In this chapter, you will learn about the concept or idea of regional geography. A region is an area that has particular characteristics which set it apart from other regions. There are several basic indicators of regions that you will learn in this chapter:
• Climate • Landscape • Administration • Language
• Industry • Economy • Urban regions
Much of the information you have learned in the physical section of the course becomes relevant throughout this chapter. You will see how physical processes impact on human processes.
KEY WORDS
l Regionalism l Boundaries l Climate l Cool temperate oceanic l Geomorphological l Burren l Carbonation l North European Plain l Administrative l Regional Assemblies
l Gaeltacht l Wallonia l Flanders l Northern Ireland l Nationalist l Republican l Unionist l Loyalist l Discrimination l Protestant
LEARNING OUTCOMES
What you MUST know l How regions can be defined according to their physical characteristics
l How regions can be defined according to their climates
l How administrative regions are defined by their governments
l How cultural regions can be defined by language and religion
328 EARTH
l How to define socio-economic regions l Examples of regions of industrial decline
What you SHOULD know l Additional statistics about regions
What is USEFUL to know l How to identify all of these regions on a map
l Catholic l Civil rights l Islamic l Core region l Peripheral region l Industrial decline l Urban regions l Urban sprawl
