Western Europe. Central Europe - countries, description, composition and interesting facts
Political life in Europe
The political life of European countries from time immemorial has been distinguished by a wide variety. Politics in Europe has always occupied a central place, including in the formation of political science courses. Political movements in Europe interested the minds of scientists, especially in Western Europe.
To study the political life of the countries of Western Europe, even a corresponding discipline has appeared that regulates the main theoretical provisions in this area. In particular, political science students, lawyers, economists, historians, as well as humanitarian students study this discipline. The main theoretical provisions are formed by studying the factors of socio-political development of the leading Western countries. Among such countries are, for example, Germany, France, Italy, the USA, as well as other countries.
Remark 1
Obviously, the United States does not belong to the countries of Western Europe, however, the policy of the United States is often studied in conjunction with these countries, since this state has a significant impact on the political situation in the world.
The main provisions that form these disciplines are as follows:
- the need to generalize political phenomena in these countries;
- tracking political patterns, traditions, tolerance of perception of certain phenomena in the political, social, national, religious and cultural spheres;
- application ability basic knowledge to analyze the political situation in other states;
- understanding of the driving forces and patterns of historical processes in the development of Western European countries, the study of the role of violence and non-violence in the history of these countries, as well as the place of man in political activity, the study of the mentality of people in Western Europe.
Socio-political processes in the countries of Western Europe
Politics in Europe has mattered throughout the history of the development of these states. However, closer attention of scientists is paid to the period of the 20th and 21st centuries, when politics and aspects of its study have become important for the developing science of political science.
During this period, a post-industrial society is being formed, which has a significant impact on the formation of policy. This is due to the design of production, various political parties, which were not historically characteristic of many countries. At the turn of the century, we are witnessing the confrontation of many countries, which is reflected in the political life of the state. Such states as the FRG, France, Italy, and also other states acquire the predominant importance in the political life of the countries of Western Europe.
The success of this or that state on international arena depends, first of all, on who heads the state, which leader occupies a dominant position. For example, in Germany, the leader is the chancellor, despite the presence of the president. A strong chancellor sets the tone today political development state as a whole, its strengthened position in the international political arena.
The policy of many states is aimed precisely at attracting attention, as, for example, the policy of Great Britain. Other similar cases are known. The political situation in many states is connected, first of all, with the economic situation within the state. If it is not stable, the state will not be able to take the leading role in the international legal system. Thus, a vivid example of such a country is Greece, the political and economic situation in which leaves much to be desired.
Remark 2
The peculiarities of the policy of each state are influenced by national signs. For example, the features of the parties in Germany have a significant impact on the overall political and legal position in the international arena.
Discussions about the "crisis of democracy"
Recently, points of view have begun to be expressed that a crisis of democracy has begun in the countries of Western Europe. This point of view is based on positions concerning politics. Western European states and their dependence on American democracy. Some scholars call this dependence the socio-political crisis of the democracy of the countries of Western Europe.
And many of the countries of Western Europe claim that developing countries principles of democracy are not respected. However, any country in Western Europe has its own problems relating to separatism, terrorism, the development of organized crime, and the oppression of certain national groups. For example, such situations arose in Great Britain.
Remark 3
In our opinion, it is rather early to talk about the crisis of democracy in Western European countries. Democracy in these countries was formed relatively recently, compared with the same authoritarian or totalitarian regimes. Currently, democracy is going through certain stages of development, which do not always end in a positive way. However, historical experience shows that the development of politics in itself is far from a positive experience based on trial and error.
Most of the problems associated with democracy concern precisely social problems currently available in Western European countries. For example, in Germany there is a problem of overpopulation by migrants. This problem is so serious today that it is necessary to restrict entry into the territory of the state. The same can be said about Italy, which includes the island of Sicily. The sad experience of Kosovo has shown that any structure that is part of the state may try to secede, which will naturally have a negative impact on the economy of the state as a whole, therefore, modern western states actively oppose this.
An important problem is also the decline in demographics in the countries of Western Europe, which causes concern among various specialists. Roughly speaking, the Western European race is dying out. Employment is an important issue. Just as in Eastern European countries, the problems of unemployment, people without a fixed place of residence, employment and consumption of certain products are also relevant here. The development of multiculturalism also presents some problem here.
Figure 1. Political life in Western Europe. Author24 - online exchange of student papers
FOREIGN EUROPE
GEOGRAPHICAL SPECIFICITY
Europe from the Greek "zurope" - the country of the West, from the Assyrian "ereb" - darkness, "sunset", "west" (Asia from "asu" - "sunrise").
- Features of the geographical location
- The territory of foreign Europe (without the CIS countries) is 5.1 million km 2, and the total area is about 10 million km 2. The length from north to south (from the island of Svalbard to the island of Crete) is 5 thousand km, and from west to east - more than 3 thousand km.
- Relief "mosaic" of its territory: 1:1 - lowlands and elevated territories. Among the mountains of Europe, most of the average height. The borders pass mainly along such natural boundaries that do not create obstacles for transport links.
- High degree of indentation of the coastline.
- Maritime position of most countries. The average distance from the sea is 300 km. In the western part of the region there is no place more than 480 km away from the sea, in the eastern part - 600 km.
- The "depth" of the territory of most countries is small. So in Bulgaria and Hungary there is no place that would be removed from the borders of these countries by more than 115-120 km.
- Neighborly position favorable for integration processes.
- Favorable position in terms of contacts with the rest of the worlds, tk. located at the junction with Asia and Africa, far advanced into the ocean - "a large peninsula of Eurasia."
- Diversity of natural resources, but non-complex distribution by country, many deposits are largely depleted.
CONCLUSION: profitable EGP, good prerequisites for the development of the economy.
POLITICAL MAP OF EUROPE
Until the mid-1980s, there were 32 sovereign states, including microstates. Since the beginning of the 90s - about 40 states.
6 largest by territory: France, Spain, Sweden, Norway, Germany, Finland.
POLITICAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE-TERRITORIAL STRUCTURE OF EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
Most are sovereign states, 34 are republics, 14 are monarchies.
Principalities: Monaco, Liechtenstein, Andorra.
Duchy: Luxembourg.
Kingdoms: UK, Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, Spain, Sweden.
They are all constitutional monarchies.
Theocratic monarchy: papacy - Vatican.
Federations: Germany, Belgium, Austria, FRY, Spain.
Confederation: Switzerland.
The oldest republic is San Marino (since the 13th century), the Swiss confederation has existed since the end of the 13th century.
Major political and economic alliances
The vast majority of countries are members of the UN. Switzerland joined the UN in September 2002.
NATO members (14 countries): Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Belgium, Great Britain, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Germany, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic. At the Prague Summit in November 2002, 7 new members were invited to the Alliance: Slovakia, Slovenia, Romania, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania. But they can become full members only in 2004.
EU members (15 countries): Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Austria, Belgium, Great Britain, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Germany, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Austria. From January 2002 the number of countries in the EU will increase. From January 2004 the number of countries in the EU may increase due to Poland, Lithuania and other countries.
DIFFERENTIATION OF COUNTRIES BY THE LEVEL OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Most of the countries belong to the industrialized group. Four countries: Germany, Great Britain, France and Italy are part of the "big seven countries of the West." A special place on the economic map of the region is occupied by post-socialist countries or countries with economies in transition.
NATURAL RESOURCES
Natural resources of world importance
Coal:
- Total reserves: 3rd in the world after Asia and America
- Hard coal: 3rd place in the world after Asia and America
- Explored reserves: 3rd place after Asia and America
- Hard coal - 2nd place after Asia
- Brown coal - 3rd place after America and Asia
- For hard coal: Czech Republic, Germany, Poland, Great Britain
- Brown coal: Germany, Eastern Europe
Mining and chemical raw materials (potassium salts): Germany, France
Recreational resources: Southern Europe, France, etc.
Natural resources of regional importance
Forest
3rd in the world after South America and CIS
Forest cover - 32% - shares 3rd place with Zarub. Asia, yielding to Latin America and the CIS.
Most forested: Finland (59%), Sweden (54%)
Fish
Northern Europe (Norway, Iceland)
mineral
- Uranium ores: France, Sweden, Spain
- Iron ores: France, Sweden
- Copper ores: Poland, Finland, ex. Yugoslavia
- Oil: UK, Norway, Romania
- Gas: Netherlands, UK, Norway
- Mercury ores: Spain, Italy
- Bauxites: France, Greece, Hungary, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Sulfur: Poland
- Graphite: Czech Republic
Hydropower resources
Resources of total river flow per capita - 6 thousand m3 per year, less only in Asia
Hydropotential - in the penultimate place (lower only in Australia and Oceania). But the degree of development is high - 70% - 1st place in the world.
Agro-climatic resources
Mediterranean, Central and Eastern Europe
Land resources
World land fund: 134 million sq. km. Of these, foreign Europe accounts for 5.1 million square meters. km (the last place in the world). Per capita - 1 ha
The structure of the land fund of Europe in%: 29/18/32/5/16 (For reference: the structure of the land fund of the world in%: 11/23/30/2/34).
By the share of cultivated land - 1st place (29%)
The share of land under pasture (18%) is lower than the world average (23%), while the share of land under forest (32%) is higher (30%).
The world's largest proportion of land occupied by settlements: 5%
Less than in other parts of the world, the share of unproductive land is 16%
The provision of arable land per capita is 0.28 ha, while the world average is 0.24-0.25 ha
POPULATION
Table 1. Demographic-socio- economic indicators world, foreign Europe and sub-regions of Europe
Indicators | The whole world | Foreign Europe | Northern Europe | Western Europe | Southern Europe | Eastern Europe |
Area, thousand km 2 | 132850 | 5014 | 1809 | 1108 | 1315 | 782 |
Population in 1998, million people | 5930 | 516,2 | 93,6 | 183,1 | 144,3 | 95,2 |
Birth rate, ‰ | 24 | 11 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 11 |
Mortality, ‰ | 9 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 12 |
natural growth | 15 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | -1 |
Life expectancy, m/f | 63/68 | 70/77 | 74/70 | 74/81 | 74/80 | 62/73 |
Age structure, under 16 / over 65 | 62/6 | 19/14 | 20/15 | 18/15 | 18/14 | 62/73 |
Share of urban population in 1995, % | 45 | 74 | 84 | 81 | 65 | 64 |
GDP per capita in 1995, $ | 6050 | 1500 | 18500 | 19470 | 13550 | 5260 |
In Europe, there are 96 men for every 100 women.
Urbanization
Most of the countries of Foreign Europe are highly urbanized - Belgium (97%), the Netherlands and Great Britain (89% each), Denmark (85%). Only Portugal (36%), Albania (37%), Bosnia and Herzegovina (49%) belong to medium urbanized countries (the share of the urban population does not exceed 50%).
The largest agglomerations of Europe: London, Paris, Rhine-Ruhr.
Megalopolises: English, Rhine.
A characteristic process is suburbanization.
Migration
Centers for international immigration: France, Great Britain, Germany, Switzerland, in which over 10% of the total number of employees are foreign workers. Areas of emigration - countries of Southern Europe: Italy, Portugal, Spain, Serbia; Turkey, North African countries.
National composition
Most European countries belong to the Indo-European family.
- Types of state by national composition:
- single-national(i.e. the main nationality is over 90%). Most of them are in Europe (Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Poland, Austria, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Italy, Portugal),
- with a sharp predominance of one nation, but in the presence of more or less significant minorities (Great Britain, France, Spain, Finland, Romania);
- binational(Belgium);
- multinational countries, with complex and heterogeneous in ethnicity composition (Russia, Switzerland, FRY, Latvia, etc.).
In many countries there are complex problems of interethnic relations: Great Britain, Spain (Basques), France (Corsica), Belgium, Cyprus, etc.
Religious composition of the population
The dominant religion is Christianity.
- Southern Europe - Catholicism
- Northern - Protestantism
- Medium - Protestantism and Catholicism
- Eastern - Orthodoxy and Catholicism
- Albania, Croatia - Islam
ECONOMY: PLACE IN THE WORLD, DIFFERENCES BETWEEN COUNTRIES.
Foreign Europe, as an integral region, ranks first in the world economy in terms of industrial and agricultural production, in the export of goods and services, in reserves of gold and currency, and in the development of international tourism.
The economic power of the region is primarily determined by four countries that are members of the "big seven" Western countries - Germany, France, Great Britain and Italy. It is these countries that have the widest range of various industries and industries. But the balance of power between them has changed in recent decades. The role of the leader has passed to the FRG, whose economy is developing more dynamically on the path of reindustrialization. Great Britain, the former "workshop of the world", has lost many of its former positions.
Of the rest of the countries of foreign Europe, Spain, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium and Sweden have the greatest economic weight. In contrast to the four main countries, their economy specializes primarily in certain industries, which, as a rule, have won the European or world recognition. Small and medium-sized countries are especially widely drawn into world economic relations. The highest levels of economic openness have been reached in Belgium and the Netherlands.
A special place on the economic map of the region is occupied by the countries of Eastern Europe, where since the late 80s. there is a transition from the former system of public ownership and central planning to a system based on market principles. These post-socialist countries long time in their socio-economic development, oriented primarily towards the Soviet Union (and the Baltic countries were part of it), now they are more "looking" not at the East, but at the West of Europe. This reorientation is having a major impact on the industry and territorial structure their farms, to the direction externally economic ties.
Industry: major industries.
The region produces more machine tools, industrial robots, precision and optical instruments, automobiles, tractors, petroleum products, plastics, and chemical fibers than the United States.
mechanical engineering- the leading industry of foreign Europe, which is its homeland. This industry accounts for 1/3 of the total industrial output of the region and 2/3 of its exports.
Particularly great development has been Automotive industry. Such car brands as Renault (France), Volkswagen and Mercedes (Germany), FIAT (Italian Automobile Factory Torino), Volvo (Sweden), Tatra (Czech Republic), are world famous. buses "Ikarus" (Hungary). In the UK, Belgium, Spain, and other countries, factories of the Ford Motor company operate.
Mechanical engineering, focusing primarily on labor resources, scientific base and infrastructure, most of all tends to large cities and agglomerations, including metropolitan ones.
Chemical industry in foreign Europe takes the second place after mechanical engineering. In particular, this applies to the most "chemicalized" country not only in this region, but also in the whole world - Germany.
Until the Second World War, the chemical industry focused mainly on hard and lignite coal, potash and table salts, and pyrites, and was located in areas where they were mined. The reorientation of the industry to hydrocarbon raw materials has led to the fact that it has moved "to oil". In the western part of the region, this shift found expression primarily in the emergence of large centers of petrochemistry in the estuaries of the Thames, Seine, Rhine, Elbe, and Rhone, where this industry is combined with oil refining.
The region's largest hub of petrochemical production and refineries was formed in the estuary of the Rhine and Scheldt in the Netherlands, near Rotterdam. In fact, it serves the whole of Western Europe.
In the eastern part of the region, the shift "to oil" has led to the creation of refineries and petrochemical plants along the routes of main oil and gas pipelines.
The main oil refining and petrochemical enterprises of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary were built on the route of the Druzhba international oil pipeline and gas pipelines, through which oil and natural gas came from the Soviet Union. In Bulgaria, for the same reason, petrochemistry has been "shifted" to the Black Sea coast.
AT fuel and energy economy In most countries of foreign Europe, the leading position was occupied by oil and natural gas produced both in the region itself (the North Sea) and imported from developing countries, from Russia. The extraction and consumption of coal in the UK, Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Belgium have declined sharply. In the eastern part of the region, the focus on coal is still preserved, and not so much on hard coal (Poland, Czech Republic), but on brown coal. Perhaps there is no other area in the world where brown coal would play such a big role in the fuel and energy balance.
The majority of TPPs are also oriented towards coal basins. But they are also built in seaports (on imported fuel) and in large cities. An increasing impact on the structure and geography of the electric power industry - especially in France, Belgium, Germany, Great Britain, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria - is exerted by the construction of nuclear power plants, of which there are already more than 80 in the region. On the Danube and its tributaries, on the Rhone, upper Rhine, Duero hydroelectric power stations or their entire cascades were built.
But still, in most countries, with the exception of Norway, Sweden and Switzerland, hydroelectric power plants now play a supporting role. Since the region's hydro resources have already been used by 4/5, more economical pumped storage power plants have been built in recent years. Iceland uses geothermal energy.
Metallurgical industry foreign Europe was mainly formed before the beginning of the era of scientific and technological revolution. Ferrous metallurgy has developed primarily in countries that have metallurgical fuel and (or) raw materials: Germany, Great Britain, France, Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg, Poland, and the Czech Republic.
After the Second World War, large plants were built or expanded in seaports with a focus on importing higher quality and cheaper iron ore and scrap metal. The largest and most modern of the plants built in seaports is located in Taranto (Italy).
Recently, not large plants, but mini-factories have been built mainly.
The most important branches of non-ferrous metallurgy - aluminum and copper industry. Aluminum production arose both in countries with bauxite reserves (France, Italy, Hungary, Romania, Greece), and in countries where there is no aluminum raw material, but a lot of electricity is generated (Norway, Switzerland, Germany, Austria). Recently, aluminum smelters are increasingly oriented towards raw materials coming from developing countries by sea.
copper industry received greatest development in Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy, Belgium, Poland, Yugoslavia.
timber industry, focusing primarily on the sources of raw materials, has become an industry of international specialization in Sweden and Finland, which have long been the main "forest shop in the region."
Light industry, with which the industrialization of foreign Europe began, has largely lost its former significance. The old textile districts, which were formed at the dawn of the industrial revolution (Lancashire and Yorkshire in Great Britain, Flanders in Belgium, Lyon in France, Milan in Italy), as well as those that arose already in the 19th century. The Lodz region of Poland still exists today. But lately light industry has been shifting to Southern Europe, where there are still reserves of cheap labor. So, Portugal has become almost the main "clothing factory" of the region. And Italy in the production of shoes is second only to China.
In many countries, rich national traditions in the production of furniture are also preserved, musical instruments, glassware, metal, jewelry, toys, etc.
AGRICULTURE: THREE MAIN TYPES.
For the main types of agricultural products, most countries fully meet their needs and are interested in selling them on foreign markets. The main type of agricultural enterprise is a large highly mechanized farm. But in Southern Europe, landownership and small-scale land use by tenant peasants still predominate.
The main branches of agriculture in foreign Europe are plant growing and animal husbandry, which are ubiquitous, combined with each other. Under the influence of natural and historical conditions Three main types of agriculture have developed in the region:
1) Northern European, 2) Central European and 3) South European.
For northern European type, common in Scandinavia, Finland, and also in the UK, is characterized by the predominance of intensive dairy farming, and in the crop production that serves it, fodder crops and gray bread.
Central European type It is distinguished by the predominance of dairy and dairy-meat cattle breeding, as well as pig and poultry farming. Animal husbandry has reached a very high level in Denmark, where it has long become an industry of international specialization. This country is one of the world's largest producers and exporters of butter, milk, cheese, pork and eggs. It is often referred to as the "dairy farm" of Europe.
Crop production not only satisfies the basic needs of the population in food, but also "works" for animal husbandry. A significant and sometimes predominant part of arable land is occupied by fodder crops.
For southern European type characterized by a significant predominance of crop production, while animal husbandry plays a secondary role. Although grain crops occupy the main place in the crops, the international specialization of Southern Europe is determined primarily by the production of fruits, citrus fruits, grapes, olives, almonds, nuts, tobacco, and essential oil crops. Coast mediterranean sea- the main "garden of Europe".
The entire Mediterranean coast of Spain, and especially the region of Valencia, is usually called "huerta", that is, "garden". Various fruits and vegetables are grown here, but most of all - oranges, which are harvested from December to March. In the export of oranges, Spain ranks first in the world. There are over 90 million olive trees in Greece. This tree became for the Greeks a kind of national symbol. Since the time of Ancient Hellas, the olive branch has been a sign of peace.
In many cases, the specialization of agriculture acquires a narrower profile. So, France, the Netherlands and Switzerland are famous for cheese production, the Netherlands for flowers, Germany and the Czech Republic for growing barley and hops and brewing. And in terms of the production and consumption of grape wines, France, Spain, Italy, Portugal stand out not only in Europe, but throughout the world.
Fishing has long been an international specialty in Norway, Denmark and especially Iceland.
NON-MANUFACTURING SPHERE
Transport: main highways and nodes.
The regional transport system of the region belongs to Western European type. In terms of transportation distance, it is much inferior to the systems of the United States and Russia. But in terms of the provision of a transport network, it is far ahead, ranking first in the world. Relatively short distances stimulated the development of road transport, which now plays leading role in the transportation of not only passengers, but also cargo. The railway network in most countries is declining, and large new buildings in the 50-70s. were characteristic only for some countries of Eastern Europe (Poland, Yugoslavia, Albania).
The configuration of the region's land transport network is very complex. But its main framework is formed by the latitudinal and meridional directions that are of international importance. The main latitudinal trans-European highways run as follows: 1) Brest - Paris - Berlin - Warsaw - Minsk - Moscow, 2) London - Paris - Vienna - Budapest - Belgrade - Sofia - Istanbul.
River routes also have meridional (Rhine) or latitudinal (Danube) directions. The transport significance of the Rhine-Main-Danube waterway is especially great.
The Danube is a "transnational arrow": Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, FRY, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine
Rhine: Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, France, the Netherlands.
Drava: Italy, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, FRY
Tisza: Ukraine, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary, FRY
Large transport hubs arose at the intersections of land and inland waterways. In essence, such nodes are also seaports, serving primarily international transportation. Many of the world's yurts (London, Hamburg, Antwerp, Rotterdam, Le Havre) are located in the estuaries of rivers that connect them with the hinterland. All of them have actually become one port industrial complexes. They are characterized by the development of branches of the maritime economy, and especially the so-called "port industry", working on imported, overseas raw materials. The largest of them is Rotterdam. The turnover of the port of Rotterdam is about 300 million tons per year. Located on one of the branches of the Rhine, 33 km from the sea, it serves as the main sea gate for many European countries. It is connected with the hinterland by waterways along the Rhine and Moselle, railways and highways, and oil and gas pipelines.
Western Europe - good example how even large natural barriers cease to be an insurmountable obstacle to transport links. Numerous railways, roads and pipelines cross the Alps. Ferry crossings link the shores of the Baltic, North, and Mediterranean seas. Road bridges are thrown over the Bosphorus, across the Great Belt. Completed "project of the century" - the construction of a railway tunnel across the English Channel.
Science and finance: technoparks, technopolises and banking centers.
Following the example of "Silicon Valley" in the United States, many research parks and technopolises have also emerged in foreign Europe, which already largely determine the geography of science in a number of countries. The largest of them are located in the vicinity of Cambridge (Great Britain), Munich (Germany). In the south of France, near Nice, the so-called "Valley of high technology" is being formed.
In foreign Europe there are 60 of the 200 largest world banks. Switzerland has long become the benchmark of a banker country: half of all valuable papers peace. The "economic capital" of the country, Zurich, stands out in particular. Recently Luxembourg and Frankfurt am Main have turned into a banker country. But still the largest financial center was and remains London.
Recreation and tourism
Foreign Europe has been and remains the main area of international tourism. All types of tourism have developed here, the "tourism industry" has reached a very high level. Spain, France and Italy also invariably act as the leading countries of international tourism. Great Britain, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Greece, Portugal, Czech Republic, Hungary are also among the most popular countries for attracting tourists. And in such microstates as Andorra, San Marino, Monaco, tourist services have long been the main source of income. There are 100 tourists for every inhabitant.
Security environment and environmental issues
As a result of the high population density, long-standing industrial and agricultural development of the territory, the natural environment of foreign Europe has become the geographical environment to the greatest extent. human society. All types of anthropogenic landscapes are widespread here. But at the same time, this led to the aggravation of many environmental and environmental problems.
Some of them are associated with open pit mining, burning and chemical processing high-ash (primarily brown) coal. Others - with the placement of a number of cities and agglomerations, metallurgical, oil and gas processing and petrochemical plants, nuclear power plants on the banks of the Rhine, Elbe, Danube, Vistula, on the coasts, others - with the spread of acid rain. Fourth - with the ever-increasing "density of cars", which in a number of urban agglomerations already reaches 250-300 cars per 1 km2. Fifth - with the spontaneous development of tourism, which has already led to significant degradation natural environment both in the Alps and on the Mediterranean coast. Sixth - with a huge danger to the natural environment, which is created by catastrophes of supertankers, which often occur, especially on the approaches to the English Channel.
All countries in the region are pursuing a state environmental policy and are taking more and more decisive measures to protect the environment. Strict environmental laws have been issued, mass public organizations and green parties have emerged, the use of bicycles is being promoted, and the network of national parks and other protected areas has been expanded.
All this led to the first positive results. Nevertheless, in many countries the environmental situation is still difficult. First of all, this applies to the UK, Germany, Belgium, Poland, and the Czech Republic.
In general, the ecological situation in the eastern part of foreign Europe is much worse than in the western.
GEOGRAPHICAL DRAWING OF SETTLEMENT AND ECONOMY.
"central axis" development - chief element of the territorial structure of the region.
The territorial structure of the population and economy of foreign Europe was mainly formed back in the 19th century, when the natural resource was almost the main factor of location, and when the coal and metallurgical regions of Great Britain, France, Germany, Belgium, Poland, the Czech Republic, and other countries arose. After World War II greatest influence this structure has been influenced by the factors of labor resources and the benefits of the EGP, and more recently also by knowledge intensity and environmental factors.
In total, there are approximately 400 urban agglomerations and about a hundred industrial areas in the region. The most significant of them are located within the "central axis" of development, stretching across the territory of eight countries. Its core is the "main street of Europe" - the Rhine-Rhone line. 120 million people live within the boundaries of this "axis", and about half of the entire economic potential of the region is concentrated.
In foreign Europe, several more similar "axes" of a smaller scale can be distinguished. This is an industrial-urban belt stretching along the common borders of Poland, the Czech Republic and the Federal Republic of Germany, the Danube "axis", stripes along the main oil pipelines, and some coastal zones.
Highly developed areas: the examples of London and Paris.
The most striking examples of highly developed areas that concentrate the latest industries, infrastructure, science, culture, and services are the metropolitan regions of Greater London and Greater Paris.
Both London and Paris have grown primarily as the administrative and political centers of their countries, which they have served for more than eight centuries. Both capitals are large industrial centers, in which high-tech science-intensive industries are widely represented, and in Paris also the production of so-called "Parisian products" (clothing, jewelry, etc.), thanks to which it has been acting as a trendsetter for the whole world for several centuries. But more importantly, it is here that the largest banks and stock exchanges, the headquarters of monopolies, leading scientific institutions, as well as the residences of many international organizations are concentrated. In accordance with regional programs, unloading of the central parts of both metropolitan regions is being carried out.
Eight satellite cities have been built in the vicinity of London, and five satellite cities have been built in the vicinity of Paris.
Examples of other highly developed regions of foreign Europe are: the southern region of Germany with centers in Stuttgart and Munich, the "industrial triangle" Milan - Turin - Genoa in Italy, the industrial-urban agglomeration Randstad ("ring city") in the Netherlands. All of them are within the "central axis" of development.
old industrial areas.
No other region of the world has such a large number of old industrial areas with a predominance of basic industries as in foreign Europe. The largest of them arose on the basis of coal basins. But even among such areas, the Ruhr stands out, which for many decades has been rightfully considered the industrial heart of Germany.
Within the Ruhr basin and adjacent areas, the Lower Rhine-Ruhr agglomeration has developed. Here, on an area of 9 thousand km2, 11 million people live and about a hundred cities are concentrated, including 20 large ones. Another such cluster big cities in one territory is not, perhaps, nowhere in the world. In some parts of the agglomeration, the population density reaches 5 thousand people per 1 km2. The Ruhr part forms a complex urban area with almost no gaps, which is usually called the "Ruhrstadt", that is, the "city of the Ruhr". In fact, this is really a single city, the western gate of which is Duisburg, the eastern gate is Dortmund, the "capital" is Essen, and the main "safe" is Düsseldorf.
Recently, the industry of the Ruhr, numbering several thousand enterprises, has undergone a significant reconstruction. In the 50s and 60s. The Ruhr was considered almost a classic depressive area. But today it would be wrong to put it in this category. In the Ruhr area, a large environmental program. The Rhine, which not so long ago was called the gutter of Europe, became cleaner, and fish appeared again.
Examples of other old industrial areas are Lancashire, Yorkshire, the West Midlands, South Wales in the UK, the Northern Region, Alsace and Lorraine in France, the Saarland, which is often called the "Little Ruhr", in the Federal Republic of Germany, the Upper Silesian region in Poland, Ostrava in the Czech Republic . But most of them fall into the category of depression.
backward agricultural regions.
In foreign Europe there are still quite a few rather backward, predominantly agrarian regions. A striking example of this kind is the South of Italy, which occupies 40% of the country's territory, concentrates more than 35% of the population and only 18% of those employed in industry. The per capita income here is almost two times lower than in the North. After the Second World War, due to the relative agrarian overpopulation, more than 5 million people emigrated from the South.
The state pursues a regional policy aimed at the rise of the South. It led to the construction of large metallurgical, petrochemical plants and other enterprises here. As a result, the South has ceased to be a purely agricultural area. However, the plants have almost no connection with the surrounding territory, since they work on imported raw materials, and their products are exported to other parts of the country and to other countries.
Examples of other backward agrarian regions of foreign Europe are: Western part France, central and southwestern Spain, Portugal and Greece. All of them are located outside the "central axis". The problem of the rise of backward regions is also relevant for many countries of Eastern Europe.
Areas of new development.
For a long-established territory of foreign Europe, areas of new development are generally not typical. Usually only the northern part of Scandinavia was referred to them. But the opening in the early 60s. large oil and gas basin in the water area North Sea changed the situation.
By the beginning of the 90s. more than 250 oil and natural gas deposits were discovered on this "golden bottom". In addition, one of the world's largest gas fields is located off the coast in the Netherlands. The North Sea region satisfies 1/3 of the needs of foreign Europe in oil and 2/3 of the needs in natural gas. Today, the sea is literally “stuffed” with drilling platforms; several thousand kilometers of pipelines have been laid along its bottom. But in this regard, there is a considerable environmental threat, not to mention fisheries, which have suffered irreparable damage.
Influence of international economic integration on the territorial structure of the economy.
Among the favorable prerequisites for the development of international economic integration in the region are territorial proximity, high development of the territory, a high level of socio-economic development, good transport security, and long-standing traditions of economic ties. During the existence of the EU, all this has already led to a further merging of the territorial structures of the economy of individual countries, especially within the "central axis" of development. Border integration regions are being formed: between Germany and France, between France and Belgium, France and Italy, etc.
Figure 1. Sub-regions of Foreign Europe.
Table 2. What some countries of Foreign Europe produce and export.
Country | Products industrial production and export |
Sweden | Automobiles, aircraft, ships, weapons, equipment for the forestry and pulp and paper industry, paper, cellulose, iron ore, medicines, livestock products. |
Finland | Lumber, paper, pulp, equipment for the forestry and woodworking industries, marine vessels, dairy products. |
United Kingdom | Machinery and equipment, aircraft, cars, tractors, weapons, oil, chemicals, fabrics, light industry products. |
France | Cars, aircraft, ships, weapons, equipment for nuclear power plants, ferrous metals, aluminum, fabrics, clothes, perfumes, wheat, dairy and meat products, sugar, wines. |
Germany | Automobiles, machine tools, industrial equipment, electrical and electronic products, weapons, chemicals, light industry products. |
Spain | Automobiles, ships, electrical equipment, chemicals, metal ores, light industry products, citrus fruits, olive oil, wines. |
Italy | Automobiles, ships, electrical equipment, weapons, chemicals, refrigerators, washing and office machines, textiles and garments, shoes, vegetables, fruits, citrus fruits, wines. |
Poland | Machinery and equipment, ships, coal, copper, sulfur, medicines, textiles, agricultural products. |
Bulgaria | Electrical and electronic products, handling equipment, agricultural machinery, non-ferrous metals, clothing and tobacco products, canned food, wines, rose oil. |
FRG CHARACTERISTICS
GEOGRAPHICAL POSITION, GENERAL OVERVIEW
Territory - 356.9 thousand km 2. Population - 81.6 million people. (1995). The capital is Berlin.
Germany is a state in Central Europe. It borders on the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Switzerland, Austria, and the Czech Republic. Poland, Denmark.
In the development of the country important role played the features of the EGP: its location in the center of Europe, surrounded by economically highly developed countries, at the intersection of major transport routes, coastal position.
AT modern borders Germany was formed by the unification in October 1990 of two states - the FRG and the GDR, the FRG included 5 lands of the GDR and East Berlin. As a result, the territory of the country grew by 43%, and the population - by 27%.
Germany is a parliamentary republic. According to the territorial and political structure - a federation consisting of 16 lands.
The executive power in the country belongs to the federal government, the president performs mainly representative functions.
NATURAL CONDITIONS AND RESOURCES.
The natural conditions of the country are varied. The surface rises mainly from north to south. According to the nature of the relief, 4 main elements are distinguished in it: the North German lowland, the Middle German mountains (Black Forest, Swabian Alb, Franconian Alb, Rhine Slate Mountains). Bavarian Plateau and the Alps. The relief of the country was affected by glaciation and marine transgressions.
Among the countries of foreign Europe, Germany is distinguished by coal reserves (1st place) - mainly in the Ruhr, Saar, Aachen basins.
Enough large deposits natural gas are located in the north of Germany.
There are reserves of iron ore, but its quality is low. In the North of the German Plain there are significant deposits of rock salt. There are reserves of potassium and magnesium salts.
The climate is transitional from maritime to continental, favorable for living and farming.
The rivers Rhine, Ems, Weser, Elbe, Danube are of great economic importance.
About 30% of the territory is covered with forests, but these are secondary forests, primary forests in the country have practically not been preserved.
POPULATION.
In terms of population, Germany ranks first in Western Europe. The country is characterized by a decrease in the birth rate and natural population growth (especially in eastern lands). The birth and death rates are equal (about 1%), but the population is growing due to the influx of immigrants from Southern Europe, Asia (Turkey).
The average density is 227 people / km 2.
Figure 2. Age-sex pyramid of Germany.
(click on image to enlarge image)
The overwhelming majority of the inhabitants are Germans, by the time of the reunification of the country there were more than 5 million immigrants, their number is increasing.
The predominant religion is Christianity (Catholicism and Protestantism); from other religions, Islam is widespread.
The level of urbanization is 87%.
ECONOMY
Germany is one of the most developed countries in the world. In terms of GDP and industrial production, it is second only to the United States and Japan.
The role of Germany in the MGRT is determined by its industry, which specializes in the production of high-quality products.
On the sectoral and territorial structure of the German economy strong influence had forty years of separate development of the FRG and the GDR. Territorial disproportions in the country are very large: in 1994, the eastern lands provided about 4% of industrial production, although about 20% of the population of Germany lives in them.
In general, the share of manufacturing industries in the structure of industry is very high (more than 90%), the share of extractive industries is declining, and the share of science-intensive industries is growing.
Energy. Germany provides more than 1/2 of its needs through imports (oil, gas, coal). The main role in the fuel base is played by oil and gas, and the share of coal is about 30%. The structure of electricity generation: 64% - at TPPs, 4% - at HPPs, 32% - at NPPs. TPPs on coal operate in the Ruhr and Saar basins, in port cities, on natural gas - in the north of Germany, on fuel oil - in oil refining centers, other TPPs - on mixed fuel. Nuclear power plants are built outside the coal basins. HPPs operate mainly in the south of the country (on mountain rivers).
Ferrous metallurgy- one of the most important branches of specialization in Germany, but is currently in crisis. The main factories are concentrated in the Ruhr and the Lower Rhine; there are also in the Saar and in the eastern lands of Germany. Converting and rolling enterprises are located throughout the country.
Non-ferrous metallurgy- works mainly on imported and secondary raw materials. In terms of aluminum smelting, Germany in foreign Europe is second only to Norway. The main factories are in North Rhine-Westphalia, in Hamburg and Bavaria.
Mechanical engineering and metalworking- the branch of specialization of Germany in the MGRT, it accounts for up to 1/2 of industrial production and exports. Major centers: Munich, Nuremberg. Mannheim, Berlin, Leipzig, Hamburg. Bavaria is the leader in the electrical industry. The automotive industry, marine shipbuilding, optical-mechanical, and aerospace industries are highly developed.
Chemical industry It is represented primarily by products of fine organic synthesis, the production of medicines, etc. Chemical industry especially developed in the western lands (concerns BASF, "Hurst"), in the east - was in a state of crisis.
Agriculture- uses about 50% of the territory; the industry's contribution to the country's GDP is 1%, more than 60% of all production comes from animal husbandry, where breeding of large cattle and pig breeding. The main grain crops are wheat, rye, oats, barley. Germany is fully self-sufficient in grain. Potatoes and beets are also grown; along the valleys of the Rhine and its tributaries - viticulture, horticulture, tobacco growing.
Transport. In terms of the density of transport routes, Germany occupies one of the first places in the world; Railways form the backbone of the transport network. In the total freight turnover, the main role belongs to road transport (60%), then rail (20%), inland water (15%) and pipeline. Great importance have external maritime transport and air transport, which play a major role in the country's external relations.
Non-manufacturing sphere represented in Germany, as in a post-industrial country, by a wide range of different activities: education, healthcare, management, finance. Among the 50 largest banks in the world are eight German ones. Frankfurt am Main is a fast growing financial center in Germany.
FOREIGN ECONOMIC RELATIONS.
In terms of total foreign trade, Germany ranks second in the world after the United States. The main trading partners of Germany are the EU countries, recently the markets of Eastern Europe and Russia have been mastered.
Basic concepts: Western European (North American) type of transport system, port industrial complex, "axis of development", metropolitan area, industrial belt, "false urbanization", latifundia, shipstations, megalopolis, "technopolis", "growth pole", "growth corridors"; colonial type of branch structure, monoculture, apartheid, subregion.
Skills: be able to assess the impact of the EGP and GWP, the history of settlement and development, the characteristics of the population and labor resources of the region, the country on the sectoral and territorial structure of the economy, the level of economic development, the role in the MGRT of the region, the country; identify problems and predict the prospects for the development of the region, country; highlight the specific, defining features of individual countries and give them an explanation; find similarities and differences in the population and economy of individual countries and give them an explanation, compile and analyze maps and cartograms.
Western Europe is more 20 states distinguished by their historical, ethnic, natural, economic, social and cultural identity. The Western European region is one of the powerful centers of the world economy in the modern world. Western Europe is one of the centers of the world economy.
The GWP of a region is determined seaside position most countries, the position on the main world sea routes leading from Europe to America, the neighboring compact position of countries in relation to each other. Proximity to many developing countries means proximity to sources of raw materials. The countries of Africa and Asia supply cheap labor to Western Europe.
The region has deposits of many types of mineral raw materials: oil, coal and gas, iron, zinc, lead, bauxite, gold, mercury, marble etc. But many deposits are close to depletion.
The needs of the region in energy carriers and metal ores are met by imported raw materials. The provision of countries with mineral resources is not the same. Oil and gas are produced on the shelf of the North Sea, industrial oil reserves are in the Netherlands and France; coal - in Germany (Ruhr basin), Great Britain (Wales basin, Newcastle basin); iron ore - in France (Lorraine), Sweden; non-ferrous metal ores - in Germany, Spain, Italy; potassium salts - in Germany, etc.
The northern and western parts of Western Europe are well endowed with resources fresh water. Large river arteries - the Danube, the Rhine and other rivers of the plains, as well as canals - are convenient transport routes. The mountain rivers of Scandinavia and the Alps are rich in hydropower resources. In Norway, for example, 3/4 of all electricity comes from hydroelectric power plants.
More than 20% of the region's territory is occupied forests. But mostly these are artificial plantations of trees (except for the forests of Sweden and Finland). Their main functions are environmental protection and recreation.
The countries of the region have favorable resources for development Agriculture: a good combination of flat and mountainous landforms, temperate climate; the natural fertility of soils is low, but it has become higher as a result of centuries of their use with fertilizers.
The agro-climatic resources of different countries of Western Europe are also not the same. In the middle and southern parts of the region, mild winters and enough precipitation contributes to the almost year-round vegetation of many crops. In the Atlantic countries, moisture is excessive, and in the Mediterranean countries in summer there is a lack of moisture and artificial irrigation is necessary.
The Mediterranean climate is the most favorable for human life.
A characteristic feature of the region is the almost complete absence of natural landscapes. About 500 million people live in foreign Europe. it region of ancient settlement , the "cradle" of several ancient civilizations (ancient and Christian). On the territory of Europe for several millennia played out major events world history associated with aggressive campaigns, wars, mass migrations of peoples, which led to a very difficult ethnic composition its population.
The majority of the current European population belongs to Indo-European language family, which includes three language groups: Germanic, Romance and Slavic . The German group predominates.
densely populated regions of the world (more than 100 people/sq.km) There are great contrasts in settlement: Belgium, the Netherlands are one of the most densely populated countries in the world, and the population density in Iceland is 2 people/sq.km). In the center of the region, due to the EGP, a high concentration of industry, developed infrastructure and cities, a zone of very high population density (more than 300 people per sq. km) has developed.
Western Europe has the lowest population growth rate in the world.
The population of Western European countries is characterized by the process of "aging", which is explained by a decrease in natural growth and an increase in average life expectancy. In some countries (Germany, Denmark) mortality exceeds the birth rate, there is a narrowed reproduction of the population. In most countries population policy aimed at stimulating the birth rate. Significant impact on the number and National composition population of Western European countries, its labor potential is affected by immigration from the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa. In some countries, the number of immigrants exceeds the natural increase. The most important immigration countries are Germany, France, Switzerland and Sweden. Periodically, conflicts arise in countries between immigrants and the indigenous population. The structure of employment is characterized by a reduction in the number of workers in the material production and an increase in the non-manufacturing sector.
Western Europe is one of the most urbanized regions of the world. More than 75% of the total population lives in cities (although there are contrasts here too: in Belgium, Sweden - 85% of the urban population, in Portugal - 35%). By the number of large cities and by concentration on certain territory Western Europe is somewhat ahead of America. main shape urban settlements are agglomerations. The London and Paris agglomerations are among the largest in the world. A more complex form - the Rhine-Ruhr urban area - has developed in Germany. Currently, Western Europe is characterized by the process of suburbanization - the outflow of the urban population to the suburbs and the countryside. At the same time, many rural residents work in the city (less than 40% of the rural population is employed in agriculture). There is an erasing of contrasts in functions, living conditions between urban and rural settlements.
Political map of Western Europe.
The political map began to take shape a long time ago and has undergone many changes. On the modern political map of the region, there are 43 states, among which the most economically developed are Germany, UK, France, Italy. A feature of the political map of Europe is the presence of a number of dwarf states: the Vatican, Monaco, Andorra and others.
Branches of the economy.
Western Europe is one of economic centers peace. A characteristic feature of the region's economy is a high degree of development of post-industrial functions: more than half of the economically active population is employed in the non-productive sector. Western Europe is the first region in the world in terms of trade not only in goods, but also in services - transport, banking and insurance, tourism, telecommunications, etc. The region is the most important center of financial transactions in the world (among the financial capitals of the world are London, Zurich, Frankfurt - on the Main, etc.). The degree of integration of the countries of Western Europe is high. Founded in the 1990s, the European Union, which includes 15 states, aims to complete the formation of a single internal market. At present, a single Western European economic complex has largely formed. Its share in world trade and foreign exchange operations of the world exceeds 40%. The countries of Western Europe unite in various economic and political organizations.
The main branch of specialization of Western Europe is the most diverse mechanical engineering . It provides more than 30% of the value of all industrial output. Western Europe provides about 45% of the world production of machine tools and forging and pressing machines, the region is the world's largest manufacturer and exporter of machinery and equipment, optics. Automotive industry is of great importance.
The world-famous firms are Volkswagen (Germany), Renault (France), FIAT (Italy), Volvo (Sweden), British Leyland (Great Britain). The electrical and electronic industries have a diversified structure. The production of power equipment, radio and telephone equipment is developed. Mechanical engineering is focused on the scientific base, labor resources, transport, and therefore is located in many large cities.
Chemical industry is another branch of specialization in Western Europe: more than 30% of all chemicals in the world are produced here. Petrochemistry was developed in the second half of the 20th century. based on imported raw materials. Industry enterprises were built mainly near seaports.
Products of fine organic synthesis are especially important for export. Germany, which produces dyes and plastics, remains the leader among the countries of the region. France specializes in synthetic rubber, Belgium specializes in chemical fertilizers and soda, forest chemistry is developed in Sweden and Norway, and pharmaceuticals in Switzerland.
Energy Western European countries are based both on their own resources (gas from the Netherlands, coal from Germany and Great Britain), and on imported ones (about half of the energy resources are imported). In the countries of Northern and Southern Europe, hydro resources are of great importance. Iceland uses thermal water outlets as energy sources. The region leads the world in the development of nuclear energy.
Ferrous metallurgy developed due to the presence of its own raw material base. Old metallurgical regions - the Ruhr in Germany, Lorraine in France. Since the 1950s, an orientation towards the import of iron ore began, which led to a shift of ferrous metallurgy enterprises to the sea - Taranto in Italy, Dunkirk in France, Bremen in Germany. Plants of blast-furnace metallurgy and conversion electrosmelting plants are of great importance. Major exporters of steel are Germany, France, Belgium, Luxembourg.
Non-ferrous metallurgy operates mainly on imported raw materials and uses ore concentrates from Africa and America. Only about 50% of aluminum production is provided by local bauxites. Aluminum production is oriented either to mining sites (France, Greece) or to the availability of cheap electricity (Norway, Germany). The region has production of refined lead, zinc, copper in Germany, France, Belgium, Great Britain.
Changes in the geography of industry in Western Europe are associated with the formation of large port industrial complexes (Rotterdam in the Netherlands, Marseille in France, etc.), the development of oil and gas fields in the North Sea, the industrialization of less developed countries, and the decentralization of industry.
Agriculture region is characterized by extremely high productivity. Only tropical agricultural products and feed grains are imported. The main type of agricultural enterprise is a farm. In most countries, meat and dairy farming predominates. Western Europe has the highest wheat harvest in the world. They grow barley and corn, potatoes; from industrial crops - sugar beet (France, Germany, Italy). In southern Europe, viticulture, the cultivation of olives, almonds, and pomegranates are developed. France is the only major grain exporter in the region.
Italy is the first country in the world to produce wine and collect grapes, Spain - on collection olives. In the northern countries, fur farming is developed, because there are suitable natural conditions, there is cheap feed - waste from the fishing industry. Under the influence of integration in the region, the specialization of agriculture has sharply increased. Italy is called the "garden and vegetable garden", and Denmark is called the "livestock farm" of the united Europe.
The main fishing countries of Western Europe are Norway, Denmark, Iceland.
Transport highly developed In terms of transport provision, Western Europe ranks first in the world. Due to the high density of the population and its mobility, the concentration of production for the transport of Western Europe is characterized by a large scale of transportation of passengers and goods over relatively short distances, which contributes to the development of road transport (it carries out 65% of the transportation of goods and about 80% of the transportation of people within the region). There is a dense network highways, among which there are many highways designed for mass high-speed traffic of cars.
Meaning railway transport decreases. The main latitudinal highway passes through Lisbon - Madrid - Paris - Berlin and further to Warsaw and Moscow. The most important meridional highways: London - Calais - Paris - Marseille, Hamburg - Munich - Rome. Of great importance for rail and road transport is the Channel Tunnel.
Interior water transport used to transport large "non-fast" cargo. The main transport artery is the Rhine, connected by canals to other rivers.
plays a special role sea transport . The tonnage of the Western European merchant fleet is about a quarter of the world's. In terms of cargo turnover, the largest ports are Rotterdam, Marseille, Le Havre, Antwerp, and Hamburg. Rotterdam, located at the mouth of the Rhine, is often referred to as the Europort. It is the largest and most versatile port in the world. Oil products and Ruhr coal, machinery and equipment, chemicals are exported through it, and raw materials (oil, coal, timber, etc.) sharply predominate among imported products. Rotterdam is the center of the world's largest port industrial complex with many oil refineries, petrochemical, machine-building plants, shipyards, banks and other enterprises. The importance of pipeline and air transport. The largest airports are Heathrow in London, Orly in Paris.
Tourism is also an industry of international specialization in Western Europe. The region attracts 2/3 of all foreign tourists in the world. The most visited areas by tourists are the Alps and the Mediterranean.
The most important form of foreign economic relations of Western Europe is international trade . Imports are dominated by energy carriers and mineral raw materials, while exports are dominated by machinery and equipment, chemicals. More than 60% of foreign trade operations account for mutual trade between the countries of the region (the main flows between countries: Germany - France and Germany - the Netherlands), 16% - for trade with the United States, Japan and other developed countries, 20% - with developing countries, 4 - 5% - with former socialist countries (half of this is trade with Russia. Russia's major trading partners are Germany, Finland, Italy, France.
The leading countries of Western Europe are the countries - members of the "Big Seven" - Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy.
On the territory of Western Europe, several types of regions are distinguished. The old industrial regions, which were formed mainly on the basis of the development of coal deposits, are Alsace and Lorraine in France, the Ruhr in Germany, Yorkshire, South Wales, Lancashire in Great Britain. Areas of new development - the North Sea, the northern parts of Scandinavia. Highly developed areas - the southern region of Germany, Greater London, Greater Paris, the "industrial triangle" Milan-Turin-Genoa in Italy. The backward agricultural regions and countries are Portugal and Greece, the south of Italy, the west of France, the center and southwest of Spain.
Lesson summary "Economic and geographical characteristics of the countries of Western Europe".
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Characteristics of the countries of Western Europe
3.8 (76.67%) 6 votesClassification of European countries
Europe is located in the western part of the largest and most populous Eurasian continent on Earth. It is washed by the waters of the seas of the Arctic and Atlantic oceans. From the east, it has a land border with the Asian mainland, stretching from the polar tundra and northern spurs Ural mountains to warm waters Aegean Sea. The area of Europe with the islands is about 10 million km 2. Population - 806 million people (1995).
In geographical literature, it is customary to divide Europe as part of the world into two regions approximately equal in area - Western Europe, which includes all foreign European countries, and Eastern Europe, which includes the European part of Russia (and earlier all the socialist countries). In political and economic literature, Western Europe often means only the developed capitalist countries of this region.
Europe, Europe...
In Europe on this moment 43 countries excluding Russia and dependent states. European countries are the most developed. The "Big Seven (G8 - if we take Russia)" includes four European countries: Great Britain, Germany, France and Italy. Europe is gradually becoming one big country under the name "European Union". More and more countries are joining the EU. As of January 1, 2007, the members of the European Union are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Great Britain, Hungary, Germany, Greece, Denmark, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Finland, France, Croatia, Czech Republic, Sweden, Estonia. 27 countries. The candidates for EU membership are Macedonia, Slovenia and Turkey, which is trying to get closer to Europe and become part of Europe. The EU gross domestic product exceeds the GDP of the world's largest economy - the US economy.
Countries of Europe Austria (capital - Vienna) Albania (capital - Tirana) Andorra (capital - Andorra la Vella) Belarus (capital - Minsk) Belgium (capital - Brussels) Bulgaria (capital - Sofia) Bosnia and Herzegovina (capital - Sarajevo) Vatican ( capital - Vatican) Hungary (capital - Budapest) United Kingdom (capital - London) Germany (capital - Berlin) Greece (capital - Athens) Denmark (capital - Copenhagen) Ireland (capital - Dublin) Iceland (capital - Reykjavik) Spain (capital - Madrid) Italy (capital - Rome) Latvia (capital - Riga) Lithuania (capital - Vilnius) Liechtenstein (capital - Vaduz) Luxembourg (capital - Luxembourg) Macedonia (capital - Skopje) Malta (capital - Valletta) Moldova (capital - Chisinau) Monaco (capital - Monaco) Netherlands (capital - Amsterdam) Norway (capital - Oslo) Poland (capital - Warsaw) Portugal (capital - Lisbon) Romania (capital - Bucharest) San Marino (capital - San Marino) Serbia (capital - Belgrade) Slovakia (capital - Bratislava) Slovenia (capital - Ljubljana) Ukraine (capital - Kyiv) Finland (capital - Helsinki) France (capital - Paris) Montenegro (capital - Podgorica) Czech Republic (capital - Prague) Croatia (capital - Zagreb) Switzerland (capital - Bern) Sweden (capital - Stockholm) Estonia (capital - Tallinn) Dependent states in Europe: Akrotili and Dhekelia (capital - Episkopi) (United Kingdom) Aland (capital - Mariehamn) Finland Guernsey (capital - St. Peter Port) United Kingdom Gibraltar (capital - Gibraltar) (United Kingdom) Jersey (capital - St. Helier) United Kingdom Isle of Man (capital - Douglas) United Kingdom Faroe Islands (capital - Torshavn) (Denmark) Svalbard (capital - Longyearbyen) Norway Jan Mayen (capital - Olonkibin) Norway European countries, unrecognized and partially recognized: Kosovo (capital - Prishtica) Transnistria (capital - Tiraspol) Sealand (capital - Sealand) |
Geographically, Europe is divided into Western, Northern, Southern and Eastern. AT Northern Europe includes Denmark, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Estonia. AT Eastern Europe- Belarus, Bulgaria, Hungary, Moldova, Poland, Russia, Romania, Slovakia, Ukraine, Czech Republic. List of countries Southern Europe: Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Vatican, Greece, Spain, Italy, Macedonia, Malta, Portugal, San Marino, Serbia, Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro. Part Western Europe includes: Austria, Belgium, Great Britain, Germany, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, Portugal, France, Switzerland.
There are 47 countries in Europe. Four regions can be distinguished: Northern, Western, Southern and Eastern Europe:
Classification of European countries (slide 1)
Stages of creating the EU (slide 2)
Entry conditions: 1) inflation< 1,5 % в год; 2) процентная ставка < 2 %;
3) budget deficit< 3 % ВВП; 4) госдолг < 60 % ВВП.
Eurozone - 17 countries. Outside England, Denmark, Sweden.
Euro area: France, Germany; Cyprus, Malta (2007); Slovakia (2008); Slovenia (2009).
Made the euro the official currency: the Vatican, Monaco, Andorra, Montenegro.
European Free Trade Association (EFTA) as part of Austria, Denmark (until 1973), Norway, Portugal (until 1983), Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. The agreement was signed on November 20, 1959. Later, Iceland, Finland, Liechtenstein, and the Faroe Islands joined the EFTA.
History of the development of the territory
Man began to populate the southern and middle parts of Europe as early as ancient times. So in France, archaeologists established a sequence of Paleo cultures: the Lower Paleo tribes created the Shell, Acheul, Mousterian cultures (400-30 thousand years BC), and the Upper Paleo - Orinha, Selutre, Madeleine (30-8 thousand years BC). E.).
Late Paleo cultures already belonged to our immediate ancestor - Homo sapiens, who populated all of Europe, except for its northernmost parts. This means that the direct ancestors of modern Europeans lived here according to at least 30 thousand years BC
In the Mesolithic era (about 8-3 millennium BC), people settled almost throughout Europe. Exploring lands with different natural conditions, they changed the forms of their economy: in the Baltic lands they were engaged in fishing, in the interior - hunting. In 6-2 millennia BC the transition to agriculture and cattle breeding begins, permanent settlements are created. The diversity of peoples and their cultures is increasing.
Area of European countries (slide 8) Area of the smallest countries in Europe (slide 9)
Country | km 2 | % | Country | Area, km 2 | |
Ukraine | 10,7 | Cyprus | |||
France | 9,7 | Luxembourg | |||
Spain | 9,0 | Andorra | |||
Sweden | 8,0 | Malta | |||
Germany | 6,3 | Liechtenstein | |||
Finland | 6,0 | San Marino | 61,2 | ||
Norway | 5,8 | Gibraltar | 6,5 | ||
Poland | 5,5 | Monaco | 1,95 | ||
Italy | 5,3 | Vatican | 0,44 | ||
United Kingdom | 4,3 | ||||
Romania | 4,2 | ||||
Other | 1 413 061 | 25,1 | |||
Total | 100,0 |
Country | Area, km 2 | Country | Area, km 2 | |||
Turkey | Lithuania | |||||
Ukraine | Latvia | |||||
France | Croatia | |||||
Spain | Bosnia and Herzegovina | |||||
Sweden | Slovakia | |||||
Germany | 357 021 | Estonia | ||||
Finland | Denmark | 43 093 | ||||
Norway | Netherlands | |||||
Poland | Switzerland | |||||
Italy | 301 300 | Belgium | 30 528 | |||
United Kingdom | 244 820 | Macedonia | ||||
Romania | Slovenia | |||||
Greece | 131 940 | Cyprus | ||||
Bulgaria | Luxembourg | |||||
Iceland | 103 000 | Andorra | ||||
Serbia and Montenegro | Malta | |||||
Hungary | Liechtenstein | |||||
Portugal | San Marino | 61,2 | ||||
Austria | Gibraltar | 6,5 | ||||
Czech | Monaco | 1,95 | ||||
Ireland | 70 280 | Vatican | 0,44 |
Political structure of Europe
The political system of European countries (slide 10-12)
Form of government | The official name of the country | Form of government |
Federation | Federal Republic of Germany | parliamentary democracy |
Federation | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Parliamentary republic |
Federation | Republic of Austria, Serbia and Montenegro | Federal Republic |
Confederation | Swiss Confederation | Federal Republic |
Kingdom | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | Parliamentary monarchy |
Kingdom | Kingdom of Spain, Kingdom of the Netherlands Kingdom of Norway | A constitutional monarchy |
Principality | Principality of Andorra | Parliamentary monarchy |
Principality | Principality of Liechtenstein | Constitutional monarchy on a democratic and parliamentary basis |
Principality | Principality of Monaco | A constitutional monarchy |
Duchy | Grand Duchy of Luxembourg | A constitutional monarchy |
Theocracy | Vatican | Absolute theocratic monarchy |
Kingdom | Kingdom of Belgium Kingdom of Denmark Kingdom of Sweden | A constitutional monarchy |
Republic | Republic of Italy Portuguese Republic French Republic Republic of Finland Republic of Latvia Republic of Lithuania Estonian Republic Slovak Republic Czech Republic | Parliamentary republic |
Republic of Albania Republic of Croatia Republic of Macedonia, Republic of Slovenia Republic of Malta Republic of Poland Republic of San Marino Republic of Cyprus | ||
Iceland, Ireland, Greece, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine |
The structure of European countries by forms of government (slide 13)
Governance and administrative division
Country | head of state | Names of Parliament | Administrative division |
San Marino | Two captain regents elected every 6 months | Big Council | 9 municipalities |
Finland | The president | 1-chamber parliament | 6 provinces |
Poland | The president | 2 chamber parliament | 16 provinces |
Serbia and Montenegro | The president | 1-chamber parliament | 2 republics and 2 autonomous regions (Kosovo, Vojvodina) |
Slovakia | The president | 1-ward National Assembly Republic | 8 districts |
Slovenia | The president | 2 chamber parliament | 60 provinces |
Estonia | The president | 1-chamber parliament | |
Turkey | The president | 1-chamber Great National Collection of Turkey | 81 provinces (vilayet) |
France | The president | 2 chamber parliament | 22 departments |
Switzerland | The president | 2-chamber Federal Assembly | 26 cantons (each has its own constitution, parliament, government) |
Sweden | King (form.), Prime Minister (real) | 1-chamber Parliament (Riksdag) | 21 linen |
Croatia | The president | 1-chamber parliament | 20 provinces (counties) |
Czech | The president | 2 chamber parliament | 13 districts (krai) |
Austria | The president | 2-chamber Federal Assembly | 9 lands |
Andorra | Spanish Bishop and President of France | 1-chamber parliament |
Location
Country | Capital | Location |
Andorra | Andorra de Vella | |
Slovakia | Bratislava | In Central Europe between Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic |
Slovenia | Ljubljana | In Central Europe, east of the Alps between Austria, Croatia and Italy, bordering the Adriatic Sea |
Finland | Helsinki | Between Russia and Sweden |
Switzerland | Berne | Between France, Italy and Germany |
Sweden | Stockholm | |
Czech | Prague | |
Croatia | Zagreb | |
Estonia | Tallinn | |
Turkey | Ankara | In Southwest Asia between Georgia and Syria |
Ukraine | Kyiv | In Eastern Europe between Russia, Poland, Romania and Moldova |
European population
Foreign (in relation to the CIS countries) Europe is one of the most densely populated and economically developed regions of the world. Its relatively small area (5.1 million sq. km) is home to 668 million people (2011), or about 9% of the world's population. Foreign Europe ranks first in the world economy in terms of industrial and agricultural production, in the export of goods and services, and in the development of international tourism.
slide 14. Population in European countries as of 2011. The rest of Europe (not shown in the chart) is less than 1% of the total population.
slide 15. The structure of European countries by population (%).
The structure highlights the most populated countries. The “Other” group includes countries whose share in the total population is less than 2%.
There is a decrease in the birth rate. This is due to growing urbanization, an increase in the level of education and later marriage, and the involvement of women in social production.
World wars caused very severe damage to the population of Europe. In the first of them, more than 7 million people died in foreign Europe. But total losses are estimated at more than 25 million (famine, Spanish flu). During the Second World War, about 17 million people died, but the total losses are in the tens of millions. After the Second World War, there was a surge in the birth rate (the so-called "baby boom"), but soon the boom passed and the birth rate stabilized again.
At present, Foreign Europe has the lowest population growth rate in the world: its number is increasing by 0.5% per year. Moreover, in Southern and Eastern Europe, the rates exceed the average, and in Northern and Western Europe, the population increases by only 0.2-0.3% per year (and even then due to immigration). In a number of developed countries, natural population growth (Germany, Austria, England, etc.) is negative.
Developed States forced stimulate the birth rate.
1) The first state in Europe to pursue a policy of encouraging the birth rate was France. In 1920, due to the threat of depopulation, abortions and the sale of contraceptives were banned here.
2) In 1923, Mussolini introduced a tax "for childlessness" in Italy.
3) After World War II, child allowances were introduced.
4) The same measures were taken in the Scandinavian countries. Mothers are supported here, abortions are allowed only for medical and some social reasons (rape).
Among the countries of all foreign Europe, Albania stands out with a high birth rate (more than 30 ppm). This is due to Muslim traditions (early marriage, many children).
Average life expectancy in most countries exceeds 70 years.
Stand out: Norway - 76 years, Sweden - 75 years, Iceland - 74.5 years, Denmark - 74 years, Switzerland - 73 years.
The combination of low fertility and long life expectancy has led to the aging of the European population. In Europe, there are more than 280 people aged 60 and over per thousand people aged 15-59. At the same time, the share of children here is very small: for every thousand people aged 15 to 59, there are only about 400 children under the age of 15. In almost all European countries, there are more women than men, especially among the elderly.
The economically active population is about 44%.
The bulk of the population is employed in industry and construction. The share of these industries has reached 35-50% in different countries. in rural, forestry, as well as in fishing in the most developed countries, no more than 10-12% of the economically active population is employed. The following have a very low share of the agricultural population: Sweden and Germany - less than 6%, Belgium - less than 4%, Great Britain - less than 3%. Agriculture continues to play a large role in Southern Europe, where it employs from 15% (Italy) to 40% (Greece) of workers.
Recently, the number of people employed in service industry.
The most numerous social category of the population of Europe is a huge army employees- workers and employees. Their share in the economically active population is on average about 80%, and in individual countries(Great Britain) exceeds 90%. Only in Southern Europe the share of employees has not yet reached 70%, while in Greece it is only 40%.
In recent years, the number of farmers and the urban petty bourgeoisie (owners of small enterprises, mainly in the field of trade and consumer services) has significantly decreased. The share of the latter is no more than 4-6% of the economically active population.
Overseas Europe is different high average population density and its more even distribution compared to other major regions. There are no vast sparsely populated and completely unpopulated areas, but there are also no large areas with a very dense agricultural population.
sparsely populated Fennoscandia(excluding the southern coastal regions of Sweden, Norway and Finland). have the lowest average population density Iceland (2 people/km/sq) and Norway(12 people km/sq.).
At present, foreign Europe - most urbanized region in the world. The average level of urban saturation is higher here than in the United States or Japan, where there are sharper differences in the urbanization of coastal and hinterland. The urban network in Europe was formed earlier, more uniform and ubiquitous.
One of the characteristic features of European urbanization is a large concentration of the population in the largest cities. Over half of the urban population of foreign Europe is concentrated in cities of at least 100 thousand inhabitants.
The concentration of population in large cities contributes to the emergence of megacities. In Western Europe, the largest metropolitan areas are English, including agglomerations London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and other cities and rhenish spanning agglomerations Randstad in the Netherlands, Rhine-Ruhr-Rhine-Main in Germany. At small sizes European states begin the formation of huge interstate megacities. A metropolis arose Deltapolis) covering neighboring urban areas UK, France, Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg with total area 230 thousand km / sq. with a population of over 80 million people.
If you do not take into account dependent regions and not fully recognized states, then Europe for 2017 covers 44 powers. Each of them has a capital in which not only its administration is located, but also the highest authority, that is, the government of the state.
States of Europe
The territory of Europe stretches from east to west for more than 3 thousand kilometers, and from south to north (from the island of Crete to the island of Svalbard) for 5 thousand kilometers. The European powers are, for the most part, comparatively small. With such small sizes of territories and good transport accessibility, these states either closely border on each other or are separated by very small distances.
The European continent is divided territorially into parts:
- western;
- eastern;
- northern;
- southern.
All powers located on the European continent belong to one of these territories.
- AT western region located 11 countries.
- In the east - 10 (including Russia).
- In the north - 8.
- In the south - 15.
Let's list all the countries of Europe and their capitals. We will divide the list of countries and capitals of Europe into four parts according to the territorial and geographical position of the powers on the world map.
Western
List of states belonging to Western Europe, with a list of main cities:
![](https://i2.wp.com/obrazovanie.guru/wp-content/auploads/332303/strany_evrosoyuza.jpg)
The states of Western Europe are washed mainly by currents Atlantic Ocean and only in the north of the Scandinavian Peninsula do they border on the waters of the Arctic Ocean. In general, these are highly developed and prosperous powers. But they are distinguished by an unfavorable demographic situation. This is a low birth rate and a low level of natural growth of inhabitants. In Germany, there is even a decline in population. All this has led to the development Western Europe began to play the role of a sub-region in the global system of population migration, it has become the main center of labor immigration.
Eastern
List of states located in the eastern zone of the European continent and their capitals:
![](https://i2.wp.com/obrazovanie.guru/wp-content/auploads/334928/strany_evropy.jpg)
The states of Eastern Europe have a lower level of economic development than their Western neighbors. However, they better preserved cultural and ethnic identity. Eastern Europe is more of a cultural and historical region than a geographical one. The Russian expanses can also be attributed to the eastern territory of Europe. And the geographical center of Eastern Europe is located approximately within Ukraine.
Northern
The list of states that make up northern Europe, including capitals, looks like this:
![](https://i1.wp.com/obrazovanie.guru/wp-content/auploads/334929/severnaya_chast_evropy.jpg)
The territories of the states of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jutland, the Baltic States, the islands of Svalbard and Iceland are included in the northern part of Europe. The population of these regions is only 4% of the total European composition. Sweden is the largest country in the G8 and Iceland is the smallest. The population density in these lands is less in Europe - 22 people / m 2, and in Iceland - only 3 people / m 2. This is due harsh conditions climate zone. But the economic indicators of development distinguish northern Europe as the leader of the entire world economy.
South
And finally, the most numerous list of territories located in the southern part, and the capitals of European states:
![](https://i2.wp.com/obrazovanie.guru/wp-content/auploads/334931/nayti_karte_evropu.jpg)
The Balkan and Iberian Peninsulas are occupied by these South European powers. Industry is developed here, especially ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy. The countries are rich in mineral resources. In agriculture, the main efforts focused on the cultivation of food products, such as:
- grape;
- olives;
- Garnet;
- dates.
It is known that Spain is the world's leading country in the collection of olives. It is here that 45% of all olive oil in the world is produced. Spain is also famous for its famous artists - Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso, Joan Miro.
European Union
Creation idea united community European powers appeared in the middle of the twentieth century, or rather after the Second World War. The official unification of the countries of the European Union (EU) took place only in 1992, when this union was sealed by the legal consent of the parties. Over time, the number of members of the European Union has expanded, and now it includes 28 allies. And states that want to join these prosperous countries will have to prove their compliance with the European foundations and principles of the EU, such as:
- protection of the rights of citizens;
- democracy;
- freedom of trade in a developed economy.
Members of the EU
The European Union for 2017 includes the following states:
![](https://i0.wp.com/obrazovanie.guru/wp-content/auploads/334932/kakie_strany_evrosoyuze.jpg)
There are now applicant countries to join this foreign community. These include:
- Albania.
- Serbia.
- Macedonia.
- Montenegro.
- Turkey.
On the map of the European Union, you can clearly see its geography, the countries of Europe and their capitals.
Regulations and prerogatives of EU partners
The EU has a customs policy under which its members can trade with each other without duties and without restrictions. And in relation to other powers, the adopted customs tariff applies. Having common laws, the EU countries created a single market and introduced a single monetary currency - the euro. Many EU member states are part of the so-called Schengen zone, which allows their citizens to move freely through the territory of all allies.
The European Union has common governing bodies for member countries, which include:
- European Court.
- European Parliament.
- European Commission.
- The audit community that controls the EU budget.
Despite unity, European states Members of the community have full independence and state sovereignty. Each country uses its own national language and has its own governing bodies. But for all participants there are certain criteria, and they must meet them. For example, the coordination of all important political decisions with the European Parliament.
It should be noted that since its founding, only one power has left the European community. It was Danish autonomy - Greenland. In 1985, she was outraged by the low quotas introduced by the European Union for fishing. You can also recall the sensational events in 2016 referendum in the UK, when the population voted to leave the country from the European Union. This suggests that even in such an influential and seemingly stable community, serious problems are brewing.