Be sure to read the suggestions on this page. They were written for the first exam, but certainly apply to this one as well.
This exam covers Chapter 5, 8 and 9. Remember, however, that you should not forget the information from Chapters 1 and 2, as many of the things you learned from those chapters apply here. Not everything on the exam is necessarily covered on this study guide. Not everything in this study guide is directly covered on the exam. This is meant to help you focus your efforts, not tell you what the questions will be.
Know all the key words found on page 359 in the section under "Key Terms." You should know the definition of these words, but you should also know how they fit into the context of the chapter. For example, you should understand if there is a geographic component to them (where are they). Most of these key words do not necessarily do not have a regional aspect to them, but rather refer to Europe in general, but if a term does have one, you should be familiar with it. You should not only know the definition of the word, but why it is important to your study of Europe. I repeat, understand the issue involved, not just the definition.
You should more specifically understand the following terms and their context with regard to the chapter and the region (this list is not entirely the same as that on page 359):
Look at each map and try to understand the main idea. Look for general geographic patterns. Try not to get lost in details.
Figure 8.3. How large is Europe compared to North America? Consider the population of Europe compared to North America. What does this tell you about the population density of the two regions? Besides size, the map in Figure 8.3 tells us something about the comparative latitude.
Figure 8.4. Notice the red dotted line crossing through the map from east to west. What does this have to do with the landscape features north of the line? Note the red line going across the bottom of the map. What might you infer about the location of seismic activity in that region of Europe? Note the line goes through Iceland as well.
Figure 8.7. There are three major climate regions of Europe: Marine west coast (Cfb), Humid continental with cool summer (Dfb), and Mediterranean (Cs[a]). What areas of the U.S. have similar climates? Look at map in Figure 3.7 on page 80 if you need help. One country, just east of Italy, features a climate very similar to the southeastern United States. What country is that? Country names can be found on other maps.
Figure 8.10. Acid rain generally affects what part of Europe? What does the text associated with Bulgaria say about the relationship of legislation and the environment?
Figure 8.13. What is striking about this map when compared to other regions we have studied? Also, be sure to read the description of this map given in the caption and in the section "Population Density in Core and Periphery."
Figure 8.14. Where is "Schengenland" in broad terms? Read the caption. Think about the relationship between the arrows coming into many of these countries and the era of colonialism.
Figure 8.17. Read the chapter section that discusses the historic urban forms in Europe. Compare the crooked streets of the medieval town to the relatively straight streets of the Renaissance or Baroque city.
Figure 8.21. There are three main language groups in Europe: Romance, Germanic, and Slavic. What is the general pattern for each of these? Which is associated with Eastern Europe? Which is associated with Northwestern Europe. Which is associated with Southern Europe? What is interesting about Rumanian?
Figure 8.23. There is a general north/south variation in religion. What is that variation? Note the red line. What does that represent? Where is Islam dominant in Europe? Where is the former "Jewish Pale"?
Figure 8.28. What is the east/west relationship between NATO and the Warsaw Pact? What do you note about the countries that are both orange in color and marked with the diagonal lines? Read the caption and the text that accompanies the arrows. What does this suggest to you about the trend toward integration (centripetal forces) versus local independence movements (centrifugal forces)?
Figure 8.30. Compare the number of nation-states in Europe on the eve of WWI to that of today. Note in particular the general changes in the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Russia (USSR).
Figure 8.34. Read the caption.
Figure 8.36. Read the caption. Is there any general relationship between population (on page 322) and these gray-green regions indicating industrialization? What is unique about the Po Valley compared with other industrialized areas of Europe?
Figure 8.38. What is the east-west relationship between current EU members and applicant nations? From the lecture notes, what's up with Norway, Iceland, and Switzerland?
Figure 8.41. Consider the trade balance with the United States. What do the widths of the arrows indicate?
Be familiar with the following cities of Europe. Where are they? Find them on the map. Know where they are. Find them on maps such as the climate map in Figure 8.7 or the population "dot map" in Figure 8.13. Are these cities mentioned in the chapter or notes? What is important about each of these cities? In some cases you may find these cities mentioned several times in the notes and the text. In other cases, you might not find them at all. If not, ask yourself questions as you flip through the maps of the chapter, such as "What's the climate like in London?" and "What environmental challenges in Figure 8.10 apply to Athens?" "What language do they speak in Madrid? What group does it belong to?" and "What country is Paris in?" You should be able to answer most of these questions. Particularly, focus in on regions and conditions mentioned in the textbook and in lecture, even when these cities weren't mentioned.
Table 8.1: Which country is the largest in population? What is the general range of TFRs in Europe? Note the negative Rate of Natural Increases in several countries. Are they linked regionally? Note the high percentage urban in most European countries. Some countries have low urbanization rates. Which are below 60%? Are the located in any particular regions of Europe?
Table 8.2: Which countries have the largest PPP, say more than $20,000? What region are they located in? What do you notice about the countries of Northern Europe? What do you know about the history of the three countries in Northern Europe that are below $5,000 in PPP that might explain that?
Table 8.3: What is striking about the numbers under Secondary School Enrollment? How can you explain this? In general, how would you compare the numbers on the table to the other regions we have studied in this course?
You need to read the book and go over your notes. You cannot rely merely on this study guide. It is no replacement for good note-taking and good reading. Not every question on the exam is directly found in this guide. Not everything in this guide is on the exam.
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