Traditional large-scale industrial regions
Topic: Secondary Activities: Manufacturing and Industrial Location · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 5 "Secondary Activities"
Meaning
Traditional large-scale industrial regions are old heavy-industry belts thickly clustered in a few developed countries. They were built on coal, iron and steel, heavy engineering, textiles and shipbuilding. They grew near coalfields, iron ore and ports. Their landscape has huge plants, smokestacks, rail yards and crowded housing for workers. From the 1970s, many declined as coal ran out or became too costly, cheaper steel arrived from overseas, and automation cut jobs.
Example
The Ruhr region in Germany, on the Rhine, with cities such as Essen, Dortmund and Duisburg, is the classic case. It has since shifted to services, universities and heritage. Its Zollverein coal mine complex has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2001. In India, the Kolkata-Hugli belt has seen a similar decline.
Don't confuse with
- High-tech industrial regions: these are based on research and development and on mostly white-collar workers. They have low, neatly spaced buildings, often at the edges of cities. Unlike traditional regions, they have also spread to less developed countries.