1. The changing global position of the core areas (Triad)
dr. László Jeney
associate professor
Economic and Human Geography
bachelor study programmes (BA)
Spring term 2017/2018.
CUB Department of Economic Geography and Futures Studies

2. Alternative definitions of the core areas
Cold War: First and Second World
Not up to date
W. Brandt: The Rich North, The Poor South
Brandt line, 1980s
North Asia: rich?
Australia: Northern?
Triad
Position of Australia?
High income countries (Worldbank, IMF)
Annually changing
Developed World 2

3. Economic core regions Appearance as core region:
Europe: from the Age of Discoveries and the industrial revolution
North America, Australia: from the late 19th century
Japan: from the 1960s (famous ancient East Asian cultures)
Its state of development: in the forefront of the age
Its development is autonomic and organic
Self-modernization: derived from the inner structure and the inner motivation of the society
Recognition of natural and human rules  getting the new resources  ensure a more higher state of satisfaction of needs 3

4. Differences amoung the core areas of the world economy
aspects
Europe
East Asia
N. America
Australia–O.
Ancient times
Developed cultures
Lagging tribal cultures
Greek-Roman antecendent
More 1000 years old civilizations
Colonization
Geopgraphic Discoveries, West Europe
Isolation (China: semi-colony)
British colonies
Early, having col. (+econ.)
Late colonization
Economic macroregion
Europe – Africa
Far East
The Americas
Europe–Afr.  Far East
Being core from
Discoveries, industrial rev
Ancient cult., Postwar per.
Late 19th century
Success products
Medicines, machines
High-tech (computer, chip, robot) + application of IT
mining,
agriculture 4

5. Basic information on the core areas of the world economy
Km2
Population
persons
GDP
PPP
Per cap GDP
Export
US $
Import EU
4,3 mn
WR7
490 mn
WR3
14,82 bn
WR1
32700
WR31
1,95 bn
1,69 bn
WR2
USA
9,8 mn
310 mn
WR4
14,66 bn
47200
WR10
1,29 bn
1,94 bn
Japan
380 th
WR60
130 mn
WR11
4,31 bn
34000
WR28
0,76 bn
0,64 bn
China
9,6 mn
1300 mn
10,09 bn
7600
WR100
1,58 bn
1,33 bn 5

6. TNCs with the largest income in the world (Fortune: Global500)
Growth of East Asia, decline of North America
353 industrial companies with the largest trade of the world (Rebitzer, D. W. 1995)
1956: 77% Am, 23% Eu  1993: 36% Am, 32% Eu, 26% Japan 6