WESTERN

EUROPE
Did you know that?
 In France, calling your PIG NAPOLEON
could land you in jail.
 Europe is named after Phoenician Princess
COUNTRIES
 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.
 France- officially French Republic,
French France or République Française, 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. Bounded by the 
Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, the Alps
 and the Pyrenees, France has long provided a
geographic, economic, and linguistic bridge joining
northern and southern Europe. It is Europe’s most
important agricultural producer and one of the
world’s leading industrial powers.
 Ireland- Irish Éire, country of western Europe
 occupying five-sixths of the westernmost major
island of the British Isles. Ireland’s capital is 
Dublin, a populous and affluent city whose 
metropolitan area is home to more than one-fourth
of the country’s total population. The city’s old
dockside neighbourhoods have given way to new
residential and commercial development. Cork,
Ireland’s second largest city, is a handsome
cathedral city and port in the southwest. Other
principal centres include Waterford, Wexford, and 
Drogheda on the east coast, Sligo in the northwest,
and Limerick and Galway in the west.
 Luxembourg- country in northwestern Europe. One of
the world’s 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.
 Monaco- officially Principality of Monaco,
French Principauté de Monaco, sovereign
 principality located along the Mediterranean Sea in
the midst of the resort area of the Côte d’Azur
 (French Riviera). The city of Nice lies 9 miles (15
km) to the west, the Italian border 5 miles (8 km) to
the east. Monaco’s tiny territory occupies a set of
densely clustered hills and a headland that looks
southward over the Mediterranean. Many unusual
features, however, have made Monaco among the
most luxurious tourist resorts in the world and have
given it a fame far exceeding its size.
 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 (NoordThe country is indeed low-lying
and remarkably flat, with large expanses of lakes,
rivers, and canals. Some 2,500 square miles (6,500
square km) of the Netherlands consist of reclaimed 
land, the result of a process of careful water
management dating back to medieval times.
 United Kingdom- island country located off the
northwestern coast of mainland Europe. The United
Kingdom comprises the whole of the island of Great
Britain—which contains England, Wales, and 
Scotland—as well as the northern portion of the
island of Ireland. The name Britain is sometimes
used to refer to the United Kingdom as a whole. The
capital is London, which is among the world’s
leading commercial, financial, and cultural centres.
Other major cities include Birmingham, Liverpool,
and Manchester in England, Belfast and 
Londonderry in Northern Ireland, Edinburgh and 
Glasgow in Scotland, and Swansea and Cardiff in
Wales.
 Germany- officially Federal Republic of
Germany,
German Deutschland or Bundesrepublik
Deutschland, country of north-central Europe, 
traversing the continent’s 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.
 Austria- largely mountainous landlocked
country of south-central Europe. Together
with Switzerland, it forms what has been
characterized as the neutral core of Europe,
notwithstanding Austria’s full membership
since 1995 in the supranational 
European Union (EU).
 Italy- country of south-central Europe, occupying a peninsula
that juts deep into the Mediterranean Sea. Italy comprises some
of the most varied and scenic landscapes on Earth and is often
described as a country shaped like a boot. At its broad top stand
the Alps, which are among the world’s most rugged mountains.
Italy’s highest points are along Monte Rosa, which peaks in 
Switzerland, and along Mont Blanc, which peaks in France. The
western Alps overlook a landscape of Alpine lakes and glacier-
carved valleys that stretch down to the Po River and the 
Piedmont. Tuscany, to the south of the cisalpine region, is
perhaps the country’s best-known region. From the central Alps,
running down the length of the country, radiates the tall 
Apennine Range, which widens near Rome to cover nearly the
entire width of the Italian peninsula. South of Rome the
Apennines narrow and are flanked by two wide coastal plains,
one facing the Tyrrhenian Sea and the other the Adriatic Sea. 
 Switzerland- federated country of central 
Europe. Switzerland’s administrative
capital is Bern, while Lausanne serves as
its judicial centre. Switzerland’s small size
—its total area is about half that of 
Scotland—and its modest population give
little indication of its international
significance.
FLAGS
Belgium
France
Ireland
Monaco
Netherlands
United Kingdom
Germany
Austria
Italy
Switzerland
 EVENTS
International Kite Festival
Marked by a convivial, inclusive
and family-oriented spirit, the
International Kite Festival brings
together several hundred thousand
local, national and international
spectators. With a world-wide
impact and a spectacle and events
that are constantly reinvented at
the instigation of its organisers
and the town council, RICV has
become one of the largest annual
gatherings of kite-flyers since its
creation in 1986.
Tour de France
Tour de France : the line
between insanity and genius is
said to be a fine one, and in early
20thcentury France, anyone
envisaging a near-2,500-km-long
cycle race across the country
would have been widely viewed
as unhinged.
St Patrick's Day
The Saint Patrick is 4 Days and
Nights of Culture, Music and
Entertainmant!
A series of free events sees
established and emerging artists
from a variety of disciplines
including poetry, dance, visual art,
filmmaking, history, literature,
music and theatre perform in
some of Dublin's most historical
and culturally significant
locations.
 CULTURE AND BELIEFS
 Western culture, sometimes equated with Western
civilization, Western lifestyle or European civilization, is a
term used very broadly to refer to a heritage of social norms,
ethical values, traditional customs, belief systems, political
systems, and specific artifacts and technologies that have
some origin or association with Europe. Western culture
continued to develop with Christianization during the
Middle Ages, the reform and modernization triggered by the
Renaissance, and with globalization by successive European
empires, that spread European ways of life and European
educational methods around the world between the 16th and
20th centuries.
RELIGIONS
Is Western Europe
considered as a 1 World
st

Country?
TOURIST ATTRACTION
Eiffel Tower in Paris, France
Amsterdam in Netherlands
Saint Tropez in France
Dublin in Ireland
Nice in France
Brussels in Belgium
Marseille in France
FOODS
Currywurst in Germany
Pizza in Italy 
Herring in Netherlands 
Crepes in France
Beer in Belgium 
Stew in Ireland
ATTIRE
Western Europe Folk Dress
Do’s and Don’ts
 Do’s
 In the country of love, it is common for an attractive woman to be
blatantly ogled. Try not to let this make you uncomfortable, and
embrace the romantic atmosphere.
 No matter how rusty your French is, always begin a conversation
with a local in the native tongue.
 Try new things and avoid only ordering foods and beverages you are
familiar with.
 Ireland is famous for its friendly culture, so always smile and say hello to
passers-by.
 If you sit or stand at the bar, other customers may see it as an invitation to
start a conversation with you.
 Buy a round when it’s your turn. The fastest way to lose new friends in
Ireland is to be a penny pincher at the pub.
 Learn key French phrases.
 Dress well. Ripped jeans don’t work.
 Order multiple courses.
 Bring a gift for your host or hostess.
 Stray off the tourist path
 Don’ts
 Locals may start gently making fun of you, but don’t be insulted.
"Slagging" is almost an Irish pastime – the more a local likes you,
the more jests you should expect!
 Cursing in Ireland is common. It is not just used as an insult or as
an expression of anger – locals use it in everyday conversation.
 Don’t be uncomfortable if a stranger touches your arm or hugs you
during or after conversation – Ireland has a very physical culture.
 Ordering just one dish in a restaurant is considered strange – order
several and enjoy the experience.
 Asking for a doggy bag for your leftovers is viewed as cheap.
 Requesting alterations to menu items (e.g. asking for onion soup
without cheese) is considered rude.
 Don’t Discuss French politics and current events unless you
are up to date.
 Don’t Complain about how long it takes to get your cafe
order.
 Don’t Assume everyone speaks English. 
 Don’t Wear shorts. 
 Refer to superiors by their first name.