Atlas- 1. Which capital cities are located on the Danube River? • Vienna of Austria, Bratislava of Slovakia, Budapest of Hungary, and Belgrade of Serbia are all on the Danube River. 1. What capital city is located at 50 degrees N latitude? • 1. Which two rivers serve as Poland’s western border? • The Oder and Neisse rivers in Poland border it’s western side. 1. How did World War II change the ethnic diversity of Poland? • The Nazi Germany policy was to exterminate all or most of the Polish culture and Jewish people. They would then bring in Nazis to occupy the country. 1. How have political and economic conditions in the Czech Republic changed since the 1980’s? • After about 42 years of Communist rule, Vaclav Havel was elected president in 1989. Democratic Political reform returned, and a large Slovak movement broke out by 1991 for independence. In 1992 the two nations agreed to split, and finally on January 1st, 1993 it became official. 1. How have Romania’s economic activities changed since the end of Communist rule? • The end of the Communist rule was very good for Romania, because it brought them very far down. They had a long way to go before they could fully recover. Two ex Communist men served as presidents through the ninties. Both of their governs conflicted each other. People across the nation were displeased with their government. Many believed they were moving in the wrong direction. Finally in 2004 Romania joined NATO and in 2005 EU approved the entry of Romania in 2007. 1. What natural resources have given Hungary and advantage in establishing itself as an independent nation? • Currently, the country of Hungary is rich in bauxite, coal, natural gas, fertile soils, and arable land. These are all of their successful natural resources. 1. How does Hungary differ from the Czech and Slovak republics? • To me a big difference in these places took place during WWII. The Czechoslocakian was occupied by German troops. Whereas in Hungary, they allined with the Germans, and helped them along. 1. List the Baltic States and border Nations. • The Baltic States and Border Nations are Estonia, Lativia, Lithuania, and sometimes Finland. 1. How has location affected the history and economies of the Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia? • All three of these nations lie on the Baltic Sea, one after the other. These three places didn’t want to be one, but three different nations. Finally on September 6th, 1991, the Soviet Union took notice to their desire for independence. 1. How did economic concerns contribute to civil war in the Balkans? • In Albania, the poorest country in Europe, people took to the get-rich-quick schemes. These started to fall through rapidly. For all who contributed to these, they lost a great deal of money. A total of 1.2 billion dollars was robbed from the Albanian people. Outrage began at the government and riots broke out. This indeed helped start the Balkans civil war. 1. Which river flows through Poland’s capital? • The Vistula River runs right through Warsaw, Poland. 1. In Russia, which city is farther north, St. Petersburg or Moscow? • Saint Petersburg is farther North than Moscow. 1. How do location and climate affect ecosystems in Russia? • Russia is so large that it runs through ten time zones! It is like three times longer than the US. Clearly, the climate and ecosystems cannot be the same everywhere. The largest difference is going from the east to the west or vice versa. The weather may still be in the same season, but it could have very different drastics. Like in California and Washington DC. It will rain a bit during our winter, but up in DC they just had a blizzard! It is cold here and there, but much more severe there. The same concept runs throughout Russia. 1. In 2014, what special event is going to be hosted in Sochi, Russia? • The 2014 Winter Olympics will be held here. 1. What line of longitude runs through the Ural Mountains and how have they affected Russia? • The 60° longitude line runs through the Ural Mountains. 1. Why did the Russian people start a revolution in 1917? • The people wanted change. It all started in St. Petersburg and moved on from there. Many things were protested against. Women workers left the factories to protest against the shortage of bread. This occurred throughout 1917, in different areas, with different people, protesting different things. 1. How did the end of Communist rule lead to changes in Russia? • The could freely worship now, as well as trade among countries.