CHAPTER 15--THE BRITISH ISLES AND THE NORDIC

NATIONS.

SECTION ONE--ENGLAND

THE UNITED KINGDOM

• ALL ISLANDS CALLED THE “BRITISH ISLES.

• UNITED KINGDOM MADE UP OF”

• GREAT BRITAIN--WHICH IS

• 1) ENGLAND 2) WALES

• 3) SCOTLAND

• AND NORTHERN IRELAND• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNu8XDBSn10

ENGLAND’S 3 REGIONS• THE HIGHLANDS

– BAND OF HILLS/MTS.--WEST COAST – DIFFICULT TO FARM

• THE MIDLANDS– INDUSTRIAL REGION /COAL & INDUSTRY– LARGEST POPULATED CITIES HERE

• LOWLANDS– LAND SLOPES TOWARD ENGLISH CHANNEL– ENGLANDS MOST PRODUCTIVE FARM AREA– RAISING SHEEP, BEEF AND DAIRY CATTLE

LONDON--KEY CITY!• CAPITAL OF ENGLAND

• LOCATED ON THE THAMES RIVER

• NATURAL HARBOR

• LOCATION MADE IT NATURAL AS A CENTER OF TRADE--CLOSENESS TO EUROPE.

ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES• INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION STARTS IN

ENGLAND.• ABUNDANT NATURAL RESOURCES

– COAL, LABOR, WATER POWER

• GROWTH OF INDUSTRIAL TOWNS– BIRMINGHAM, SHEFFIELD, NEWCASTLE

• CREATED PROBLEMS – INCREASED POLLUTION

• CHALLENGED BY NEW INDUSTRIAL NATIONS– U.S. AND GERMANY

ENGLAND’C CHANGING ECONOMY

• MORE TERTIARY ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES– SERVICE INDUSTRIES

• INCREASED TRADE-RELATIONS WITH EUROPE--RESULTS OF THE “CHUNNEL”– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1AcpNwY0L

I

• PART OF THE EUROPEAN UNION– WON’T ADOPT THE “EURO”-currency

UNIQUE ACTIVITIES IN ENGLAND

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z64AzHIdgKw&feature=related

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tUVo1TcbGw

SECTION 2--SCOTLAND AND WALES

• SCOTLAND• 1/3 OF THE LAND OF THE UNITED KINGDOM.• LESS THAN 10% OF U.K. POPULATION• SEPARATED FROM ENGLAND BY THE TWEED

RIVER AND THE CHEVIOT HILLS.• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXLzMZ_ABU0

REGIONS OF SCOTLAND

• THE HIGHLANDS– HIGH PLATEAU COVERED WITH LAKES

CALLED LOCHS– MANY BROAD TREELESS PLAINS --MOORS– AREAS OF WET SPONGY GROUND--BOGS– FISHING & SHEEP HERDING-ECONOMIC

ACTIVITIES– PRODUCE THE HANDWOVEN WOOLEN

CLOTH--TWEED

REGIONS OF SCOTLAND• CENTRAL LOWLANDS

– 75% OF POPULATION-BETWEEN GLASGOW AND EDINBURGH

– RECENT LOSS OF INDUSTRY

• SOUTHERN UPLANDS– CLOSEST TO ENGLAND – SHEEP RAISING REGION

SCOTTISH CULTURE-OLD AND NEW!

• NEW INDUSTRY--COMPUTERS & TECHNOLOGY.

• STILL KEEP SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT• PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH-CHIEF RELIGION• HIGHLAND GAMES --TRADITIONAL ATHLETIC

CONTESTS!• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZOeHoyNd6c• http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=9I9dg99ATnA&feature=related

WALES

• Conquered by England in 1284.

• About the size of Massachusetts

• 3 regions– Highland Region--North– Lowlands in South near Cardiff– Cambrian Mts. In Central Wales

• Marine West Coast climate

WALES ECONOMICS AND INDEPENDENCE

• ECONOMICS OF WALES– EARLY 1900’S RELIED ON COAL MINING– COAL MINES FAILED IN 1990’S – REPLACED BY TECHNOLOGY AND TOURISM

JOBS

• TRYING TO MAINTAIN THEIR OWN CULTURE:– 1) SEPARATE LANGUAGE

• 20% OF PEOPLE SPEAK WELSH

– 2) OWN FLAG

SECTION 3 THE TWO IRELANDS

• IRELAND DIVIDED INTO 2 PARTS:• NORTHERN IRELAND

– PREDOMINANTLY PROTESTANT– ENGLISH / SCOTTISH IMMIGRANTS– AGAINST RE-UNITING IRELAND

• REPUBLIC OF IRELAND– PREDOMINATLY CATHOLICS– DESCENDANTS OF ORIGINAL CELTIC

PEOPLE– GOAL IS TO RE-UNITE IRELAND.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS• NICKNAMED THE “EMERALD ISLE”• MARINE WEST COAST CLIMATE• 1/6 COVERED WITH PEAT--A waterlogged spongy

material now used in power plants.• ECONOMICS--GOOD AND BAD

– +Growth in education and telecommunications– +1994-2000 highest economic growth in Europe– +Unemployment falls– +Irish emigrants return to Ireland – -Ireland adopts the Euro.– -Inflation 6.2%(Triple European average)– -Housing costs grow– http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=DsVd1S6g284&feature=related

IRISH HISTORY• IRELAND FALLS UNDER BRITISH CONTROL. 1200’S

• LAND SPLIT BETWEEM ENGLISH PROTESTANTS AND IRISH CATHOLICS--1600-1800

• CULTURAL DIVERGENCE--KEEP CULTURES APART

• POTATO FAMINE LEADS TO MILLIONS DYING DUE TO STARVATION!--BLAME ENGLAND!

– MILLIONS IMMIGRATE TO THE U.S.

– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjtkRfsZUck&feature=related

• REPUBLIC OF IRELAND BECOMES INDEPENDENT 1949

• History of violence between Protestants and Catholics

SECTION 4--THE NORDIC NATIONS

• 5 INDEPENDENT NATIONS– FINLAND– SWEDEN– NORWAY– DENMARK– ICELAND

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mn3vwBsAJEo• http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=sA_ytcSGhsI&feature=related

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

• MUCH OF TERRAIN ESTABLISHED BY LAST “ICE AGE”.

• 2 PENINSULAS FILLED WITH LAKES AND ROCKEY SOIL.

• COASTLINE A SERIES OF DEEP WATER FILLED VALLEYS CALLED “FJORDS”

NATURAL RESOURCES

• ICELAND --A LAND OF FIRE AND ICE– HOT WATER GEYSERS AND VOLCANOES

NEXT TO GLACIERS

• INHABITANTS RELY ON “GEOTHERMAL ENERGY” AS A SOURCE OF POWER.– ACOUNTS FOR A LARGE PORTION OF ALL

THEIR POWER.

SEASONS IN THE NORDIC NATIONS

• WINTER-LONGEST SEASON– SUN MAY ONLY SHINE 2-3 HOURS.– INFLUENCE OF THE “NORTHERN LIGHTS”

• SUMMER--SHORT SEASON– NOTED PUBLIC HOLIDAY– “RETURN OF THE MIDNITE SUN”– SUNLIGHT SHINES FOR 20 HOURS A DAY.

CLIMATE OF NORDIC NATIONS

• LONG COLD WINTERS, BUT COASTAL AREAS--MILD CLIMATES

• AFFECTED BY WARM WATER OCEAN CURRENTS

WHAT DO THE NORDIC NATIONS HAVE IN COMMON

• FIRST RULED BY THE VIKINGS 800-1050

• MOST PRACTICE LUTHERAN REFORMED RELIGION

• SIMILAR LANGUAGES--ALL STUDENTS REQUIRED TO LEARN ENGLISH

• ALL ARE DEMOCRACIES AND MIXED ECONOMIES

NORDIC NATIONS--ECONOMICS AND FOREIGN

POLICY• NORDIC GOVTS. PROVIDE/PAY FOR

HEALTH CARE AND DAY CARE.• BELIEVE IN NEUTRALITY IN FOREIGN

AFFAIRS.• ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES

– SWEDEN & DENMARK--FARMING (60% OF LAND)

– NORWAY--FISHING– NORWAY--OIL & NATURAL GAS, TIMBER