European Geography and Linguistics

Flashcards for reviewing European geography and linguistics.

Indo-European Language Family

major linguistic family in Europe with branches including Romantic, Germanic, and Slavic.

Romantic Languages

Latin, Italian, French, Spanish, Romanian.

Germanic Languages

German and English.

Slavic Languages

Russian and Polish.

Ireland

politically and religiously divided area; Northern Ireland (Protestant) and Republic of Ireland (Catholic)

North Sea

Body of water east of British Isles with largest oil and natural gas reserve in Europe.

Iberian Peninsula

peninsula on which Spain and Portugal are located.

Alhambra

Monument in the Iberian Peninsula; reflects Islamic control from the 8th to 15th centuries.

Low Countries (Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg)

Countries known for their low elevation, including areas below sea level

Northern European Plain

The 'breadbasket' of Europe, extending from Northern Germany into Russia.

Rome

capital city of Italy.

Vatican (Holy See)

independent country located within the city of Rome and the residence of the Pope.

Corsica

French territory north of the Italian Peninsula where Napoleon was born

Sardinia

Italian territory south of Corsica.

Balkan Peninsula

Peninsula characterized by rugged terrain, formerly under the control of Islamic Ottoman Empire.

Yugoslavia

'nation of Southern Slavs', a country that no longer exists.

Serbo-Croatian

Considered by some to be one language; differentiated by alphabet (Cyrillic vs. Roman) and religion (Eastern Orthodox vs. Roman Catholic).

Diocletian's Line

Border that divided the Roman Empire into Western and Eastern halves.

Scandinavia

Area containing Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark.

Baltic Nations (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania)

Nations that gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

Ural-Altaic

Language family including Estonian, Finnish, Turkish, Mongolian, Korean and Japanese.

Belarus

Also known as Belorussia.

Moldova

Nation that emerged after the breakup of the USSR, with a language similar to Romanian.

Danube River

Major river system in Central and Southeastern Europe; flows through cities Vienna, Budapest, and Belgrade.

Bosporus and Dardanelles

Straits separating Europe and Asia, dividing Turkey.

Istanbul

Turkish city located on the Bosporus Strait, historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople.