A GENERAL PERSPECTIVE ON THE REGIONAL-DEVELOPMENT OF EUROPE FROM 1300TO 1850

This paper depicts the history of Europe's regional development using data on its urban population. It shows the tenacity of the European do rsal running from northern Italy northwestwards across Europe. It also examines the general pattern of the changes in Europe's regional deve lopment. This is almost the reverse of the present trend favouring the Mediterranean are. During the period 1300-1850 the dominant position of the Mediterranean regions slowly declined in favour of the northwes tern part of Europe. The specific differentiation within this general trend fits remarkably well with Braudel's description of the changing core of the European world-system. Besides showing the general pattern s of stability and change in Europe's regional development, this paper also maps the development of individual regions. This shows the speci fic regional differentiation within this general pattern and demonstra tes how some regions deviate from the general trend. (C) 1996 Academic Press Limited