European Country

The European Community, now called the European Union, was founded in 1957 to put an end to the hatred and rivalry in Europe. During the first half of the twentieth century Europe had witnessed two devastating wars. After the Second World War European countries wanted to build a lasting peace and prosperity. To achieve these goals six Western European countries including Germany and the Netherlands joined forces and started to cooperate with each other. 



The six member states primarily focused on building a common market to ensure free trade of goods and services within the Community. In the course of time they agreed on extending their cooperation (e.g. in the fields of social and foreign policy, justice and defense). At the same time the EU institutions were given more authority and responsibilities. The success of this cooperation made other countries decide to join the Community. The first enlargement, from six to nine members, took place in 1973. At present time the European Union consists of 28 member states. In the future it probably will expand even further. 



Probably you already know about some foreign countries because you have been there on holiday or learned about them at school. 

In order to become a real European citizen you are expected to search for information about the country which has been assigned to you. You will produce various maps, diagrams and graphs by combining information from different sources. 



Finally you will share your findings with the class by presenting a brochure 

Activity 1

Go quickly through the activities to find out about their contents. Decide among yourselves how you are going to proceed. Some activities might be done by individual group members, while others should be dealt with jointly. 





Activity 2

You are going to construct a topographical map. Make sure you include



��� �the capital city and other important cities

��� �built-up areas (densely populated areas)

��� �waters (rivers, lakes and seas)

��� �the names of other notable features

��� �the names of the neighboring countries.



Don�t forget to give information on the size of your country. Complete the map by adding a title and a legend. Use the links below to help you, and Microsoft Word to assist you. If you would like to add extra information use Microsoft Paint. Source: atlas, travel guides, the internet, Encarta. 



Links:

• http://www.google.nl/search?hl=nl&q=map+of+Andorra&meta
• http://images.google.nl/images?q=map%20of%20Andorra&hl=nl&lr=&sa=N&tab=wi
• http://mapsofworld.com/andorra/index.html

Activity 3

You are to draw two climate graphs showing the amount of rainfall and the temperature in each month. Find the appropriate information on rainfall and temperature and list the data in two columns. 



Links:

• http://www.climate-zone.com/climate/andorra/
• http://www.meteofrance.com/FR/climat/clim_europe.jsp

Now open Microsoft Excel. Use the data to draw a bar graph showing the rainfall and a line graph to show the temperature. Add titles before printing them. If you are unfamiliar with Microsoft Excel study the next link. 



http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel/CH062528081033.aspx





Activity 4

Make another state map to show the natural vegetation of your country. Add a title and a legend to the map. Source: atlas, the internet, Encyclopedia Britannica.





Activity 5

In your country which group of plants is most common in the natural vegetation? In which conditions do these plants grow best? (soil, temperature, rainfall) 



Activity 6

For your country determine the size, the density and the distribution of the population. Present your findings in a table. Make use of the links below to help you. 



Activity 7

To find out about the economy calculate the number of people working in agriculture, manufacturing industries and services. List the data in a table. Once again open up Microsoft Excel to construct a pie chart. Make it show the name of each category and a percentage. Add a title to the chart and print it. The links below will help you. 



Activity 8

Obviously your state also has other cultural features and historical facts which are interesting enough to mention. Use the links below to find facts about language, religion, food, drinks, history and tourism. 



Activity 9

Having finished the previous activities you have become experts on your country. Design an attractive informative brochure containing the collected information from all activities. 

Rubric - Assessment of the Brochure

Webquest - Conclusion

After having finished this webquest you have:

• improved your knowledge about the country which has been assigned to your group
• learned to cooperate and to divide the tasks between the group members
• learned to gather information from different sources
• learned to produce various maps, diagrams and graphs by combining information from different sources
• learned to share your findings with the class through a written and an oral presentation

Webquest - Teacher