Europe: natural conditions, resources and population
Europe’s natural conditions favour the economy: the climate is relatively warm and moist under Atlantic influence, high mountains are few, rivers are many, and the indented coast suits ports. Among resources there are hard coal and brown coal (Germany, Poland, Ukraine, Czechia), North Sea oil and gas (Norway, United Kingdom, Netherlands), iron ore (Sweden, Ukraine, Russia), bauxite (mainly Greece), oil shale (Estonia) and forests (Finland, Sweden, Russia). Europeans are about 9–10 % of humanity and the share is falling because natural increase is very low or negative: in many countries deaths exceed births (Germany, Italy, Bulgaria, Romania, Latvia and others). As a result the population is ageing, with more people over 65 than children. Immigration from Asia and Africa, and from Europe’s own east, is strong, especially to Germany, France and the United Kingdom. The urbanisation level is about 75 %. Density is highest in the Rhine valley, the Netherlands, Belgium and southern Britain; Northern Europe is sparse. The main religion is Christianity: Protestants predominate in the north, Catholics in the south and centre, Orthodox Christians in the east and south-east; Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina have large Muslim populations.
“European pyramid”: students sketch the shapes of Germany’s and Nigeria’s age-sex pyramids and explain the difference by natural increase.