Economic Sectors in Europe

the European economy is one of the richest and more developed in

the world.

➢ In Europe agriculture and fishing are very developed. However, Europe is not
very rich in mineral resources (such as zinc, iron, copper) and energy
resources (such as oil, coal and gas).

➢ in Europe, the most important industries are:

▪ the oil industry
▪ the energy industry
▪ the automotive industry
▪ the high technology sector

➢ in Europe the tertiary sector is the sector that produces the most wealth and has
the highest number of employees. the tertiary sector includes all service activities
(trade, banks, transport, schools, etc.).
Primary Sector
Europe is the continent with the highest percentage of cultivated area (over 30%). It
uses techniques of intensive agriculture (ex. chemical fertilizers and machinery)

➢ In the north areas, agriculture is absent, but there is a lot of

livestock farming and forestry (ex. the extensive use of woods)
➢ In the oceanic areas, food for animals is produced.
➢ In the continental areas cereals are mostly produced.
➢ In the Mediterranean area, olive trees, vegetables, fruit and
vines are grown
➢ In Europe, fishing is highly developed in the countries that
border with the Atlantic Ocean (ex. tuna, herring and cod)

➢ Europe is not very rich in mineral and energy resources. Gas

and oil come from abroad and are transported to Europe
through gas pipelines, oil pipelines or by sea, but the transport
of these materials costs a lot.
 Secondary Sector

➢ The most important industries in Europe are the oil, energy,

automotive and high-tech sectors.
➢ The steel, the chemical, the textile and food industries have been
reduced.
➢ Many industries have delocalized which means that part of their
production have been moved abroad

➢ the chemical industry is concentrated in the drug

production, because the pharmaceutical sector
brings great profits.
Tertiary Sector

The most important sector of the European economy is the tertiary or

service industry.
It produces most of the wealth and provides jobs for most of the
population.

The most important services are:

➢ Trade: thanks to the use of a single currency,
➢ Telecommunications: thanks to the use of
common technologies
➢ Transport: with the opening of airports to all
operators.