Review of countries on the political map of Europe
how to read the content of the political map;
how to determine the geographical position of an area on the map;
that equivalent maps allow to compare area sizes.
read the content of the political map of Europe;
determine the location of countries on the political map of Europe;
indicate the largest countries in Europe on the political map;
determine the location of Poland in relation to other countries on the political map of Europe;
describe the most important changes on the political map of Europe at the end of the 20th century and at the beginning of the 21st century.
Match the appropriate state to its capital.
Stockholm, Berlin, Bratislava, Sofia, Athens, Tallinn, Rome, Copenhagen, Kiev, Lisbon, Bern, Zagreb
| Italy | |
| Germany | |
| Portugal | |
| Greece | |
| Ukraine | |
| Sweden | |
| Denmark | |
| Switzerland | |
| Slovakia | |
| Estonia | |
| Bulgaria | |
| Croatia |
The political map is a thematic map that shows the division of an area into political units which are countries. One of the most important attributes of an independent country is its territory. The borders of countries on the political map are precisely delineated, and their area is in a uniform colour. The official names of countries are longer and contain references to history or political systems, while the commonly used abbreviated names are used on the political map.
Political map of Europe
The political map allows determining the location of the selected country with respect to neighbouring countries and geographical features which sometimes are of major economic importance - for example - access to the sea. This location of a country is called political location. As you know from history, the political location had and still has great significance. Experience shows that it is worth maintaining good relations with neighbours, which applies not only to international politics but also our everyday life.
Changes on the political map may have a different course. The creation of a new state or the change of state borders may be the result of bloody wars. Sometimes multinational states are divided through internal agreements. Sometimes the borders remain unchanged, but the name of the state or its symbols change.
Europe is the most divided continent in political terms. Today, on this relatively small continent there are as many as 47 independent countries and 8 small dependent territoriesdependent territories. In total, there are 44 countries in Europe, the remaining 3 - the Russian Federation, Kazakhstan and Turkey - are in larger parts in Asia.
Changes on the political map of Europe over the last few decades
The political map of Europe has been changing for thousands of years. In the 20th century alone, many important events took place that determined the political division of our continent, for example:
the end of World War I and the Treaty of Versailles;
arrangements at conferences in Yalta and Potsdam after the end of World War II;
changes initiated in Central and Eastern Europe in the 1980’s of the twentieth century;
bloody local wars on the Balkan Peninsula in the 1990’s of the twentieth century;
changes taking place in the Balkans at the beginning of the 21st century.
Below, we briefly present the most important events that led to the current shape of the political map of Europe.
In 1989, after dramatic events in Poland, countries in Central and Eastern Europe began to free themselves from the Soviet domination. In 1991, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics broke up. Then, the Russian Federation was established, and the former Soviet republics declared independence. The following have again become independent states: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Moldova, whereas Belarus, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan (also other Asian republics) gained independence.
In 1990, two German states were united: The Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic. One state was created – Germany.
Czechoslovakia, a state of two nations, was divided into two independent countries in 1993 – the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The new countries also changed some national symbols and emblems, such as the national anthem, national emblem, or national flag.
Great changes also took place on the Balkan Peninsula. The transformations included Yugoslavia lying on the Adriatic Sea. Until 1991, it was a multinational federation state consisting of six republics inhabited by followers of three religions: Catholics, Orthodox and Muslims. There were 5 languages and 2 alphabets in use (Latin and Cyrillic). In 1991, individual republics declared independence. The intervention of the Serbian army began a bloody civil war. Thousands of people moved, seeking shelter. The wave of cruelty was stopped by the arbitrary armed forces of the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO) in 1995. Today, all the former republics of Yugoslavia are separate states, and the youngest seventh country in this area is the Republic of Kosovo, which declared independence on 17 February, 2008.
European countries – diversification of the area size
The Russian Federation is the largest country, not only in Europe but also in the world. The country covers an area of over 17 million kmIndeks górny 22, which is more than the entire Europe (10.5 million kmIndeks górny 22). On our continent there is only about ¼ of Russia’s area (¾ is in Asia).
Apart from huge Russia, attention on the political map of Europe is drawn to 10 large countries with an area of 300 - 600 thousand kmIndeks górny 22, among which there is also Poland.
Other European countries, due to the size of the area, are classified as medium, small and very small.
Point some of the countries on the map of Europe
Norway, Estonia, Poland, Iceland, Portugal, Spain, Ireland, Greece, Finland, Bulgaria, Sweden, Germany, Belarus, Italy, Russia, Romania, Austria, France, Great Britain, Ukraine
European countries – diversification of the population numbers
According to data from 2015, the most populous country in Europe is the Russian Federation with 143.5 million inhabitants of which over 110 million is in the European part. The second largest European country in terms of population is Germany – 80.7 million inhabitants. Then, the group of countries with approximately 60 million inhabitants is distinguished – Great Britain (64.7 million), France (64.4 million) and Italy (59,8 million). The next group includes countries with approximately 40 million inhabitants – Spain (46.1 million), Ukraine (44.8 million) and Poland (38.5 million). The next European countries have significantly fewer inhabitants, below 20 million – Romania (19.5 million), the Netherlands (16.9 million).
The table presents geographical coordinates of the five major cities that are the capitals of European countries. Using the political map of Europe, drag the names of these cities and the names of relevant countries in the table.
56°N 38°E, 49°N 2°E, 52°N 0°, 41°N 4°W, 42°N 12°E
| Geographical coordinates | Capital | State |
|---|---|---|
| 56°N 38°E | ||
| 49°N 2°E | ||
| 52°N 0° | ||
| 41°N 4°W | ||
| 42°N 12°E |
The system of European countries
The term state system is the way how power is exercised in a given country based on what is written down in the constitution. Most European countries are parliamentary republics in which democratic principles of division of legislative, executive and judiciary power, protection of civil liberties, and the possibility to control power by citizens are applied. Some European countries are monarchies in which the head of state is a king/queen or a prince/princess. However, in most of these countries they only perform representative functions, and the power – like in republics – is exercised in a democratic way.
Table below lists several official European country names. On the basis of the record, determine whether the state is a republic or a monarchy. Then find out from the Internet what the current rulers of these countries are called and enter their names and surnames in the table.
| The official name of the state | Title | Name and surname |
|---|---|---|
| French Republic | President | |
| Grand Duchy of Luxembourg | Grand Duke | |
| Federal Republic of Germany | President | |
| Russian Federation | President | |
| Swiss Confederation | President of the Federal Council | |
| United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | Queen | |
| Republic of Poland | President |
By which sea is Bulgaria located?
- Black Sea
- Adriatic Sea
- Baltic Sea
- Caspian Sea
Match the pairs: English words with Polish definition.
jednostka terytorialna prawnie zależna od określonego niepodległego państwa, znajdująca się poza obszarem tego państwa, zapisany w konstytucji danego państwa sposób sprawowania władzy na jego terytorium
| dependent territory | |
| government system |
Put together a puzzle.
Keywords
government, political map, Europe
Glossary
terytorium zależne – ogólne określenie obszarów znajdujących się pod różnymi formami zależności politycznej od jakiegoś państwa. Terytoriami zależnymi są lub były: kolonie, departamenty zamorskie i terytoria zamorskie.
ustrój państwa – zapisany w konstytucji danego państwa sposób sprawowania władzy na jego terytorium
państwo – forma organizacji społeczeństwa mająca monopol na stanowienie i wykonywanie prawa na określonym terytorium. Ma zdolność do nawiązywania i utrzymywania stosunków dyplomatycznych z innymi państwami.
stolica – miasto, w którym znajduje się siedziba centralnych organów