Chapter 17 sec. 1

Chapter 17Mediterranean Europe
Section 1
Spain
Iberian Peninsula on southwestern edge of Europe
Separates the waters of Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea
Pyrenees Mountains separates the rest of Europe from the Iberian Peninsula
Two countries on peninsula Spain and Portugal
Spain
A castle is on Spain’s coat of arms
The castle is a symbol of Spain
Represents Castile and the hundreds of years of war
Castile was on the Christian kingdom that fought the Muslim Moors
Expelled in 1492
After 700 years of war
Geographical Spin is well guarded
Pyrenees Mountains block easy passage from the rest of Europe
Steep cliffs rise from the water along large stretches of coastline
Coastal plains are very narrow
High plateaus cover most of Spain
Called the Meseta Spanish for "plateau"
Only one navigable river
Climates
Most of Spain has a Mediterranean climate with mild, rainy winters and hot dry summers
Moist Atlantic winds rise of the Cantabrian Mountains along northern coast
Meseta is in rain shadow and is drier
Grow wheat or barley
Practice dry farming methods
Parts of southeastern Spain are much drier
Have semiarid climate caused from Siroccos – hot dry winds from northern Africa
Irrigation to grow citrus fruits and olive trees near Valencia and Barcelona
Economic Activities
Shifted from agriculture to new industries recently
Major export is transportation equipment
Major industrial center is in north around Bilbao
Barcelona the largest port is center for manufacturing
Spain suffers from high unemployment
Patterns of Settlement
Madrid is capital and largest city
King Phillip II made it his capital in 1561
Reason – health issues or central location
Madrid became the HUB of Spain
Migrants from poor farming areas moved to city
Metropolis is about 3 million
Pollution and heavy traffic
Cultural Divergence
Spain has had over five hundred years of central control
The region’s hold on to their strong independent identities
Basque – north Spain less than 1 million
Richest area
Different than any other European language
Strong tradition of cultural divergence
Protect their culture from outside influences
Have limited autonomy
Some want total independence from Spain
Catalonia – near Barcelona use Catalan language and want greater use of it
Portugal
Small – about the size of Indiana
Northeastern corner is mountainous
Land slopes toward Atlantic
Gets 20 inches of rain annually
Farm – wheat, corn, and barley
Olive oil from south
Port wine in northern valleys in Oporto
Cork is also a major export
Global Trade Patterns
Became independent nation in 1143
Became a trading nation
Capital city is Lisbon and is a port
In 15th century established many trading colonies
Made a treaty with Spain that gave Portugal control of large parts of Africa and Brazil and Spain took the rest of Latin America
Planning for the Future
Was based on agriculture but now economy is moving towards technology
Literacy rate of only 87%