8/7/13 Mrunal » [Geography] Location Factors: Timber, Paper Pulp, Fishing industry: why developed in Higher latitudes of Northern Hemisphere » Print

mrunal.org/2013/07/geography-location-factors-timber-paper-pulp-fishing-industry-why-developed-in-higher-latitudes-of-northern-hemisphere.html/print/ 1/13

[Geography] Location Factors: Timber, Paper Pulp, Fishing industry: whydeveloped in Higher latitudes of Northern Hemisphere

1. Prologue

2. overview of factors

3. Types of industries

4. Timber Based industries

1. Factor: raw material

2. Factor: River

3. Factor: River direction

4. Lumbering on commercial scale: Canada

5. commercial lumbering: temperate vs tropics

6. Paper-Pulp Industry

5. Commercial fishing

1. (Europe+America) VS Asia

2. VS Southern Hemisphere

3. Norway

4. Japan

6. Mock Questions

Prologue

UPSC has included certain topics of World Geography in the new syllabus of generalstudies (Mains) paper. So, let’s start with one of the less boring topic= the factorsresponsible for the location of primary, secondary, and tertiary sector industries invarious parts of the world (including India)

In most geography related books (or webpages), the industrial location topic is finishedaround a few paragraphs, citing a few clichéd examples of raw material, transport, market

and labor. But given UPSC’s backbreaking moveTM, such content is neither exhaustive norsufficient for the Mains level questions. Therefore, I’m compiling some wisdom scatteredin other books/sources viz.

Book chapters

Economic Geography by Truman Hartshorn 4-18

Human and Economic geography by Goh Cheng Leong 3-15

World Geography by SA Qazi 8- 16

Economic and Social geography by R.Knowles (aka Rupa made easy series) 13-15

Indian Geography by Majid Hussain 11

8/7/13 Mrunal » [Geography] Location Factors: Timber, Paper Pulp, Fishing industry: why developed in Higher latitudes of Northern Hemisphere » Print

mrunal.org/2013/07/geography-location-factors-timber-paper-pulp-fishing-industry-why-developed-in-higher-latitudes-of-northern-hemisphere.html/print/ 2/13

Old NCERT Geography class 11 2-10

ICSE Geography textbook Class 10 8-11

Total Seven articles on industrial location factors:

1. (the present article) Intro, forest, timber, paper-pulp and fishing industry2. cotton, silk, wool, jute3. sugar, dairy, Pigs4. iron-steel, heavy engineering, major industrial regions of the world5. non-ferrous, petroleum, natural gas, refineries, chemical industries, synthetic fibers6. transport and labor7. market, government policies

Disclaimer:

1. I claim no expertise in geography, these articles are mere compilation of somewisdom and (a few) examples given in those books. Lot of minor places andcountries have been ignored. I haven’t bothered to dig internet much for doing ‘fullcoverage’ or finding who is the largest producer as per latest data. It is your job tofill up the details as and where you feel necessary. And Try to dig examples fromyour own state- that way it helps even during UPSC interviews or State PSC exams.

2. Certain topics need to be separately prepared for other parts of syllabus hence, Ihaven’t put them here. For example

a. Wheat, rice, tea, groundnut etc. in India. Because they need to be prepared foragro topic under paper 3.

b. Mica, manganese and variety of minerals because they need to be prepared for“Distribution of key natural resources across the world (including South Asiaand the Indian sub-continent)” for paper 1.

c. Elaborate coverage not done on Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.for India because of paper 3.

overview of factors

We’ll examine these factors in detail for each industry, but here is some food for thought:

There are three places you can setup an industry

1. near raw material site2. near market3. In between ^them two: depending on transport, energy and labour convenience.

Nature ofraw material

Bauxite=>alumina; Copper ore=>blister copper; Sugarcane=raw sugar.Weight loss is significant, during above processes. So, where should wesetup these factories?

energyDespite having no significant bauxite reserves, Canada and Norway havealuminum refineries, why?

Why is Switzerland famous for wristwatches but not bulldozers?Why doport cities have lot of industries surrounding them?

8/7/13 Mrunal » [Geography] Location Factors: Timber, Paper Pulp, Fishing industry: why developed in Higher latitudes of Northern Hemisphere » Print

mrunal.org/2013/07/geography-location-factors-timber-paper-pulp-fishing-industry-why-developed-in-higher-latitudes-of-northern-hemisphere.html/print/ 3/13

transport Inland water transport helped in the development of Great lakes-Pittsburgindustrial area in US. Then on the same logic, why is Africaunderdeveloped despite having so many rivers?

laborSierra Leone is famous for rough diamonds but not for jewelry, why?Largest assembly for iPhone is in China and not in US, why?

marketdemand

Australia is a major supplier of wool but not major supplier of finishedwoolen garments, why?

Governmentpolicy

Pharmaceutical industries that once had shifted from Gujarat/Maharashtratowards Hill states, are now returning back to the original states, why?

CapitalEven after local coal-iron resources are depleted, the steel and heavyengineering industry doesn’t frequently shift its location, why?

Physicalgeography

How does Canadian winter help in commercial exploitation of timber?Fishing industry more developed in Northern Hemisphere than in SouthernHemisphere, why?

How can the dairy products of New Zealand compete in American /Europeans market despite additional transport cost?

Other factors: entrepreneurship, availability of technology, location of competing firmsetc. Each factor has different level of attractiveness for individual industry.

types of industries

PrimaryThey use natural raw material: Hunting-gathering, pastoralactivities, fishing, forestry, agriculture, mining and quarrying

Secondary

They make complex products using the material obtained fromprimary industry.

wooden pulp=> rayonSteel=> automobiles, railway enginesaluminum, copper=> electronicsfibers=> readymade garments

Secondary Industry can be sub classified into

1. Heavy Industries= engineering, metal goods, heavychemicals, shipbuilding, locomotives

2. Light industries= electronics, plastic, textile, cosmetic etc.

Tertiary

it is not a branch of manufacturing but it sells the product ofprimary and secondary industries via transport, wholesale, retailing+ provides services such as:tourism, education, entertainment,advertisements, consultancy, Administration, healthcare etc.

Note: for detailed classification of service sector industries, referto Page 56 of NCERT Class 12: Fundamentals of Human

8/7/13 Mrunal » [Geography] Location Factors: Timber, Paper Pulp, Fishing industry: why developed in Higher latitudes of Northern Hemisphere » Print

mrunal.org/2013/07/geography-location-factors-timber-paper-pulp-fishing-industry-why-developed-in-higher-latitudes-of-northern-hemisphere.html/print/ 4/13

geography.

Anyways, let’s start:

Timber Based industries

Factor: raw material

When this wooden logs are processed in the sawmill, significant weight loss occurs.Barely 40% is used and rest discarded as waste.Therefore most pulp mill and saw-mills are located near the jungles to reduce thecost of transporting waste matter.

Factor: River

Even in jungles, they’re located near rivers and streams because Logs=bulky andawkward to transport. Rivers provide cheap and convenient mode of transport. E.g.Myanmar, the teak logs are floated down the Irrawadi river upto Yangon and thenexported.The paper/pulp mills require clean water free from chemical/pollutants. This is onethe reason why they were setup in forest locations away from polluted rivers.

Factor: River direction

towards market away from market

Southern Canada, Sweden,Finland, Himalayas

US West Coast, Siberia

rivers flow in generaldirection of finalmarket=keeps production,transport cost low

Rivers flow in the opposite direction frommarket areas=higher transport cost.+ in Russia, rivers remain frozen in winter andcreate flood like problems inspringtime=makes difficult to exploit Siberianforest.

Lumbering on commercial scale: Canada

8/7/13 Mrunal » [Geography] Location Factors: Timber, Paper Pulp, Fishing industry: why developed in Higher latitudes of Northern Hemisphere » Print

mrunal.org/2013/07/geography-location-factors-timber-paper-pulp-fishing-industry-why-developed-in-higher-latitudes-of-northern-hemisphere.html/print/ 5/13

In Canada, lumbering is a large-scale organized activity because of following reasons

Rawmaterial

softwood= easy to chopIn coniferous forest, trees of same species are concentratedin one particular area = mass exploitation easier compared totropical areas.

Transport

During winter, the Jungle surface is covered with snow=slippery surface= easier to move logs to rivers.the forests are comparatively less dense than in tropicalareas= easy to access. Areas connected by railroads

Labour

The winter season in Canada is long = agricultural activitiesare limited.Farmers have plenty of leisure time and there is no work inthe field during winterDuring winter, they migrate to northern (coniferous) forestsalong with their families => Easy availability of lumberjacks.Lumbering is highly mechanized with the help of chainsaws,

8/7/13 Mrunal » [Geography] Location Factors: Timber, Paper Pulp, Fishing industry: why developed in Higher latitudes of Northern Hemisphere » Print

mrunal.org/2013/07/geography-location-factors-timber-paper-pulp-fishing-industry-why-developed-in-higher-latitudes-of-northern-hemisphere.html/print/ 6/13

bulldozers etc = low population-density doesn’t create muchproblem.

Market

These forests are close to economically developed regions,where demand for wood is higher e.g. USA for newsprintpaper.

Commercial lumbering: temperate vs tropics

temperate: opportunities tropical: challenges

trees of same species concentrated in aparticular area=easy to exploit oncommercial scale

In tropical areas some tree-species areextremely valuable, but they are scatteredThis heterogeneous supply of timber=cost of gathering is high.

frozen ground helps transportinglogs from jungle/hills up torivers.

Valuable trees are scattered throughoutjungle, you need some land transportbefore logs reach the rivers. But roadconstruction is difficult due to rain,dense vegetation.

softwood = easy to float downthe river streams

In Amazon and Zaire Basin, some treesare so heavy, it is difficult to floatlogs=high extraction cost

major industrial/urban areas arenear=market

Settlement is sparse, economies are non-industrialized, away from demand areas(e.g Africa).(Exception) Malaysian timber= findsready-made market in Japan andAustralia.

replantion programs, silviculture,strict government regulation onlumbering= jungles regenerate =lumbering is continuouseconomic acivity.

Lax regulations, slash-n-burn typeagriculture, jungles are permanentlydestroyed. (+people like Veerppan givenpolitical patronage)

Paper-Pulp Industry

8/7/13 Mrunal » [Geography] Location Factors: Timber, Paper Pulp, Fishing industry: why developed in Higher latitudes of Northern Hemisphere » Print

mrunal.org/2013/07/geography-location-factors-timber-paper-pulp-fishing-industry-why-developed-in-higher-latitudes-of-northern-hemisphere.html/print/ 7/13

Canada is one of the largest newsprint producer of the world.Its Québec and Ontario provinces= largest concentration of paper-pulp industries,Why?

Rawmaterial

Forest area is large enough to supply timber on a constant basis.

Transport Ideal location for mill= riverside. It minimizes transportation problems.

Energyone ton of newsprint may require 2000 kW hours of electricityCanada has mountainous terrain + fast flowing rivers= Cheaphydroelectric Power available.

Labour

Paper and pulp mills are highly mechanized and require littlemanpower. (again cheap hydroelectricity helps running the machines)they can be located in remote regions with an without experiencinglabor shortage

MarketUSA has highest paper consumption in the world, provides a ready-made market for the paper pulp industry of Canada.

Britain

Rawmaterial

Its timber output is negligible but still a major paper-producer thanks to pulp-imports from Sweden and Canada..

Transport

Mills located @coastal areas, to process imported material (=lesstransport cost) Example Mill near Thames estuary, Manchester Shipcanal.(In later articles, we’ll see that Manchester canal was developed to turnManchester into a port for textile business but then Manchester textileindustry declined due to competition from Cheaper Asian garments.).

Norway, Sweden, Finland

Factors more or less the same:

1. cheap hydro electrical power,2. mechanized operations to make do for lack of laborers,3. Rivers flow towards ports=easy for transport.

8/7/13 Mrunal » [Geography] Location Factors: Timber, Paper Pulp, Fishing industry: why developed in Higher latitudes of Northern Hemisphere » Print

mrunal.org/2013/07/geography-location-factors-timber-paper-pulp-fishing-industry-why-developed-in-higher-latitudes-of-northern-hemisphere.html/print/ 8/13

South East Asia

Malaysia,Philippines

Forests found on islands/peninsulas @no point very distance from sea,Hence can be extracted easily.hardwood much in demand by Australia andJapan

Myanmar,Thailand

Best wood found inland, has to be transported through rivers towardscoast.

India

near rawmaterial

Dependent on bamboo, softwood. E.g. South Gujarat, Odisha, MP

nearmarket

Kolkata: raw material brought from North Eastern States, cheaplabor, coal, water available.Lucknow: Depend on bagasse (from sugarmills), rags, wheat bran.Sabai grass brought from Terrai region.

Commercial fishing

Why is commercial fishing developed in middle to higher latitudes of Northernhemisphere?

8/7/13 Mrunal » [Geography] Location Factors: Timber, Paper Pulp, Fishing industry: why developed in Higher latitudes of Northern Hemisphere » Print

mrunal.org/2013/07/geography-location-factors-timber-paper-pulp-fishing-industry-why-developed-in-higher-latitudes-of-northern-hemisphere.html/print/ 9/13

Plankton availability

Fishes eat plankton.Phytoplankton require sunlight = they can develop well in continental shelves andshallow seas because of Sunlight penetration and minerals from coastal water.Planktons reproduce more in cooler waters

Observe the following map: yellow areas= continental shelf/ shallow areas=better forfishing.

Observe the indented coastlines in N.America and Europe.

Locate South China Sea. You can understand one of the reasons why China and neighbourskeep fighting over it=rich-fish resources.

Ocean Currents

When cold and hot current meet=lot of planktons=lot of fishes.

warm cold fishermen of ____ benefit

gulf stream labrador US+ Canada (North Western Atlantic coast)

Kuroshio Oyashio Honshu, Japan

Coastline

Highly indented coastline=many sites for harbors and ports.

Climate

The cool temperate climate favors large scale commercialfishing, preservation and storage of fish.While tropical areas= hot, moist = fish cannot be stored forlong.

8/7/13 Mrunal » [Geography] Location Factors: Timber, Paper Pulp, Fishing industry: why developed in Higher latitudes of Northern Hemisphere » Print

mrunal.org/2013/07/geography-location-factors-timber-paper-pulp-fishing-industry-why-developed-in-higher-latitudes-of-northern-hemisphere.html/print/ 10/13

Equipment

In the medieval times, temperate forests provided following

1. Both soft and hard wood for construction of fishing boats.2. Naval stores (Raisin, pitch, tar and turpentine). They are

derived from resinous materials from coniferous trees,were used to make wooden vessels watertight.

Today, commercial fishing vessels don’t need any of above, butsteel and heavy engineering industry also developed in surroundthe coastal regions (e.g. Great lakes-Pittsburg) =shipbuildingindustry.

Labor

hilly terrain = less cultivable areas.Cold long winters= not goodfor agriculture= more people switch to fishing. Eg. Iceland, Japan,Norway.

Market

In the mountainous regions of Asia and Europe, agriculturalproduction is quite low =Fish important source of protein.Example Japan and Norway.Asia= fish + rice= main diet of many were Asian countries.(because Fish is cheaper than meat)When Europeans started migrating to North America, mostof the early urban settlements were on or near the Easterncoast = ready market for selling fish products.During weekly fast of Catholics, fish must be eaten insteadof meat.Before electricity/petroleum, whale oil was the chief sourceof fuel and lubricant.in developed countries, fishes even used as animal food,fertilizersMedical uses of cod liver oil, demand for fur products(walrus, seals) and so on.

Fish gutting = significant weight loss. Hence fish processing is either done on the vesselor near the coastal plants.

location prominent fishing area

Northern Europe1. Dogger bank,2. great fisher bank

US Canada3. Grand bank, George bank,4. Nova Scotia, Newfoundland

Commercial Fishing: (Europe+America) VS Asia

8/7/13 Mrunal » [Geography] Location Factors: Timber, Paper Pulp, Fishing industry: why developed in Higher latitudes of Northern Hemisphere » Print

mrunal.org/2013/07/geography-location-factors-timber-paper-pulp-fishing-industry-why-developed-in-higher-latitudes-of-northern-hemisphere.html/print/ 11/13

Within Northern Hemisphere, Commercial fishing is more developed in North Europe andNorth America, compared to Asia (Except Japan), why?

Factor impact

climate Tropical climate= fish cannot be stored for long.

coastlineAsia has relatively smooth coast line = less natural harbors thanEurope/N.AmericaContinental shelves are narrower than Europe, North America

capital

Commercial fishing requires large ships- multiple varieties offishes caught, separated, processed for packing on the ship itself,high-tech equipment to scan fishing waters for optimal locationand so on.Such vessels and technology require massive capital investment=available in Europe, America but not much in Asia.

species variety

But in the tropical regions of Asia, multiple variety of fishesoccur, but in smaller groups=not good for large scale commercialexploitation.Tropical fishes=higher oil content= less desirable for eating.

Commercial Fishing: VS Southern Hemisphere

Northern Hemisphere= more land than Southern Hemisphere=large population =fish demand is large.In Southern hemisphere nations such as Argentina, New Zealand and Australia, meatand dairy products are plenty =not much demand for fishes.Continental shelves are narrower than Europe, North America=less plankton=lessfish

Let’s check two leading fishing nations:

Norway Japan

extensive continental shelf=good forplankton=more fishes

1. Sea of Japan=shallow water=moreplanktons

2. North-West pacific continentalshelf=more planktons

3. meeting of kuroshio (warm) and oyashio

8/7/13 Mrunal » [Geography] Location Factors: Timber, Paper Pulp, Fishing industry: why developed in Higher latitudes of Northern Hemisphere » Print

mrunal.org/2013/07/geography-location-factors-timber-paper-pulp-fishing-industry-why-developed-in-higher-latitudes-of-northern-hemisphere.html/print/ 12/13

(Cold) currents= more planktons

long, fiorded coastline with manyoffshore islands= good sites for fishingand villages

more than 3000 islands, indent endedcoastline

soil, climate not suitable foragro=people shifted to fishingThey’re skilled at fishing, due tolong seafaring generation, rightfrom the times of Vikings andNorsemen.

Mountainous country=less area forcultivation= people shift to fishingAlready good experience for whalefishing.Genuine pearls rare, in the early 1900sof Japanese invented method to cultivatepearls artificially=shows theirexpertise.

well established shipbuildingindustryhilly terrain + fast flowingriver=cheaphydroelectricity=helps in canningindustry.

Steel industry, marine engineeringdeveloped in costal areas usingimported coal and iron ore^provides material for sophisticatedfishing vessels with processing andrefrigeration facilities onboard.

Most settlements on or nearcoastal areas=diet is marinedependentCold climate=fish preservationeasier.

Livestock/dairy farming=not muchhence fish = main source of protein.exports to nearby Asian countries

India: east vs. West

In India, fishing is more developed along western coast than in Eastern coast because

1. continental shelf in Western Coast=wider=more plankton = more fishes2. Commercial varieties like Prawns and Mackerel are mostly confined along western

coast.

Other than that, these books don’t contain much wisdom on “Location factor” for Indianfisheries (just list of species found, fisherman use outdated equipment, problem ofoverfishing etc.)

In the next article, we’ll see the location factors for industries based on natural fibers(Cotton, silk, wool and jute)

Mock Questions

8/7/13 Mrunal » [Geography] Location Factors: Timber, Paper Pulp, Fishing industry: why developed in Higher latitudes of Northern Hemisphere » Print

mrunal.org/2013/07/geography-location-factors-timber-paper-pulp-fishing-industry-why-developed-in-higher-latitudes-of-northern-hemisphere.html/print/ 13/13

Explain reasons for following (5 marks each)

1. Canada is a leading manufacturer of newsprint2. Malaysia and Philippines are leading exporters of tropical hardwood

12 marks

1. Provide the distribution of paper-pulp industry for any one country and explain thelocational advantages for this distribution?

2. To what extend has proximity to water transport or rail communication influencedtimber exploitation? Explain with examples from India and any one foreign country.

3. Explain the factors responsible for the thriving fish-industry in any one of thefollowing countries

a. Japanb. Norwayc. Canada

4. Explain the parts played by each of the following factors, in the development ofLumbering industry

a. hydro electricityb. frozen groundc. technological changes

25 marks

1. Commercial fishing and lumbering better developed in the higher latitudes ofNorthern Hemisphere compared to other parts of the world. Comment.

2. Factors responsible for overwhelming use of hardwood for fuels vs. industrial use ofsoftwood.

URL to article: http://mrunal.org/2013/07/geography-location-factors-timber-paper-pulp-fishing-industry-why-developed-in-higher-latitudes-of-northern-hemisphere.html

Posted By Mrunal On 23/07/2013 @ 23:23 In the category Geography