Warm ups 12.07.2016 *What is unique about the status of Switzerland? *How Austria s history differed from that of Switzerland?
Lesson Objective: *describe how Spain differs physically, economically, and culturally from the rest of Europe *explain how political conditions and economic activities in Portugal have changed
Spain and Portugal (Iberian Peninsula) *Why do you think Spain and Portugal might be so different from the rest of Europe?
Pyrenees Mountains *Napoleon once said, Europe ends at the Pyrenees *their geographic location has influenced their history and culture enough to make them distinct from much of the rest of Europe
Spain s History *much of what is now Spain was ruled by a muslim group from North and West Africa, called the Moors *the Moors ruled much of present-day Spain for more than 700 years
Influence of the Moors *since the Moors are seen as foreign invaders of Spain, and were expelled from the country, people tend to ignore their legacy *they developed many cities that became known as centers of knowledge at the time period and were home to many great scientists and philosophers, amazing architecture, and advanced irrigation systems
Moorish Architecture *one of the most famous places was a palace and fortress called Alhambra, which was first built in 889 AD and developed more over time *another place was the Mezquita, which began as a mosque, but was converted into a cathedral after the Moors were expelled
Moorish Architecture
Regional Climate *nearly all of the region has a Mediterranean climate, which means they have mild, rainy winters, and hot, dry summers *the Cantabrian Mts. on the northern coast of the peninsula cause a rain shadow that keeps most of the region fairly dry
Regional Climate *because of the dry climate, many farmers practice dry farming, which is when they leave land unplanted every few years to allow it to gather moisture *siroccos, or hot, dry winds from northern Africa blow over this area
Spanish Economy *Spain has been gradually shifting from one based on agriculture to one based on newer, high tech industries *Spain s unemployment rate is around 22.7% today!
Spain s Cultural Divergence *despite having been under one central government for 500 years, Spain s regions hold onto their independent identities *an example of this is the Basque region of Spain; their culture and language is very different, and many of them wish to be an independent country
Portugal *Portugal is about the size of Indiana, but it has about 1.5 times as many people
Portugal s Climate *because it receives a lot of rain, farming is a large part of Portugal s economy *some of their main exports are olive oil, wheat, barley, and port wine
Global Trade Patterns *Portugal has had a large impact on world affairs *it became independent in 1143, when it defeated the Moors *it quickly became a trading nation, exploring East Asia and establishing colonies in Africa
Global Trade Patterns *Portugal also expanded its empire into the New World, colonizing much of South America (mostly what is Brazil today)
Portugal s Empire *in the 1800s, many of Spain and Portugal s colonies gained independence *however, it wasn t until 1975 that Portugal granted independence to their largest African colonies
Portugal s Empire *since Portugal granted independence to its African colonies, nearly 1 million people have migrated to Portugal from their previous African colonies *the total population of Portugal today is just over 10 million, so that number of migrants is significant
Portugal s Empire *a Portuguese Banker once observed, We didn t know if we were a small European country with big African holdings or a big African country with a foothold in Europe. *in 1986, they joined the EU, so it seems that they ve found their identity after all
Spain s Unemployment Issue Today http://www.tradingeconomics.com/spain/youth-unem ployment-rate *What types of issues could this cause for Spain s future?