Foreign Europe includes countries outside the CIS. Their territory is more than 5 million square kilometers, on which almost five hundred million people live. Speaking of foreign Europe, we have in mind about forty sovereign states, connected not only by historical fate, but also by the closest economic, political and cultural threads.
Foreign Europe is one of the main centers of human civilization. This is the birthplace of urban agglomerates, great geographical discoveries, as well as great industrial upheavals. And despite the fact that the era of “Eurocentrism” is already in the past, foreign Europe occupies an important place not only in the politics of the world, but also in its economy.
Household
Studying the industry of foreign Europe (11th grade is the time when this topic is paid attention to at school), we consider it as an integral region. At the same time, according to experts, the countries located on its territory occupy first place worldwide in the areas of agricultural and industrial production. The region does not miss a leading position in the export of services and goods, in reserves of currency and gold, as well as in the development of international tourist relations.
The economic power of foreign Europe lies in four countries that are members of the G7. France and Germany, Italy and England are on their list. It is these states that have the widest range of diverse industries and industries. However, the balance of power between the four leading countries is undergoing certain changes. So, over the past decade, the leader's role has been won by Germany. And this is not surprising. After all, the economy of this country is developing very dynamically. At the same time, Britain lost its prestige as a “workshop of the world."
The rest of the countries of foreign Europe whose economy is of the greatest economic importance are Switzerland and Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands and Sweden. In these states, only certain industries are developed that have worldwide recognition.
A special place in the region is occupied by countries located in Eastern Europe. Starting in the late eighties, an active transition has taken place in them from the system of centralized planning and public ownership on the rails of market relations.
Industry development
The basis of the economy of foreign Europe is industry. It plays a dominant role, even though in many countries of the region the lion's share of the economy is the agricultural sector and services. The industry of foreign Europe for several centuries has been its peculiar face.
Features
The development of mankind and historical circumstances in one way or another constantly transformed the world market. The model of industry of foreign Europe was also subject to change. So, if before the 2nd World War the region was famous for its expensive unique products, then after the end of hostilities its enterprises were reoriented to the needs of the mass consumer.
The bulk of high-tech and sophisticated products came from the United States. The industry of foreign Europe has become famous for machine tools and automobiles, electronics and technological equipment. The release of goods for the mass user has begun in the region.
This trend did not change until the end of the seventies. During this period, the industry of foreign Europe gave an impetus to a peculiar division of labor between the states of the region. Thus, the Mediterranean countries continued to produce goods for a wide range of customers. At this time, the production of aircraft and ships was actively developing in England, France and the Federal Republic of Germany. All this has reduced the gap between the region and the United States.
Consider the main industries of foreign Europe, which currently have weight.
Engineering
If you are asked: “Indicate the main industry of foreign Europe”, then it is worth considering the area in which more than thirty percent of the region’s inhabitants are employed. It is engineering, providing one of the widest product ranges in the world.
This main industry of foreign Europe is represented in almost all countries of the region. However, the level of development of this sphere in individual states is different. For example, in Europe there is a certain group of leaders. In these countries there is almost the whole range of industries, the work of which not only meets the internal needs of the region, but also allows you to send products for export.
There are countries in foreign Europe with only one or several highly developed areas of engineering production. At the same time, the needs for certain types of products are met by imports.
The group of leaders, first of all, includes Germany and England, and to a lesser extent, France and Italy belong to them. One or more areas of the engineering industry are available in the Netherlands and Belgium, Sweden and Switzerland.
The characteristics of industry in foreign Europe cannot but affect countries such as Denmark and Austria, Finland and Norway. In these countries, engineering is poorly developed. However, in them there are one or two industries that have won recognition in the world market. Thus, Finland is famous for its pulp and paper equipment, Norway - for shipbuilding, etc.
In general, the engineering industry of countries of foreign Europe produces almost twenty-five percent of the world production of this segment. Textile, electrical, technological equipment, instrumentation and scientific instruments, trucks and cars, as well as tractors are supplied from the countries of the region.
Who produces what?
The most developed industry of foreign Europe in the automotive industry. Concerns such as Daimler, Volkswagen, Mercedes and BMW are successfully operating in Germany. Peugeot-Citroen and Renault cars are shipped from France. Italy is famous for its Fiat.
In Germany, the Netherlands and England there is a highly developed shipbuilding. Such firms as Bosch and Philips, Mulineks and Tefal are known all over the world. Their main production facilities for the production of telephones, computers and household appliances were built in Germany, France and the Netherlands. Switzerland produces high-quality watches.
The engineering industry of foreign Europe is guided, first of all, by the available labor resources. In addition, the scientific base of the region and the high level of its infrastructure contribute to the development of the main industry.
Chemical industry
This is the second largest avant-garde industry in the region. The chemical industry of foreign Europe, as well as engineering, developed at a very rapid pace in the second half of the last century. Moreover, this was characteristic of the entire region.
Interestingly, the chemical industry has mastered a new raw material base. She switched to the use of oil and its intermediates as the main source of organic chemicals. This raw material has become the basis of the products of this industry. Since in the period before the Second World War, the industry focused on brown and coal, table and potassium salts, as well as pyrites, all its production was located in the areas of their development.
With the reorientation of this sphere, it shifted to oil sources. So, in the western part of the region appeared large centers of petrochemicals, erected in the estuaries of the Rhine and Thames, the Elbe and the Seine, as well as the Rhone. In these regions, this industry is perfectly combined with oil refining.
The reorientation of the industry also affected the eastern regions of Western Europe. Here, on the highways of gas and oil pipelines, petrochemical plants and refineries were created. The main enterprises of this type are located in Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic. They were erected along the route of gas pipelines and an international oil pipeline that previously pumped raw materials from the Soviet Union, and today - from Russia.
In addition, before the start of World War II, determining the level of development of the chemical industry consisted in measuring the volumes of sulfuric acid produced by it. Currently, this indicator directly depends on the amount of plastic produced.
Chemical Distribution
The development of the second largest avant-garde industry in foreign Europe is uneven. Thus, the production of Italy and England, Germany and France fully satisfy their domestic needs for chemical products, being, in addition, their major exporters. As for the countries of Scandinavia, only certain industries are well developed on their territory, such as, for example, the production of nitrogen fertilizers. At the same time, a large number of items of chemical products are imported by them from abroad.
There are countries in foreign Europe that specialize only in a narrow range of industries. For example, pharmaceuticals are developed in Switzerland, and the petrochemical industry in the Netherlands and Belgium. But, despite this, these countries have close ties with the world market, exporting up to 65 percent of their products.
In general, the states of foreign Europe are major sellers of artificial and synthetic fibers, plastics, paints and varnishes, pharmaceuticals, dyes and nitrogen fertilizers. At the same time, the region consumes new and latest chemical products supplied from the USA.
If you need a characteristic of one of the industries of foreign Europe, then you should carefully study the current state of the chemical industry in the region. In recent decades, there has been a tendency to reduce imports. However, in this case, the participation of American monopolies, which are actively creating their enterprises in Europe, was not without. Their work is aimed at creating the latest chemical products.
Fuel and energy complex
This economic sphere of foreign Europe, like the chemical industry, focuses on natural gas and oil. These raw materials are mined in the North Sea and imported from Russia and developing countries. Currently, there has been a sharp decline in coal production and consumption in Germany and England, Belgium, the Netherlands and France. The focus on this fuel has been preserved so far in the eastern parts of the region. So, in Poland and the Czech Republic, a large share of raw materials for the fuel and energy complex is brown coal. A lot of TPPs working here are guided by it. Moreover, coal is taken not only from its own pools. It is imported and unloaded at major European ports.
The geography and structure of the region’s electric power industry are increasingly dependent on nuclear power plants. They already work in Germany and Belgium, in the Czech Republic and Hungary, Bulgaria and the UK, as well as in France.
In the tributaries of the Rhone and on the Danube, hydroelectric power is produced. However, with the exception of Switzerland, Sweden and Norway, hydropower plants usually play a supporting role. Recently, economical PSPs began to be built in foreign Europe.
Metallurgical industry
This industry was formed in the region before the era of the scientific and technological revolution. First of all, ferrous metallurgy developed in those countries where they had their own metallurgical fuel or raw materials. Such states include Germany and France, England and Spain, Luxembourg and Spain, the Czech Republic and Poland. After the end of World War II, the largest mills were erected or expanded in areas located in close proximity to seaports. This was due to a focus on the import of scrap metal and high-quality iron ore.
To date, the most modern and largest plant, located near the seaport, was built in Italian Taranto. Recently, however, mini-factories have been predominantly built in the region.
The most important non-ferrous metallurgy sectors of foreign Europe include the aluminum and copper industries. Aluminum production facilities are located in countries with bauxite reserves. These are Italy and France, Romania, Greece and Hungary. Similar production facilities are also located in Austria and Germany, Switzerland and Norway. There is no own raw material, but a large amount of electricity is generated.
Copper production is developed in France and Germany, Poland, England and Belgium.
Forest and light industry
What other industries are widely developed in the region? One of them is the forest industry of foreign Europe. First of all, it focuses on its own sources of raw materials. That is why this industry is especially developed in Finland and Sweden. These countries are traditional leaders in sawmilling and timber procurement, and in the export of paper and pulp.
The light industry of foreign Europe deserves special attention. It was with this industry that the entire industrialization of the region began. To date, the light industry of foreign Europe has lost its former position.
In the region, textile regions such as Flanders (Belgium), Yorkshire and Lancashire (England), Lyon (France), as well as Milan (Italy) have considerable weight. All these centers for the production of clothing and footwear arose in the 19th century, at the time of the birth of the industrial revolution. They are actively working today. Recently, however, there has been a tendency toward a shift in light industry to southern Europe. This is due to the available reserves of cheap labor. For example, Portugal can now be called the main sewing factory in the region. Italy produces so many shoes that its volume is second only to China.
The peoples of many European countries maintain national traditions that are expressed in the production of musical instruments and furniture, jewelry and metal and glass products, toys, etc.
For example, Belgium is known for its hunting rifles (Browning), as well as processing diamonds. It is no accident that the world diamond trading center is located in the city of Antwerp. The largest company in the world producing artificial teeth has been built in Liechtenstein. These products are sold in more than a hundred countries around the world.
The light, forestry industries of foreign Europe, although they do not play leading roles in the industry of the region, are an integral part of its entire economy.