Life In Mediterranean Lands (1978)

even though france like most of the countries of europe is an industrial nation the mediterranean climate affects an important part of life there farming [Music] southern france borders the mediterranean this is a sub-tropical region where palm trees and citrus fruits grow the mild winters make it possible to grow early maturing vegetables and sub-tropical fruits these flowers are used to make perfume it's one of france's chief exports [Music] many farmers in southwestern france specialize in growing grapes most of the grapes are used to make wine another important french product travelers from all over the world enjoy the warm climate and the beautiful beaches on the shores of the mediterranean [Music] the pyrenees mountains separate france from spain spain occupies four fifths of the iberian peninsula not all of spain has the mediterranean climate only the southern and eastern parts olive groves extend over much of the land here [Music] agriculture is the leading industry in spain [Music] it is in portugal too both portugal and spain have built large irrigation projects to save water from the winter rains summer the season of maximum growth is also the season of minimum rainfall here [Music] the dry mild mediterranean summer is ideal for the growth of olives harvest time begins in september or october and continues for several months olives are one of spain's leading overseas exports thousands of people work in spain's olive industry so most of the people make their living from the land in spain and in portugal these nations occupy one of the three peninsulas on the northern shore of the mediterranean sea you may have heard the expression sunny italy well southern italy is sunny for much of the year italy's mild and rainy winters are fine for growing wheat [Music] in early summer the wheat is harvested these sacks of grain are going to a mill to be ground into flour in italy flour is usually used to make a kind of dough they call pasta [Music] pasta can take many forms noodles [Music] macaroni and spaghetti [Music] another crop that's as important in italy as it is in spain and portugal is grapes [Music] grapes can be eaten fresh dried into raisins or pressed and the juice made into wine whole families will work together harvesting their grape crop by hand [Music] how well families live often depends on how good their grape harvest is [Music] we saw olive groves in spain and portugal we see them again in italy in italy as in spain olives are picked by hand [Music] when the harvest is over the olives are sent to nearby factories here they may be put into jars and sold in many different parts of the world some will go into huge presses and the oil squeezed out olive oil is a common product in mediterranean lands in greece for example you can see some of the different ways that people use olive oil it's used for cooking these beans were cooked in olive oil it's also used as a salad dressing along with lemon juice lemons are another common mediterranean crop [Music] the is cow's milk but the cheese wasn't made from cow's milk it's made from the milk of goats many goats are raised in greece along with sheep sheep provide both meat and wool for the people of greece in italy and in greece we saw some of the crops and some of the ways people live and work on the eastern side of the mediterranean there are more lands with mediterranean climates these lands include syria lebanon and israel as you would expect the climate in israel's long and narrow sandy coastal plain is typical of mediterranean lands mild rainy winters dry summers and that means irrigation in the hill country earth terraces hold back rain water and soil you find terraces in many mediterranean lands and you find citrus fruits here too oranges are an important crop in israel many citrus fruits are raised on the coastal plain citrus fruits are israel's leading agricultural product and chief export [Music] in the hill region there are grapes and olives peaches and other familiar fruits many people come to israel as tourists tourism is one of the important activities in most mediterranean lands [Music] in african countries on the south side of the mediterranean we again find hills and mountains in the mountains sheep and goats are grazing as we saw in greece these flocks are in morocco and these shepherds are arabs [Music] many arabs live in mediterranean north africa when the weather is very dry and grass is scarce the goats sometimes climb small trees and eat their leaves the date palm is one kind of tree that's found in hot parts of mediterranean lands [Music] dates are vital food for the people of north africa and not common in other mediterranean lands but here's a kind of tree we've seen before in spain italy and greece an olive tree olives and other crops grown here in north africa are often sent to bazaars a bazaar is a marketplace [Music] so [Music] many africans make their living selling citrus fruits common here as they are in the other mediterranean lands [Music] some large cities have developed at good harbor sites on the african side of the mediterranean but for the most part the mediterranean has the greatest effect on agricultural activities the mediterranean is not the only region in the world where there are mediterranean type climates in the united states in southern california the geography of the land produces many elements of life we've seen around the mediterranean here citrus fruits grow well and the climate is generally moderate in areas where rainfall is not sufficient irrigation is used in all the regions we've seen the mediterranean climate is especially important to farmers they grow crops during the wet winter and spring and harvest them in the dry summer they raise sheep and goats their homes are built for seasons that are cool and wet and hot and dry agricultural workers of the mediterranean lands all very different people but the mild winters and hot dry summers make their lives very much alike [Music] you