Chapter 15 section 1 notes

Chapter 15
The British Isles and Nordic Nations
England
The islands off the northwest coast of Europe are called the British Isles
The largest island is Great Britain
Comprises 3 former independent countries
England, Scotland and Wales- together with Northern Ireland they form the United Kingdom
England is the most densely populated area holds 80% of the population

England’s Physical Characteristics
England is has 3 different areas : highlands, midlands, and lowlands
Highlands run the length of England’s west coast
Land is difficult to farm
Midlands in the southeast- coal that fueled the country’s revolution
Heavy industrial development and highest population densities


The rolling Lowlands are to the south and east of the Midlands
Land slopes gently toward the English Channel
Soil is fertile and produces abundant crops
Wheat, vegetables, also large pastures for sheep and dairy and beef cattle
Rise of London as a Trade Center
England’s farms produced surplus goods for export with other European nations
Cities grew along the rivers London was the most important
London’s location on the Thames River that is level with the Atlantic Ocean made it easy for ships to sail up easily to the port of London
Global Trade Patterns
London grew rapidly in the 1500’s because of changes in patterns of world settlement and trade
In late 1400’s improved ships and navigational devices allowed Europeans to move westward
Great Britain’s strategic central location on the Atlantic was ideal for trade
Economic Activities
In 1500’s Britain shipped mostly farm products
Looking for new ways to invest, business owners built factories to produce manufactured goods to sell to Britain’s colonies.
Britain became know as the "workshop of the world"

The Rise of Heavy Industry
Earliest technological advances in Industrial Revolution used in factories to produce textiles-used water power to run the spinning machines
Large amounts of coal along the edges of Pennine mountain range and in the northeast

Britain possessed large reserves of iron ore
The coal fields made Newcastle, Sheffield, and Birmingham the center of manufacturing
The Industrial Revolution brought wealth to Britain and spoiled its landscape
Challenges to British Industry
In late 1800’s Britain was challenged by two new industrial powers – Germany and the United States
By 1900 both made as much steel as Britain
In recent years British industry fell on hard times
Much of area’s coal supply used up
In 1970’s turned to oil and gas deposits in the North Sea
Economy has been growing steadily
Government encouraged tertiary economic activities
service industries
Finance, insurance, tourism
Member of the European Union – has not adopted the euro