The United States of America, The United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa - Geography and history

Résumé du document

USA is the largest agricultural producer in the world with an agricultural trade surplus of 16.5 billion dollars. It is a major producer of oil (but still needs to import), gas and coal, the second largest producter of silver, gold and copper. Its industry is powerful with a leading position in many sectors (aerospace, communications, electronics, armaments). Production is often concentrated in a specific geographical area: the manufacturing belt of the North-East, the car industry in Detroit, aeronautics in the West (Seattle). The UK is the fifth industrial power in the world with industries employing only 25% of the working population (70% are in the service sector). In the 19th century, the country was the most powerful industrial country in the world, it had a large empire (on which the sun never set!), and the Industrial Revolution had deeply affected the society (once mainly peasants, people had become factory workers and were concentrated in cities). After the first World War, major economic difficulties were ignited (world crisis, competition with other countries, unemployment, lack of investment). In the 1970's and 1980's, the crisis worsened as the entire industrial areas in the North witnessed high unemployment figures, long bitter strikes to try and prevent closures of mines. Since the late 1980's, through recovery measures like modernization of certain industries (British Steel for example), foreign investment (in the car industry with Japanese firms), incentives to attract companies in depressed areas, privatization of formerly state-owned companies (higher competitivity in communications, air transport), and active financial markets has stabilized the economy.

Extraits

[...] The Victorian era is one of prosperity, expansion and power (industrialization of the country, first economic and colonial power in the world). i 1876: Proclamation of the British Empire of the East Indies (India, the of the empire). i 1931: The Commonwealth of Nations replaced the Empire (decolonization process culminating in the independence of India, 1947). i 1940: With Winston Churchill shall never surrender*”), war against Nazi regime. i 1945-51: Labour* victory and social reforms. (Labour government again in 1964). [...]

[...] i 1950's: Post-war period, the Cold War and the “Witch-hunt” of McCarthyism. i 1950-1953: Korean War. i 1961-1973: Vietnam War (two “containment*” wars against communism). i 1989: Collapse of the Berlin Wall and of the Eastern Bloc. Talk of a New World Order. i 1991: Gulf War against Iraq. i 1992: Election of Bill Clinton democrat) NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) signed by Canada, Mexico and the USA. i 1994: NAFTA comes into effect. Republican landslide victory* in midterm elections. [...]

[...] Production is often concentrated in a specific geographical area: the manufacturing belt of the North-East, the car industry in Detroit, aeronautics in the West (Seattle). HISTORY i 1492: Christopher Columbus discovers an island in the West Indies. Colonization of the World” is about to begin. i 1607: Jamestown: first English town in Virginia. i 1619: First legislative assembly, introduction of slavery in Jamestown. i 1620: Fleeing from religious persecution in England, the “Pilgrim Fathers” sail across the Atlantic on board the Mayflower and land near Cape Cod. [...]

[...] 10/15 i 1870's: Supporters of a free Ireland campaigned for Home Rule. i 1900: Creation of Sinn Féin (Gaelic for ourselves”), Irish nationalists intensified campaigns for independence. i 1916: Easter Rising, the British army crushed an uprising, killing Republican leaders and starting Civil War. i 1919: Creation of the IRA, Irish Republican Army, a military organization. i 1921: The British were forced to “partition” Ireland that became the Irish Free State. Six counties of the Northern Ulster Province, with a majority of Protestants remained under British rule, which is still true today. [...]

[...] People of mixed descent make up and Asians 3%. Half the population is concentrated in large urban centres and vast tracks of the country are uninhabited. i Major cities: Johannesburg-Soweto, Durban, Port Elizabeth. i Economy: Mining makes the country one of the richest in Africa; it is the first producer of manganese in the world and a major producer of platinium, chrome and gold. Its industry suffered, however, from an international boycott at the time of apartheid; foreign investment has since come back to the country but some sectors still lag behind. [...]