Chapter 11: Southern Europe

Spain, Portugal, and Andorra make up the Iberian Peninsula. People there enjoy a Mediterranean climate with mild winters and hot summers. Although agriculture is still important to Spain and Portugal, most people now work in manufacturing and service industries. Spain has several distinct cultural regions, each with its own language or dialect.

The Italian peninsula is shaped like a boot. It extends out from Southern Europe into the center of the Mediterranean Sea. The Po River valley, in the north, is Italy's main agricultural region and its principal industrial center. The capital city of Rome was once the heart of the Roman Empire. In the 1300s the Renaissance began in Italy.

The mainland of Greece sits on the southern tip of the Balkan Peninsula. Another peninsula, the Peloponnesus, extends from the mainland farther south into the Mediterranean Sea. There are also 2,000 islands surrounding the mainland. Shipping and tourism are vital to Greece's economy. Ancient Greece laid the foundation for western civilization.