Industrialisation, first seen in the Industrial Revolution and more recently in developments in China, has changed the way people work and live.
Industrialisation has occurred at different times and at different rates depending on a wide range of factors, including physical location, influence of other countries and advances in technology.
Capitalism has developed through industrialisation; capitalist countries have grown more, economically, than non-capitalist countries.
Heavy industry shaped cities such as Pittsburgh, providing wealth and employment, but also producing severe environmental problems.
Hi-tech industries have grown dramatically in developing countries.
Regions such as Silicon Valley in the United States have taken advantage of a skilled workforce, venture capital and innovation to create economic growth.
China has risen as a centre for manufacturing as a result of a range of factors, including a desire for cheap goods from consumers, careful central planning and a cheap and flexible workforce.
Rapid industrialisation has occurred unevenly, creating wealth in only some regions.
Products such as computers are designed, manufactured and assembled in a wide range of locations, linking developed and less developed nations. The way we buy items such as computers is also changing as a result of technology.

Key terms

Using an example, explain how the capitalist system is supposed to work.
Suggest one cause and one effect of the decline of motor vehicle manufacturing in Australia.
Summarise the reasons for the success of Silicon Valley.
Describe and explain the location of China’s industrial regions.
Provide two reasons for why it may be too expensive to construct and assemble a computer in the United States.

Write a report comparing industry in China (either in the Pearl River region or in Pudong) with that in Silicon Valley. You must:

describe the different types of industry found in the two locations
explain the causes of the two types of industry growing in these regions (refer to both the physical and human geography of the two locations)
evaluate the effects of industry using the terms ‘economic’, ‘environmental’ and ‘social’.