Empirical Evidence of Regional Population Concentration in Europe , 1870 – 2000

Although several studies have analysed the evolution of European population, as a global aggregate (Bairoch et al., 1988; Champion, 1993; Noin and Woods, 1993), very few have considered the regional distribution of population. Despite some noticeable contributions (e.g. Festy, 1979; Coale, 1986; Watkins, 1991), to date not much has been done in the way of conducting a detailed study of population densities, and little use has been made of thematic maps presenting historical data for the whole of Europe. This has largely been due to the technical difficulties involved in compiling and combining this cartographical data. Until very recently, there was no basic political map of European medium-scale historical administrative units readily available in digital format. This need has, however, now been – at least partially – met (Marti-Henneberg, 2002; Caramani et al., 2005). This map, which includes the administrative boundaries of Europe compiled at ten-year POPULATION, SPACE AND PLACE Popul. Space Place 11, 269–281 (2005) Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI: 10.1002/psp.373