Major Industrial Regions of the World
Geography › Industry · Topic 13.8
A major industrial region is a large area where many industries are found together, because of raw materials, power, transport, markets and capital. The old regions grew on coalfields of North America and Europe, and the newer ones are in East Asia. About a dozen regions give most of the world's industrial output.
5 min read · UPSC Prelims · Geography · Industry
At a Glance
- North America Great Lakes, north-east US, California
- Europe Ruhr, Midlands, Po valley, Paris
- Russia Moscow, Ural, Donbas
- East Asia Japan belt, Yangtze, Pearl River, Korea
- Southern Sao Paulo, Johannesburg, Sydney
- Exam link UPSC Prelims, Geography: Industry
Where Does It Fit?
This topic follows the location theories and applies them to the world map. It draws on the topics on iron and steel, textiles and chemicals, and leads to the industrial regions of India. Previous topic: Location Theories of Industry (Weber’s Least Cost Theory). Next topic: Major Industrial Regions of India.
Which Are the Industrial Regions of North America and Europe?
| Region | Main centres | Industries and basis |
|---|---|---|
| North-eastern United States | Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Pittsburgh | Steel at Pittsburgh on the Appalachian coal; textiles, chemicals, machinery; ports and market |
| Great Lakes region | Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, Buffalo, Gary | Steel from Lake Superior ore; automobiles at Detroit; machinery; lake transport |
| Pacific coast | Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle | Aircraft, electronics, film, defence; computing at Silicon Valley |
| Lower St Lawrence and Great Lakes of Canada | Toronto-Hamilton, Montreal | Steel, vehicles, paper, hydro-power |
| Ruhr-Rhine, Germany | Essen, Duisburg, Dortmund, Dusseldorf, Cologne | Coal and steel, chemicals, machinery on the Rhine waterway |
| Midlands and north-east England | Birmingham, Sheffield, Manchester, Leeds | Steel, engineering, textiles; old coalfield base |
| Paris, Lorraine, Po valley | Paris, Metz, Milan, Turin | Mixed manufacturing, iron and steel, vehicles, fashion |
In North America and Europe many old regions based on coal and steel declined with the closure of plants, and are now called the rust belt. Several have turned to services, high technology and new materials.
Which Are the Industrial Regions of Russia and East Asia?
- Moscow region: machinery, textiles, chemicals and defence, with a large market and rail links.
- Ural region: Magnitogorsk, Chelyabinsk and Yekaterinburg, with iron ore, coal and many minerals.
- Donbas and Dnieper (Ukraine): coal, iron ore of Krivoy Rog and manganese of Nikopol made a steel and heavy industry zone. Check the latest for the present state of the region.
- Japan’s Pacific belt: Tokyo-Yokohama (Keihin), Nagoya, Osaka-Kobe (Hanshin) and Kitakyushu, based on imported materials, ports and skilled labour. They make steel, vehicles, electronics and ships.
- China: Yangtze delta (Shanghai), Pearl River Delta (Guangzhou, Shenzhen), Bohai Bay (Beijing-Tianjin), and the north-east with Shenyang, Anshan and Dalian. Export-oriented zones fuelled growth after 1978.
- Korea and Taiwan: Seoul-Incheon, Ulsan and Pohang in South Korea (vehicles, steel, ships, electronics) and the west coast of Taiwan (electronics).
What Are the Industrial Regions of the Southern Hemisphere?
- South-east Brazil: Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte, using the iron ore of Minas Gerais, hydro-power and a big market.
- Argentina: Buenos Aires and Rosario, with food processing, vehicles and chemicals.
- South Africa: the Witwatersrand around Johannesburg, built on gold and coal, with steel and engineering.
- Australia: the south-east, with Sydney, Newcastle, Wollongong and Melbourne, using coal and iron ore.
Factors behind industrial regions
- Coal and iron: the old regions, as in the topic on coking coal, limestone, water Process Blast furnace to pig iron to steel Largest producer China,…">Iron and Steel Industry: Production Process, Location, Distribution, Global Production, International Trade.
- Ports and trade: the new regions in East Asia use imported inputs and export finished goods.
- Policy: special economic zones and state support, as in China and South Korea.
- Technology and skills: clusters of high technology, such as Silicon Valley, depend on universities and capital.
The centre of world industry has moved from the North Atlantic to East Asia in the last fifty years. Three forces explain this move: low labour costs and large pools of workers in Asia, the fall of shipping costs through containers, which let firms make goods far from markets, and state policies that guided investment, such as export zones in China and the heavy industry drive of South Korea. At the same time the older regions kept leadership in design, finance and advanced machinery, so the change is a division of work and not a simple decline. Some regions, such as the Ruhr, have turned old mines and mills into museums, parks and technology centres.
Why Is This Topic Important?
- Old regions Coal and steel
- New regions Ports, policy, skills
- Shift North Atlantic to East Asia
What Came Next?
The next topic describes the major industrial regions of India. Next topic: Major Industrial Regions of India.
Key People and Terms
- Rust belt Declined old industrial region
- Keihin Tokyo-Yokohama zone
- Hanshin Osaka-Kobe zone
- Special economic zone Area with special trade and tax rules
- Silicon Valley High technology cluster in California
- Witwatersrand Gold and industry zone near Johannesburg
Exam Corner
Points to Remember
- Pittsburgh stands on Appalachian coal.
- The Ruhr uses the Rhine waterway.
- Magnitogorsk is in the Ural region.
- Shenzhen lies in the Pearl River Delta.
- Johannesburg stands on the Witwatersrand.
Do Not Confuse With
- Ruhr and Lorraine German coal-steel region versus French iron ore region
- Keihin and Hanshin Tokyo-Yokohama versus Osaka-Kobe
- Donbas and Kuzbas Ukraine versus Siberia
Memory Hook
Coal built the old belts, ports and policy built the new ones: from Pittsburgh to Pearl River.
Mains Angle
Questions ask for the pattern of world industrial regions and the reasons for the shift. These points add depth.
- Old and new Coal belts and coastal export zones
- Drivers Resources, ports, policy
- Decline Rust belt and renewal
A Question You May Face
An original practice question, not a past paper question.
“Describe the major industrial regions of the world and account for the shift of industry from the North Atlantic to East Asia.”
How to Answer
- Regions North America, Europe, Russia, Asia.
- Factors Coal, ore, ports, market.
- Shift Asia and export zones.
- Decline Rust belt and change.
GS Relevance
Frequently Asked Questions
Which are the major industrial regions of North America?
The major industrial regions of North America are the north-eastern United States around Boston, New York and Pittsburgh, the Great Lakes region around Chicago, Detroit and Cleveland, the Pacific coast around Los Angeles and San Francisco, and the lower St Lawrence and Great Lakes area of Canada around Toronto, Hamilton and Montreal.
Why is the Ruhr region an important industrial area?
The Ruhr in Germany became a leading industrial region because of its rich coalfield, the Rhine waterway for cheap transport, iron ore brought in from other places and a large market in Europe. Cities such as Essen, Duisburg and Dortmund developed steel, machinery and chemical industries, though coal mining has since declined.
Which are the main industrial regions of Japan?
Japan's industry is concentrated on the Pacific coast belt, mainly in the Keihin zone of Tokyo and Yokohama, the Chukyo zone of Nagoya, the Hanshin zone of Osaka and Kobe, and the Kitakyushu zone. These zones use imported raw materials through the ports and make steel, vehicles, ships and electronics.
What is the rust belt?
The rust belt is the name for old industrial regions of the north-eastern and Great Lakes area of the United States, and similar regions of Europe, where coal, steel and heavy manufacturing declined because of competition from Asia and automation. Plants closed and jobs were lost, though some cities have moved to services and new technology.
Where are the main industrial regions of China?
China's main industrial regions are the Yangtze River Delta around Shanghai, the Pearl River Delta around Guangzhou and Shenzhen, the Bohai Bay area around Beijing and Tianjin, and the north-east around Shenyang, Anshan and Dalian. Export zones created after 1978 helped the coastal regions grow into the world's major manufacturing area.
PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis
1 Pittsburgh is a steel centre based on Appalachian coal.
It is in the north-eastern United States.
2 Magnitogorsk is in the Moscow industrial region.
It is in the Ural region.
3 Keihin is the industrial zone around Tokyo and Yokohama.
Hanshin is Osaka-Kobe.
4 Shenzhen is located in the Yangtze River Delta.
It is in the Pearl River Delta.
Past Mains Questions on This Topic
This topic comes under Industry. UPSC Mains questions asked on the matching syllabus topic, year-wise with marks:
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