Chapter 14



Russia's biggest cities



Section 1

1.The area of the land that Russia covers is approximately 6.6 million square miles, or 17.1 million square kilometers.

2. Russia's natural resources are natural gas, mineral reserves, platinum, coal, nickel, gemstones, and aluminum.

creative writing: Many people are not aware that much of the world’s forest land lies on Russian soil. Actually, one fifth of all the world's forests is in Russia. these forests are populated by spruce, pine, fir and cedar trees, which are fit to survive through cold Russian winters. These trees also are second in the world for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and replacing it with oxygen, the first place forest being the rain forests in the Amazon Basin in South America. The trees in the boreal, or most northern, forests of Russia also provide literally tons of the world's timber. But every year, 40 million acres are deforested for agriculture or livestock grazing or urbanization. The loss of these trees could mean the loss of that much oxygen in the air, and just that much more carbon dioxide to pollute it. Therefor, the protection of Russia's forests are as much important to the trees themselves as to the world.

Section 2
1. Russia's main climates are tundra, steppe, humid continental, highland, and subarctic.



Average annual temperature in Russia.



2. In the tundra region of Russia, there are no trees, but wide, frozen planes. In Russia's subarctic regions, coniferous forests dominate the landscape, while in the humid continental regions, coniferous forests mix with deciduous forests. in the steppe climate of Russia, many plants grow, including sunflowers, mint, and beans, and vast expanses of grassy planes.

creative writing: If I were a member of Napoleon's army invading Russia in 1812, this journal entry might describe what my day would have been like:

December 14, 1812
   We walked another full day, today. The snow kept falling, and we kept walking, and the men in my regiment kept falling over, for they couldn't feel their feet. The Russians, as they retreat, kept burning their own towns. Sometimes the houses and barns were still on fire when we reached them, and we walked across the hot ashes to relieve the cold in our feet and legs. Napoleon told us to search the ruins for food or supplies, even though we knew it was futile. I only found a dead lamb. The other soldiers wanted to eat it strait away, but as it was about to be cleaned, the smell of rot came out from it, and we went hungry again. My dear friend Pierre died from pneumonia, and I pray that he is well, wherever he is. I also pray that i make it home without losing any more than the toes that froze today.

-- Théo Abbe

Chapter 13

Section 1
1. Three of the reasons major economic changes are taking place in Europe are the opening of tourism in urban areas, the fall of communism, and the creation and expansion of the European Union, or the EU.

2. Some changes in the economies, farming techniques, and communications in eastern Europe since the fall of communism in 1989 are the switching from command economies to market economies, the use of organic farming, and the merging of Eurovision and Intervision broadcast networks to create the European Broadcasting Union.



The euro is the most common form of currency in Europe, as it is used by most countries in the EU.

 creative writing: As Europe develops a more unified, service-oriented economy, a question rises: is it more important for nations to develop more efficient communications systems than to develop more efficient transportation systems? I believe that both are equally important. More efficient transportation would mean that less oil is used to power trains, cars, boats and airplanes. Also, a more efficient communications network would mean that more people could share their ideas with the rest of the world through fiber-optics, cell phones, satellite relay, cable and microwave relay. This would especially help communications in eastern Europe.

Section 2

1. Three ways the industry and farming practices have affected Europe's environment are soil erosion caused by over-farming, over-grazing, bad farming practices and too much removal of vegetation, the deforestation of nearly two-thirds of the natural forests of europe, and the creation of acid rain by the mixing of moisture and air-borne chemicals produced by factories and industrial sites. 



Trees killed by acid rain in Europe.



2. The steps that have been taken by the European Union to protect Europe's environment are the burning of natural gas instead of fossil fuels, the use of Biogas, a gas made by decomposing organic materials, and the law that states that by this year, 2010, all countries in the EU must have lowered their emissions to 15% lower than their previous levels in 1990.

creative writing: Are the pollution laws and controls put in place by members of the European Union all that is necessary to protect the environment in Europe today and in the future? In my opinion, no. I believe that we are always needing new restrictions to erase or at least lessen our environmental footprint. As long as humans will need electric power, we will need restrictions on our uses of it, and even the most recent laws against greater pollution will become outdated.

The flag of the European Union.

Chapter 12



Map of Northern Europe



Section 1

1. Over the past 100 years, immigration has influenced populations of countries in northern Europe by increasing the density of the population to 60 million people in approximately 94,488 square miles of land, and changing rural areas into urban cities.

2. The physical geography helped shape the population patterns of Northern Europe because both the islands and peninsulas that make up Northern Europe's countries are accessible to oceans and seas on most sides, allowing .peoples in the past to invade, conquer,  inhabit, and form these countries.

creative writing: There are advantages and disadvantages to living in a country that is a welfare state. The advantages are not having to worry about paying for tuition, health-care, retirement benefits, unemployment benefits, etc. But the disadvantages are that all of these is paid for by public taxes, and the benefits are equal to everyone, poor or wealthy, and the wealthier cannot buy extra benefits for themselves or their family.



Map of Western Europe



Section 2
1. Three ways that a religion has helped shaped the history and governments of western Europe are by creating  rivalries of power between nobles, emperors and popes and church officials, bringing about the Thirty Years' War, and sparking the holocaust during World War II.

2. World War II helped shape population patterns of western Europe because it meant that millions of people were  being moved, killed, or evacuated. Also, after the war, Germany was split into two separate countries before the fall of the Soviet Union: West and East Germany.

creative writing: The people of western Europe have a high standard of living, and governments provide citizens with medical care, maternity and retirement benefits, and other services, but the population in Western Europe is aging, with declining birthrates and death rates. In the next twenty-five years, many problems may surface. the population may reach a state where there are not enough citizens that are capable of working, and the number of working people will drop, along with the economy. this also means that with an aging population, there will be a narrower selection for national sports teams, and less people able to play.



Map of Southern Europe



Section 3

1. Because most Southern European countries are experiencing a period of immigration, urbanization is common, as most immigrants move to larger cities to find better jobs, and the population density is rising more quickly.

2. Three cultural elements shared by most of the people in Southern Europe are literacy, a knack for modern art, and the speaking of romantic languages.

creative writing: The Roman Empire ruled most of southern and western Europe, along with some of Asia and Africa. they left behind traces of their culture in the modern Europe we know today. we see it in the domes, columns, and arches in modern architecture, in the romantic languages spoken in Europe and the roots of the English language, and in the Roman Catholic Church.