Eastern Europe as a historical and geographical region includes: Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, countries formed as a result of the collapse of the former Yugoslavia (Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia), Albania, Latvia, Lithuania , Estonia. But the name “Eastern Europe” stuck with the countries of this region and is recognized throughout the world.
Natural resources of Eastern Europe
The countries of Eastern Europe represent a single natural-territorial area stretching from the Baltic to the Black and Adriatic Seas. At the heart of the region and adjacent countries is an ancient Precambrian platform, overlain by a cover of sedimentary rocks, as well as an area of Alpine folding.
An important feature of all countries in the region is their transit position between the countries of Western Europe and the CIS.
Natural resource reserves include: coal (Poland, Czech Republic), oil and natural gas (Romania), iron ores (countries of the former Yugoslavia, Romania, Slovakia), bauxite (Hungary), chromite (Albania).
In general, it must be said that the region is experiencing a shortage of resources, and in addition, it is a striking example of the “incompleteness” of a set of minerals. Thus, Poland has large reserves of coal, copper ores, and sulfur, but almost no oil, gas, or iron ore. In Bulgaria, on the contrary, there is no coal, although there are significant reserves of lignite, copper ores, and polymetals.
Population of Eastern Europe
The region's population is about 130 million people, but the demographic situation, which is difficult throughout Europe, is the most alarming in Eastern Europe. Despite the active demographic policy, natural population growth is very small (less than 2%) and continues to decline. Bulgaria and Hungary are even experiencing natural population decline. In some countries, natural increase is higher than the regional average (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia), and it is the largest in Albania - 20%.
The population of Eastern Europe has a complex ethnic composition, but one can note the predominance of Slavic peoples. Of the other peoples, the most numerous are Romanians, Albanians, Hungarians, and Lithuanians. The most homogeneous national composition Poland, Hungary, Albania are different. Lithuania. Eastern Europe has always been an arena of national and ethnic conflicts. After the collapse of the socialist system, the situation became more complicated, especially on the territory of the most multinational country in the region - Yugoslavia, where the conflict escalated into an interethnic war.
Economy of Eastern Europe
The countries of Eastern Europe today are not characterized by a pronounced socio-economic unity. But in general we can say that in the 2nd half of the 20th century. The economies of Eastern Europe have undergone major changes. Firstly, industries developed at a faster pace - by the 1980s, Eastern Europe had become one of the most industrial regions of the world, and secondly, previously very backward regions also began to develop industrially.
Metallurgy in Eastern Europe
In the post-war period, the industry actively grew and developed in all countries of the region, with non-ferrous metallurgy relying mainly on its own raw materials, and ferrous metallurgy on imported ones.
Mechanical engineering in Eastern Europe
The industry is also represented in all countries, but is most developed in the Czech Republic (primarily machine tool manufacturing, production of household appliances and computer equipment); Poland and Romania are distinguished by the production of metal-intensive machines and structures, Hungary, Bulgaria, Latvia - by the electrical industry; In addition, shipbuilding is developed in Poland and Estonia.
Chemical industry in Eastern Europe
The chemical industry of the region lags far behind that of Western Europe due to the lack of raw materials for the most advanced branches of chemistry - oil. But we can still note the pharmaceuticals of Poland and Hungary, the glass industry of the Czech Republic.
Agriculture in Eastern Europe
The economic structure of the region is heterogeneous: in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, and the Baltic countries, the share of livestock farming exceeds the share of crop farming; in the rest, the ratio is still the opposite.
Due to the diversity of soil and climatic conditions, several zones of crop production can be distinguished: wheat is grown everywhere, but in the north (Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania) rye and potatoes play an important role, in the central part of Eastern Europe vegetable growing and horticulture are cultivated, and the “southern” countries specialize in subtropical crops.
Vegetables, fruits, and grapes are cultivated almost everywhere in Eastern Europe, but there are areas where they primarily determine specialization agriculture. These countries and regions also have their own specialization in terms of product range.
Foreign Europe is a world leader in the scale of industrial production, as well as gold and foreign exchange reserves and the development of tourism. High economic indicators The region is determined by the “avant-garde troika” of European countries – Germany, France and Great Britain.
General characteristics of Foreign Europe as an industrial region
As noted above, three countries set Europe's leadership course, but their contributions are not equal. Once upon a time, Great Britain was in the first position, but in recent decades this role has been transferred to Germany. The remaining countries have somewhat less economic weight, but several more states have begun to catch up with the leaders.
These countries are making an increasingly active contribution to the industries of Foreign Europe, each specializing in its own area. Usually these are products that have received not only European, but also global recognition. And it is they who are most actively developing economic ties - the Netherlands and Belgium are the leaders in this area. The table below will clearly demonstrate the described general characteristics:
Industrial production in the region is generally developing evenly, but mechanical engineering still occupies a special place among the industries of Western Europe.
Mechanical engineering industry of Foreign Europe
The main characteristic of the industry of Foreign Europe is the leading role of mechanical engineering, because this part of the world is its homeland. A third of the region’s industry and two thirds of its exports – the figures directly indicate that this is the main industry in the overall economic space.
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The most developed area is the automotive industry - the brands “Mercedes”, “Fiat”, “Volvo”, “Volkswagen”, “Jaguar” and others known throughout the world.
Today, the British Jaguar brand is owned by the Indian automobile company Tata Motors.
Rice. 1. Workshop of the Jaguar plant
The main benchmarks of mechanical engineering are labor resources, scientific personnel and developed infrastructure, so it is concentrated near or inside large urban clusters.
Chemical industry of the region
The chemical industry ranks second in the economy of Foreign Europe after mechanical engineering. Germany is considered the most “chemical” country not only in the region, but also in the world. If before the Second World War this area gravitated towards coal basins, deposits of brown coal, potassium salt and other raw materials, then the modern chemical industry is focused on oil. This has resulted in plants now being based in petrochemical processing areas.
In Eastern Europe, this trend has moved chemical plants closer to the oil pipelines that bring raw materials from Russia.
European countries are the world's largest exporters of pharmaceuticals, plastics and man-made fibers.
Metallurgy and fuel and energy complex
If previously coal was the leader in the fuel and energy complex of Foreign Europe, today this industry has reoriented towards oil, which has led to an increase in the level of domestic production and imports from developing countries. But in the countries of the eastern part of the region, the leading role still belongs to coal, although brown. The Czech Republic and Poland are especially attached to this raw material.
Thermal power plants, which are oriented not only to basins, but also to seaports, since they operate on imported raw materials, also operate on coal raw materials, including imported ones. However, modern Foreign Europe is increasingly focused on nuclear power plants - especially countries such as:
- Germany;
- France;
- Czech Republic;
- Slovakia;
- Hungary;
- United Kingdom.
Rice. 2. Nuclear power plant in Great Britain.
States with significant water resources include hydroelectric power stations in their energy complex, many of which are located on the Danube, Upper Rhine, and Rhone. Only in Norway, Sweden and Switzerland do they play a major role; in the rest of the countries of the region they are an auxiliary source of energy.
As for metallurgy, this industry is developing in countries with significant raw material reserves - in the “avant-garde three”, as well as in Poland, Belgium and the Czech Republic. IN modern conditions metallurgy is import-oriented and based around seaports.
The main industrial regions in the field of non-ferrous metallurgy are France, Italy, Greece, Norway, Germany, Austria and other countries. They are heavily focused on aluminum and copper production.
Other industries of Foreign Europe
The timber industry is developing in Finland and Sweden due to significant raw material reserves. 
Rice. 3. Logging in Finland.
At the same time time is easy industry is gradually losing its importance for Western Europe and is moving to the southern part, which has cheap labor. Today, shoe production is established in Italy, and Portugal specializes in clothing production.
What have we learned?
Which countries of Foreign Europe are leaders in industrial production and make a major contribution to the economy of the region, what are its general characteristics. We identified mechanical engineering as the most powerful industry and determined the main trends in the development of the electric power industry, as well as the location of the main metallurgical plants.
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Eastern Europe as a historical and geographical region includes: Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, countries formed as a result of the collapse of the former Yugoslavia (Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia), Albania, Latvia, Lithuania , Estonia.
There is also an opinion that the countries of this region should be classified as either Central or Central Europe, since it would be more correct to call Eastern Europe Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova and the European part of Russia.
But the name “Eastern Europe” stuck with the countries of this region and is recognized throughout the world.
Geographical location. Natural resources
The countries of Eastern Europe represent a single natural territorial massif stretching from the Baltic to the Black and Adriatic Seas. The region and adjacent countries are based on an ancient Precambrian platform, covered by a cover of sedimentary rocks, as well as an area of Alpine folding.
An important feature of all countries in the region is their transit position between the countries of Western Europe and the CIS.
The countries of Eastern Europe differ from each other in geographical location, configuration, size of territory, and wealth of natural resources.
Natural resource reserves include: coal (Poland, Czech Republic), oil and natural gas (Romania), iron ores (countries of the former Yugoslavia, Romania, Slovakia), bauxite (Hungary), chromite (Albania).
In general, it must be said that the region is experiencing a shortage of resources, and in addition, it is a striking example of the “incompleteness” of a set of minerals. Thus, Poland has large reserves of coal, copper ores, and sulfur, but almost no oil, gas, or iron ore. In Bulgaria, on the contrary, there is no coal, although there are significant reserves of lignite, copper ores, and polymetals.
Population
The region's population is about 130 million people, but the demographic situation, which is difficult throughout Europe, is the most alarming in Eastern Europe. Despite the active demographic policy pursued over several decades, natural population growth is very small (less than 2%) and continues to decline. Bulgaria and Hungary are even experiencing natural population decline. The main reason This is a violation of the age-sex structure of the population as a result of the Second World War.
In some countries, natural increase is higher than the regional average (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia), and it is the largest in Albania - 20%.
The largest country in the region is Poland (about 40 million people), the smallest is Estonia (about 1.5 million people).
The population of Eastern Europe has a complex ethnic composition, but one can note the predominance of Slavic peoples. Of the other peoples, the most numerous are Romanians, Albanians, Hungarians, and Lithuanians. Poland, Hungary, and Albania have the most homogeneous national composition. Lithuania.
Eastern Europe has always been an arena of national and ethnic conflicts. After the collapse of the socialist system, the situation became more complicated, especially on the territory of the most multinational country in the region - Yugoslavia, where the conflict escalated into an interethnic war.
The most urbanized country in Eastern Europe is the Czech Republic (3/4 of the population lives in cities). There are quite a lot of urban agglomerations in the region, the largest of which are Upper Silesia (in Poland) and Budapest (in Hungary). But most countries are characterized by historically formed small towns and villages, and the Baltic countries are characterized by hamlets.
Farm
The countries of Eastern Europe today are not characterized by a pronounced socio-economic unity. But in general we can say that _. in the 2nd half of the 20th century. Great changes have occurred in the economies of Eastern European countries. Firstly, industries developed at a faster pace - by the 80s, Europe had become one of the most industrial regions of the world, and secondly, previously very backward regions also began to develop industrially (For example, Slovakia in the former Czechoslovakia, Moldova in Romania, northeast Poland). Such results became possible thanks to the implementation of regional policy.
Energy
Due to a shortage of oil reserves, this region is focused on coal, most of the electricity is generated by thermal power plants (more than 60%), but hydroelectric power plants and nuclear power plants also play an important role. One of the largest nuclear power plants was built in the region - Kozloduy in Bulgaria.
Metallurgy
In the post-war period, the industry actively grew and developed in all countries of the region, with non-ferrous metallurgy relying mainly on its own raw materials, and ferrous metallurgy on imported ones.
Mechanical engineering
The industry is also represented in all countries, but is most developed in the Czech Republic (primarily machine tool manufacturing, production of household appliances and computer equipment); Poland and Romania are distinguished by the production of metal-intensive machines and structures, Hungary, Bulgaria, Latvia - by the electrical industry; In addition, shipbuilding is developed in Poland and Estonia.
Chemical industry
The chemical industry of the region lags far behind that of Western Europe due to the lack of raw materials for the most advanced branches of chemistry - oil. But we can still note the pharmaceuticals of Poland and Hungary, the glass industry of the Czech Republic.
Agriculture of the region
Mainly meets the food needs of the population. Under the influence of scientific and technological revolution, significant changes occurred in the structure of the economy of the countries of Eastern Europe: the agro-industrial complex emerged, and specialization of agricultural production took place. It was most clearly manifested in grain farming and in the production of vegetables, fruits, and grapes.
The economic structure of the region is heterogeneous: in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, and the Baltic countries, the share of livestock farming exceeds the share of crop farming; in the rest, the ratio is still the opposite.
Due to the diversity of soil and climatic conditions, several zones of crop production can be distinguished: wheat is grown everywhere, but in the north (Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania) rye and potatoes play an important role, in the central part of the subregion vegetable growing and horticulture are cultivated, and the “southern” countries specialize on subtropical crops.
The main crops grown in the region are wheat, corn, vegetables, and fruits.
The main wheat and corn regions of Eastern Europe were formed within the Middle and Lower Danube lowlands and the Danube hilly plain (Hungary, Romania, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria).
Hungary has achieved the greatest success in grain growing.
Vegetables, fruits, and grapes are cultivated almost everywhere in the subregion, but there are areas where they primarily determine the specialization of agriculture. These countries and regions also have their own specialization in terms of product range. For example, Hungary is famous for its winter varieties of apples, grapes, and onions; Bulgaria - oilseeds; Czech Republic - hops, etc.
Animal husbandry. The northern and central countries of the region specialize in dairy and meat and dairy cattle breeding and pig breeding, while the southern countries specialize in mountain pasture meat and wool animal husbandry.
Transport
In Eastern Europe, which lies at the crossroads of routes that have long connected the eastern and western parts of Eurasia, the transport system has been developing over many centuries. Nowadays, railway transport is the leader in terms of transportation volume, BUT road and sea transport are also intensively developing. The presence of major ports contributes to the development of external economic ties, shipbuilding, ship repair, fishing.
Intraregional differences
The countries of Eastern Europe can be conditionally divided into 3 groups according to the commonality of their EGP, resources, and level of development.
1. Northern group: Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia. These countries are still characterized by a low degree of integration, but there are common tasks in the development of the maritime economy.
2. Central group: Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary. The economy of the first two countries is of a clearly industrial nature. The Czech Republic ranks first in the region in terms of industrial output per capita.
3. Southern group: Romania, Bulgaria, countries of the former Yugoslavia, Albania. In the past, these were the most backward countries, and now, despite major changes in their economy, the countries of this group lag behind the countries of the 1st and 2nd groups in most indicators.
The video tutorial allows you to get an interesting and detailed information about the countries of Eastern Europe. From the lesson you will learn about the composition of Eastern Europe, the characteristics of the countries of the region, their geographical location, nature, climate, place in this subregion. The teacher will tell you in detail about the main country of Eastern Europe - Poland.
Topic: Regional characteristics of the world. Foreign Europe
Lesson: Eastern Europe
Rice. 1. Map of subregions of Europe. Eastern Europe is highlighted in red. ()
East Europe- a cultural and geographical region that includes states located in eastern Europe.
Compound:
1. Belarus.
2. Ukraine.
3. Bulgaria.
4. Hungary.
5. Moldova.
6. Poland.
7. Romania.
8. Slovakia.
In the post-war period, the industry actively grew and developed in all countries of the region, with non-ferrous metallurgy relying mainly on its own raw materials, and ferrous metallurgy on imported ones.
The industry is also represented in all countries, but is most developed in the Czech Republic (primarily machine tool manufacturing, production of household appliances and computer equipment); Poland and Romania are distinguished by the production of metal-intensive machines and structures; In addition, shipbuilding is developed in Poland.
The chemical industry of the region lags far behind that of Western Europe due to the lack of raw materials for the most advanced branches of chemistry - oil. But we can still note the pharmaceuticals of Poland and Hungary, the glass industry of the Czech Republic.
Under the influence of scientific and technological revolution, significant changes occurred in the structure of the economy of the countries of Eastern Europe: the agro-industrial complex emerged, and specialization of agricultural production took place. It was most clearly manifested in grain farming and in the production of vegetables, fruits, and grapes.
The economic structure of the region is heterogeneous: in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, and Poland, the share of livestock farming exceeds the share of crop farming, while in the rest the ratio is still the opposite.
Due to the diversity of soil and climatic conditions, several zones of crop production can be distinguished: wheat is grown everywhere, but in the north (Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania) rye and potatoes play an important role, in the central part of the subregion vegetable growing and horticulture are cultivated, and the “southern” countries specialize on subtropical crops.
The main crops grown in the region are wheat, corn, vegetables, and fruits.
The main wheat and corn regions of Eastern Europe were formed within the Middle and Lower Danube lowlands and the Danube hilly plain (Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria).
Hungary has achieved the greatest success in grain growing.
Vegetables, fruits, and grapes are cultivated almost everywhere in the subregion, but there are areas where they primarily determine the specialization of agriculture. These countries and regions also have their own specialization in terms of product range. For example, Hungary is famous for its winter varieties of apples, grapes, and onions; Bulgaria - oilseeds; Czech Republic - hops, etc.
Animal husbandry. The northern and central countries of the region specialize in dairy and meat and dairy cattle breeding and pig breeding, while the southern countries specialize in mountain pasture meat and wool animal husbandry.
In Eastern Europe, which lies at the crossroads of routes that have long connected the eastern and western parts of Eurasia, the transport system has been developing over many centuries. Nowadays, railway transport is the leader in terms of transportation volume, but road and sea transport are also intensively developing. The presence of major ports contributes to the development of foreign economic relations, shipbuilding, ship repair, and fishing.
Poland. The official name is the Republic of Poland. The capital is Warsaw. Population - 38.5 million people, of which more than 97% are Poles. The majority are Catholics.
Rice. 3. Historical center of Warsaw ()
Poland borders Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania and Russia; in addition, it borders the sea areas (zones) of Denmark and Sweden.
About 2/3 of the territory in the north and center of the country is occupied by the Polish Lowland. In the north there is the Baltic ridge, in the south and southeast - the Lesser Poland and Lublin Uplands, along the southern border - the Carpathians (highest point 2499 m, Mount Rysy in the Tatras) and the Sudetes. Large rivers - Vistula, Odra; dense river network. The lakes are mainly in the north. 28% of the territory is under forest.
Minerals of Poland: coal, sulfur, iron ore, various salts.
Upper Silesia is a region of concentration of industrial production in Poland of pan-European significance.
Poland generates almost all its electricity at thermal power plants.
Leading manufacturing industries:
1. Mining.
2. Mechanical engineering (Poland occupies one of the leading places in the world in the production of fishing vessels, freight and passenger cars, road and construction machines, machine tools, engines, electronics, industrial equipment, etc.).
3. Ferrous and non-ferrous (large-scale zinc production) metallurgy.
4. Chemical (sulfuric acid, fertilizers, pharmaceuticals, perfumes and cosmetics, photographic products).
5. Textile (cotton, linen, wool).
6. Sewing.
7. Cement.
8. Production of porcelain and earthenware.
9. Production of sporting goods (kayaks, yachts, tents, etc.).
10. Furniture production.
Poland has a highly developed agriculture. Agriculture is dominated by crop production. The main grain crops are rye, wheat, barley, oats.
Poland is a large producer of sugar beets (over 14 million tons per year), potatoes, and cabbage. The export of apples, strawberries, raspberries, currants, garlic, and onions is important.
The leading branch of livestock farming is pig farming, dairy and beef cattle breeding, poultry farming (Poland is one of Europe's largest suppliers of eggs), and beekeeping.
Homework
Topic 6, P. 3
1. What are the features of the geographical location of Eastern Europe?
2. Name the main areas of specialization in Poland.
References
Main
1. Geography. Basic level. 10-11 grades: Textbook for educational institutions / A.P. Kuznetsov, E.V. Kim. - 3rd ed., stereotype. - M.: Bustard, 2012. - 367 p.
2. Economic and social geography of the world: Textbook. for 10th grade educational institutions / V.P. Maksakovsky. - 13th ed. - M.: Education, JSC "Moscow Textbooks", 2005. - 400 p.
3. Atlas with a set of outline maps for grade 10. Economic and social geography of the world. - Omsk: FSUE "Omsk Cartographic Factory", 2012. - 76 p.
Additional
1. Economic and social geography of Russia: Textbook for universities / Ed. prof. A.T. Khrushchev. - M.: Bustard, 2001. - 672 p.: ill., map.: color. on
Encyclopedias, dictionaries, reference books and statistical collections
1. Geography: a reference book for high school students and applicants to universities. - 2nd ed., rev. and revision - M.: AST-PRESS SCHOOL, 2008. - 656 p.
Literature for preparing for the State Exam and the Unified State Exam
1. Thematic control in geography. Economic and social geography of the world. 10th grade / E.M. Ambartsumova. - M.: Intellect-Center, 2009. - 80 p.
2. The most complete edition of standard versions of real Unified State Examination tasks: 2010. Geography / Comp. Yu.A. Solovyova. - M.: Astrel, 2010. - 221 p.
3. The optimal bank of tasks for preparing students. Unified State Exam 2012. Geography: Tutorial/ Comp. EM. Ambartsumova, S.E. Dyukova. - M.: Intellect-Center, 2012. - 256 p.
4. The most complete edition of standard versions of real Unified State Examination tasks: 2010. Geography / Comp. Yu.A. Solovyova. - M.: AST: Astrel, 2010. - 223 p.
5. Geography. Diagnostic work in the Unified State Exam format 2011. - M.: MTsNMO, 2011. - 72 p.
6. Unified State Exam 2010. Geography. Collection of tasks / Yu.A. Solovyova. - M.: Eksmo, 2009. - 272 p.
7. Geography tests: 10th grade: to the textbook by V.P. Maksakovsky “Economic and social geography of the world. 10th grade” / E.V. Baranchikov. - 2nd ed., stereotype. - M.: Publishing house "Exam", 2009. - 94 p.
8. Textbook on geography. Tests and practical tasks in Geography / I.A. Rodionova. - M.: Moscow Lyceum, 1996. - 48 p.
9. The most complete edition of standard versions of real Unified State Examination tasks: 2009. Geography / Comp. Yu.A. Solovyova. - M.: AST: Astrel, 2009. - 250 p.
10. Unified State Exam 2009. Geography. Universal materials for preparing students / FIPI - M.: Intellect-Center, 2009. - 240 p.
11. Geography. Answers to questions. Oral examination, theory and practice / V.P. Bondarev. - M.: Publishing house "Exam", 2003. - 160 p.
12. Unified State Exam 2010. Geography: thematic training tasks / O.V. Chicherina, Yu.A. Solovyova. - M.: Eksmo, 2009. - 144 p.
13. Unified State Exam 2012. Geography: Model exam options: 31 options / Ed. V.V. Barabanova. - M.: National Education, 2011. - 288 p.
14. Unified State Exam 2011. Geography: Model exam options: 31 options / Ed. V.V. Barabanova. - M.: National Education, 2010. - 280 p.
Materials on the Internet
1. Federal Institute of Pedagogical Measurements ().
2. Federal portal Russian Education ().
mechanical engineering
All major branches of mechanical engineering have received widespread development: the production of machine tools and forging machines (Germany, Great Britain, France, Italy, Switzerland, Czech Republic, etc.), power equipment, electronic equipment, television and radio equipment (Germany, Great Britain, France, the Netherlands etc.), automotive industry (France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Czech Republic, Hungary, etc.), shipbuilding (Germany, Sweden, Great Britain, Spain, France, the Netherlands, Poland, Finland). Military engineering, in particular aircraft construction, has reached large proportions (Germany, France, and Great Britain stand out).
chemical industry
Ferrous metallurgy
Major industries non-ferrous metallurgy(aluminium, lead-zinc and copper) were predominantly developed in countries with sources of mineral raw materials and cheap electricity. France, Hungary, Greece, Italy, Norway, Switzerland, and Great Britain specialize in aluminum smelting; Germany, France, Poland, Yugoslavia stand out in copper smelting; Germany, Belgium - lead and zinc).
IN fuel and energy
Most of the oil and natural gas production comes from the North Sea (UK and Norwegian sectors) and the Netherlands (Groningen field in the northeast of the country). Coal mining (hard and brown) is carried out in Germany, Great Britain, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
agriculture
Foreign Europe as a whole is characterized by a livestock-raising profile of agriculture. Crop production, as a rule, serves the needs of livestock farming. For this reason, in many countries, fodder crops occupy large areas; part of the harvest of grain crops (wheat, barley, corn) is fed to livestock.
The main grain crops are wheat, barley, corn, rye. The only major grain exporter in the region is France. France accounts for approximately 1/3 of the grain harvest.
Foreign Europe is an area of developed fishing. Some of its countries (Iceland, Norway, Portugal) are among the leaders in marine fishing.
In accordance with the natural features, three areas of agricultural specialization have developed on the territory of Foreign Europe. The agriculture of the countries of Northern Europe (Iceland, Ireland, Great Britain, Norway, Sweden and Finland) is characterized by the predominance of dairy farming, and in the crop production that serves it - fodder crops and gray grains (rye, barley).
In crop production, there is a high proportion of grain, industrial and food crops (potatoes, vegetables, etc.), large areas of arable land are allocated for fodder crops. Agriculture in the countries of Southern Europe (Mediterranean regions) is characterized by a significant predominance of crop production, while livestock farming plays a secondary role. The specialization of agriculture is determined by the production of fruits, citrus fruits, grapes, olives, almonds, nuts, tobacco, and essential oil crops.
Transport. Main role Road transport plays a role in the transportation of goods and passengers. Highways of international importance: Lisbon - Paris - Stockholm, London - Frankfurt am Main - Vienna - Belgrade - Istanbul, etc. Inland waterways are of great importance, especially the Rhine and Danube rivers.
2) London - Paris - Marseille,
Maritime transport and the seaports serving it are of international importance: London, Hamburg, Antwerp, Rotterdam, Le Havre, Marseille, Genoa. The largest of them is Rotterdam, whose cargo turnover is 250-300 million tons per year.
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Second region – foreign Europe .
Western Europe is a historical and geographical region included in the Overseas Europe region. In world trade it accounts for about half of the total turnover.
The “face” of Western Europe in the international geographical division labor is industry, and first of all its leading branch is mechanical engineering.
This industry accounts for about one-third of the value of all industrial products. Mechanical engineering in Western Europe is represented by many sub-sectors. Almost all types of engineering products are produced here, with particular emphasis on the production of machine tools, optics, electronics and radio electronics, and automobiles.
The economic and political weather in Western Europe is made in the leading countries of the “Big Seven”: Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy; Germany has a leading position among them.
In the international division of labor, Germany is determined, first of all, by its developed mechanical engineering.
The country's monopolistic elite consists of concerns of new industries - not only the automotive industry, but also aerospace technology, Volkswagen, Siemens (electronics), Deutsche Telecom (information technology), etc.
United Kingdom . The largest sector of British industry, engineering, employs one quarter of all those employed in manufacturing.
Transport engineering predominates. About one-third of the capital spent on vehicle production belongs to American companies that established a foothold in the British Isles after World War II. Enterprises in this industry are found in almost all areas and most cities of Great Britain. The first major automotive manufacturing area was the West Midlands, centered in Birmingham. This was facilitated by its central location, which facilitated not only the receipt of parts and auxiliary materials from numerous enterprises located around, but also the sale of finished products on the domestic and foreign markets - through Liverpool and London.
The second area of automobile manufacturing was the southeast of England (with centers in Oxford, Luton and Dunemega), where there was an abundance of labor.
One of the fastest growing branches of mechanical engineering is aircraft manufacturing. It is dominated by one large state-owned firm, British Airspace.
In terms of aircraft production, Great Britain is second only to the United States in the foreign world. It produces about 22 types of aircraft: military, passenger, cargo and several types of small aircraft for special purposes.
Growing and developing industries include electrical engineering, which ranks second among manufacturing industries in terms of the number of employees.
Several large companies dominate the electrical engineering industry. Products of “heavy” electrical engineering – electric motors, powerful generators, transformers and turbines. They are produced practically by one major monopoly - General Electronics, with which two other electrical companies - English Electric and Associated Electrical Industries - merged.
Electronics is developing especially quickly. However, the number of jobs in the electronics industry is growing rather slowly.
American electronics corporations have a strong presence in the UK.
France. Along with Germany and Great Britain, France plays a major role in the global economy and international relations.
The highly developed industry of this country occupies leading positions in the world in nuclear energy, some types of transport engineering, and the chemical industry. It is noticeably inferior to the industry of the USA, Japan, and Germany. The largest industrial centers are Paris, Marseille, Le Havre, Dunkirk, Lille, Strasbourg, Nantes, Toulouse.
A special position in Western Europe is occupied by the so-called small countries .
There are only 13 of them (not counting the dwarf states of Liechtenstein, Monaco, etc.): Australia, Belgium, Greece, Denmark, Ireland, Iceland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Finland, Switzerland and Sweden.
Sometimes they include Spain.
Despite the fact that the share of each of these countries in the world economy is relatively small, taken together, they represent a powerful force. Their share in industrial production of Western Europe is about 30%, and in foreign trade - 40%. Most of them have highly intensive agriculture.
The positions of small European countries are especially impressive in the production of equipment, machine tools, shipbuilding, and electrical engineering.
East Europe includes Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Albania, as well as Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
Poland– the largest of these countries in terms of economic potential.
Mechanical engineering is here, has reached high level However, it is characterized by increased metal consumption. Machinery and equipment for industry, construction and agriculture are produced here; transport and tractor manufacturing is also developed.
For most types of products produced in this industry, Poland occupies a leading position in Europe. A special place in mechanical engineering in Poland belongs to shipbuilding, a branch of international specialization. Ships of various types and purposes are produced in Poland.
The electrical industry is developing rapidly, incl.
Is anything unclear?
production of household appliances. The main centers of mechanical engineering: Warsaw, Lodz, Wroclaw, Poznan, Gdansk, Bydgoszcz.
In the Czech Republic(Prague, Pilsen, Brno, etc.), mechanical engineering is the most developed. It supplies machine tools, complete equipment for enterprises, computer equipment, household appliances, etc. to the foreign market.
Third region – East and Southeast Asia, in which Japan is the leader. It includes the “Asian tigers”, specializing primarily in the production of consumer electronics, and China.
Japan(capital - city.
Tokyo is an island state in the Pacific Ocean off the eastern coast of Eurasia. It occupies the archipelago of the Japanese islands, the largest of which are Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku and Hokkaido. Japan is one of the “economic pillars” of the modern world.
Evidence of the rapid growth, versatility and high technical development of Japanese engineering can be found in almost every corner of the globe. Ships built at Japanese shipyards ply the waters of all oceans. Japanese cameras, transistor radios and sewing machines have gained a reputation for being of the highest quality and are in great demand on the world market.
Japanese cars, buses, trucks and railway rolling stock carry out transportation on the roads of 5 continents of the planet.
Electric generators made in Japan provide light and power to homes and industrial enterprises in Asia, Africa, Australia, North and South America. Japanese spinning and weaving equipment is the basis for the development of the textile industry in many countries of Asia and other continents.
The production of electrical devices is the fastest growing branch of mechanical engineering. Fantastic rapid growth This industry is determined by the fact that a developing country needed powerful electrical units, and also by the fact that the demand for household electrical appliances was growing very quickly.
Electrical devices, including products from the electronics industry, are exported mainly to North America, Asia and Europe. One of the main achievements of Japanese mechanical engineering in recent years has been the phenomenally rapid growth in the production of electronics products. Electronic industry products such as televisions, tape recorders, radios, and stereo radios account for 46.7% of total output.
China- a great ancient state.
Modern China - the People's Republic of China (capital - Beijing) - ranks third in the world in terms of territory size (9.6 million sq. km.) after Russia and Canada.
Mechanical engineering is distinguished by a variety of products, and not specialized, but universal enterprises predominate, which are located near large cities, metallurgical bases and seaports. The level of equipment and technology used by the PRC is not yet very high, there is a lot of worn-out equipment, and labor productivity is still low.
However, in recent years, as a result of the ongoing economic reform, the PRC has achieved noticeable success in the manufacture of household electrical equipment, appliances, computers, the latest communications equipment, etc. Enterprises involving foreign capital have become widespread.
The main centers of mechanical engineering are Shanghai, Shenyang, Tanjin, Harbin, Beijing, Luoyang, Changchun, etc.
The group of newly industrialized countries in Asia consists of two “echelons”.
The first of these included the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong, which, due to the rapid economic leap they made, began to be called the four “Asian tigers” (or “dragons”). Then their example was followed by three more countries - members of ASEAN, forming, as it were, the “second echelon” of Asian NIS - Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.
In the 70-80s. the economies of these countries were restructured along the lines of the Japanese model.
They developed large automobile, oil refining, petrochemical, shipbuilding, and especially electrical and electronic industries; Tens of millions of radios, televisions, tape recorders, and video recorders are produced here every year.
The “economic miracle” of these countries is explained both by the activity of local businessmen and by the fact that TNCs have chosen them as an important area for investing their capital, focusing primarily on the benefits of their EGP and exceptionally hardy, disciplined and at the same time relatively cheap labor force .
But almost all science-intensive and other products are intended for sale in Western markets.
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The Industrial Revolution in the works of historians and economists. England is the birthplace of the industrial revolution. Invention and introduction into production of working machines. Development of machine production. The growth of capitalist production.
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Main industries
The basis of the foreign economy is industry. Main industry - mechanical engineering.
Overseas Europe is the birthplace of Equipment, the world's largest manufacturer and exporter of machinery and industrial equipment.
Mechanical engineering focuses on the availability of highly skilled labor, the development of scientific foundations and infrastructures.
Widely developed all major machines for industry: production of machine tools and metalworking machines (Germany, UK, France, Italy, Switzerland, Czech Republic, etc.), Power equipment, electronic devices, television and radio (Germany, UK, France, Netherlands, etc. ), Automotive industry (France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Czech Republic, Hungary, etc.), Shipbuilding (Germany, Sweden, UK, Spain, France, Netherlands, Poland, Finland).
Greater military technology has been achieved, in particular aircraft manufacturing (Germany, France, Great Britain).
Overseas Europe also holds a leading position in the production and export of products chemical industry(plastic, synthetic and artificial fibers, pharmaceuticals, nitrogen and potassium fertilizers, varnishes and paints).
The raw material base is oil and natural gas (with domestic and imported) gas transportation and oil refining products, resources of local coal and lignite deposits, potassium and sodium salts.
In the production and export of chemical products, the share of the Federal Republic of Germany, France, Great Britain, Belgium and the Netherlands is particularly high.
Metallurgy is one of the oldest industries in Europe.
Ferrous metallurgy develops in countries with metallurgical fuels and raw materials: Germany, Great Britain, France, Luxembourg, Sweden, Poland, etc.
Large metallurgical plants are established in seaports (Genoa, Naples, Taranto in Italy, etc.) with an emphasis on imported raw materials and fuels.
Most important industries non-ferrous metallurgy(aluminium, lead-zinc and copper) have received priority development in countries with mineral resources and cheap electricity.
France, Hungary, Greece, Italy, Norway, Switzerland, and Great Britain specialize in aluminum smelting; West Germany, France, Poland, Yugoslavia are intended for copper smelting; Germany, Belgium - lead and zinc).
Branches of international specialization are the wood processing industry, directed against raw materials (Sweden and Finland), clothing (Portugal) and shoes (Italy, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, etc.). Focused on cheap labor resources.
In Ljubljana fuel and energy The balance of external Europe is dominated by oil and natural gas produced in the region and imported from the Middle East, Africa, CIS (Russia) and others.
Most oil and gas production is located in the North Sea (UK and Norway) and the Netherlands (Groningen region in the northeast of the country).
Coal mining (stone and lignite) is carried out in the Federal Republic of Germany, Great Britain, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
In the electricity sector in most European countries (France, Belgium, Germany, UK, Poland, Sweden, etc.), the role of thermal power plants and nuclear power plants is excellent. The exceptions are Norway and Iceland, where hydroelectric power plants are the main type of power plant.
Prerequisites for natural development, leading industry agriculture
The position of the majority of Orthodox Christians in Europe (with the exception of the Arctic islands of Svalbard) in temperate and subtropical areas, positive temperatures and high availability of moisture throughout the year (except in the Mediterranean, where sustainable agriculture requires artificial irrigation), the presence of natural meadows and pastures favorable cultivation various types crops (grain, industrial, subtropical, etc.), animal development.
The main disadvantage of the complex of favorable conditions is the relatively limited sources of agricultural land.
The region fully covers its needs for agricultural products through its own production and for certain types (grain, meat, milk and dairy products, sugar, eggs) exceeds internal needs and occupies an important place in the world in exports.
The whole of Europe as a whole is characterized by the profile of animal husbandry in agriculture.
Plant production generally serves the needs of livestock. For this reason, in many countries, fodder plants occupy large areas and livestock crops (wheat, barley, corn) are grown.
The bird has a mixture of milk and meat. Its main industry is the raising of cattle, especially dairy and dairy cattle. In some countries, pig breeding (Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania) and sheep breeds (Great Britain, Spain) are important.
The main products are wheat, barley, corn and rye.
Foreign European industries
France is the only major grain exporter in the region. France represents about 1/3 of the grain harvest.
From other agricultural products, potatoes (France, Germany, UK, Poland), sugar beets (France, Germany, Italy, Poland), grapes (Italy, France), olives (Italy, Spain), hops (Germany, Czech Republic and Slovakia ), tobacco, nuts and oils bear crops (Greece, Italy, Spain).
The region's share in global production of fiber products (cotton, flax) is insignificant.
Foreign Europe is a region of developed fisheries.
Some of its countries (Iceland, Norway, Portugal) are among the leaders in fishing.
In accordance with the natural characteristics of the European territory, three areas of agricultural specialization were created.
The agriculture of the Nordic countries (Iceland, Ireland, Great Britain, Norway, Sweden and Finland) is characterized by the dominant breeding of dairy cattle, and in their service center fodder plants and gray bread (rye, barley) are grown.
The countries of Western, Central and Eastern Europe (Central European Region), together with dairy and dairy farming, specialize in pig and poultry farming.
When sowing plants, most of the grain, industrial and food products(potatoes, vegetables, etc.) Designed for large areas of arable land for fodder plants.
For agriculture, the countries of Southern Europe (Mediterranean areas) are characterized by a significant predominance of crop production, with livestock production playing a secondary role. Specialized machines determine the production of fruits, citrus fruits, grapes, olives, almonds, walnuts, tobacco and Naphtonosan crops.
Transport. Road transport plays an important role in the transportation of goods and passengers.
Highway of International Values from Lisbon. - Paris - Stockholm, London - Frankfurt - Vienna - Belgrade - Istanbul, etc. Inland waterways are of great importance and are separated from the Danube River.
Dense network railways crosses overseas Europe in wider and meridional directions.
Main routes:
1) Lisbon - Madrid - Paris - Berlin - Warsaw (far in Minsk and Moscow),
2) London - Paris - Vienna - Budapest - Belgrade - Sofia - Istanbul (Middle East),
3) Paris - Prague (near Kiev).
The most important meridian routes:
1) Amsterdam - Brussels - Paris - Madrid - Lisbon,
2) London-Paris-Marseille,
3) Copenhagen - Hamburg - Frankfurt am Main - Zurich - Rome,
4) Gdansk - Warsaw - Vienna - Budapest - Belgrade - Athens.
Pipeline and air transport are currently being developed.
Shipping and ports used by: London, Hamburg, Antwerp, Rotterdam, Le Havre, Marseille, Genoa are of international importance.
The largest of them is Rotterdam, whose turnover is 250-300 million tons per year.
Foreign Europe is the main center of international tourism. The most visited areas are the Alps and the Mediterranean Sea.
Submission date: 2016-01-30; Visits: 1035;
The basis of the economy of Foreign Europe is industry. Leading industry - mechanical engineering. Foreign Europe is the birthplace of mechanical engineering, the world's largest manufacturer and exporter of machinery and industrial equipment.
Mechanical engineering is focused here on the presence of a highly qualified workforce, a developed scientific base and infrastructure.
All major branches of mechanical engineering have received widespread development: the production of machine tools and forging machines (Germany, Great Britain, France, Italy, Switzerland, Czech Republic, etc.), power equipment, electronic equipment, television and radio equipment (Germany, Great Britain, France, the Netherlands etc.), automotive industry (France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Czech Republic, Hungary, etc.), shipbuilding (Germany, Sweden, Great Britain, Spain, France, the Netherlands, Poland, Finland).
Military engineering, in particular aircraft construction, has reached large proportions (Germany, France, and Great Britain stand out).
Foreign Europe also occupies a leading position in the world in the production and export of products chemical industry(plastics, synthetic and artificial fibers, pharmaceuticals, nitrogen and potassium fertilizers, varnishes and paints).
The industry's raw material base consists of oil and natural gas (both domestic and imported), associated petroleum gases and refined petroleum products, resources of local deposits of hard and brown coal, potash and table salt.
Germany, France, Great Britain, Belgium, and the Netherlands have a particularly large share in the production and export of chemical products.
One of the oldest industries in Foreign Europe is metallurgy.
Ferrous metallurgy developed in countries with metallurgical fuel and raw materials: Germany, Great Britain, France, Luxembourg, Sweden, Poland, etc. Large metallurgical plants were created in seaports (Genoa, Naples, Taranto in Italy, etc.) with a focus on imported raw materials and fuel.
Major industries non-ferrous metallurgy(aluminium, lead-zinc and copper) were predominantly developed in countries with sources of mineral raw materials and cheap electricity.
France, Hungary, Greece, Italy, Norway, Switzerland, and Great Britain specialize in aluminum smelting; Germany, France, Poland, Yugoslavia stand out in copper smelting; Germany, Belgium - lead and zinc).
Sectors of international specialization are the forestry industry, focusing on sources of raw materials (Sweden and Finland), clothing (Portugal) and footwear (Italy, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, etc.), focusing on cheap labor reserves.
IN fuel and energy In the balance sheet of Foreign Europe, the leading place is occupied by oil and natural gas, produced both in the region itself and imported from the countries of the Near and Middle East, Africa, the CIS (Russia), etc.
Most of the oil and natural gas production comes from the North Sea (UK and Norwegian sectors) and the Netherlands (Groningen field in the northeast of the country).
Coal mining (hard and brown) is carried out in Germany, Great Britain, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
In the electric power industry of most countries of Foreign Europe (France, Belgium, Germany, Great Britain, Poland, Sweden, etc.), the role of thermal power plants and nuclear power plants is great. The exception is Norway and Iceland, where hydroelectric power plants are the main type of power plants.
Natural prerequisites for development, leading industries agriculture
The position of most of Foreign Europe (except for the Arctic archipelago of Spitsbergen) in temperate and subtropical zones, positive temperature conditions and high moisture availability throughout the year (with the exception of the Mediterranean region, where sustainable agriculture requires artificial irrigation), the presence of natural meadows and pastures are favorable for cultivation of many types of agricultural crops (grain, industrial, subtropical, etc.), development of livestock farming.
The main drawback in the complex of favorable conditions is the relative limited resources of agricultural lands.
The region fully covers its needs for agricultural products through its own production, and for certain types (grain, meat, milk and dairy products, sugar, eggs) it exceeds domestic needs and occupies a prominent place in the world in their exports.
Foreign Europe as a whole is characterized by a livestock-raising profile of agriculture.
Crop production, as a rule, serves the needs of livestock farming. For this reason, in many countries, fodder crops occupy large areas; part of the harvest of grain crops (wheat, barley, corn) is fed to livestock.
Livestock farming has a dairy and meat bias. Its main industry is cattle breeding, mainly dairy and dairy-meat. In some countries, pig breeding (Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania) and sheep breeding (Great Britain, Spain) are of great importance.
The main grain crops are wheat, barley, corn, rye.
The only major grain exporter in the region is France. France accounts for approximately 1/3 of the grain harvest.
Among other types of agricultural products, the production of potatoes (France, Germany, Great Britain, Poland stands out), sugar beets (France, Germany, Italy, Poland), grapes (Italy, France), olives (Italy, Spain), hops (Germany, Czech Republic and Slovakia), tobacco, nuts and essential oil crops (Greece, Italy, Spain).
The region's share in the world production of fiber crops (cotton, flax) is insignificant.
Foreign Europe is an area of developed fishing.
Some of its countries (Iceland, Norway, Portugal) are among the leaders in marine fishing.
In accordance with the natural features, three areas of agricultural specialization have developed on the territory of Foreign Europe.
Leading industries
The agriculture of the countries of Northern Europe (Iceland, Ireland, Great Britain, Norway, Sweden and Finland) is characterized by the predominance of dairy farming, and in the crop production that serves it - fodder crops and gray grains (rye, barley).
The countries of Western, Central and Eastern Europe (Central European region), along with raising dairy and dairy-meat cattle, specialize in pig farming and poultry farming.
In crop production, there is a high proportion of grain, industrial and food crops (potatoes, vegetables, etc.), large areas of arable land are allocated for fodder crops.
Agriculture in the countries of Southern Europe (Mediterranean regions) is characterized by a significant predominance of crop production, while livestock farming plays a secondary role. The specialization of agriculture is determined by the production of fruits, citrus fruits, grapes, olives, almonds, nuts, tobacco, and essential oil crops.
Transport. Road transport plays a major role in the transportation of goods and passengers.
Highways of international importance: Lisbon - Paris - Stockholm, London - Frankfurt am Main - Vienna - Belgrade - Istanbul, etc. Inland waterways are of great importance, especially the Rhine and Danube rivers.
A dense network of railways crosses Foreign Europe in the latitudinal and meridional directions. Main latitudinal highways:
1) Lisbon - Madrid - Paris - Berlin - Warsaw (further to Minsk and Moscow),
2) London - Paris - Vienna - Budapest - Belgrade - Sofia - Istanbul (further to the Middle East),
The most important meridional paths:
1) Amsterdam - Brussels - Paris - Madrid - Lisbon,
2) London - Paris - Marseille,
3) Copenhagen - Hamburg - Frankfurt am Main - Zurich - Rome,
4) Gdansk - Warsaw - Vienna - Budapest - Belgrade - Athens.
Pipeline and air transport are developed.
Maritime transport and the seaports serving it are of international importance: London, Hamburg, Antwerp, Rotterdam, Le Havre, Marseille, Genoa.
The largest of them is Rotterdam, whose cargo turnover is 250-300 million tons per year.
Foreign Europe is the main center of international tourism. The most visited areas by tourists are the Alps and the Mediterranean.
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State regulation of the economy in old industrial areas of Germany.
Naydenova Raisa Ivanovna,
doctoral student at the Oryol Regional Academy of Public Service,
Associate Professor of Stary Oskol Technological Institute
(branch) of the Moscow State Institute of Steel and Alloys
For regional policy foreign countries typical attention is not
only to the most retarded, depressed and other problematic
territories, but also to territories - poles, cores, corridors of economic growth, state support of which can have the strongest impact on the structure and dynamics of the national economy.
Economic regions of Western Europe are divided into four groups:
1) highly developed areas where new sectors of the economy are developing;
2) old industrial areas;
3) areas of new development;
4) backward agricultural areas.
According to the English scientist R.
Hudson, old industrial regions, the so-called “workshops of the world,” are losing their importance. Forming a strategy for the survival of “peripheral areas,” which fully include mining areas, Hudson sees four possible options for reorganization:
- comprehensive development of small and medium-sized enterprises, search for ways to create new jobs in small businesses, development of the so-called entrepreneurial “culture of self-employment” instead of large-scale production;
- creation of an updated economic system on the basis of branches of large and, if possible, transnational companies attracted to the region - subject to the organization of propaganda of an attractive image of the territories;
- transition to a “service” economy - tourism, recreation, entertainment, etc.;
- abandonment of the production sector and transformation of the territory into a zone of “housing and consumption”, where the main source of livelihood is government benefits and subsidies.
At the same time R.
Hudson emphasizes that local initiatives, when implementing any option or combination of options, are not sufficient to solve the problems of territorial restructuring.
D. Sadler draws attention to the fact that the depressed state of some territories leads to the exclusion of entire regional population groups from the processes of socio-economic development of society. Using the example of some old industrial territories of Western Europe, one can see how low labor status, regressive income distribution, underdeveloped social infrastructure, and contradictions among social strata aggravate the socio-political situation in such areas (1).
Old industrial areas, one of the first to enter the stage of industrial development, having a poorly diversified economic structure and their own specific internal characteristics territorial structure, with a change in economic and technological structures, production naturally enters a stage of depression.
Traditional industrial production is concentrated here, currently experiencing a structural crisis, while experiencing a shortage of capital and realistic and competitive development projects.
In developed foreign countries, the most typical problem regions are old industrial ones.
These are regions specialized in the “outgoing” industries of previous industrial structures, which did not have time to develop new progressive industries in advance.
Many coal and metallurgical regions of Great Britain, Germany, France, Belgium fell into the rank of depressed regions, then regions with a large volume of textile industry, “dirty” chemicals, the demand for their products gradually decreased due to the relocation of production to developing countries with cheap labor strength, fewer economic restrictions and other competitive advantages.
Agrarian and peripheral territories find themselves in a very difficult situation, unattractive for the development of modern high-tech production, business services, and research and educational centers. Such regions have been losing qualified personnel and students from year to year, which perpetuated their lag.
In Western Europe today, a certain system of state regulation of depressed areas of the old industrial type has developed.
The fundamental provisions of this system, common to all countries, are as follows:
Recognition of state support as necessary condition the rise of crisis and depressed regions, which should be provided in advance, before the onset of a crisis, still at the stage of prosperous, stable development;
In the practice of regional policy, the impact is not on the region as a whole, but on its most problematic part;
Solving priority social problems by creating new highly qualified jobs for local personnel, preventing a decrease in the level of income of the population, and developing social infrastructure;
Stabilization of peripheral old industrial areas through the development of new knowledge-intensive industries in them,
business services, recreation;
Focus on internal resources region to achieve stable development.
Along with government regulation, in the modernization of old industrial areas of foreign countries, in a number of cases, the role of transnational corporations (TICs), which have greater financial capabilities for large investments in the economy (if it is profitable for them), is great.
Thus, TNCs with a high share of American, Japanese, and German capital contributed to the creation of a new “silicon valley” in Central Scotland, stabilization economic situation South Wales and Alsace.
The development of oil and gas production near the coasts of Great Britain and Norway contributed to the accelerated development of the coastal regions of these states and their emergence from depression (2).
In Germany highest value For world experience in regulating regional problems, there are examples of the Ruhr region and the lands of the former GDR.
The old industrial Ruhr region, which played a huge role in the industrialization of Germany, today unites 11 cities and surrounding areas (4.4 thousand) into one communal union (Ruhr region).
sq. km, 5.4 million people).
After the Second World War, the region within one decade regained its economic strength, the basis of which was the coal industry. 50 new mines were built, and coal production in 1954 reached 112.8 million tons. However, already in the second half of the 1950s, a crisis began in the Ruhr coal industry due to competition from imported oil.
Coal production fell sharply, many mines closed, the crisis spread to coal-related industries, and unemployment grew.
The German government has chosen the path of special economic support for the Ruhr region. Initially, subsidies began to be given to the coal industry and coal consumption, especially thermal power plants, was subsidized in order to maintain consumer demand for coal. In 1968 it was adopted federal law on the restructuring and rehabilitation of the coal industry and coal-mining regions, according to which the state determined the minimum required volume of coal production in the country, the amount of subsidies, subsidies for redundant workers and the costs of their retraining.
the entire coal industry of the Ruhr was united into one concern "Rurkole" ("Ruhr Coal") on the basis of an agreement between the Minister of Economics of the Federal Republic of Germany, the government of North Rhine-Westphalia, mine owners and trade unions.
Coal mining enterprises were bound by long-term contracts with metallurgical plants and power plants. A specific tax, the “coal pfennig,” had a significant impact on the stabilization of coal sales. Every extra pfennig (0.01 mark) paid to consumers above the price of a kilowatt-hour of electricity went into a special coal consumption fund, all of the funds of which were used to purchase German coal instead of cheaper foreign ones (cancelled in 1995).
These measures by the German government made it possible to avoid a collapse in coal production and gain time for a gradual and controlled restructuring of the entire Ruhr economy.
The main directions of restructuring the region's economy were:
Modernization of other “old” industries;
Development of higher education;
Creation of technology centers and, on their basis, knowledge-intensive
Improvement environment.
Industrial modernization covered most metallurgical and chemical plants and heavy engineering enterprises. Environmentally polluting industries were eliminated, the range of products was radically updated, and industrial areas were reduced.
In the Ruhr region in 1960-1980.
5 new universities were founded with the aim of creating training centers, reducing youth unemployment, limiting emigration from the region and attracting new personnel.
A significant proportion of local students study for free, and low-income students receive scholarships. The total number of students reaches 150 thousand.
(2 times more than the current number of miners), the number of scientists and teachers has increased many times, 12 technology centers (1993) strengthen the scientific and innovative potential of the region, providing entrepreneurs with premises, equipment, logistics, organizational and financial assistance.
Activities to eliminate and recycle industrial waste, protect and expand the green landscape were coordinated by the Communal Union using various financial sources.
The result of this program was the ecological improvement of the entire region, and the most polluted area along the Emscher River was turned into a huge landscape park with a length of 320 km. containing recreation areas and eco-zones, technological museums and innovative exhibitions.
By the mid-1990s, the Ruhr region had largely completed the process of radical economic restructuring.
Although the Ruhr is still the largest coal basin in Germany and Western Europe, the share of employment in the coal industry is now 4.5% (73.5 thousand out of 1.6 million people), while the release of miners continues. Concern
Rurkole consistently turned into a diversified regional, national, and then transnational corporation.
In 1995, he united all 78 mines in the basin, 3 coke plants, 2 briquette factories, became the owner of major stakes in companies producing electricity and heat, building materials based on mine waste and the operation of thermal power plants, production of various chemicals, equipment for the mining industry and much more.
The concern sells coal in Germany, mines coal in the USA and Venezuela, carries out reclamation work, builds roads, etc.
d. At the same time, coal production and consumption are still subsidized from the federal budget.
The Ruhr concern Krupp-Hoem is undergoing a similar functional evolution - largest producer steel, where only a quarter of workers are employed in ferrous metallurgy, and three quarters are in new industries: metalworking, mechanical engineering, etc.
Unification of the two German states in 1990
gave rise to a set of new regional problems caused by large socio-economic differences between the western and eastern lands.
The unification occurred suddenly, without allowing for a gradual rapprochement of the economic and social conditions of the two states. The consequence was shock upheavals in the economically weaker eastern regions, many of them suddenly becoming problematic for the following reasons and symptoms:
1) a sharp decline in production due to loss of demand in the national
market and the market of Eastern Europe, which gave rise to mass unemployment and
staff outflow;
2) a significant lag behind the western lands in technical and
social infrastructure, environmental quality, efficiency
production and living standards;
3) the need for a rapid change in the specialization of the main branches of production;
4) the need for a radical change in the entire institutional structure, its adaptation to the conditions of the Federal Republic of Germany.
The new situation required the development and implementation of a new regional policy, the adoption of special laws defining the special status of the eastern lands, large-scale financial assistance from the federal budget to the economically strong western regions, the implementation of a restructuring and modernization program, infrastructure development, education and personnel retraining.
But even huge financial assistance has not made it possible to level out socio-economic indicators in these regions over the past 13 years; this process will take several decades.
2. I.A. Elyanov. State and development: the role of the state in the global economy // World Economy and International Relations - 2003 - No. 1 - P.3-14.
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