western and southern europe.docx

western and southern europe.docx

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westernandsoutherneurope

France

FranceanditsneighboursinWesternEuroperankasmajoreconomicandculturalcentersoftheworld.Forcenturies,thesecountriesstruggledwithoneanotherforpowerandland.Inthefirsthalfofthe1900s,warfareamongthemtoreaparttheEuropeancontinent.SincetheendofWorldWarⅡ,however,thesecountrieshavesetasidetheirdifferences.JoinedineconomicpartnershipintheEuropeanUnion,theylookforwardtoapeacefulandprosperoustwenty-firstcentury.

France’sLandandClimate

ThelargestcountryinWesternEurope,FranceisslightlysmallerthanthestateofTexas.Onitssouthwesternandeasternborders,FrancetouchesseveralEuropeancountries.YoucanseethesevencountriesofFrance’sneighboursonthemap.

ThemapalsoshowsthatseaswashtheotherhalfofFrance’sborders.Ifyouliketoswim,beachesbeckonontheMediterraneanSea,theAtlanticOcean,andtheEnglishChannel.Sincethemid-1990s,atunnel---calledtheChunnel---runsundertheEnglishchannel.PeopleandgoodsnowmoverapidlybetweenfranceandGreatBritain.

MountainsandHighlandsInthesouthwest,thePyreneesmountainrangeseparatesFrancefromSpain.Inthesoutheast,theAlpsdivideFrancefromItalyandSwitzerland.Thesoaring,icypeaksoftheFrenchAlpsincludeMontBlanc.At15,771feet（4,807m）,MontBlancisoneofthehighestmountainsinEurope.Anotherhighlandregion---theMassifCentral---risesinsouth-centralFrance.ThelongRh6neRiverflowsthroughawidevalleythatseparatestheMassiffromtheAlps.

PlainsandRiversMostofnorthernFranceispartofthevastNorthEuropeanPlain.TherichsoilinthisflatlowlandareamakesFranceamajoragriculturalcountry.InmanyFrenchtowns,youcanfindopen-airmarketsdisplayinganabundanceoffreshfarmproduct.

AnetworkofriversconnectsthedifferentregionsofFrance.Mostoftheseriversarenavigable,orwideanddeepenoughtoallowthepassageofships.TheSeineRiverflowsthroughParis,thecapitalofFrance.Mostofthecountry’smajorroads,railways,andcanalsmeetinParis.FromtheParisarea,bargestransportgoodsbyriverandcanaltoMarseille,France'sbusiestMediterraneanport,andfromtheretoothercountries.OtherimportantFrenchriversaretheLoire,Rhōne,Garonne,andtheRhine.TheRhineRiver,amajorinlandwaterwayofEurope,formspartofFrance'seasternborder.

ClimateRegionsMostofFrancehasamarinewestcoastclimatewithcoolsummers,mildwinters,andplentyofrainfall.Thisclimateisidealforagriculture.Themountainareashaveahighlandclimate.AlongtheMediterraneancoast,summersarehotandwintersaremild.Blueskies,rockycliffs,andlovelybeachesdrawmanytouriststothisregion.

France’sEconomy

France’swell-developedeconomyreliesonagricultureandmanufacturing.Mostpeople,however,workinserviceindustriessuchasbanking,commerce,communications,andtourism.TouristsfromallovertheworldflocktovisitFrance’shistoricandculturalsites,suchaspalacesandmuseums.

AgricultureFranceproducesmorefoodthananyothernationinEurope.Infact,itranksasthesecond-largestfoodexporterintheworld,aftertheUnitedStates.Yetonly5percentofFrenchworkerslabouronfarms.TheirsuccessisatributetoFrance’sfertilesoilandgoodclimate.

Frenchfarmersgrowgrains,sugarbeets,fruits,andvegetables.Theyalsoraisebeefanddairycattle.Inaddition,vineyardsareacommonsight.ThegrapesareusedtomakefamousFrenchwines.Olivesaregrownalongthewarm,dryMediterraneancoast.MostFrenchfoodexportsgotoothermembersoftheEuropeanUnion.TheUnitedStatesimportsmainlywineandcheese.

MiningandmanufacturingFrance'snaturalresourcesincludebauxite,ironore,andcoal.Francehassmallpetroleumreservesandlittlehydroelectricpower.Howdoesthenationpoweritsindustries?

About80percentofFrance'senergycomesfromnuclearpowerplants.

Workersproduceavarietyofmanufacturedgoods,includingsteel,chemicals,textiles,airplanes,cars,andcomputers.Franceisalsoaleadingcenterofcommerce,withaninternationalreputationinfashion.

TheFrenchPeople

“Literté…Egalité…Fraternié”（Liberty,Equality,Fraternity）---France’snationalmotto---describesthespiritoftheFrenchpeople.Althoughtheyhaveregionaldifferences,theFrenchshareastrongnationalloyalty.MostFrenchtracetheirancestry,totheCelts,Romans,FranksofearlyEurope.TheyspeakFrench,andabout90percentofthemareRomanCatholic.

HistoryandgovernmentDuringthe50sB.C.,theareathatisnowFrancecameunderRomanrule.ThenintheA.D.400S,agroupcalledtheFranksarrivedfromcentralEuropeandgaveFranceitsname.ByA.D.800,theFrankishrulerCharlemagnehadcreatedanempirethatstretchedacrossmuchofWesternEurope.AfterCharlemagn’sdeath,Franceemergedasaseparatekingdom.

KingsruledFrancefornearly800yearsandmadethenationamajorEuropeanpower.RoyaltyandnoblesbuiltelegantcountryhousesalongtheLoireRiver.KingLouisXIV,the"SunKing,"erectedamagnificentpalaceatVersaillesinthe1600s,whenFrancewasatapeakofitsculturalandpoliticalinfluence.

In1789theFrenchpeopleoverthrewtheirkinginthebloodyFrenchRevolution.Theysetuparepublic,astrongnationalgovernmentheadedbyelectedleaders.In1799GeneralNapoleonBonaparteseizedpower.HeconqueredmuchofEuropebeforearmiesfromagroupofEuropeancountriesdefeatedhim.

Inthe1900s,Francewasabattlegroundduringthetwoworldwars.Thecountrysurvivedandtodayplaysanimportantroleinworldaffairs.FrancehasbeenastrongsupporteroftheEuropeanUnion.

France’sgovernmentisknownastheFifthRepublic.Apowerfulpresident,electedforaseven-yearterm,leadsthenation.TheFrenchpresidentmanagesthecountry'sforeignaffairs.Heorsheappointsaprimeministertoruntheday-to-dayaffairsofgovernment.Francealsohasalegislaturewithtwoparts:

theSenateandthemorepowerfulNationalAssembly.Undercertainconditions,theFrenchpresidentcandisbandtheNationalAssemblyandordernewelections.ThisgiveshimorhermorepoweroverFrancethanthepresidentoftheUnitedStatesholdsoverAmerica.

AnUrbanPopulationAboutthree-fourthsofFrance’s59.1millionpeopleliveincitiesandtowns.Paris,thecapital,isthelargestcityandthemaintransportationandcommunicationscenter.OtherlargecitiesincludeLyon,Marseille,Bourdeaux,andToulouse.Asuperbrailroadsystemconnectstheseandothercities.Frenchpassengertrainsareamongthefastestintheworld.TrainsàGrandeVitesse（TGVs）or“trainsofgreatspeed”cantoasfastas168miles（270km）perhour.

ThecityofPariswasfoundedmorethan2,000yearsagoonasmallislandintheSeineRiver.Graduallythecityspreadontobothbanksoftheriver.TodayParisanditssuburbshaveapopulationofmorethan9millionpeople.Thecityishometomanyuniversities,museums,andotherculturalsites.OutstandingculturalfigureswholivedinParisincludethewriterVictorHugoandthepaintersClaudeMonetandPierre-AugusteRemoir.Eachyear,millionsoftouristsflocktotheCityofLight,asParisiscalled.TheyvisitsuchsitesastheEiffelTower,thecathedralofNotreDame,andtheLouvre,oneoftheworld’smostfamousartmuseums.

Germany

Fromthe1940stothelate1980s,thecountriesofGermany,Switzerland,andAustrialayon---orcloseto---the“ironcurtain.”ThiswasthenamegivenafterWorldWarIItotheimaginarybarrierthatseparatedCommunistEasternEuropefromdemocraticWesternEurope.TodayallthreecountriesareadjustingtothechangessweepingEuropesincethefallofcommunism'sironcurtain.

GermanyliesintheheartofEurope.MountainsinthesouthandplainsinthenorthformthephysicallandscapeofGermany.TheAlpsriseinthesouthernGermanstateofBavaria.Thelowerslopesofthesemountains---afavoritedestinationforskiers---arecoveredwithforests.Mountainpeaks,manycappedwithsnowyear-round,towerabovethetrees.Belowthemountainsandtheirfoothillsaredairy,farms,bogs,andsparklinglakes.

Haveyoueverheardacuckooclockannouncethehour?

ThatclockmayhavecomefromGermany'sBlackForest.LyingjustnorthoftheAlps,thisregionisfamousforitsbeautifulsceneryandforitswoodproducts.Istheforestreallyblack?

No,butinplacesthetreesgrowsoclosetogetherthattheforestappearstobeblack.InrecentdecadestheBlackForesthassufferedseveredamagefromacidrain.Smokecontainingsulfurandotherchemicalsfromfactoriesandautomobilescausethisproblem.TheGermanshavenotyetfoundasolutiontotheacidrainproblem,becausemuchofthepollutionisformedinothercountries.

FromtheBlackForestareaflowsoneofEurope'smostimportantwaterways---theDanubeRiver.ItwindseastwardacrosssouthernGermany.RiversarealsoimportantinnorthernGermany,whichispartofthevastNorthEuropeanPlain.TheRhine,Elbe.andWeserRiversflowacrossthisregion.Linkedbycanals,theseriverstransportrawmaterialsandmanufacturedgoods.

OnGermany'snorthernplain,lakesandmarshesdotalandscapescatteredwithdepositsofearthandstonesleftbylong-agoglaciers.Inplacesthesoilissuitableonlyforpasture,whichsupportsanimportantdairyfarmingindustry.Theplain'ssouthernedge,however,hasfertilesoilandsmallfarms.Becauseoftheriversandproductiveland,thenorthernplainhasmanycitiesandtowns.Berlin.Germany'slargestcityandcapital,isthemajorcenterofthenortheast.TothewestliesHamburg,Germany'slargestportcity,locatedontheElbeRiver.

Germany's.ClimateWesterlyAtlanticOcean