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A loose term frequently used to refer to some area within a state, or group of states, that acts as the mainspring for its subsequent economic growth. The Manufacturing Belt, stretching from the northeastern seaboard of the USA to the heart of the Midwest, was one such, though its significance is now much diminished. In Europe, the EU\'s industrial belt, the so-called \'blue banana\' extending from southeast England through the Low Countries, France and Germany, and into northern Italy, is another example. Some argue that the continued vitality of a state, or economically linked group of states, depends on whether its core area functions efficiently as a central focus. Others disagree, pointing to the many instances, particularly in Africa and South America, where states have been established without reference to a core area and the territory has subsequently been coherently organized through the creation of a socio-economic infrastructure (see also boundary; frontier). (MB) |
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