I am waiting for the completion of my second foreign passport, as I again terribly want to go for a walk through the streets of Italy, eat in German eateries and see the Eiffel Tower. This is only a small part of all the sights found in Europe, which explain the great tourist popularity. But there are still important aspects in this matter.

Europe and its composition

This part of the world is inhabited by approximately 742 million people, each of whom is a part of its cultural component. The area occupied by Europeans is a little more than 10 million square kilometers. I will highlight the basic information about this part of the world:

• forms Eurasia in association with the territories of Asia;
• the name comes from the heroine of the myths of Ancient Greece - Europe, who was kidnapped and taken away by Zeus;
• includes 50 countries.

Speaking about the representatives of Europe, I would like to mention the UK, Italy, France and Germany. They form the backbone of the economic and political sphere of Europeans. Part of the former USSR also belongs to these territories (Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, etc.).

The reason for the concentration of tourists in Europe

Looking at the pages of people in the social. networks, you can see that the most popular photos are from travels around Europe. After all, the streets of the "old world" and architectural monuments are unique, which is of great interest to tourists (the Colosseum, the Eiffel Tower, the Leaning Tower of Pisa and others). In addition, natural features are important: many seas, countless beaches, rivers, amazing mountain landscapes.

Economic factors also play an important role. Europe has an excellent transport infrastructure, high general economic development and a sufficient level of the tourism industry. I will also take into account the political aspects that manifest themselves in the form of a long peaceful situation (the absence of wars since the Second World War) and a simple system of checking documents at the borders and the unification of many countries in the Schengen zone, which simplifies visa issues. The latter provides easy movement between the countries of the European Union.

This I know

1. List the benefits of Europe's geographic location.

Position in temperate and subtropical latitudes, on flat territories, wide access to the Atlantic Ocean, the possibility of communication with other regions.

2. Tell us about the role of Europe in shaping the modern world.

The formation of the modern world began with Europe. Ancient European civilizations (Rome, Greece, Byzantium) became the center of the formation of European culture and gave the world many great discoveries. It was in Europe that the idea of ​​a democratic state structure was put into practice, the foundations of the legal system were formulated, the foundations of modern science and the humanistic worldview, market relations were formed.

3. What is the composition of the European population?

The total population of Foreign Europe is about 500 million people, of which the majority (about 95%) speak the languages ​​of the Indo-European family. This language family is represented in Foreign Europe by the following main groups: > Germanic, Romance, Slavic and Celtic; in addition, it includes Albanian and Greek, as well as the dialect of the Indo-Aryan group spoken by the gypsies. The largest number of inhabitants of foreign Europe (about 200 million) speak the languages ​​of the Germanic group.

It is spoken by the Germans of Germany, the German population of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium. Austrians, Swiss, Flemings (Belgium) and Frisians (Germany, Denmark) speak dialects of the same language. English also belongs to this group. Swedes, Danes, Norwegians, Icelanders and inhabitants of the Faroe Islands belong to the peoples who speak the languages ​​of the North Germanic branch. The Romance language group is more homogeneous. The peoples speaking Romance languages ​​(about 180 million) occupy a compact territory in the west, southwest and south of Europe. These are the Portuguese, Spaniards, Galicians (Spain), Catalans (Spain, France), French, Walloons (Belgium), Italians and Romanians. The Slavic group of languages ​​and peoples is divided into three branches: western, eastern and southern. Western and southern Slavs (about 80 million) are settled in Western Europe.

4. In which part of Europe are the most economically developed countries located? What are these states? Name them. What do you know about them?

5. Match

This I can

6. Put on the contour map the largest European states by area and sign their capitals.

Russia (Moscow), Ukraine (Kyiv), France (Paris), Spain (Madrid), Sweden (Stockholm).

7. Spanish is the native language of 360 million inhabitants of the planet, English - for 320 million, Portuguese - for 230 million, French - for 80 million. Compare these figures with the population of Spain (40.4 million people) , Great Britain (60.6 million people), Portugal (10.6 million people) and France (60.9 million people). Draw your own conclusions. *Display this phenomenon on a pie or bar chart.

This discrepancy in numbers is due to the colonization policy of European states. England, France, Spain, Portugal, Holland sought to develop more and more territories in the New World. Settlers displaced the indigenous population and planted their own culture and language. That is why the countries of North America are mostly English-speaking, South America - they speak Portuguese and Spanish.

8. According to the physical map of Eurasia in the atlas, establish what minerals the bowels of Europe are rich in.

Europe is rich in fuel minerals (oil, gas, coal, brown coal). There are ore minerals - iron ores, aluminum ores, copper ores, polymetallic ores. Of the chemical raw materials, there are significant reserves of phosphorites and potassium salts.

9. Compare the appearance of the two cities - in Northern and Southern Europe (see Fig. 165 and 166 on p. 193). What differences do you think are due to the different climatic conditions in the two European regions?

Differences in the typical architecture of houses are of course related to climatic features. The main differences are the materials from which the houses are built, the size and glazing of windows, the height of buildings, the presence of chimneys in the houses of Northern Europe.

It's interesting to me

10. Prepare a message about the national traditions of the peoples living in Europe (optional).

Swedish traditions

Being a rather restrained nation, the Swedes nevertheless lead a very interesting way of life. The traditions of Sweden combine both ancient customs and modern innovations. In addition, there are indigenous, primordially Swedish traditions and those brought into the country from outside by wealthy merchants and Protestant clergy.

One of the winter customs is the celebration of the traditional Saint Lucia's Day. Early on a December morning, a young girl wakes up in the house before everyone else. In a white dress, symbolizing virgin purity, she sings special songs, illuminating the darkness with the light of burning candles that adorn her wreath. Dressed-up Lucia treats family members awakened by beautiful singing with delicious buns and fragrant coffee. In the summer, according to tradition, the Swedes play weddings everywhere. Weather conditions make it possible to celebrate a joyful event in nature, with horses and festive carts. In Sweden, getting married is inseparable from getting married in a church.

Traditions related to food

Climatic conditions and ancient Scandinavian customs largely determine the characteristics of the national cuisine of the Swedes. Marinades and pickles that can be preserved for a long time take pride of place among the most popular dishes. Smoked meats are also loved by the Swedes. But the use of various spices is not given as much attention as in other countries. When frying or stewing, preference is given not to oil, but to pork fat. In general, the Swedes are adherents of "home" cuisine without frills. Fish dominate the local diet. Not a single feast is complete without fish dishes among the Swedes. The fish is salted and smoked, cooked with wine and mustard, used as a filling for sandwiches and baked with sauce. Vegetable salads are often served with fish. Caviar and crustaceans are also favorite foods of the Swedes. One of the fun and unusual traditions of the Swedes is the celebration of the Fermented Herring Day. Unsalted fish is “warmed” for two days in the sun and eaten when it has already begun to ferment, but has not had time to completely deteriorate. The Swedes say that despite the aroma is not pleasant, the herring has a simply delicious taste. Delicacies also occupy not the last place among the favorite culinary products. Almond paste or cream buns can become the object of increased attention almost for a season. Swedes have holidays for the sweet tooth, like Waffle Day around the Annunciation or Cinnamon Roll Day.

How holidays are celebrated

The traditions of celebrating Christmas in this country are of particular importance. This event is a family celebration that gathers representatives of several generations at the same table. At this time, the Christmas tree is decorated and Christmas gifts are given. Sometimes it is impossible for a person from the outside to be next to the members of a family on Christmas night. In the evening, under the pretext of the need to buy something, one of the gathered men goes out the door, and almost at the same time, the long-awaited Santa Claus, or as the Swedes call him, the Christmas gnome, enters the house. Of course, with him he brings a lot of gifts in a bag. Thus, in Sweden, Santa Claus comes and gives gifts at Christmas. On Christmas Eve, it is customary for Swedes to put porridge with almonds added to it on the threshold to appease the little gnomes. If by morning the pot is empty, then the year will be fruitful and rich. Of course, the times when people sincerely believed in such fairy tales are long gone, but the tradition nevertheless remains. The Swedes traditionally begin the New Year's Eve by listening to poems and congratulations on TV. Then, when the street is filled with church bells, people say the wishes of happiness, raising glasses filled with champagne. In addition, the Swedes, following the tradition, promise each other that they will do certain things in the coming year. Promises can be very different, for example, to lose weight before a certain date or to visit relatives outside the city. Then people from the tables go out into the streets, illuminated by bright New Year's lights and fireworks. During the festive festivities, the Swedes, according to tradition, burn a huge effigy of a straw goat and beat dishes on the door of friends for good luck.

Easter in the country is celebrated in the spring a little earlier than the Orthodox. In Sweden, this holiday is also not complete without painting eggs with all sorts of patterns and colors. To decorate houses, people make figurines of domestic chickens and rabbits. Children, according to tradition, take out their grandmothers' clothes, their dresses and old shoes, put them all on themselves, and put spots in the form of freckles on their faces. They try to be like those witches who, according to legend, on the Thursday before Easter, went on broomsticks to meet the devil. Adults give the “little witches”, who go from house to house with wishes for fun, various sweets, and sometimes even money.

At the very end of April, the Swedes celebrate Walpurgis Night on a grand scale. It is famous for its ubiquitous bonfires and chants. The air is shaking with the noise of crackers and explosions of colorful fireworks. After noisy night festivities, May 1 comes. The Walpurgis Night holiday flows into the appearance of crowded demonstrations, where workers proclaim their sore requests for higher wages, reduced working hours, equality.

Traditionally, the Swedes celebrate the Summer Solstice. On the eve, young unmarried girls try to weave a special wreath consisting of seven different types of flowers. They do this so that in a dream they see a future loved one. On the holiday itself, poles are set up on the ground, entangled with leaves and flowers. Around them, the Swedes in the costumes of their country lead friendly round dances and sing.

The traditions of Sweden are a reflection of the richest history of the state. It is not surprising that not only its indigenous people are proud of this country - the culture of Sweden has many fans all over the world.

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Europe is the Mecca and Medina of world tourism, all roads lead not only to Rome, and having arrived in the city of Bruges, the last thing you want to do is lay low, as in the film of the same name.

Europe is full of cultural treasures:

• monuments of history and architecture;
• paintings;
• authentic sculptures;
• religious relics;
• archaeological artifacts.

That is what attracts European countries, cities, villages, streets for tourists from all over the world: here everyone will find something to their liking, relaxation to their liking and entertainment affordable. For example, if you need a beach and a warm sea, they go to Italy or Greece. Those who are interested in excursions and museums go to Germany, France. Soul food and solitude can be found in the Vatican, Czech Republic. Fans of noisy parties and rampant shopping buy plane tickets to Portugal, Spain.

The world is open. English is understood almost everywhere - from Copenhagen to Lille. And the exchange offices of European banks are ready to exchange any money of visiting guests at the local rate.

Europe is the world leader in tourism services

The first place on the podium for the provision of tourist services, no doubt, belongs to Europe. Russians and not only are looking forward to the next vacation in order to go to one of the European countries. People leaf through catalogs in search of interesting vacation spots, book flights months before departure, compare prices in hotels and hostels. Statistics for 2013 showed that 82% of Russians have been to Europe at least once during the past period.

What else distinguishes Europe from other visa countries is the variety of holiday offers. So, in Italy you can settle in a real vineyard and learn how to make an intoxicating drink yourself - under the supervision of the owner, of course. Spain offers to live under the open sky in a bungalow on the shore of a lovely lake. And the Austrian Pitzal Valley will be happy to welcome anyone who wants to take care of farm animals.

Rich cultural heritage

There are 721 properties on the World Heritage List. More than three hundred of them are within the borders of European states. That is, 47% of the total number of monuments that are protected by the whole world belong to Europe. After all, only in its western part there are about forty percent of world-famous museums.

In Belgium (and France), belfry-bell towers are strictly guarded. Under the vigilant control of the organs of culture are the Flemish monastic communities and the Neolithic quarries near the Spienne area. In turn, the Netherlands takes care of the preservation of windmills in Kinderdijk-Elshout. The Dutch nation cherishes the 17th century concentric canal system as well as the fortifications of Amsterdam.

History and cultural heritage are also honored in Poland. Belovezhsky National Park has been pleasing tourists and local residents for many years. The royal salt mines in Bochnia and Wieliczka are impressive and inspiring. And the Centenary Hall in Wroclaw makes you feel the solemnity of a bygone era.

Majestic architectural monuments of civilization

It is possible to list the greatest monuments of architecture in Europe for a long time. Here are just a few in Greece:

Parthenon;

Athenian Agora;

temple of Hephaestus;

theater of Dionysus;

Acropolis;

Propylaea.

Every European country has a reason to be proud: having carried the memory of their ancestors through the centuries and preserved valuable historical facts, beautiful legends and amazing objects for posterity. So, fifty kilometers from Stuttgart is the Hohenzollern Castle. This fortress is annually visited by more than three hundred thousand tourists. And those who decide to go north from Barcelona will certainly be interested in the Church of the Sagrada Familia. The first stone was laid back in 1882, but to this day the construction has not been completed. The architect Gaudi created 16 spindle-shaped spiers - according to the number of apostles, evangelists, including the Virgin Mary and Jesus. The towers are decorated with skillfully made bunches of grapes and ears of wheat. These are symbols of the Holy Communion.

Take the Leaning Tower of Pisa: for several centuries it continues to excite and excite travelers. Some have already forgotten that the tower is only part of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta and served as a bell tower. Everyone continues to admire her inclination to the horizon, taking a lot of pictures in the background.

Not to mention Vienna. Squares and parks, museums and galleries, architecture and history - sights turn the heads of tourists, as if waltzing with them. The Vienna Opera is one of the most beautiful theatrical stages in Europe, with age-old dust on the tiles. If you happen to go there, for example, on a package Hohotour , You should definitely buy a ticket for the show.

And then, for dessert, climb the Ferris Wheel. It was built in 1897 - and is called a monument not only of art and architecture, but also of engineering. The view of St. Stephen's Cathedral will be an unforgettable experience of the next European vacation.

It is often asked what Europe has given to the world, what is its unique contribution. Perhaps the best answer is the concept of objectivity. Everything else follows from it - the idea of ​​personality and its freedom; the common good, distinct from private interests; justice as the pursuit of truth (that is, the opposite of revenge); ethics of science and respect for empirical data; philosophical thought, which is freed from faith and glorifies the thinker's ability to think the world and independently seek the truth; distance and the possibility of self-criticism; the ability to dialogue, and finally, the very concept of truth.

Universalism is the decomposition of objectivity. If objectivity can be achieved by starting from particular things, then universalism seeks to define particularity by starting from an abstract and arbitrarily given concept. Instead of deriving the ought from being, he does exactly the opposite. Universalism does not consist in an objective consideration of things, it prescribes to start from a general abstraction, from which knowledge about the nature of things is derived. It is a delusion symmetrical with respect to the metaphysics of subjectivity, which reduces the good to what is good for me or good for us, the true to an inner voice or a cabal. European tradition has always said that man must struggle with his immediately given subjectivity. As Heidegger argues, the entire history of modernity is the history of the development of the metaphysics of subjectivity.

Subjectivism necessarily leads to relativism (according to which everything is equal), thus linking with the egalitarian conclusion of universalism (everything is equal). Relativism can be overcome only at the expense of the arbitrariness of my Self (or the arbitrariness of our collective Self): my point of view must prevail simply because it is mine (or ours). The concepts of justice and the common good immediately lose all basis.

The ideology of human rights includes both of these misconceptions. It is universalist insofar as it intends to impose itself everywhere and everywhere, regardless of the communities to which people belong, traditions and contexts. At the same time, it is subjectivist, since it defines rights as subjective attributes that belong exclusively to the individual.

“The coronation of human rights,” writes Marcel Gaucher, “is undoubtedly the main ideological and political fact of the last twenty years” (Marcel Gauchet, La démocratie par elle-méme, Gallimard-Tel, 2002, p. 326). Human rights, he adds, have become the "ideological center of gravity" of everything we see today. They strive to become a hegemon and replace all sorts of political and social discourses that were once built on the basis of now dilapidated or defamed concepts (traditions, nations, progress, revolutions), that is, their goal is to become the only compass for an era that has gone astray, to give some minimal morality to a troubled world. They are, as Robert Badenter says, "the moral horizon of our time." They should become “the foundation of all societies,” adds Kofi Annan. They "embed the concept of a true world government," says Jean Daniel.

And even more than that. Based on theses declared “obvious” (already in the American Declaration of Independence of the United States of 1776 one could read: “we hold these truths to be self-evident” - “we consider these truths to be self-evident”), they are presented as a new Decalogue.

And as the new foundation of the human order, they should receive a sacred status. Accordingly, human rights have been defined as a "religion of humanity" (Nadine Gordimer), a "world secular religion" (Elie Wiesel). They are, as Régis Debray writes, "for the moment the last of all our civil religions, the soul of a soulless world" (Régis Debray, Que vive la République, Odile Jacob, 1989, p. 173).

Evidence is always close to dogmatism, because they do not argue about it. That is why today the criticism of the ideology of human rights seems as uncomfortable, blasphemous and scandalous as once doubts about the existence of God. Like any religion, the discourse of human rights tries to pass off its dogmas as an absolute, with which it is impossible to argue without making yourself look like a fool, dishonorable or evil person. Presenting human rights as "human" and "universal" rights, they are naturally protected from criticism, that is, from the right to question them, and at the same time, their opponents are inadvertently pushed out of the boundaries of the human race, since it is impossible to oppose one who speaks on behalf of humanity, and at the same time remain human. Finally, just as believers once considered it their duty to convert “infidels” and those of little faith in every possible way, the proponents of a religion of human rights believe that they have a mandate to carry out a mission to spread the principles of this religion around the world. The ideology of human rights, theoretically based on the principle of tolerance, carries, as it turns out, intolerance of the most extreme kind, the potency of absolute rejection. Declarations of rights are not so much declarations of love as declarations of war.

But today, the goal of human rights discourse is not only to provide a surrogate ideology needed after the collapse of the “big narratives”. In an attempt to impose a private moral standard on all people in the world, he seeks to restore the clear conscience of the West, allowing it to again appear as a role model and expose those who do not want to follow it as "barbarians." In history, "rights" have too often been defined by the rulers of the dominant ideology. The human rights discourse associated with market expansion constitutes the ideological framework of globalization. First of all, he is an instrument of domination, and should be considered in this capacity.

People should be able to fight tyranny and oppression wherever they live. To challenge the ideology of human rights is, of course, not to defend despotism, but rather to question that this ideology is the best remedy against despotism. That is, to raise questions about the significance of the foundations of this theory, about the nomological status of these rights, about the possibilities of instrumentalization, the object of which they can become. And at the same time, criticism of the ideology of human rights means that another solution must be proposed.

Freedom is a cardinal value. She is the very essence of truth. That is why it must be pulled out of the rut of universalism and subjectivism. It is perhaps no coincidence that human rights are proclaimed with such insistence in a society that is increasingly dehumanized, where people themselves are increasingly becoming objects, and the commercialization of social relations is constantly creating new forms of alienation. There are many ways to show people respect and solidarity. The issue of freedoms cannot be resolved in terms of rights and morality. First of all, this is a political issue. And it must be decided politically.

Europe is the smallest and at the same time the most “closed” part of the world in the world. Its nearest neighbor is Asia, and together they form the largest continent, Eurasia. But today the focus is on foreign Europe.

General information

There are different approaches to dividing Europe into regions. Until the end of the 80s of the last century, in history and geography, the term "Western Europe" was understood as a set of independent European states that, after the end of the Second World War, continued capitalist development. There were 32 of them, and the countries of the socialist camp - Eastern Europe - served as a counterweight to them. In 1991, after the collapse of the USSR and the formation of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), a new concept of "Foreign Europe" appeared.

It unites 40 countries located on the territory of Europe, except for those that are part of the CIS.

Geographical position of Foreign Europe

Speaking about the physical and geographical position of Foreign Europe, it should be said that it occupies a fairly compact territory on a global scale: its total area is 5.4 million square meters. km. The island of Svalbard is the extreme point in the north, and the island of Crete is in the south. The length of the region from north to south is 5000 km, and from west to east - 3000 km. Foreign Europe is washed on three sides by the waters of the Atlantic and Arctic oceans and their seas. The coastline is very indented. Most of the territory is dominated by plains, and only about 17% is occupied by mountains. Among them, the main ones are the Alps, the Pyrenees, the Apennines, the Carpathians, the mountains on the Balkan and Scandinavian peninsulas. This region is dominated by four climatic zones, which gradually replace each other from north to south:

• arctic (Arctic islands of Europe): the maritime arctic climate “rules” here with very frosty winters and cold summers;
• subarctic (Iceland and north coast of mainland Europe): characterized by the predominance of the maritime subarctic climate type with cold, sometimes mild winters and cool summers with strong westerly winds;
• moderate (British Isles, most of mainland Europe): two types of climate are distinguished here - temperate marine and temperate continental.
• subtropical (southern Mediterranean part of Europe): typical for these latitudes, the type of climate is Mediterranean with warm winters and dry, hot summers.

Rice. 1 Regions of Foreign Europe

Regional division

Geographically, Foreign Europe is divided into four regions according to the cardinal points: Northern, Southern, Western and Eastern. However, recently, in addition to Northern, Southern and Western Europe, new terms have appeared in the everyday life of geographers - Central-Eastern and Eastern Europe. The latter just includes Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova and Russia - countries that are members of the CIS. How many states, and to which regions of Foreign Europe are "credited", is summarized in the following table:

Northern Europe	Southern Europe	Western Europe	Central Eastern Europe
Finland Iceland Norway	San Marino Gibraltar Portugal	Switzerland Germany Netherlands Great Britain Ireland Liechtenstein Luxembourg	Croatia Slovenia Slovakia Serbia and Montenegro Macedonia Bulgaria

Rice. 2 Modern leaders of the G7 countries

Economic development

Overseas Europe is one of the most economically developed regions in the world. Both in political terms and in the sectoral and territorial structure of the economy of the region, there is diversity and richness. If foreign Europe is presented in the form of a large four-story apartment building, then the countries with economies in transition will be at the bottom: Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia. On the second and third - developed countries with market economies: Spain, Greece, Denmark, Norway, Iceland and others. However, their level of economic and social development has not yet reached the high level of leaders, which include the "neighbors" from the top floor - Great Britain, Germany, France and Italy. They account for about 70% of the total GDP. They are also members of the "Group of Seven" or "Big Seven" - an association of seven leading economically developed countries (USA, Canada, Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan.

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The leaders of these states gather annually to discuss not only the problems of foreign Europe, but the pressing issues facing humanity: political, military (universal security, terrorism, causes of aggravation of local conflicts), social (protection of human rights, support and conditions for cooperation with developing countries) , environmental (global warming, climate change) and economic (science and finance, market regulation, imports and exports).

Peculiarities

Among the many features of Europe abroad, it is worth noting one important thing - the presence of the "Central Axis of Development". This term refers to the Western European part with a length of 1600 km, which, in fact, is the center, the core of the Old World with the largest concentration of population (300 people per 1 km2) and the main sectors of the economy. The conditional border of the "axis" originates from Manchester, then "rushes" through Hamburg, Venice, Marseille and returns to Hamburg again, forming a banana-shaped loop. It covers a large section of Europe, including the following parts: the regions of Great Britain, the western lands of Germany, the north and south of France, Switzerland and the north of Italy.

If you look at the map of Europe, you can see that on the territory of the "Central Axis of Development" there are "world centers" - London and Paris, each of which houses about thirty headquarters of the largest corporations. In addition, it is the place where more than half of the entire industrial potential of Europe is concentrated: coal and metallurgical enterprises, general engineering, automotive, chemical industry enterprises, the latest high-tech industries, port industrial complexes and much more.

Rice. 3 Europe's “central axis of development”

What have we learned?

Features of foreign Europe - under the gun of our attention. After considering this topic in geography for grades 10 and 11, we come to the following conclusion: a relatively small area on a vast continent is one of the most successful, developed in terms of the quality of life of the population, the structure of production, the scale of economic activity and the level of technological development. Many factors contributed to this: geographical location, favorable natural conditions, the small size of countries and their close proximity, and much more.

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