38207645European contrasts in development
There are currently 27 countries in the European Union. They stretch across the continent from the sub-Arctic to the Mediterranean, and from the Atlantic to the Black Sea. Given the vast geographical spread it is no great surprise that there are some clear variations in the levels of development between the countries of the European Union.
Look at Figure 1. It lists the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the 27 countries in the European Union. GDP is a commonly used measure of a country’s wealth and it gives a good indication of relative levels of development.

Figure 1 – Gross Domestic Product for European Union countries Country | GDP per capita (US $) | Country | GDP per capita (US $) | Ireland | 38,505 | Slovenia | 22,273 | Sweden | 32,525 | Cyprus | 22,699 | Netherlands | 32,684 | Portugal | 20,410 | France | 30,386 | Czech Republic | 20,538 | Finland | 32,153 | Malta | 19,189 | Spain | 27,169 | Hungary | 17,887 | Denmark | 33,973 | Poland | 13,887 | Austria | 33,700 | Slovakia | 15,871 | UK | 33,238 | Lithuania | 14,494 | Belgium | 32,119 | Estonia | 15,478 | Luxemburg | 60,228 | Latvia | 13,646 | Italy | 28,529 | Bulgaria | 9,032 | Germany | 29,461 | Romania | 9,060 | Greece | 23,381 | | |
Activities
1 Study Figure 1. In this activity you will be completing a choropleth map using the blank map outline in Figure 2. Notice that the key has been completed for you. You may need to consult an atlas to help you complete your map. a) Using the colours listed in the key in Figure 2, shade the blank boxes