COPYRIGHT
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PENNSVALLEY
Lesson 16:
Natural Resources and Economy
of the British Isles
In the late 1700’s, the Industrial Revolution began inGreat Britain.The Industrial Revolution brought
majorchanges to thewaygoodswereproducedand transported.Before the IndustrialRevolution,mostgoods
and services were produced bymanual labor.The development of the steam engine and other machines
replacedmanual labor andmade theproductionand transportationof goods and servicesmoreefficient.
Heavy industry became important toGreat Britain’s economy during the Industrial Revolution.Heavy
industries included coal mining, iron production, and the manufacture of products, such as textiles, in
large factories.Today, coalminesandheavymanufacturing industrieshavebecomemuch less important.
AlthoughGreat Britain still manufacturesmany products, service industries such as banking, insurance,
and tourismnowdominate theeconomy.Coal isnow importedbut thediscoveryof natural gasandoil in
theNorthSea in 1962 has helpedGreat Britainmeet its energy needs.
Much of Ireland’s economy was once based on agriculture. Today, only about 10 percent of the
workforce earns a living by farming. Light manufacturing industries and service industries, like
computers and tourism, dominate the economy.
ACTIVITY 1:
Use the
IndustryOrganizer
toanswer thequestions about thenatural resources andeconomy of the
British Isles the next page. Look for
boldfaced
words in your organizer as clues of a country’smajor
cash crops, exports, and industries.
Industry Organizer for the British Isles
Manufacturing/
Agriculture
Minerals
Services
UnitedKingdom
•
England
cereal grains, vegetables,
natural gas,
cars, chemicals, iron/steel,
sheep, cattle, fishing
oil,
coal
computers, engineering,
machinery,
tourism
finance/banking
• Scotland
cereal grains, sheep,
chemicals, iron/ steel,
cattle,
whiskey, tourism, banking
•Wales
sheep
tourism,
banking, computers
• Northern Ireland
cereal grains
engineering, computers,
tourism
Ireland
cereal grains, sheep, dairy peat,
light industry,
tourism
products, cattle, fishing;
natural gas
Using the Internet or resources in your school library, learn about the
Industrial Revolution.
Write a one page report or use a
Research
Organizer
(BLM)
to summarize your findings. Make sure you cover
the following topics. 1) When did the Industrial Revolution occur?
2)What impact did it haveonpeopleand industry?3) Howdid it affect
transportation (ships, railroads, roads)?
Click
&
Learn
British Isles
