Web Notes on Industrial Regions of World for UPSC Civil Services Examination (General Studies) Preparation

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    Industrial Regions of World

     Industries and Industrial Regions

    Manufacturing Industry transforms different raw materials into a wide range of raw products. The first type of industry was iron, cotton or wool. In the developed countries more people are employed in more sophisticated electrical and other metal industries. Most countries begin to industrialize on the basis of food or other raw materials processing industries and textiles. Then they graduate to metal and engineering industries and locomotives.

    WORLD INDUSTRY

    Industry

    Leading Countries

    Iron and Steel

    USA, Germany, Russia

    Cotton textile

    USA, Japan, Russia

    Rubber

    Malaysia,

    Indonesia & Thailand

    Synthetic Rubber

    USA, Germany, Japan

    Woolen textile

    Australia, Russia

    Silk textiles

    China, Japan

    Micro electronics

    Japan, USA

    Ship Building

    USA, Japan, Norway

    Pulp & Paper

    Canada & USA

    Newsprint Paper

    USA & Canada

    Petroleum Products

    USA, Germany & Japan

    Television Receivers

    Japan, USA

    Cement

    Russia, Japan

    Heavy Chemicals

    USA, Germany

    Synthetic fibres

    USA, Germany

    Aircraft

    USA, Russia

    Locomotives

    USA, United Kingdom

    Aluminium

    Canada, United Kingdom

    Newsprint

    Canada, USA

    Wood Pulp

    USA, Canada

    Sawn wood Products

    Russia, USA

    Cork

    Spain, Portugal

    Classification of Industries

    Primary Industry: It is the simplest form of industry which consists of the first processing of raw materials and then to produce industrial raw materials. Such industries include the smelting of bauxite to make aluminum.

    Secondary Industry: Basically they include all reprocessing of partially manufactured goods to make more complex products, e.g. the use of cloth in clothing and the use of paper to make books. They are called heavy industries e.g. engineering, metal goods, heavy chemicals, ship building, locomotives and light industries.

    Tertiary Industry: It consists of service industries such as trade, transportation, commerce, entertainment, personal services, tourism, and administration and so on.

    Quaternary  industry: This group is involved in the research of science and technology and other high level tasks. They include scientists, doctors, and lawyers.

    Quinary Sector: Some consider these to be a branch of the quaternary sector, which includes the highest levels of decision making in a society or economy. This sector would include the top executives or officials in such fields as government, science, universities, nonprofit, healthcare, culture, and the media. These are of consultancy nature.

    Important industries

    Basic Industries: There are some industries which produce raw materials for other industries and iron and Steel industry. Its products are used in manufacturing machines, which in turn, are used to produce other types of products. The major producers of steel are CIS, U.S.A., Japan and China.

    Consumer goods Industries: Produce goods for final consumption e.g. edible oil, tea, coffee, bread biscuits, radio, television, etc.

    Metallic Industries: The modern Industries owe their development to metallic industries. It includes nonferrous and ferrous industries copper, aluminum etc. are called non ferrous industries which do not have Iron content. Industries based on metals having Iron content are known as ferrous industries. For example Iron and Steel industry, machine and tools, motor cars, railway, engines, agricultural tools industries etc.

    Major Industries

    a.         The ship building Industry: It is ideally situated in areas noted for the Iron and Steel Industry. Japan leads in the ship building Industry.

    b.         The automobile Industry: The best locations in established industrial regions with a tradition of manufacturing component. General Motors, Ford and Chrysler of the U.S.A., British Leyland in U.K., Volkswagen and Mercedes in Germany, Fiat of Italy, Datsun, Toyota and Mazda of Japan are the major producers. U.S.A., Japan, Germany, France and other European countries are the major car producers in the World.

    c.         Railway equipment and airplanes: It is located either in the heavy engineering districts close to the steel rolling mills or at local points of the national railway system. The United States is the world’s largest locomotive producer. The Industry is centered at Detroit, Chicago, New York etc. and is highly capital-intensive.

                The U.S.A. produces the largest number of planes of which two-thirds are destined for export around the world. Seattle on the eastern front is the hub.

    d.         Chemical Industries: Chemicals are used widely such as in agriculture, metallic industry, textiles, leather, paper, glass, ceramics, soap and food processing industries. Chemical Industry is responsible for the development of modern industry. Petrochemical industry based on petroleum as raw material, chemical fertilizers, paints and varnishes, plastics and some of the medicines are the products of petrochemical industry. The main petrochemicals manufacturing countries are the U.S.A. Spain, Britain and CIS.

    e.         Textile Industry: Modern, mechanized textile manufacturing was first developed in Britain. Textile manufacture using wool, cotton, silk or linen according to the climatic zone was practiced all over the world. Textile industries are located mainly in relation to power and labor supplies. Cheap labor supplies were an important factor in the establishment of textiles industries in Southern U.S.A. and in Japan.

    f.          Agro-based industries: Some of the industries utilize the agricultural products as raw materials, for example, Jute, tea, sugar, cotton and vegetable oil industries. Food processing industries of modern day are also agro based industries.

    g.         Forest based industry: Paper and pulp industry, rayon, turpentine oil and furniture industry are based on the raw materials obtained from the forests are known as forest industries.

    Industrial Regions

    Zones of high concentration of industries are called industrial regions. Favourable factors bring industries in selected areas. The major factors[1] determining the localization of industries are:

     (1)      Raw materials (food processing, forest and mineral industries, secondary Industries).

    (2)       Fuel and power

    (3)       Human resources (Technology Invention, Managerial skill, Labor supply)

    (4)       Transport

    (5)       Markets,

    (6)       Capital

    (7)       Government policies

    (8)       Industrial inertia

    (9)       Availability of sites

    (10)     Climate

    (11)     Water supply.

    Problems of industrial regions

    §  Photochemical fog- smog

    §  Land of compromises, competition for space, high economic rents and congestion

    §  Distortion in land  use

    §  Outward growth

    §  Exploitation of human values

    §  Tinsel town and pathological conditions prevail all around

    MAJOR INDUSTRIAL REGIONS OF THE WORLD

    Moscow-Tula region of Russia: an industrial city and the administrative center of Tula Oblast, Russia; it is located 193 kilometers south of Moscow, on the Upa River. The region is rich in iron ore, clay, limestone, and deposits of lignite (coal). It is a prominent industrial center with metalworking, engineering, coalmining, and chemical industries.

    Magnitogorsk: is an industrial city in Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia, located on the eastern side of the extreme southern extent of the Ural Mountains by the Ural River. It was named for the Magnitnaya Mountain that was almost pure iron, a geological anomaly.  Huge reserves of iron ore in the area made it a prime location to build a steel plant. The city played an important role during World War II because it supplied much of the steel for the Soviet war machine and its strategic location near the Ural Mountains meant Magnitogorsk was safe from seizure by the German Army.

    Donbas of Ukraine (Donets Basin): is a historical, economic and cultural region of eastern Ukraine. A coal mining area since late 19th century, it has become a heavily industrialized territory suffering from urban decay and industrial pollution. The coal mines of Donbas are one of the most hazardous in the world due to enormous working depths (down from 300 to 1200 m) as a result of natural depletion, as well as due to high levels of methane explosion, coal dust explosion and rock burst dangers.

    Kuzbass region: located in southwestern Siberia, where the West Siberian Plain meets the South Siberian Mountains. It is one of Russia's most important industrial regions, with some of the world's largest deposits of coal. The south of the region is dominated by metallurgy and the mining industry, as well as mechanical engineering and chemical production.

    Great lakes region: The Great Lakes region of North America is a bi-national, Canadian-American region that includes the eight U.S. states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, NewYork, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin as well as the Canadian province of Ontario. Navigable terrain, waterways, and ports spurred an unprecedented construction of transportation infrastructure throughout the region. The region is a global leader in advanced manufacturing and research and development, with significant innovations in both production processes and business organization.

    Appalachian region:  is a 205,000-square-mile region that follows the spine of the Appalachian Mountains from southern New York to northern Mississippi. The Region's economy, once highly dependent on mining, forestry, agriculture, chemical industries, and heavy industry, has become more diversified in recent times, and now includes a variety of manufacturing and service industries. Coal mining is the industry most frequently associated with Appalachia due in part to the fact that the region once produced two-thirds of the nation's coal.

    New England:  is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, Newhampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. It historically has been an important center of industrial manufacturing and a supplier of natural resource products such as granite, lobster, and codfish. Exports consist mostly of industrial products, including specialized machines and weaponry. About half of the region's exports consist of industrial and commercial machinery, such as computers and electronic and electrical equipment. 

    Yokohama region of Japan: Yokohama is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo. It is a major commercial hub of the Greater Tokyo Area. The city has a strong economic base, especially in the shipping, biotechnology, and semiconductor industries.

    Manchurian region of China: is a great industrial hub, with huge coal mines, iron- and steelworks, aluminum-reduction plants, paper mills, and factories making heavy machinery, tractors, locomotives, aircraft, and chemicals. The chief commercial port is Dalian. The great Manchurian plain crossed by the Liao and Songhua rivers, is the only extensively level area. Fertile and densely populated, it has been a major manufacturing and agricultural center of China.

    Sao Paulo region: is the largest city in Brazil & is considered the "financial capital of Brazil", as it is the location for the headquarters of many major corporations and the country's most renowned banks and financial institutions. Once a city with a strong industrial character, Sao Paulo's economy has become increasingly based on the tertiary sector, focusing on services and businesses for the country.

    Lorraine region of France: is situated in the north east corner of France bordering Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg. This region of France is mostly rich farming country through which the rivers Meuse and Moselle flow, rising onto the forested slopes of the Vosges. The region is known for its iron and steel industry and crystal works.

    Ruhr and Silesia of Germany: Ruhr valley is an urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is Germany's most densely populated region & is known for coal mining and steel industries.

    West coast region of Canada: Energy and agriculture are Western Canada’s dominant industries – and this region, with only 10 million inhabitants, is one of the world’s largest net exporters of both energy and agricultural commodities. Approximate breakdown: Oil (13% of world reserves; 4% of world production) Uranium (8% of world reserves; 20% of world production), Potash (60% of world reserves; 30% of world production), Wheat, coarse grains, oilseeds (21% of the world export market for wheat; 10% for oilseeds)

    Connecting concepts: MAJOR INDUSTRIAL REGIONS OF WORLD page 83.

     

    Country

    Industry

    Centre

    Feature

    1.

    Plain of Kwanto

    Electronics, Engineering products, Aeronautics Industry, Motor Vehicle

    Tokyo, Yokohama

    24% population, Japan’s biggest plain, Main Administration Centre

     

    Nagoya and Kinki Area

    Industry (all types)

    Nagoya Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto

    -

     

    Nort Kyushu Area

    Iron & Steel, Engineering, Ship building

    Yabat, Tobeta Nagasaki

    Ship building

    2.

    CIS Moscow Region

    Textile, Iron & Steel, Engineering, Electronics, Defence materials

    Moscow, Tula

    Extended Market due to more population 

     

    Ukraine

    Iron & Steel, Engineering, Ship building, chemicals, Sugar Industry 

    Krivoi, Donetz, Kevi, Odessa

    Odessa hill is in Ukraine where Iron-ore and coal deposits found adequately

     

    Ural Area

    Iron and Steel, Engineering, Electronics, Defence materials

    Magneto-Metallic morsk, Chellabinisk

    Minerals abundance in Ural

    3.

    North America Great Lake Area

    Iron & Steel, Engineering Motor Vehicle, Meat Industry

    Chicago, Detroit Indiana, Harvour Buffalow

    Chicago is the world’s longest Railway Junction and of pork large centre of wheat.

     

    Eastern Coastal Area

    Iron & Steel, Engineering Electronics

    Baltimore Philadellphia, Reichmohat chmohat

    USA’s largest Steel Industry centre, 5% population of the world concentrates

     

    Applachian Area

    Iron & Steel, Engineering

    Pitsburg, Yongstown

    Famous for ‘Steel City’  of the world

     

    New Zealand Area

    Engineering, Electronics, Woolen Industry, Fisheries

    Boston

    It is the first Industrial region of USA. Availability of hydro-electricity, ports and coastal facilities

     

    California Area

    Oil refinery, Aeronautics, film industry, Tourism industry

    Los Angles

    San Francisco

    Availability of Petrol, development of film and tourism due to natural beauty

     

    Southern Part of USA

    Textile Industry, Iron & Steel, Oil Refinery

    Burmingham, Dallas

    The largest Industrial area of Southern USA

     

    South-eastern Canadian region

    Textile and wool industry, Iron & Steel, Engineering and Paper Industry

    Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto

    Coal and Iron-ore available

     

    Country

    Industry

    Centre

    Feature

     

    South-Western Canada

    Wine, Fisheries and Paper Industry

    Vancouver

    Here Ports are open for whole year

    4.

    England London Basin

    Objects related with demand

    London

    International market and Metropolitan facilities

     

    Southern Wales Area

    Ship building, Iron and Steel, Chemical

    Cardiff

    Export centre

     

    North Eastern Area

    Iron and Steel, Engineering, ship building

    Leeds

     

    Lancashire

    Cotton and woolen Industry

    Manchester and Liverpool

    Facilities of ports and temperate weather

     

    Scotland

    Ship building, woolen and cotton, Iron & Steel, Chemical, Medicines

    Glasgow

    -

     

    Rea Basin

    Iron & Steel, Engineering and clothes Industry

    Burmingham

    Situated on Pennines hill

    5.

    Germany Berlin Area

    Iron & Steel, wool industry, Textile, sports materials, ship-building

    Berlin

    Ports are open yearly due to North-Atlantic drift

     

    Lawrence-Saar Area

    Iron and Steel, Chemical Engineering

    Luxemburg Brussels

    Famous for metal work (Famous for Diamond finishing)

    6.

    France Plan of Paris

    Demand-related industry, Perfumes, Food processing

    Paris

    Availability of International & National market

     

    Upper

    Motor vehicle, Aeronautics

    Frankfurt

    Abundance of hydro

     

    Rhine Valley

    Paper, Light Engineering objects

    Zurich

    electricity ad forest produces

    7.

    Italy Po-Valley

    Textile industry, Motor

    Vehicle, industry

    Milan (Textiles)

    Turin (Vehicle)

    -

    -

     

    South Scandinavia

    Wool Industry, Ship building, Iron & Steel

    Paper Industry

    Gutenberg Stockholms

    Taiga Forests.

    High quality Iron-ore

    from Sweden

    Centre

    Major Industry

    Ahmedabad

    Cotton Textile

    Akron

    Synthetic rubber

    Anshan

    Iron & Steel

    Antwerp

    Ship building,

    petrochemicals

    Auckland (NZ)

    Dairy products

    Baku

    Oil refinery

    Belfast

    Ship building

    Birmingham

    Iron & steel

    Cadiz

    Cork

    Cairo

    Cotton textiles

    Chelyabinsk

    Iron & Steel

    Chiba (Japan)

    Marine engineering

    Chicago

    Meat Packing

    Dallas

    Aircraft

    Detroit

    Automobiles

    Dhaka

    Carpet

    Dresden

    Optical Instrument

    Dundey

    Cotton Textile

    Glasgow

    Ship building

    Gorky

    Engineering

    Halifax

    Worsted textiles

    Hamamatsu (Japan)

    Musical instruments

    Hamburg

    Ship building

    Hamilton

    Iron & Steel

    Havana

    Cigar

    Hongkong

    Toys, light electronic

    industries

    Houston

    Oil refinery

    Ivanovo (Russia)

    Cotton textiles

    Johannesburg

    Gold Mining

    Kansas city

    Aircraft

    Kiev

    Engineering

    Kimberley

    Diamond

    Kingston

    Locomotive

    Lawel

    Cotton textile

    Lyons

    Silk

    Los Angles

    Aircraft

    Magnitogorsk

    Iron and steel

    Manchester

    Cotton textiles

    Milan

    Silk

    Moscow

    Cotton textiles and

    heavy Industries

    Multan

    Pottery

    Munich

    Lens Manufacturing

    Nagasaki

    Ship building

    Nagoya

    Ship Building

    New Castle

    Iron & Steel

    New York

    Ship building,

    cotton textiles

    NewCastle

    Iron and steel.

    Osaka

    Cotton Textile

    Ottawa

    Paper

    Pittsburg

    Iron & Steel

    Quebec

    Marine engineering

    Ruhr Valley

    Iron and steel

    San Francisco

    Ship building

    Sarnia

    Oil refinery

    Seattle

    Aircraft

    Shanghai

    Cotton Textile

    Sheffield

    Cutlery

    Shenyang

    Iron & Steel

    Tokyo

    Ship building &

    cotton textiles

    Tula

    Iron & Steel

    Vancouver

    Oil refining &

    shipbuilding

    Vienna

    Glass

    Vladivostok

    Ship Building

    Wellington

    Dairy

    Windsor

    Automobile

    Zurich

    Light Engineering


    [1] For more in depth analysis refer to booklet on Indian geography


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