2.4 Summary
‘Regions’ and ‘regionalism’ in Western Europe display great diversity in economic, social, cultural and political terms, varying not only between states but also within particular states (as exemplified by the UK and Spain).
Regions vary widely in their size, population, levels of economic development, historical origins, contemporary identity, cultural distinctiveness and political activism (or in some cases the lack of distinctiveness and activism).
Activity 1
To illustrate the diversity of regions in Europe, note examples of each of the following:
a region that is bigger in population than some EU member states;
a region that could lay claim to being a historic nation;
a city-focused region;
a region which could be said to fill ‘an awkward gap’ between more established regions.