World Cultures

Unit I Europe

Name: Austin Gaber

Block: 2
Exploring a European Country Research Activity
Instructions: Using the Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life (found through the
library database Gale Virtual Reference Library; username and password is colonials), research a
European nation of interest to you and complete the items below thoughtfully and completely.
Be prepared to share what youve learned with your peers.
1. To what extent was this country ruled by others? Use evidence to support your answer.
From the early 14 hundreds to the 15 hundreds, Monaco was contested primarily for political
reasons and was mostly under the control by the house of Grimaldi

2. Which 20th century events had the greatest influence on this country? Choose two events
and explain their impact.
In 1861, Monacos sovereignty was confirmed by the Franco-Monegasque Treaty of 1861.
France accepted the existence of the Principality of Monaco, but annexed 95% of its former
territory. Another event is In November 1942, the Italian Army invaded and occupied Monaco,
setting up a fascist puppet government. Soon after in September 1943, following Mussolini's
fall in Italy, the German Army occupied Monaco and began the deportation of the Jewish
population.

3. Identify the following:

Topic
Well known cities, regions, or
landforms

Details
Monte Carlo, Moneghetti, Monaco Ville, the rock

Relative size (size in

relationship to another
place)
Description of natural
environment

Monaco is 1/100th the size of kansas

Population size
Degree of diversity
(1=homogenous; 10=very
diverse) with explanation
Languages/Alphabets

Very beautiful area bordering the Mediterranean sea with

mountains and nice villages
30,508 people
6 because there are 47% French people, 16% Monegasque,
16%italian and 21% other
French, English, Italian and monegasque

4. How does folklore influence the peoples worldview or actions? Explain your answer using
specific details.
Folklore influences peoples worldview or actions because folklore consists of legends, music,
popular beliefs and fairy tales. This makes people have different views of the world kind of
like religion and sometimes is part of their culture.

5. What religion(s) is practiced in this country, and how does it impact the people?

The majority is Roman Catholic. This impacts the people because they only know of this
religion and they prefer to believe in Jesus

6. Are rites of passage in this country similar to or different from rites of passage in the U.S.?
Explain your answer using specific pieces of evidence.
Monacos rites of passage are similar to the rites of passage in the U.S because they all go to
high school, get married if they want they arent forced and they can all get a job.

7. What tips on interpersonal behavior might you give to an American who is about to travel to
this country? Provide at least three.
Monaco has one of the highest standards of living in the world so be polite and respectful
always. Also, they are all mostly roman catholic so keep that in mind and the people are very
wealthy having a snooty private life style to those of the French.
8. Is the standard of living in this country better, worse, or about the same as that of the U.S.?
Justify your answer with at least three pieces of evidence.
Better in most cases because in Monaco, compared to the U.S, people will live about 10 years
longer than the U.S, make 61% more money, spend about 25% less money on healthcare and
be 71% less likely to die in infancy. The best thing is that you will be 73% less likely to be
unemployed.

9. Is family important in this country? Why or why not? Use specific details in your response.
Family is important in this country because marriage is considered an important event with
divorce rate being very low. Also, Monaco bases there family on centaury old traditions.

10.Does this country have distinctive traditional clothing? Explain your answer citing specific
details.
When compared with the U.S the fashion is similar.

11.How has globalization impacted food and diet in this country? Explain your answer using
specific facts.
Since Monaco is located right next to the ocean, globalization has impacted it in the way that the
people eat seafood often like cod and anchovy. Furthermore, due to this countrys climate, there
is a great growth of fruits and vegetables such as onions, garlic and olives. Globalization has
impacted the French and Italians coming over and influencing the food with French and Italian
cuisine.
12.How might your educational experience in this country differ from the schooling you receive
in the U.S.?

Schooling goes up to age sixteen then you are allowed to go to higher education such as nursing
and music schools etc. They do not have a university and education overall will be fairly similar
with Monaco having a 99% literacy rate

13.What cultural influences or accomplishments is this country best known for? List and
describe at least three.
They are best known for their formula 1 racing on their famous race track, being mostly roman
catholic and spreading it to new people. Lastly, they are best known for attracting famous and
wealthy people to their wonderful country and having Monte Carlo.

14.Summarize the overall economy of this country in 2-3 sentences.

Tourism and basic business are the main components of their economy. Also, banking and
financial activities are the second most important parts of the economy with the industrial sector
including flour milling and food products make up the third most important part. Finally, Monaco
does not impose an income tax on its residents. From this a significant financial service industry
has developed as a result.

15.How do people of this country spend their leisure time? List at least five activities. Would
you want to live there?
Soccer, Gambling, scientific research, watching car races and practicing theatre. I would not
mind living there because it reminds me of the U.S and it is a very nice rich area.

16.List (in order of significance) what you feel are the three biggest problems that this country
needs to resolve.
1) Property prices are so high that people who work in Monaco cant actually afford those
properties.
2) Financial problems.
3) Things are very overpriced.

17.Are all people treated equally in this country? Why or why not? Explain your answer using
specific evidence.
People are treated equally in this country with a closer social class order than the U.S. The
French are a little stuck up like they always are though. Overall, in restaurants the service is
very nice as well.