Global Economic Sectors: Industry, Energy, and Tourism

Posted on Nov 11, 2025 in Geography

Tourism Sector

Tourism is the movement of people from their home to another destination for recreational purposes. A tourist is a person who travels and stays outside of their place of residence for more than 24 hours.

The tourism industry is formed by:

  • Transport
  • Hospitality industry
  • Travel agents
  • Banks and insurance companies

To become a tourist destination, a region needs to have a good transport infrastructure, political stability, and tourist attractions (such as natural parks and beaches).

Impacts of Tourism

  • Economy: Tourism creates jobs and generates income in tourist destinations.
  • Landscapes: Infrastructure built for tourism (e.g., hotels) can have a negative impact on the landscapes.
  • Environment:
    • Positive: Protection of beaches and natural landscapes.
    • Negative: When people drop litter or generate noise pollution.

Types of Tourism

Cultural Tourism

  • Aimed at people who want to enjoy concerts, artistic heritage, carnivals, or sport events.
  • Theme Parks: Provide entertainment close to important tourist destinations.
  • Cruises: Provide pleasure trips at sea or on rivers.

Natural Tourism

  • Aimed at people who want to experience nature and the rural world (e.g., hiking, cycling, skiing).

Beach Tourism

  • Attracts the most tourists and generates the most money.
  • Requires infrastructure (hotels) and should be well connected.

Mineral Extraction (Mining)

Mining is the process of extracting mineral resources from the Earth. The machinery and equipment necessary for mining transform natural landscapes into mining landscapes.

Mineral resources are extracted from deposits and include:

  • Minerals (e.g., mineral aggregates)
  • Rocks
  • Fossil fuels

Mining Techniques

  • Opencast Mines: Used when the mineral is close to the surface (e.g., a quarry).
  • Underground Mines: Used when minerals are deep below the Earth’s surface. They are extracted through tunnels. Nowadays, robots locate and extract minerals.
  • Seabed Mines: Big companies explore the seabed with vehicles operated by remote control from a boat above the mine. They search for metals (e.g., manganese, iron, calcium). When a deposit is located, a boat is anchored above it, and the mineral is extracted with hydraulic pumps.

Problems Caused by Mining

  • Pollution: Pollutes the soil, rivers, aquifers, and air because of chemical substances released in solid, liquid, and gaseous form. These substances are harmful to flora, fauna, and humans.
  • Landscape Transformation: Destroys natural areas in such a manner that sometimes they never recover.

Renewable Energy Sources

Renewable energy sources use infinite resources provided by nature and do not pollute the environment. These are often called green energy resources and are becoming cheaper.

Key Renewable Sources

  • Biomass: Organic waste from industry, heating, and gas is used to produce energy. The processes involved in selecting, transporting the waste, and producing biomass can make its use difficult.
  • Tidal Energy: Uses the force of waves and tides to turn turbines. The turning turbines produce electricity.
  • Geothermal Energy: Uses the Earth’s internal heat to heat water and produce steam. The steam produces electricity and can also be used directly for heating.

Industrial Classification by Raw Material Weight

Heavy Industry

Processes raw materials. Companies that produce metals (steelmaking) are classified as metallurgical. This category also includes the heavy chemical, petrochemical, and cement industries. These sectors require advanced technology and cause significant pollution. (Example: A petroleum refinery)

Intermediate Industry

Produces intermediate goods that are used to manufacture consumer products. This includes:

  • Construction materials
  • Ceramics, glass, and wood products
  • Vehicle parts, machine, and electrical components

(Example: Car engines being manufactured)

Light Industry

Produces finished consumer goods that can be durable or disposable. This includes:

  • Manufacture of reusable consumer products (e.g., clothing)
  • Automobile industry, electromechanical, and electronics industry (e.g., calculators, computers)
  • The painting industry (which does not belong to the previous groups)

Disposable products are often made by the light chemical industry (e.g., medicine, perfume) and the food industry (e.g., sugar, meats). (Example: A printing press)

History of Industrial Revolutions

First Industrial Revolution (18th–19th Centuries)

  • Began in Great Britain.
  • Key innovation: Steam engine.
  • Rise of Industrial Capitalism.
  • Emphasis on individual freedoms.
  • Creation of industrial landscapes.

Second Industrial Revolution (1780–1970)

  • Key resources: Electricity and petroleum.
  • Concentration of business ownership.
  • Emergence of the consumer society.
  • Development of industrial parks.

Third Industrial Revolution (Late 20th–21st Centuries)

  • Focus on alternative telecommunications.
  • Industrial relocation (globalization).
  • Rise of the information society.
  • Development of science and technology parks.

Fourth Industrial Revolution 4.0 (21st Century)

  • Artificial intelligence.
  • Information systems.
  • Flexible production.
  • Focus on training and skills.
  • Internet (virtual landscapes).

Global Industrial Distribution

Classification of Industrialized Nations

  • Industrialized Countries: Some countries started the process during the First or Second Industrial Revolutions (e.g., Japan, US, Germany). Others have industrialized recently (e.g., China, South Korea, India).
  • Countries with Emerging Industries: Economies are not fully developed but are undergoing industrialization (e.g., Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico).
  • Non-Industrialized Countries: Have very limited industry, often producing only consumer goods to satisfy the needs of the local population (e.g., countries in Africa).

Offshoring

Offshoring occurs when companies leave developed countries and relocate part of their operations to developing countries.

The Construction Industry

The construction industry uses raw materials (such as sand and clay) obtained from quarries to construct buildings and facilities.

Types of Construction

  • Public: Hospitals, schools, etc.
  • Private: Factories, shopping centers, etc.

Construction is a diverse economic activity. It includes the construction of skyscrapers in areas where there is little space to build, and single-family homes in areas where more land is available.

The Housing Bubble Crisis

In recent years, house prices in Spain increased more than in any other EU country due to:

  • The profitability of the property market.
  • Low interest rates.
  • The price of land.
  • Greater demand for housing.

Increased demand led to increased prices, which made the business profitable. However, housing costs became too large a part of wages, hindering the payment of mortgages and leading to the crisis.