Physical Features
With Western Europe being the home of many mountains and great rivers, the population distribution is sparse and widely spread.
Since the rivers are homes to many freshwater and saltwater species, fishing is a major past time as well as a natural resources and reservoir for food. Since it is in human's nature to reside near water sources, a majority of the population live near or around the rivers and open seas, which make shipping and exporting goods a major source of income. The dense amounts of forests in Western Europe also served as a mean for the business of lumbering and harvesting the many fruits from trees and a lot of farmers also use the vast area as places for establishing farms. However, since the climate and soil of Western Europe is very beneficial for growing crops, a lot of people have taken down large areas of forests to make place for creating farms, also known as deforestation and that action destroyed a lot of species' homes, which messes up the biodiversity and ecosystem of that specific location.
Since the rivers are homes to many freshwater and saltwater species, fishing is a major past time as well as a natural resources and reservoir for food. Since it is in human's nature to reside near water sources, a majority of the population live near or around the rivers and open seas, which make shipping and exporting goods a major source of income. The dense amounts of forests in Western Europe also served as a mean for the business of lumbering and harvesting the many fruits from trees and a lot of farmers also use the vast area as places for establishing farms. However, since the climate and soil of Western Europe is very beneficial for growing crops, a lot of people have taken down large areas of forests to make place for creating farms, also known as deforestation and that action destroyed a lot of species' homes, which messes up the biodiversity and ecosystem of that specific location.
Before the European countries were able to become independent from the many powerful empires they were under the influence of, a lot of the now-renown nations were parts of the conquest of the strong Holy Roman Empire or the Byzantine Empire and were simply treated as something along the line of colonies. However, as time goes by and the influential empires started to crumble, many nations separated from the clutch of their original 'owners' to form their own nation. The borders drastically changed as more and more countries revolted against their empires and successfully staged revolutionary wars. The influence on the countries, however, remained and many of their cultures and languages retained a part of the empires they were once a part of. The powerful empires like the Holy Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire slowly disintegrated into history as many new nations such as France, Germany, United Kingdom emerged fully free from their influence to become a force to be reckoned on their own.