Mariano Marcos State University

COLLEGE OF TEACHER EDUCATION

Laoag City

Western Europe

Western Europe is the region of Europe that lies on the western part of the continent, between
Northern Europe, and Southern Europe. It composed of nine countries.
The three major physical land features of Western Europe are Great European Plain, the Central
Uplands, and the Alpine mountain system.
Great European Plain
The Great European Plain stretches east of the Pyrenees Mountains, in
southern France and northern Spain to the Ural Mountains in Eastern Europe. It is here where a
majority of the Western European agriculture takes place.
Central Uplands
The Central Uplands is a hilly and rugged plateau that crosses the central part
of Europe. This area could be described to look like that Appalachian Mountains of the United
States.
Alpine mountain system
The Alpine Region, which runs through three of the major peninsulas of Western Europe,
the Iberian, the Italian, and the Balkan.
Alps
The Alps could be considered the Rocky Mountains of Europe, with peaks that frequently
rise over 10,000 feet, and some top 15,000 feet.
Water forms
The major rivers of the area also have a great influence, such as the Po River in Northern
Italy and the Rhine River that separates Germany from France. These rivers provide adequate
water for agriculture and industry, as well as provide transportation of industrial resources.
Climate
The climate of Western Europe varies from subtropical and deserted in the southern coast
of Spain to polar in the Pyrenees. Its abundant moisture comes from the Atlantic Ocean. The
ocean moderates the temperature during the seasons, making the winter moist and mild, and the
summer moist and cool. This climate primarily stays to the north of the Alps, thus considering the
Alps a climatic divide.
Land use
Although Western Europe is very industrially developed, agriculture is the main form of
land use. Throughout Western Europe the lands are used for many different types of agriculture,
which is caused by the differences in climates and the different terrain that can be found in each
region. The distinct types of agriculture are Mediterranean polyculture, dairy farming, and mixed
livestock and crop farming.
Demographic Analysis
The population of Western Europe vary considerably, mainly because the sizes of the
countries differ so much. The rates that these countries are increasing in population seem little but
they are actually substantially higher than the rates across the globe.
Religion
Western Europe is formed by countries with dominant Roman Catholic and Protestant
churches.
Languages
Western European languages mostly fall within two Indo-European language families:
the Romance languages, descended from the Latin of the Roman Empire; and the Germanic
languages, whose ancestor language came from southern Scandinavia. Romance languages are
spoken primarily in the southern and central part of Western Europe, Germanic languages in the
northern part (the British Isles and the Low Countries), as well as a large part
of Northern and Central Europe.
Economy
Western Europe is one of the richest regions of the world. Germany has the
highest GDP(Gross Domestic Product) in Europe and the largest financial surplus of any
country, Luxembourg has the highest GDP per capita, and France has the highest Net National
Wealth of any European state.
Liechtenstein has the highest average wage of any state in Europe, Switzerland ranks
highest in Europe on the Social Progress Index.

Austria
(Federal Parliamentary Republic)
Capital City: Vienna
Area: 83,879 km2 (32,386 sq mi)
Population (April 2017): 8,783,198
Official Language: Austrian German
Religion: Roman Catholic
Currency: Euro (EUR)
Life expectancy at birth
Male: (2015) 78.6 years
Female: (2015) 83.6 years

Climate
The wooded slopes of the Alps and the small portion of the plains of southeastern Europe
are characterized by differing climatic zones. The prevailing wind is from the west, and,
therefore, humidity is highest in the west, diminishing toward the east. The wetter western
regions of Austria have an Atlantic climate with a yearly rainfall of about 40 inches (1,000 mm);
the drier eastern regions, under the influence of the more continental type of climate, have less
precipitation.
Education
The federal government oversees education in Austria. A major reform of the school
administrative structure, providing for a unitary school system with access to higher education
and experimentation with various types of schools, was initiated in 1970 and led to an
educational revolution with free access to many avenues of basic, advanced, and vocational
instruction for everyone.
 Austria has a number of universities and fine arts colleges. The University of Vienna was
founded in 1365. The University of Graz was founded in 1585, and the universities of Innsbruck
and Salzburg were founded during the 17th century.
LITERACY: PERCENTAGE OF POPULATION AGE 15 AND OVER LITERATE
Male: 100%
Female: 100%
Cultural life
Austria has been a leader and guardian of some of the most sublime achievements in
music, theatre, literature, architecture, medicine, and science. Austrian culture is a part of the
mainstream of Germanic culture that is shared with Germany and Switzerland.
Most ordinary Austrians may be aware of Austrias historical contributions to high
culture, but in general only members of the educated middle class and the elite circles of society
participate in glamorous cultural events like the Salzburg Festival of theatre and music. Ordinary
Austrians, particularly those who live in small towns and in the rural valleys of the countryside,
pursue a more commonbut in no way less typically Austriancultural life, with its roots in
regional traditions, age-old rituals and customs, and a friendly communal spirit. Membership in
local organizations called Vereine plays a great role in this culture.
Most Austrians celebrate the major Christian holidays, though many revered Austrian
traditions surrounding these holidays are said to have their roots in pre-Christian times.
Land forms
Austria may be divided into three unequal geographical areas. The largest part of Austria
(62%) is occupied by the relatively young mountains of the Alps, but in the east, these give way
to a part of the Pannonian plain, and north of the Danube Riverlies the Bohemian Forest, an older,
but lower, granite mountain range.
Three major ranges of the Alps the Northern Calcareous Alps, Central Alps,
and Southern Calcareous Alps run west to east through Austria. The Central Alps, which
consist largely of a granite base, are the largest and highest ranges in Austria.
The Grossglockner 3,798 metres (12,461 ft), the highest mountain in Austria and the
highest mountain in the Alps east of the Brenner Pass.
Water forms
The major rivers north of the watershed of the Austrian Alps (the Inn in Tyrol,
the Salzach in Salzburg, and the Enns in Styria and Upper Austria) are direct tributaries of the
Danube and flow north into the Danube valley, whereas the rivers south of the watershed in
central and eastern Austria (the Gail and Drau rivers in Carinthia and the Mrz and Mur rivers in
Styria) flow south into the drainage system of the Drau, which eventually empties into the
Danube in Serbia.
The Danube is Europe's second-longest river, after the Volga River, and also the longest
river in the European Union region. It is located in Central and Eastern Europe.
Austria is a land of lakes. The largest lakeslying partly in the territory of neighbouring
countriesare Lake Constance (Bodensee) in the west and the marshy Neusiedler
Lake (Neusiedlersee) in the east.
Occupation
Agriculture employs only a small percentage of Austrias workforce and accounts for
only a tiny portion of the GDP. Because of the countrys mountainous terrain, only about half of
the land can even potentially be cultivated.
Many farmers need additional income through nonfarm employment, and a significant
number of farmers (so-called mountain farmers) receive subsidies from the government and the
EU for maintaining the cultural landscape (e.g., preventing the natural reforestation of clearings),
which is important for tourism.
 Austrias vast forested areas provide ample timber resources. Some of the timber felled is
processed in the country, and most of it is exported, especially to Italy.
Resources
The natural resources available within the country for industrial exploitation are of
considerable significance. Austria is a leading producer of natural magnesite, a magnesium
carbonate used extensively in the chemical industry. Krnten is the main centre of its production.
Other important mineral resources include iron, lignite, anhydrous gypsum, lead and zinc, and
antimony. Iron ore from Eisenberg (in Steiermark) is obtained through opencut mining and is
processed in such industrial centres as Linz and Leoben.
Food and beverages
Austria's cuisine is derived from that of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Austrian cuisine is
mainly the tradition of Royal-Cuisine ("Hofkche") delivered over centuries. It is famous for its
well-balanced variations of beef and pork and countless variations of vegetables.
Typical Austrian Dishes - Wiener Schnitzel meaning: ("Viennese schnitzel") is a very
thin, breaded and pan fried cutlet made from veal.

Belgium
(Federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy)
Capital City: Brussels
Area: 11,787 SQ MI / 30,528(SQ KM)
Population (2016 est.): 11,297,000
Official Language: Dutch; French; German
Religion: Roman Catholic
Currency: Euro (EUR)
Belgium, country of northwestern Europe. It is one of the smallest and most densely
populated European countries, and it has been, since its independence in 1830, a representative
democracy headed by a hereditary constitutional monarch. Initially, Belgium had a unitary form
of government. In the 1980s and 90s, however, steps were taken to turn Belgium into a federal
state with powers shared among the regions of Flanders, Wallonia, and the Brussels-Capital
Region.
Life expectancy at birth
Male: (2014) 78.6 years
Female: (2014) 83.5 years
Climate
Belgium has a temperate, maritime climate predominantly influenced by air masses from
the Atlantic. Rapid and frequent alternation of different air masses separated by fronts gives
Belgium considerable variability in weather. Frontal conditions moving from the west produce
heavy and frequent rainfall, averaging 30 to 40 inches (750 to 1,000 mm) a year. Winters are
damp and cool with frequent fogs; summers are rather mild. The annual mean temperature is
around 50 F (10 C). Brussels, which is roughly in the middle of the country, has a mean
minimum temperature of just below 32 F (0 C) in January and a mean maximum of about 71 F
(22 C) in July.
Education
Education is compulsory from 6 to 18 years of age for Belgians. Among OECD countries
in 2002, Belgium had the third highest proportion of 18- to 21-year-olds enrolled in
postsecondary education, at 42% Though an estimated 99% of the adult population is literate,
concern is rising over functional illiteracy.
LITERACY: PERCENTAGE OF POPULATION AGE 15 AND OVER LITERATE
Male: 100%
Female: 100%
Cultural life
Belgiums long and rich cultural and artistic heritage is epitomized in the paintings of
Pieter Bruegel, the Elder, Jan van Eyck, Hans Memling, Dieric Bouts, Peter Paul Rubens, Ren
Magritte, and Paul Delvaux.
Belgiums rich heritage makes it an artistic centre of considerable importance. The
paintings of the Flemish masters are on display in museums and cathedrals across the country;
Belgiums contribution to Art Nouveau is clearly evident in the Brussels cityscape, and folk
culture is kept alive in a variety of indoor and outdoor museums.
Land forms
The country has a total of 860 miles (1,385 km) of land boundaries with neighbours; it is
bounded by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, and
France to the south. Belgium also has some 40 miles (60 km) of shoreline on the North Sea.
Belgium's highest point is the Signal de Botrange at 694 meters above the sea level.
Other hills in Belgium include the Kemmelberg (159 m high) and the Koppenberg (77 m high)
both known as part of the route of the cycle races GentWevelgem and the Tour of Flanders
respectively.
Water forms
Belgium generally is a low-lying country, with a broad coastal plain extending in a
southeasterly direction from the North Sea and the Netherlands and rising gradually into the
Ardennes hills and forests of the southeast, where a maximum elevation of 2,277 feet (694
metres) is reached at Botrange.
The Ardennes is a plateau cut deeply by the Meuse River and its tributaries. Its higher
points contain peat bogs and have poor drainage; these uplands are unsuitable as cropland.
The Meuse River is navigable for most of its length and is one of the more important
waterways of western Europe.
Occupation and Industry
Only a small percentage of the countrys active population engages in agriculture, and
agricultural activity has continued to shrink, both in employment and in its contribution to the
GDP. About one-fourth of Belgiums land area is agricultural and under permanent cultivation;
more than one-fifth comprises meadows and pastures. Major crops are sugar beets, chicory, flax,
cereal grains, and potatoes. The cultivation of fruits, vegetables, and ornamental plants also is
important, particularly in Flanders. However, agricultural activity in Belgium centres primarily on
livestock; dairy and meat products constitute more than two-thirds of the total farm value.
Resources
Historically, coal was Belgiums most important mineral resource. There were two major
coal-mining areas. The coal in the Sambre-Meuse valley occurred in a narrow band across south-
central Belgium from the French border through Mons, Charleroi, Namur, and Lige. Mined
since the 13th century, these coal reserves were instrumental in Belgiums industrialization
during the 19th century.
During the 19th century, iron ore and zinc deposits in the Sambre-Meuse valley were
heavily exploited. They too are now exhausted, but the refining of imported metallic ores remains
an important component of Belgiums economy. Chalk and limestone mining around Tournai,
Mons, and Lige, which supports a significant cement industry, is of greater contemporary
importance.
Food and beverages
Many highly ranked Belgian restaurants can be found in the most influential restaurant
guides, such as the Michelin Guide. Belgium is famous for beer, chocolate, waffles and french
fries with mayonnaise. Contrary to their name, french fries are claimed to have originated in
Belgium, although their exact place of origin is uncertain. The national dishes are "steak and fries
with salad", and "mussels with fries".
 Brands of Belgian chocolate and pralines, like Cte d'Or, Neuhaus, Leonidas and Godiva are
famous, as well as independent producers such as Burie and Del Rey in Antwerp and Mary's in
Brussels.

France (French Republic)

Capital City: Paris
Area: (SQ MI) 210,026 / (SQ KM) 543,965
Population (2016 est.) 64,641,000
Official Language: French
Currency: Euro (EUR)
France, officially French Republic, French France or Rpublique Franaise, country of
northwestern Europe. Historically and culturally among the most important nations in the
Western world, France has also played a highly significant role in international affairs, with
former colonies in every corner of the globe. France is among the globes oldest nations, the
product of an alliance of duchies and principalities under a single ruler in the Middle Ages.
Life expectancy at birth
Male: (2015) 78.7 years
Female: (2015) 85 years
Religion
About three-fifths of the French people belong to the Roman Catholic Church. Only a
minority, however, regularly participate in religious worship; practice is greatest among the
middle classes.
Climate
The climate of France is generally favourable to cultivation. Most of France lies in the
southern part of the temperate zone, although the subtropical zone encompasses its southern
fringe. All of France is considered to be under the effect of oceanic influences, moderated by the
North Atlantic Drift on the west and the Mediterranean Sea on the south.
Rainfall is brought mainly by westerly winds from the Atlantic and is characterized by
cyclonic depressions. Annual precipitation is more than 50 inches (1,270 mm) at higher
elevations in western and northwestern France, in the western Pyrenees, in the Massif Central,
and in the Alps and the Jura.
Education
The schooling system in France is centralised, and is composed of three stages, primary
education, secondary education, and higher education. Higher education is divided between
public universities and the prestigious and selective Grandes coles.
Literacy: percentage of population age 15 and over literate
Male: (20002004) 98.9%
Female: (20002004) 98.7%
Cultural life
French culture is derived from an ancient civilization composed of a complex mix of
Celtic, Greco-Roman, and Germanic elements. Monuments, especially from the period of Roman
occupation, are numerous and include the amphitheatre at Arles, the arnes (arenas) in Paris,
and the aqueduct at Pont du Gard.
The popularity of cultural activities is also evident, with increasing visits to historic
monuments, art galleries, and museums. Especially attractive are interactive exhibitions at
museums, such as the Cit de Sciences et de lIndustrie (City of Science and of Industry) at Le
Parc de la Villette in Paris or the Futuroscope theme park near Poitiers. Interest also has been
revived in local and regional cultures.
Land forms
Covering just over 210,000 square miles, hexagon-shaped France is the second-largest
country in Europe and the largest country in western Europe. Much of its landscape is dominated
by plains and low, rolling hills. France's territory also includes numerous islands.
Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in France and in fact all of Western Europe rises to
15,782 feet.
Water forms
The river systems of France are determined by a major divide in the far eastern part of the
country, running from the southern end of the Vosges down the eastern and southeastern edge of
the Massif Central to the Noire Mountains, the southwestern promontory of the massif.
The Seine system
The main river of the Paris Basin, the Seine, 485 miles (780 km) in length, is joined
upstream on the left bank by its tributary the Yonne, on the right bank south of Paris by the
Marne, and north of the city by the Oise.
The Loire system
The Loire, the longest French river, flows for 634 miles (1,020 km) and drains the widest
area (45,000 square miles [117,000 square km]). It is an extremely irregular river, with an
outflow eight times greater in December and January than in August and September.
Economy
France is one of the major economic powers of the world, ranking along with such
countries as the United States, Japan, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom. Its financial
position reflects an extended period of unprecedented growth that lasted for much of the postwar
period until the mid-1970s; frequently this period was referred to as the trente glorieuses (thirty
years of glory).
Occupation and Industry
Frances extensive land areaof which more than half is arable or pastoral land and
another quarter is woodedpresents broad opportunities for agriculture and forestry. The
countrys varied relief and soils and contrasting climatic zones further enhance this potential.
Rainfall is plentiful throughout most of France, so water supply is not generally a problem. An
ample fish supply in the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea provides an additional resource.
Resources
Compared with its agricultural resources, the country is far less well-endowed with energy
resources. Coal reserves are estimated at about 140 million tons, but French coal suffered from
being difficult and expensive to mine and from its mediocre quality.
Food
Although French cuisine has a reputation as a grand national feature, regional differences
are marked. Some local dishes have achieved international fame, even if they are often poorly
imitated. Among these are the seafood soup, bouillabaisse, from Marseille; Bouillabaisse,
complex fish soup originating on the Mediterranean coast of France, one of the glories of
Provenal cuisine.
France is also renowned for the range and quality of its cheeses. More than 300 varieties
are recognized. The majority are produced from cows milk, including Camembert (Normandy),
Brie (le-de-France), Comt (Franche-Comt), Saint-Nectaire (Auvergne), and Reblochon
(Savoy).

Germany
(Federal Republic of Germany)
Capital City: Berlin
Area: (SQ MI)137,879 / (SQ KM)357,104
Population: (2016 est.) 81,762,000
Official Language: German
Currency: Euro (EUR)
Germany, officially Federal Republic of Germany, German Deutschland or
Bundesrepublik Deutschland, country of north-central Europe, traversing the continents main
physical divisions, from the outer ranges of the Alps northward across the varied landscape of the
Central German Uplands and then across the North German Plain.
One of Europes largest countries, Germany encompasses a wide variety of landscapes:
the tall, sheer mountains of the south; the sandy, rolling plains of the north; the forested hills of
the urbanized west; and the plains of the agricultural east.
Life expectancy at birth
Male: (2015) 78.3 years
Female: (2015) 83 years
Language
The dialectal divisions of Germany, once of conspicuous significance for the ethnic and
cultural distinctions they implied, persist despite leveling and standardizing influences such as
mass education and communication and despite internal migration and the trend among the
younger, better-educated, and more-mobile ranks of society to speak a standard, accentless
German.
Religion
The Reformation initiated by Martin Luther in 1517 divided German Christians between
Roman Catholicism and Protestantism. The Peace of Augsburg (1555) introduced the principle
that (with some exceptions) the inhabitants of each of Germanys numerous territories should
follow the religion of the ruler; thus, the south and west became mainly Roman Catholic, the
north and east Protestant.
Climate
Germany is favoured with a generally temperate climate, especially in view of its
northerly latitudes and the distance of the larger portions of its territory from the warming
influence of the North Atlantic Current. Extremely high temperatures in the summer and deep,
prolonged frost in the winter are rare.
Seasonal weather is subject to great variations from year to year. Winters may be
unusually cold or prolonged, particularly in the higher elevations in the south, or mild, with the
temperatures hovering only two or three degrees above or below the freezing point.
Despite the countrys generally temperate climate, there are specific regional patterns
associated with temperature, frequency of sunshine, humidity, and precipitation.
Education
Responsibility for educational supervision in Germany is primarily organised within the
individual federal states. Optional kindergarten education is provided for all children between
three and six years old, after which school attendance is compulsory for at least nine years.
Primary education usually lasts for four to six years. Secondary education includes three
traditional types of schools focused on different academic levels: the Gymnasium enrolls the most
gifted children and prepares students for university studies; the Realschule for intermediate
students lasts six years and the Hauptschule prepares pupils for vocational education.The
Gesamtschule unifies all secondary education.
Literacy: percentage of population age 15 and over literate
Male: 100%
Female: 100%
Cultural life
The birthplace of the modern printing press and of influential schools of philosophy and
artistic styles, Germany has long played an important role in Western culture, and the arts have
been central to Germanys idea of itself. Indeed, the historian Hagen Schulze observed that the
German nation was born in the minds of the intelligentsia, as a cultural entity without direct ties
to politics.
During the period of partition, West Germany, as heir to Germanys older regions, was
custodian of the greater portion of the countrys rich cultural legacy. The majority of Germanys
architectural monumentsof Roman Germany and of the medieval Romanesque and southern
German Baroque stylesfell within its borders, as did many of the great libraries, archives, and
facilities for the performing arts.
Despite the political division, the German cultural and artistic tradition remained
identifiably the same. In the German-speaking world, a writer or painter or composer or
playwright or sculptor was German whether holding a passport from the Federal Republic or from
the Democratic Republic.
Germany has placed great importance on supporting the countrys cultural, educational,
and scientific resources. A prodigious number of organizations, maintained entirely or in part by
public funds, is devoted to acquainting the international public with the culture, life, and language
of the German peoples and familiarizing the German public with the culture and life of other
countries.
Land forms
In the south Germany impinges on the outermost ranges of the Alps. From there it
extends across the Alpine Foreland (Alpenvorland), the plain on the northern edge of the Alps.
Forming the core of the country is the large zone of the Central German Uplands, which is part of
a wider European arc of territory stretching from the Massif Central of France in the west into the
Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland in the east.
The North German Plain is fringed by marshes, mudflats, and the islands of the North
and Baltic seas. In general, Germany has a south-to-north drop in altitude, from a maximum
elevation of 9,718 feet (2,962 metres) in the Zugspitze of the Bavarian Alps to a few small areas
slightly below sea level in the north near the coast.
The Zugspitze, for example, is Germanys highest summit not because it is composed of
particularly resistant rocks but because it was raised by the mighty earth movements that began
some 37 to 24 million years ago and created the Alps, Europes highest and youngest fold
mountains.
Water forms
Most German rivers follow the general north-northwestward inclination of the land,
eventually entering the North Sea. The major exception to the rule is the Danube, which rises in
the Black Forest and flows eastward, marking approximately the boundary between the Central
German Uplands and the Alpine Foreland.
Rhine River, German Rhein, French Rhin, Dutch Rijn, Celtic Renos, Latin Rhenus, river
and waterway of western Europe, culturally and historically one of the great rivers of the
continent and among the most important arteries of industrial transport in the world. The length of
the Rhine was long given as 820 miles (1,320 km), but in 2010 a shorter distance of about 765
miles (1,230 km) was proposed.
Germany has relatively few lakes. The greatest concentration comprises the shallow lakes
of the postglacial lowland of the northeast. The largest natural lake in the region is Lake Mritz
(44 square miles [114 square km]) in the Weichsel glacial drift of MecklenburgWest Pomerania.
Occupation and Industry
Agriculture
By the beginning of the 21st century, however, large farms represented about half
of the total agricultural area in western Germany and some two-thirds in eastern
Germany. The change in western Germany is reflective of a rationalization of agriculture,
with many small landholders leaving farming and the remaining farms often increasing in
size.
 Forestry
Some three-tenths of Germanys total land area is covered with forest. In the
Central German Uplands and the Alps, forests are particularly plentiful, but they are
notably absent from the best agricultural land, such as the loess areas of the North
German Plain.
Fishing
Fishing in western Germany began to decline markedly from the 1970s because
of overutilization of traditional fishing grounds and the extension of the exclusive
economic zone to 200 miles (320 km) offshore.
Resources
Germany, which has relatively few domestic natural resources, imports most of its raw
materials. It is a major producer of bituminous coal and brown coal (lignite), the principal fields
of the latter being west of Cologne, east of Halle, south and southwest of Leipzig, and in Lower
Lusatia in Brandenburg. Other minerals found in abundance are salt and potash, mined at the
periphery of the Harz mountains. The mining of most metallic minerals ceased for economic
reasons in western Germany before unification; in the 1990s the centuries-old mining and
processing of copper ores in the Mansfeld area of eastern Germany and the mining and
processing of uranium ores for the benefit of the Soviet Union in the Ore Mountains also stopped.
There are small reserves of oil and natural gas in northern Germany.
Festivals
Popular festivals continue to abound in the west, southwest, and south, the regions that
have clung most to the practices of a traditional, preindustrial age. For example, the donning of
elaborate wooden masks during the pre-Lenten celebrations in the southwest remains unchanged
despite being televised; hundreds of smaller towns and larger villages in the south still
commemorate an anniversary from the Thirty Years War with a parade in 17th-century costume
or, in Roman Catholic areas, march in full procession on Corpus Christi Day. What is remarkable
is not merely that these traditions survive but that the homelier and less celebrated of them remain
truly genuine in the observance.
Food
Traditional German cuisine, though varying considerably from region to region, makes
generous use of meatpork is especially popular, both cured and fresh. Beef, poultry, game such
as rabbit and venison, and both freshwater and ocean fish are also widely consumed. German
dairies produce a variety of excellent cheeses, and fresh soft cheeses find their way into many
dishes. Starches are supplied by bread (wheat and rye) and by potatoes, noodles, and dumplings.
The necessity of preserving foods for the northern winter has led to a highly developed array of
cured, smoked, and pickled meats, fish, and vegetables such as sauerkraut (fermented cabbage).
German hams and sausages (Wurst) are world famous and widely imitated, produced in an
impressive variety. Mustard, caraway, dill, juniper berries, and marjoram are favoured spices and
herbs.

Luxembourg
(Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy)
Capital City: Luxembourg
Area: (SQ MI) 999 / (SQ KM) 2,586
Population: (2016 est.) 583,200
Official Language: Luxembourgish, French, German
Currency: Euro (EUR)
Luxembourg, country in northwestern Europe. One of the worlds smallest countries, it
is bordered by Belgium on the west and north, France on the south, and Germany on the northeast
and east. Luxembourg has come under the control of many states and ruling houses in its long
history, but it has been a separate, if not always autonomous, political unit since the 10th century.
The ancient Saxon name of its capital city, Lucilinburhuc (Little Fortress), symbolized its
strategic position as the Gibraltar of the north, astride a major military route linking Germanic
and Frankish territories.
Life expectancy at birth
Male: (2014) 79.9 years
Female: (2014) 84.3 years
Religion
The great majority of Luxembourgs native citizens are Roman Catholic, with a small
number of Protestants (mainly Lutherans), Jews, and Muslims.
Climate
Luxembourg has a mild climate with considerable precipitation. The north is slightly
colder and more humid than the south. The mean temperatures in Luxembourg city range from
the mid-30s F (about 0.7 C) in January to the low 60s F (about 17 C) in July, but in the Oesling
both extremes are slightly lower. The Oesling receives more precipitation than the Bon Pays, but
the greatest amount, about 40 inches (1,000 mm), and the least, about 27 inches (about 685 mm),
fall in the southwest and southeast, respectively. The sheltered valley of the Moselle River
benefits from a gentler and sunnier climate than does the rest of the duchy.
Education
Education is compulsory from age 6 to 15. The educational system offers a mix of
primary and secondary schools run by state and local governments and by religious institutions.
Considerable emphasis is laid on language studies. The principal language of instruction is
Luxembourgish; however, German is introduced in the first year, and French is added in the
second year. German remains the focus throughout primary school and in technical education,
while in secondary classical education the emphasis is on French. Until the early 21st century
there were no four-year universities in the grand duchy, so many young Luxembourgers have
historically obtained their higher education abroad. In 2003 the University of Luxembourg was
founded in Luxembourg city and now provides undergraduate and graduate degrees.
Literacy: percentage of population age 15 and over literate
Male: (2010) 100%
Female: (2010) 100%
Cultural life
The major cultural institution of Luxembourg is the Grand Ducal Institute, which has
sections devoted to history, science, medicine, languages and folklore, arts and literature, and
moral and political sciences. It functions as an active promoter of the arts, humanities, and
general culture rather than as a conservator.
Land forms
The northern third of Luxembourg, known as the Oesling (sling), comprises a corner of
the Ardennes Mountains, which lie mainly in southern Belgium. It is a plateau that averages
1,500 feet (450 metres) in elevation and is composed of schists and sandstones. This forested
highland region is incised by the deep valleys of a river network organized around the Sre (or
Sauer) River, which runs eastward through north-central Luxembourg before joining the Moselle
(or Mosel) River on the border with Germany. The Oeslings forested hills and valleys support
the ruins of numerous castles, which are a major attraction for the regions many tourists. The
fertility of the relatively thin mountain soils of the region was greatly improved with the
introduction in the 1890s of a basic-slag fertilizer, which is obtained as a by-product of the grand
duchys steel industry.
The southern two-thirds of Luxembourg is known as the Bon Pays, or Gutland (French
and German: Good Land). This region has a more-varied topography and an average elevation
of 800 feet (about 245 metres). The Bon Pays is much more densely populated than the Oesling
and contains the capital city, Luxembourg, as well as smaller industrial cities such as Esch-sur-
Alzette. In the centre of the Bon Pays, the valley of the northward-flowing Alzette River forms an
axis around which the countrys economic life is organized.
Water forms
The countrys eastern border with Germany is formed (successively from north to south) by
the Our, Sre, and Moselle rivers. The slopes of the Moselle River valley, carved in chalk and
calcareous clay, are covered with vineyards and receive a substantial amount of sunshine, which
has earned the area the name Little Riviera. Besides vineyards, the fertile soils of the Moselle
and lower Sre valleys also support rich pasturelands. Luxembourgs former iron mines are
located in the extreme southwest, along the duchys border with France.
Moselle River, German Mosel, river, a west-bank tributary of the Rhine River, flowing for
339 miles (545 km) across northeastern France and western Germany.
Occupation
Agriculture
The agricultural resources of Luxembourg are quite modest. With the exception
of livestock products, surpluses are scarce, and marginal soils in many parts of the
country hinder abundant harvests. Most farming is mixed and includes both animal
raising and gardening. Livestock and their by-products account for the bulk of
agricultural production, cattle raising having gained in importance at the expense of pig
and sheep raising. Wheat, barley, and other cereal grains are the next most important
products, followed by root vegetables. About one-half of the countrys farms are smaller
than 200 acres (50 hectares). The vineyards along the Moselle River produce some
excellent wines.
Resources
Luxembourgs natural resources are far from abundant. In addition to its agriculture not
being particularly prosperous, its once copious iron ore deposits had been exhausted by the 1980s.
With the exception of water and timber, there are no energy resources. Indeed, Luxembourg has
almost nothing that predisposes it to agricultural or industrial development. The roots of its
economic growth lie in its use of capital and in the adaptability and ingenuity of its workforce
rather than in natural resources.
Ethnic Groups and Language
Luxembourg has been one of the historic crossroads of Europe, and myriad peoples have
left their bloodlines as well as their cultural imprints on the grand duchy. The Celts, the Belgic
peoples known as the Treveri, the Ligurians and Romans from Italy, and especially the Franks
were most influential. The language spoken by Luxembourgs native inhabitants is
Luxembourgish, or Ltzebuergesch, a Moselle-Franconian dialect of German that has been
enriched by many French words and phrases.
Luxembourgish is the national language; German and French are both languages of
administration. There is a strong sense of national identity among Luxembourgers despite the
prevalence of foreign influences.
Food
Luxembourg cuisine reflects its position on the border between the Latin and Germanic
worlds, being heavily influenced by the cuisines of neighboring France and Germany. More
recently, it has been enriched by its many Italian and Portuguese immigrants.
Most native Luxembourg dishes, consumed as the traditional daily fare, share roots in the
country's folk dishes the same as in neighboring Germany.
1) Judd mat Gaardebounen served with boiled potatoes and Diekirch beer
2) Bouneschlupp is considered to be a Luxemburgish national dish.
3) Tripen, sometimes treipen, is the Luxembourg variant of black pudding
 Netherlands
(Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy)
Capital City: Amsterdam
Area: (SQ MI) 16,158 / (SQ KM) 41,850
Population: (2016 est.) 17,028,000
Official Language: National: Dutch
Regional: Frisian
English
Papiamento:
Currency: Euro (EUR)
Netherlands, country located in northwestern Europe, also known as Holland.
Netherlands means low-lying country; the name Holland (from Houtland, or Wooded Land)
was originally given to one of the medieval cores of what later became the modern state and is
still used for 2 of its 12 provinces (Noord-Holland and Zuid-Holland).
Life expectancy at birth
Male: (2015) 79.7 years
Female: (2015) 83.1 years
Religion
The society of the Netherlands was predominantly Christian until late into the 20th
century. Although religious diversity remains, there has been a decline of religious adherence.
Climate
The climate of the Netherlands is temperate, with gentle winters, cool summers, and
rainfall in every season. Southerly and westerly winds predominate, and the sea moderates the
climate through onshore winds and the effect of the Gulf Stream.
Education
Education in the Netherlands is compulsory between the ages of 5 and 16 when HAVO,
VWO or MBO level 2 or higher completed or 18.
All children in the Netherlands usually attend elementary school from (on average) ages
4 to 12. It comprises eight grades, the first of which is facultative. Based on an aptitude test, the
8th grade teacher's recommendation and the opinion of the pupil's parents or caretakers, a choice
is made for one of the three main streams of secondary education.
Literacy: percentage of population age 15 and over literate
Male: (2009) 100%
Female: (2009) 100%
Cultural life
The cultural life of the Netherlands is varied and lively. Dutch painting and crafts are
world renowned, and Dutch painters are among the greatest the world has ever known. The Dutch
themselves take great pride in their cultural heritage, and the government is heavily involved in
subsidizing the arts, while abjuring direct artistic control of cultural enterprises.
Land forms
The Netherlands is a very flat country with almost 25% of its land at, or below sea level.
Low rolling hills cover some of the central area, and in the far south, the land rises into
the foothills of the Ardennes Mountains. Vaalserberg, the country's highest point is located
there, rising to 322 m (1,053 ft).
Water forms
The countrys eastern border with Germany is formed (successively from north to south) by
the Our, Sre, and Moselle rivers. The slopes of the Moselle River valley, carved in chalk and
calcareous clay, are covered with vineyards and receive a substantial amount of sunshine, which
has earned the area the name Little Riviera. Besides vineyards, the fertile soils of the Moselle
and lower Sre valleys also support rich pasturelands. Luxembourgs former iron mines are
located in the extreme southwest, along the duchys border with France.
Moselle River, German Mosel, river, a west-bank tributary of the Rhine River, flowing for
339 miles (545 km) across northeastern France and western Germany.
Occupation
Agriculture
The agricultural resources of Luxembourg are quite modest. With the exception
of livestock products, surpluses are scarce, and marginal soils in many parts of the
country hinder abundant harvests. Most farming is mixed and includes both animal
raising and gardening. Livestock and their by-products account for the bulk of
agricultural production, cattle raising having gained in importance at the expense of pig
and sheep raising. Wheat, barley, and other cereal grains are the next most important
products, followed by root vegetables. About one-half of the countrys farms are smaller
than 200 acres (50 hectares). The vineyards along the Moselle River produce some
excellent wines.
Resources
Luxembourgs natural resources are far from abundant. In addition to its agriculture not
being particularly prosperous, its once copious iron ore deposits had been exhausted by the 1980s.
With the exception of water and timber, there are no energy resources. Indeed, Luxembourg has
almost nothing that predisposes it to agricultural or industrial development. The roots of its
economic growth lie in its use of capital and in the adaptability and ingenuity of its workforce
rather than in natural resources.
Ethnic Groups and Language
Luxembourg has been one of the historic crossroads of Europe, and myriad peoples have
left their bloodlines as well as their cultural imprints on the grand duchy. The Celts, the Belgic
peoples known as the Treveri, the Ligurians and Romans from Italy, and especially the Franks
were most influential. The language spoken by Luxembourgs native inhabitants is
Luxembourgish, or Ltzebuergesch, a Moselle-Franconian dialect of German that has been
enriched by many French words and phrases.
Luxembourgish is the national language; German and French are both languages of
administration. There is a strong sense of national identity among Luxembourgers despite the
prevalence of foreign influences.
Food
Luxembourg cuisine reflects its position on the border between the Latin and Germanic
worlds, being heavily influenced by the cuisines of neighboring France and Germany. More
recently, it has been enriched by its many Italian and Portuguese immigrants.
Most native Luxembourg dishes, consumed as the traditional daily fare, share roots in the
country's folk dishes the same as in neighboring Germany.
4) Judd mat Gaardebounen served with boiled potatoes and Diekirch beer
5) Bouneschlupp is considered to be a Luxemburgish national dish.
6) Tripen, sometimes treipen, is the Luxembourg variant of black pudding