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Regional Geography: Irish Peripheral Region: The Western region - Coggle…
Regional Geography: Irish Peripheral Region: The Western region
Physical processes
Climate
Cool temperate oceanic/maritime climate
Higher than average rainfall
Warm ocean current
North Atlantic Drift
South-westerly winds move over the region’s mountain ranges; relief rainfall is created
Rainfall averages between 1,500 and 2,000 mm per annum
Fronts and depressions
Temperatures average between 4 and 6˚C in the winter and 15 and 17˚C in the summer
Limited amount of sunshine: 3.25–3.5 hours per day
Soils
Upland areas consist mainly of podzols
Soils lack nutrients
Coniferous trees
Grazing sheep
Gleys
Waterlogged soils
Leaching
Hardpan
Worsen the effects of waterlogging
Peaty soils
Blanket bogs cannot be exploited commercially
Brown soils
Tend to be of a shallow nature
Relief and drainage
Many upland areas
Created during the Caledonian orogeny 400 MYA
Influenced by glaciations
Poorly draining soils
Shallow soils
Drumlin belt, ‘basket of eggs’ topography
The upland areas are composed of igneous and metamorphic rocks
Deranged drainage pattern
Primary economic activities
Removal of natural resources from the Earth
Poorer regions
Higher than average number of people are employed in the primary sector, e.g. 24 per cent of the population of Roscommon
Agriculture
Farming is limited
Low levels of mechanisation, harsh climate and unfavourable topography
Small scale
30 per cent of farms are less than 10 hectares
Farmers tend to be older, approximately 30 per cent of farmers in the region are over 65 years of age
50 per cent of farmers in the region are part-time
Upland areas
Sheep grazing
Pastoral farming limited
Some lowland areas
Overgrazing: 27 per cent of upland areas in the region are overgrazed
Open to soil erosion
2.4 per cent of the national barley crop
Grass is the most widely grown crop
EU categorised as disadvantaged area
High farm subsidies and direct payments
CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) in areas of animal welfare and food quality
REPS (Rural Environmental Protection Scheme) in the area of environmental conservation
Forestry
In upland and more marginal land
Investment from Coillte, the EU and private companies
Spruce and pine, grow five times quicker
50 per cent higher yields of spruce trees than in the East
NDP encouraged growth in this area
Fishing
Continental shelf extends for 320 km
Rich breeding ground for fish
Water is warm
Influence of the North Atlantic Drift
Government as part of the NDP invested in ports
2,000 people are employed
Fish processing industry
Government are anxious to expand
Waters off the Western region are prone to overfishing
Quotas, embargoes and restrictions
CFP (Common Fisheries Policy) of the EU
Aquaculture (fish farming), 400 people employed in 2014
Aquaculture production has increased 3.5 times since 2000
Mining/energy
1996 Corrib natural gas field discovered
Sold to Bord Gáis to distribute around Ireland
Shell ENP planned to build a pipeline to bring the gas onshore
Objections to the proposal reached crisis point in 2005
Eventually construction was allowed and it is hoped the pipeline will be completed by the end of 2015, 12 years behind schedule and four times the original cost
Secondary economic activities
These are activities in which raw materials are processed or semi-processed materials are further developed
Manufacturing activities
Western region is less well developed
Peripheral location
Economic factors
Distance from main Irish and EU markets
Poor communication links
Lack of motorways
Broadband access is limited
Electrical supply is also lower
Human factors
Low population density, low as 25 people per km2
Brain drain, highly educated economically active age group leaving
Physical factors
Smaller scale industries have developed
Fewer motorways
Few large urban centres
Wages also tend to be lower
Higher proportion of labour-intensive traditional industries
57 per cent of manufacturing in Co. Roscommon is in the food sector
Galway city is an exception
Modern growth industries, IDA
Third-level colleges
High concentration of electrical and optical equipment industries
Boston Scientific, which employs 2,500 people
Attractive to MNCs because of the size and quality of its labour force, telecommunications network, improvements in infrastructure
Údarás na Gaeltachta attracts industry to the Gaeltacht areas of the region
IDA (Industrial Development Authority) encourages industries into the area
Aid from the EU’s Structural Fund and EU Regional Fund
Western Development Commission (WDC) was also set up in 1997 to help highlight weaknesses in the Western region
Even spread of industry in the region
Do not want to become a commuter belt
National Spatial Strategy 2002–2020: the Irish government has targeted cities and towns in the region as gateways (e.g. Galway) and hubs (e.g. Tuam)
The Western region hit badly by economic recession
Tertiary economic activities
Provision of services
Lower than average number of people are employed in the tertiary sector
Tourism
Physical environment, beautiful scenery
Cultural environment
2 million tourists
Not evenly dispersed
Galway city receiving the majority of the visitors
Over 20,000 students visit the Gaeltacht areas of the Western region annually
Galway races and Oyster festivals
Seasonality of its tourist industry
Underdeveloped
Loss of visitors when Shannon airport lost its gateway status
Short-stay holidays
Improvements in tourism
NDP 2007–2013 emphasis on niche holidays, religious tourism, hope to make it a year-round business
Investment needed
Transport
Limited and underdeveloped
Few national primary roads
M6 and M18
One-fifth of the money allocated to Dublin received by Galway
Shipping ports, limited value
Low population density (25 per km²) has made it difficult to upgrade public transport services
Government did not spend up to €500 million as allocated under the NDP (2000–2006)
Transport 21 Act 2005–2015, build the ‘Atlantic Corridor’, a routeway linking Donegal and Waterford, disbanded in 2011, replaced with Planned National Roads Network 2020
Upgrading the current rail routes in the Western region, the Western Rail Corridor
Re-opening of this rail line delayed until 2018
Lobby group ‘West On Track’
Human processes
Population dynamics
1841 population 850,000 declined till the 1970s to 312,000
Celtic Tiger era of 1990s slight population increase
Influx of Brazilian migrants in Gort, Co. Galway
Population of the Western region 445,356, approximately 25 people per km2, national average of 60 people per km2
Low marriage and birth rates
Outward migration from the region has been age selective
Language
Largest Gaeltacht region, Connemara, 800 km2
1841 population of 35,000, today 10,500
In 1971 Connemara West was set up to develop the area
Introduced initiatives such as community radio and Teach Ceoil
Urban development
Population of Galway city has increased since 2002
Castlebar has an expanding services sector
Rural development
Rural depopulation is a problem
Only 13 per cent of graduates find jobs in the region, brain drain
Outward migration affects local services and choice
Region has a higher dependency ratio
NDP committed to sustainable rural development
EU-funded LEADER programme was set up to reduce outward migration from rural areas and to encourage community-based initiatives, e.g. language schools