Have you ever considered the journey of your writing notebook, from its origins as part of a tree to its final form in your hands? It begins as a tree, felled and transported to a pulp mill where it undergoes processing to become wood pulp. Through chemical treatment and machine processes, the wood pulp is transformed into paper.

This illustrates the two stages of manufacturing: converting raw materials into more valuable products. Meanwhile, Industry encompasses economic activities involving the production of goods, mineral extraction, or service provision. Examples include the iron and steel industry (goods production), coal mining industry (coal extraction), and tourism industry (service provision). For comprehensive revision of this concept, students can utilize CBSE Notes Class 8 Geography Chapter 5, designed to aid thorough exam preparation.

CBSE Notes Class 8 Social Science Geography Chapter 5-Industries

Classification of Industries

Industries are categorized based on several factors including raw materials, size, and ownership.

On the basis of raw materials

Regarding raw materials, industries are classified into agro-based, mineral-based, marine-based, and forest-based.

Agro-based industries utilize plant and animal-derived materials, such as food processing, vegetable oil, cotton textile, dairy, and leather industries.

Mineral-based industries primarily use mineral ores, like iron ore, which serve as raw materials for products like heavy machinery, building materials, and railway coaches.

Marine-based industries process sea and ocean products, like seafood or fish oil.

Forest-based industries utilize forest produce for products like pulp and paper, pharmaceuticals, furniture, and construction materials.

On the basis of size

In terms of size, industries are classified into small-scale and large-scale.

Small-scale industries typically involve lower capital investment and technology usage, such as cottage industries where products are handcrafted by artisans, like basket weaving or pottery.

Large-scale industries, on the other hand, produce higher volumes of products, require larger capital investment, and employ advanced technology.

Examples of small-scale industries include silk weaving and food processing, while large-scale industries encompass automobile and heavy machinery production.

On the basis of type of ownership

Ownership also plays a role in industry classification, with sectors including private, public, joint, and cooperative.

Private sector industries are owned and operated by individuals or groups of individuals.

Public sector industries are owned and operated by the government, such as Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and Steel Authority of India Limited.

Joint sector industries involve ownership and operation by both the state and individuals or groups, exemplified by companies like Maruti Udyog Limited.

Cooperative sector industries are owned and operated by producers, raw material suppliers, workers, or a combination thereof, as seen in companies like Anand Milk Union Limited and Sudha Dairy.

Factors Affecting the Location of Industries

The location of industries is influenced by various factors such as the availability of raw materials, land, water, labor, power, capital, transportation, and market access. Industries tend to be situated in areas where these resources are readily available.

Governments often offer incentives such as subsidized power and reduced transportation costs to encourage industries to establish themselves in underdeveloped regions. The process of industrialization typically leads to the growth and development of towns and cities.

Industrial System

The industrial system comprises three main components:

Inputs: These encompass raw materials, labor, and the associated costs of land, transportation, power, and infrastructure.

Processes: This involves a spectrum of activities aimed at transforming raw materials into finished products.

Outputs: These refer to the final products produced and the income generated from their sale.

Industrial Regions

Industrial regions emerge when multiple industries cluster together, benefiting from their proximity. Major industrial regions worldwide include eastern North America, western and central Europe, eastern Europe, and eastern Asia. These regions typically locate in temperate zones near seaports and coalfields.

In India, notable industrial regions include the Mumbai-Pune cluster, the Bangalore-Tamil Nadu region, the Hugli region, the Ahmedabad-Baroda region, the Chottanagpur industrial belt, the Vishakhapatnam-Guntur belt, the Gurgaon-Delhi-Meerut region, and the Kollam-Thiruvananthapuram industrial cluster.

Distribution of Major Industries

The world’s primary industries encompass the iron and steel industry, the textile industry, and the information technology (IT) sector. Key countries hosting the iron and steel industry include Germany, the USA, China, Japan, and Russia.

Meanwhile, the textile industry is concentrated in India, Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan. Major centers of the information technology industry include the Silicon Valley in Central California and the Bangalore region in India.

Iron and Steel Industry

Functioning as a foundational industry supplying raw materials to various sectors, the iron and steel industry relies on inputs such as iron ore, coal, and limestone, alongside labor, capital, suitable sites, and other infrastructure. The process of converting iron ore into steel involves multiple stages, starting with smelting in a blast furnace and subsequent refining, resulting in steel, which serves as a crucial raw material for numerous industries.

Steel

Steel possesses remarkable characteristics such as toughness and malleability, facilitating easy shaping, cutting, or transformation into wire. Moreover, special steel alloys can be produced by incorporating small quantities of other metals like aluminum, nickel, and copper.

Important Steel-producing centers

Significant steel-producing centers such as Bhilai, Durgapur, Burnpur, Jamshedpur, Rourkela, and Bokaro are located across four states—West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh. Additionally, Bhadravati and Vijay Nagar in Karnataka, Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, and Salem in Tamil Nadu serve as notable hubs.

Jamshedpur

Jamshedpur, formerly known as Sakchi, houses the Tata Iron and Steel Company Limited (TISCO), which was the sole privately-owned iron and steel plant in the country before 1947.

Post-independence, the government established several iron and steel plants. TISCO, founded in 1907 near the confluence of the Subarnarekha and Kharkai rivers, was later renamed Jamshedpur.

Benefits of Jamshedpur

The advantages of Jamshedpur’s location include

• Proximity to the Kalimati station on the Bengal-Nagpur railway line.
• Accessibility to abundant coal, iron ore, limestone, dolomite, and manganese deposits from Odisha and Chhattisgarh.
• Ample water supply from the Kharkai and Subarnarekha rivers.
• Government-funded capital for development.

Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, a significant steel city in the United States, enjoys favorable locational attributes. Local availability of coal and iron ore from Minnesota, about 1500 km away, along with the Great Lakes waterway, facilitates cost-effective ore transportation.

Additionally, the Ohio, Monongahela, and Allegheny rivers ensure sufficient water supply. Finished steel products are transported to markets via both land and water routes, with numerous factories in the Pittsburgh area utilizing steel for manufacturing railroad equipment, heavy machinery, and rails.

Cotton Textile Industry

The craft of weaving cloth from yarn has roots in ancient times, employing materials such as cotton, wool, silk, jute, and flax. The textile industry is categorized based on the types of raw materials utilized.

The raw material, fibers, can either be natural or man-made.

Natural fibers comprise materials like wool, silk, cotton, linen, and jute.

Man-made fibers include nylon, polyester, acrylic, and rayon. This industry stands as one of the oldest globally. Prior to the 18th-century industrial revolution, cotton cloth production relied on manual spinning techniques employing wheels and looms.

The advent of power looms in the 18th century revolutionized the cotton textile industry, initially in Britain and subsequently across other regions. Key producers of cotton textiles include India, China, Japan, and the USA.

The Muslins produced in Dhaka, Chintzes from Masulipatnam, Calicos in Calicut, and the intricately woven cotton fabrics from Burhanpur, Surat, and Vadodara were renowned globally for their superior quality and exquisite designs.

However, the manufacturing process for these textiles was both time-consuming and costly. Traditional cotton textile industries struggled to compete against the new textile mills of the West, which employed mechanized industrial processes to produce inexpensive yet high-quality fabrics.

The first successful mechanized textile mill was established in Mumbai in 1854, facilitated by factors such as the region’s warm and humid climate, its status as a port for importing machinery, and the availability of raw materials and skilled labor.

This led to rapid industry expansion in Maharashtra and Gujarat initially, owing to their favorable humid climates. However, advancements now allow for the artificial creation of humidity.

Other significant textile centers include Coimbatore, Kanpur, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Kolkata, Ludhiana, Puducherry, and Panipat.

Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad, situated in Gujarat along the banks of the Sabarmati River, saw its first textile mill established in 1859. It is recognized as the second-largest textile city in India, often referred to as the “Manchester of India.” Its strategic location near cotton-growing areas ensures a readily available raw material supply.

The city boasts an ideal climate for spinning and weaving, aided by its flat terrain and ample land availability, which is conducive to mill establishment.

Additionally, Ahmedabad provides a skilled and semi-skilled labor force. Its well-developed road and railway networks facilitate easy textile transportation across the country and provide access to markets.

The proximity to the Mumbai port enables machinery imports and cotton textile exports. However, Ahmedabad’s textile industry has faced challenges, with several mills closing due to competition from new textile centers and the lack of technology upgrades.

Osaka

Osaka, a significant textile hub in Japan, is also known as the “Manchester of Japan.”

Geographical factors contributing to Osaka’s textile industry growth include the extensive plain surrounding the city, ensuring abundant land for cotton mill expansion.

The warm and humid climate is conducive to spinning and weaving, while the Yodo River supplies ample water for mill operations. Labor is readily available, and the nearby port facilitates raw cotton imports and textile exports.

Osaka’s textile industry heavily relies on imported raw materials, primarily cotton from Egypt, India, China, and the USA. Despite its historical significance, Osaka’s cotton textile industry has seen a decline in recent years, replaced by other sectors like iron and steel, machinery, shipbuilding, automobiles, electrical equipment, and cement.

CBSE Notes Class 8 Social Science Geography Chapter 5-Industries- FAQs

What are the classifications of industries based on raw materials?

Industries are categorized into agro-based, mineral-based, marine-based, and forest-based. Agro-based industries utilize plant and animal-derived materials, while mineral-based industries rely on mineral ores. Marine-based industries process sea and ocean products, and forest-based industries utilize forest produce.

How are industries classified based on size?

Industries are classified into small-scale and large-scale based on the amount of capital invested and the volume of production. Small-scale industries typically involve lower capital investment and technology usage, while large-scale industries produce higher volumes of products.

What are the types of ownership in industries?

Industries can be privately owned, publicly owned by the government, jointly owned by the state and individuals, or cooperative, owned by producers or workers. Private sector industries are operated by individuals or groups, while public sector industries are government-owned.

What factors influence the location of industries?

Several factors influence industrial location, including the availability of raw materials, land, water, labor, power, capital, transportation, and market access. Governments often provide incentives to encourage industrial development in underdeveloped regions.

What are some major industrial regions worldwide?

Major industrial regions include eastern North America, western and central Europe, eastern Europe, and eastern Asia. In India, notable industrial regions include the Mumbai-Pune cluster, the Bangalore-Tamil Nadu region, and the Vishakhapatnam-Guntur belt.