European Culture & Lifestyles

  Scenic beauty and rich cultural and historical heritage have made Europe one of the world's most popular travel destinations.  Each year, millions of visitors join Europeans in activities such as visiting art museums in Paris and Florence, snorkeling off Spain's Balearic Islands, and skiing in the Austrian Alps.  European art forms have spread around the world.  Europeans enjoy a variety of sports, with football (called soccer in the U.S.) being the most popular.  Festivities are often linked to religious holidays or celebrations of historical dates or people.

Europe's richly diverse cultural fabric is the result of influences spanning more than 2,000 years. There are about 50 different languages, with more than 100 dialects.  Most languages belong to the Indo-European language family.  Christianity is the primary religion, although other religions exist as well.  In some areas, such as Northern Ireland and the Balkan Peninsula, religion has divided Europeans.  Today, many European countries are putting aside centuries-old differences and working together to forge a united Europe.  Still, nationalist loyalties remain, and, in some cases, are powerful enough to create friction.  This is especially the case in Eastern Europe, where iron-fisted communist rule once held down ethnic rivalries.

Except for areas of conflict, Europeans enjoy a high standard of living and education.  Many countries offer complete social welfare programs, although family life and support are important.  The former communist countries of eastern Europe are trying to attain the same economic and environmental standards as the other countries, but many former communist countries have had difficulty in moving from command economies (where production and prices are determined by government) to free market economies (where production and prices are determined by individuals and businesses), and their standards of living are still lower than those of western Europe.  The European Union has united many of the diverse economies in Europe to boost trade and efficiency.

The varied physical environments of Europe pose challenges of earthquakes, droughts, major storms, and floods.  Manmade problems include acid rain, which destroys forests, waters, and historic buildings; air pollution from factories and the high number of cars everywhere; the threat of global warming due to increased carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere; and water pollution in lakes, rivers, and the Mediterranean Sea.  Factories built without pollution controls and the heavy use of lignite coal in Eastern Europe during the communist era have added to this problem.  Europeans are working hard to control and reduce pollution, demonstrating the global range of Europe's environmental concerns.

LEARNING:

• Glencoe World Geography pages 301-327 (skip 309-312)
• Languages spoken in Europe
  Pollution as global issue
  
  

ASSIGNMENTS: 

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