In the past, the industrial sector employed a lot of people. Today, it employs fewer people due to an increase in mechanisation.

Many companies have relocated their factories to countries where labour is cheaper. These multinationals are part of a global market.

They are found in nature that can be transformed through industrial processes into usable products.

Raw materials from animals

Raw materials from minerals are found in rocks and are mined. Most minerals need to be transformed to make them into materials that can be used for manufacturing products.

Non-metallic minerals. 

The extraction and transformation of raw materials into products is carried out by ...

They are used by the construction industry.

It is very complicated and dangerous; shafts and tunnels need to be dug, water needs to be drained and the air supply has to be constantly renewed.

Mining companies pay the governments of LEDCs to exploit their best mineral deposits.

They are natural resources that are processed to produce energy for domestic purposes and the operation of industries and transport.

Energy sources depending on their economic importance, they are classified as ...

Non- renewable energy sources

Renewable energy sources

Natural gas

It is created by using enriched uranium in nuclear reactors, generates an enormous amount of electricity. The major problems with this type of energy relate to ensuring that nuclear power plants are safe and that the radioactive waste they generate is properly managed so that the risk to the environment and people is minimised.

Coal...

Oil...

Renewable energy sources

Most of renewable energy sources are not used to their full potential because they are still in the research and development phase and big energy companies prefer to exploit other, non-renewable sources.

This uses the movement of seawater caused by tides, waves and currents. This type of energy production is not very common.

This type of energy uses the heat from inside the Earth to produce electricity, especially in areas with intense volcanic activity.

Wind energy is obtained by harnessing the force of the wind. It is a non-polluting energy, but wind turbines significantly alter the landscape and cause noise pollution.

Hydropower plants use the force of water stored in reservoirs to generate electricity. The energy production itself is polluting, and the construction of reservoirs leads to serious environmental impacts and sometimes the displacement of the local population.

The Sun emits a large amount of radiation that is inexhaustible, non-polluting and can be harnessed easily to produce electricity and heat. However, the intensity of the Sun´s rays varies throughout the world. The time of day and the seasons also affect the amount of radiation reaching the Earth.

Coal, oil and gas are renewable sources.

Oil is only used as a fuel.

Fewer people are using coal now than in the past.

It describes the processes that transform raw materials into finished products or intermediate goods.

This is the activity carried out by workers in exchange for a salary.

This is all the equipment and materials needed for production, as well as the knowledge needed to use them.

It makes materials or parts that are used in the production of consumer goods.

Light industry

Examples of consumer goods industries

The First Industrial Revolution

The Second Industrial Revolution

The Third Industrial Revolution

Since 2015, we have started to talk about a Fourth Industrial Revolution, which describes the fusion of the physical, digital and biological worlds.

Post-Fordism

Renault was the first company to introduce an assembly line in factories at the start of the 20th century.

The main factor of location was the proximity to energy sources.

When problems related to the transmission of electricity were resolved, they became the preferred location for industries. This is because they had a good supply of manual labour, greater consumer demand, and transport and distribution facilities.

The integration of companies makes them more competitive.Expenses, such as transport, are reduced, and fixed costs, such as advertising, can be shared.

It occurs when companies from the same sector unite to focus their activities on one stage of the production process. 

The most convenient location for an industrial company is one that allows the company ...

Some industries stay in the same location because the infrastructure is good, and associated industries and technical services are found nearby.

Industries that require many unskilled workers, such as clothing manufactures, are usually located in countries where labour is ...

Industries that require research and technology are located where there are specialised workers, such as ...

What is offshoring?

Spain took longer than other European countries to develop its industrial activities. Industry arrived in Spain in the ...

Industry in Spain is concentrated in three main areas. Approximately 50% of the country´s industrial turnover occurs along...

With more than 40% of Spain's territory, barely exceeds 10% of the volume of industrial business in the country. Industrial activity is focused in Valladolid and Burgos.

Do not have much industrial activity.

Is attractive to high-tech industries and foreign investment because of its central location.

Have 10% of the country's industrial volume because of their steel and metal industries.

It connects the industries of the Basque Country and Catalonia through Zaragoza and Logroño. 

It links the industrial activities of the Region of Murcia, the Community of Valencia and Catalonia. This axis extends to France and northern Italy, and the Rhône Valley, which has the most active industrial regions in Europe.

Spanish industries have various problems that make it difficult to compete against foreign companies:

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