CGU4U ~ World Geography
INDUSTRY
KI#1: Where is it located?
Where?
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¾ of the world’s industrial production is
concentrated in four regions:
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Northwestern Europe
Eastern Europe
North America
East Asia
General information
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Agriculture covers ¼ of the Earth’s land
Industry covers less than 1% of the Earth’s
land
Look at map p 367 – look at dotted area
EUROPE
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Within Europe there are four distinct districts:
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UK
Rhine-Ruhr Valley
Mid-Rhine
Northern Italy
(see page 368, figure 11-2)
Why these four areas?
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Proximity to raw materials (coal and iron ore)
and markets (large concentrations of wealthy
European consumers).
United Kingdom
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Dominated manufacturing in the 19th
century
Produced more than half of the
WORLD’S cotton fabric and 2/3 of the
WORLD’S coal. WOW!
INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION – the
revolution in industrial technology
created an unprecedented expansion in
productivity, resulting in substantially
higher standards of living. The
Industrial Revolution created social,
economic, political, and industrial
changes.
United Kingdom
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Following WWII, the UK lost their position of
industrial leader as Germany and Japan
rebuilt their factories after the bombings.
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Map p. 368 Figure 11-3 United Kingdom
RHINE – RUHR VALLEY
(Northwestern Germany) page 368
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Unlike Britain, where it was easy to unify the
country with railways, the rest of Europe had
a difficult time creating an efficient
transportation network as various wars and
financial costs slowed industrial development.
RHINE – RUHR VALLEY
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Industrial development
followed a linear
concentration settlement
pattern.
The region produced steel and
iron because of close
proximity to large coalfields.
Rhine river helped developed
the transportation networks.
MID – RHINE
(Southwestern Germany) (page 368)
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Second most important industrial area in
Western Europe (next to the UK)
Important financial and commercial centre
because of central location. The location
also attracts industry that produce goods
countrywide (easy to transport)
Large iron-ore fields lend to large steel
production
NORTHERN ITALY
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Industrial Revolution occurs in the 20th
century
Major industrial region emerged in the Po
River basin where more approximately half
Italy’s population resides.
Produced textiles, raw materials processors,
and mechanical parts assemblers
Access to cheap labour, cheap electricity, and
a major river
EASTERN EUROPE
(mostly Russia page 370)
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Occurs under communist rule
Has access to market (consumers)
Transportation accessible – rail, ports ship
building
Rich in natural resources
NORTH AMERICA (page 371)
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Industrial Revolution occurs later here but
grew faster than the UK
US 1776 – predominantly agricultural
society. First textile mill built 1791.
After 1808 – textile industry took off as US
placed a trade embargo on Europe during the
Napoleonic wars.
By 1860 – US second to the UK as an
industrial nation
CANADA
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main industry concentrated along the St.
Lawrence and Ontario Peninsula.
Situated along the Canada – US border.
Proximity to water, electricity, transportation,
natural resources.
EAST ASIA (map p 372)
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Advantage: large labour force
Disadvantages: relatively isolated and
shortage of essential resources
Japan became industrial power in
1950s and 1960s. Cheap labour
produced large quantities of cheap
goods.
Japan then turned to training highly
skilled workers when threatened by
South Korea, Taiwan and other
countries for cheap labour.
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China – emerging manufacturing power
Largest labour force
Manufacturing is clustered along the coastal
regions