Questions & Answers: Geography - Europe

Briefly describe the geographic realm of Europe.
The geographic realm of Europe is made up of five geographic regions (Western Europe, the British Isles, Northern Europe, Southern [Mediterranean] Europe, and Eastern Europe). It is home to one of the largest population clusters in the world. Despite the relatively small size of its territory, Europe’s people and their actions have affected (and continue to affect) all the world’s realms. Technological innovations, political revolutions, and vast empires have influenced the behaviors of people on each continent. European colonial endeavors have established communities and impacted the formation of ideologies the world over. Europe’s natural and human resources have helped the realm to survive and grow throughout the years. For approximately the last 50 years, Europe has been engaged in a unification program known as the European Union. Currently, 25 of the realm’s 48 nation-states are members of the Union.

Briefly describe the geographic realm of Russia.
Russia, the largest territorial state on Earth, is an example of a geographic realm which has undergone tremendous amounts of change throughout its existence. Tsars conquered and dominated Russian territory, which was subsequently inhabited by Soviets, who then shaped the domain and its peoples into the Soviet Union. Though World War II tested the empire, it also validated the U.S.S.R.’s status as a global superpower, which it retained until the late 1980’s. Internal factors (such as mismanagement of a communist government) and external factors (including the Second World War, pressure from anti-communist leaders, and the global decline of colonialism) eventually led to the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Consequent cultural, economic, and social diversity have given rise to the establishment of four geographical regions (each of which contains subregions): the Russian Core, the Eastern Frontier, Siberia, and the Far East.

Describe the general economic geography of Europe.
The economy of Europe is dominated by the European Union, which, if considered as a whole, has the largest economy in the world. Though the functional region of Western Europe has historically been the hub of economic activity in the realm, this situation is changing with the development of other core regions, productive complementarities, and interregional/international trade markets. Levels of economic development tend to decline as one moves from west to east across the realm; this too is changing with the growth of the economies of former member countries of the Soviet Union, and their increasing interactions with other regions and realms. Europe’s agricultural and fishing sectors are highly developed, and still center on Western Europe. Europe’s manufacturing sector is also quite developed. While many of the realm’s industries are concentrated in Western Europe, deindustrialization in the region has resulted in the outsourcing of labor to areas such as Eastern Europe and China. Financial activity in the realm is concentrated in several cities, with London as the largest.

Describe the general economic geography of Russia.
The economic geography of Russia is highly varied, and characterized by discrete core and peripheral regions of economic activity. Despite the presence of substantial natural resources (such as gas and oil) and a well-educated labor force, the effects of the transition from a failed centrally-planned economy during the Soviet Era to a free market continue to hinder the development of the economies in certain regions. In the agricultural sector, production has decreased drastically with attempts at the privatization of collective farms and restructuring of the economy. Also, the harsh climate in the realm has had an effect on agricultural production. The levels of meat, milk, vegetables, and grains have decreased yearly since 1989. This has had negative ramifications in a country that is largely dependent on its own food production. The inefficiencies and inadequacies held over from the Soviet Union continue to disturb Russia’s industrial sector, particularly in the extraction of raw materials and the distribution of goods. Still, Russia is the most industrialized of all the former Soviet republics.