Geography notes on Location & Distribution of Industries

In India, the division of industries is highly unequal. This is due to the irregular distribution of required electricity supplies and raw materials and the concentration of firms, financial means, and other essential circumstances in large cities.

Not all industries can be found everywhere. Industries have a preference for specific areas. The supply of raw materials is crucial, but it is not the only one. This paper will cover the discussion on industry types and their definition, classification and factors. 

Description of industry and distribution in India

An industry is an aggregate of productive firms or organisations that generate or provide services, goods, or income sources. Industries are divided into primary, secondary, quaternary, and tertiary. Secondary industries are again segregated into light and heavy industries. 

In India, the first industries arose near raw material sources. For example, cotton was supplied to Bombay textile mills from Vidarbha and Gujarat. The jute mills in the Hooghly region received raw resources from the Ganga delta.

Most metallic mineral deposits are held by Tamil Nadu, Orissa, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, sections of Karnataka, and Rajasthan. As a result, this region, particularly the north-eastern peninsular region, has a disproportionately high concentration of heavy metallurgical firms, with nearly all of the peninsula’s steel centres located in this location.

Since it requires coking coal as a fuel, the iron and steel industry is linked to coal reserves. Similarly, since they require a lot of electricity, the electro-chemical and electro-metallurgical sectors have been established where electricity is readily available. This explains why the aluminium plants in Madhya Pradesh’s Renukoot and Korba and the fertiliser plant in Punjab’s Nangal are located there. These businesses, however, can be distributed due to the ease with which power and petroleum can be transported. Industrial development with hydroelectric power in the coal-deficient regions of the peninsula was only possible due to the transmissibility of power.

Sugar and jute are among the agro-based sectors that are highly concentrated in raw materials producing areas. Paper, plywood, matches, lac, and resins are among the industries that depend mainly on the products acquired from the forests. These industries are becoming increasingly concentrated in various states’ forest areas. The coastal zone of Kerala is highly inhabited by fish canning, coir and copra businesses.

Because imports account for a considerable amount of the country’s petroleum requirements, most refineries are located in areas near the major ports. The refineries in Digboi, Noonmati, Bongaigaon and Koyali are located in areas that produce a lot of petroleum. The refineries in Barauni and Mathura are located distant from the coast and areas that abundantly produce oil.  

Different types of industries 

Primary industry

Agriculture, fishing, forestry, quarrying, mining, and mineral exploitation are all part of a country’s economy. It is classified into two categories, genetic industry, which includes the production supply of raw materials that can be increased through human intervention in the manufacturing process, and extractive industry, which includes the production of extractable raw materials which cannot be increased through cultivation.

Secondary industry

This sector, also known as the manufacturing industry, processes raw resources provided by primary industries into consumer goods. Furthermore, it processes goods transformed into products by other secondary industries or constructs equity products used to fabricate consumer and no consumer goods. Energy-producing businesses like hydroelectric and building sectors are further examples of secondary industries.

Tertiary industry

This large sector, commonly known as the service industry, encompasses industries that provide activities or intangible rewards or generate money while not producing tangible things. This sector typically includes both commercial and public-sector organisations.

This sector includes, among other things, finance, banking, investment, insurance, and real estate services; retail, wholesale, and resale trade; professional, consulting, transportation; and personal services; hotels, tourism, entertainment and restaurants; legal, maintenance services and repair services; and social welfare, health, security, police, administrative, and defence services.

Quaternary industry

Quaternary industry, an expansion of a tertiary industry that is frequently considered its own sector, focuses on information-based and knowledge-oriented goods and services. Like the tertiary industry, it is a blend of private and public efforts. Information systems, as well as information technology (IT), are examples of industries and activities in this sector, as are research and development, which includes technological development and academic research, finance and strategic analysis and consulting, media communications technologies and services, and education, which include learning and educational techniques and service providers.

Distribution of Industries

Iron and Steel Industry

The iron and steel industry in India has grown as a result of the availability of raw resources, inexpensive labour, transportation, and a market. All of the significant steel-producing centres, including Durgapur, Bhilai, Jamshedpur, Rourkela, Burnpur, and Bokaro, are located in over four states, West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh. 

Cotton Textile Industry

Because of the favourable humid climate, this sector initially blossomed in the states of Maharashtra and Gujarat. However, because humidity can now be artificially manufactured and raw cotton is a clear and non-weight-losing raw material, this sector has moved to other areas of India. Other prominent cities include Kanpur, Coimbatore, Chennai, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Pondicherry, Ludhiana, and Panipat.

Information Technology

The information technology industry is concerned with storing, processing, and delivering data. This industry has now gone global. It results from a chain of technical, political, and socioeconomic developments. The key factors influencing the site of these sectors are the availability of resources, the pricing of those resources, and the availability of infrastructure. Silicon Valley, and Bangalore, in India, are prominent IT industry centres.

Conclusion

India’s industrial distribution is significantly asymmetric. This is owing to the uneven distribution of raw materials and electricity supplies, as well as the concentration of firms, financial resources, and other required circumstances in large cities.