Vatican City

Southern Europe Southern: Italy, Spain, Portugal, Vatican City, San Marino, Greece

Italy San Marino Spain Portugal Vatican City Greece

Physical Features • Peninsulas – Iberian (home to Spain and Portugal) • Pyrenees Mountains – block off peninsula from rest of Europe – Italian (boot of Italy) • Alps – Most famous mountain chain in Europe – Stretch across France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and the northern Balkan Peninsula – Cut Italy off from rest of Europe • Islands – Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, Crete

Climates • Western Europe: – Marine West Coast (mainly) – Highland Humid Subtropical • Southern Europe: – Mainly Mediterranean – Some Marine West Coast, Semiarid, and Humid Subtropical

Southern Resources • Majority Zinc and Coal • Biggest variety of resources found in Spain

Water Pollution: Venice • Industrial waste, sewage, and saltwater combine together and eat away the foundations of buildings (damage) • Erosion is allowing large amounts of seawater into the lagoon – “Killer Algae”: decaying algae uses up all the oxygen which causes fish in water to die as well = insects in water = STENCH!

ITALY n Rich culture n The Roman Empire n n n Ruled most of the Italian Peninsula Grew by conquering overseas territories The Renaissance (‘rebirth’) – a renewed interest in learning (Leonardo Da. Vinci)

Landmarks n Rome is the capital & largest city n Home to the Colosseum and other Roman ruins.

n Southern Italy has many natural disasters Earthquakes, Volcanic Activity, Floods, & Droughts n Home to Mt. Vesuvius and the ancient city of Pompeii

Italy’s Economic Problems n Italy: n n Northern region is much more developed than Southern region Why? 1. 2. 3. North is closer to industrial nations (Germany & France) South = poor transportation systems Southern government made poor decisions when promoting growth

• The island of Sicily – large island on the southern coast of Italy • Mt. Etna, an active volcano

SPAIN & PORTUGAL l l l Together form the Iberian Peninsula Capital of Spain = Madrid Capital of Portugal = Lisbon

l One of the world’s largest tourist industries • Beaches & rich culture

l l Fishing is a large part of economy Have a long history of sailing

l Leading producer of cork – corkboards, shoes, wine stoppers

Background n The Iberian Peninsula was ruled by the Moors (a Muslim people from North Africa) for over 700 years

n Were the most powerful European nations; controlled sea trade during the 15 th – 16 th century – Had a huge colonial empire and was a leader in the spice trade.

VATICAN CITY • An independent state surrounded by the city of Rome • Smallest country in the world (0. 2 sq. Miles)

• The pope, the head of the Roman Catholic church, has absolute political authority within the city

GREECE • Agricultural products – olive oil, tobacco, grapes, & citrus fruits • Shipping is big part of economy

Background • Ancient Greece – vital to the development of Western culture • City-state – “birth of democracy”

• Ancient city of Olympia – site of the first Olympic Games

• Ancient city of Sparta – famous for its athletes and warriors (movie “ 300”)

• Capital = Athens • Home of the Acropolis with the Parthenon (one of the world’s most photographed and famous buildings)

SAN MARINO Ø San Marino was founded early in the 4 th century by Christians escaping persecution Ø One of the oldest and smallest republics / countries