Economic Geography: Activities, Location and Industrial Regions
Economic Geography explains how primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary activities are distributed and why industries locate where they do. The exam tests sector classification, location factors, Weber's least-cost ideas, transport and trade, and Maharashtra's industrial pattern.
Core framework
- Primary activities directly use natural resources: farming, fishing, mining, forestry.
- Secondary activities process raw materials: manufacturing, construction, power generation.
- Tertiary activities provide services: transport, trade, banking, education.
- Quaternary activities involve knowledge work: research, information, consultancy.
- Location factors include raw material, power, market, labour, transport, capital, government policy and agglomeration economies.
- Weber's material index = weight of raw material ÷ weight of finished product. A high index favours locating near raw materials; a low index favours market or footloose locations.
Maharashtra context
Maharashtra's industrial core runs through Mumbai, Thane, Pune and Nashik, with engineering, chemicals, pharmaceuticals and textiles. Nagpur and Vidarbha have mineral-based and agro-based units; Aurangabad has automobile manufacturing; sugar mills cluster in Kolhapur, Satara and Ahmednagar because cane loses weight and quality after cutting.
Worked example
Ten tonnes of sugarcane produce roughly one tonne of sugar, so the material index is about 10, well above 1. The industry is raw-material-oriented and must locate near cane fields because the raw material is bulky, perishable and loses sucrose after harvest. By contrast, a software firm has a low material index and can be footloose, choosing a city for skilled labour and connectivity. The reasoning is that transport cost on the weight-losing input dominates location.
Traps
Mining is primary, not secondary. Quaternary is not simply another word for all services. Footloose industries are not location-free; they still need labour and infrastructure. A large factory does not by itself make a region industrialised.