HOME BIODIVERSITY JULY 23RD, 2013 28 COMMENTS

[Geography] Location Factors: Timber, Paper Pulp, Fishing industry: why developed in Higher latitudes
of Northern Hemisphere
Prologue
overview of factors
Types of industries
Timber Based industries
Factor: raw material
Factor: River
Factor: River direction
Lumbering on commercial scale: Canada
commercial lumbering: temperate vs tropics
Paper-Pulp Industry
Commercial fishing
(Europe+America) VS Asia
VS Southern Hemisphere
Norway
Japan
Mock Questions

Prologue
UPSC has included certain topics of World Geography in the new syllabus of general studies (Mains) paper. So, lets start with one of
the less boring topic= the factors responsible for the location of primary, secondary, and tertiary sector industries in various parts of
the world (including India)

In most geography related books (or webpages), the industrial location topic is finished around a few paragraphs, citing a few clichd
examples of raw material, transport, market and labor. But given UPSCs backbreaking moveTM, such content is neither exhaustive
nor sufficient for the Mains level questions. Therefore, Im compiling some wisdom scattered in 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
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 industry
2. cotton, silk, wool, jute
3. sugar, dairy, Pigs
4. iron-steel, heavy engineering, major industrial regions of the world
5. non-ferrous, petroleum, natural gas, refineries, chemical industries, synthetic fibers
6. transport and labor
7. market, government policies

Disclaimer:

1. I claim no expertise in geography, these articles are mere compilation of some wisdom and (a few) examples given in those
books. Lot of minor places and countries have been ignored. I havent bothered to dig internet much for doing full coverage. It
is your job to fill up the details as and where you feel necessary. Try to dig examples from your 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, I havent put them here. For example
a. Wheat, rice, tea, groundnut etc. in India. Because they need to be prepared for agro 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 Asia and 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
Well 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 site

2. near market
3. In between ^them two: depending on transport, energy and labour convenience.
Nature of Bauxite=>alumina; Copper ore=>blister copper; Sugarcane=raw sugar. Weight loss is significant, during above
raw material processes. So, where should we setup these factories?
energy Despite having no significant bauxite reserves, Canada and Norway have aluminum refineries, why?
Why is Switzerland famous for wristwatches but not bulldozers?

Why do port cities have lot of industries surrounding them?

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

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

market
Australia is a major supplier of wool but not major supplier of finished woolen garments, why?
demand
Government Pharmaceutical industries that once had shifted from Gujarat/Maharashtra towards Hill states, are now returning back
policy to the original states, why?
Even after local coal-iron resources are depleted, the steel and heavy engineering industry doesnt frequently shift its
Capital
location, why?
How does Canadian winter help in commercial exploitation of timber?

Physical Fishing industry more developed in Northern Hemisphere than in Southern Hemisphere, why?
geography
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 firms etc. Each factor has different level of
attractiveness for individual industry.

types of industries
They use natural raw material: Hunting-gathering, pastoral activities, fishing, forestry, agriculture, mining and
Primary quarrying
They make complex products using the material obtained from primary industry.

wooden pulp=> rayon

Steel=> automobiles, railway engines
aluminum, copper=> electronics
Secondary fibers=> readymade garments

Secondary Industry can be sub classified into

1. Heavy Industries= engineering, metal goods, heavy chemicals, shipbuilding, locomotives

2. Light industries= electronics, plastic, textile, cosmetic etc.
 it is not a branch of manufacturing but it sells the product of primary and secondary industries via transport,
wholesale, retailing + provides services such as:

Tertiary tourism, education, entertainment, advertisements, consultancy, Administration, healthcare etc.

Note: for detailed classification of service sector industries, refer to Page 56 of NCERT Class 12: Fundamentals of
Human geography.

Anyways, lets 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 the cost of transporting waste matter.
Factor: River
Even in jungles, theyre located near rivers and streams because Logs=bulky and awkward 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 then exported.
The paper/pulp mills require clean water free from chemical/pollutants. This is one the reason why they were setup in forest
locations away from polluted rivers.
Factor: River direction
towards market away from market

Southern Canada, Sweden, Finland,

US West Coast, Siberia
Himalayas

Rivers flow in the opposite direction from market areas=higher transport

rivers flow in general direction of final cost.
market=keeps production, transport cost low + in Russia, rivers remain frozen in winter and create flood like problems
in springtime=makes difficult to exploit Siberian forest.

Lumbering on commercial scale: Canada

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

 Raw softwood= easy to chop
material In coniferous forest, trees of same species are concentrated in one particular area = mass exploitation easier
compared to tropical areas.

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

The winter season in Canada is long = agricultural activities are limited.

Farmers have plenty of leisure time and there is no work in the field during winter
During winter, they migrate to northern (coniferous) forests along with their families => Easy availability of
Labour lumberjacks.
Lumbering is highly mechanized with the help of chainsaws, bulldozers etc = low population-density doesnt
create much problem.

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

Commercial lumbering: temperate vs tropics

temperate: opportunities tropical: challenges

In tropical areas some tree-species are extremely valuable, but

trees of same species concentrated in a particular
they are scattered
area=easy to exploit on commercial scale
This heterogeneous supply of timber= cost of gathering is high.

Valuable trees are scattered throughout jungle, you need some

frozen ground helps transporting logs from
land transport before logs reach the rivers. But road construction
jungle/hills up to rivers.
is difficult due to rain, dense vegetation.

In Amazon and Zaire Basin, some trees are so heavy, it is difficult

softwood = easy to float down the river streams
to float logs=high extraction cost

Settlement is sparse, economies are non-industrialized, away from

demand areas (e.g Africa).
major industrial/urban areas are near=market
(Exception) Malaysian timber= finds ready-made market in Japan
and Australia.

replantion programs, silviculture, strict government Lax regulations, slash-n-burn type agriculture, jungles are
regulation on lumbering= jungles regenerate = permanently destroyed. (+people like Veerppan given political
lumbering is continuous economic acivity. patronage)

Paper-Pulp Industry
Canada is one of the largest newsprint producer of the world.
Its Qubec and Ontario provinces= largest concentration of paper-pulp industries, Why?
Raw
Forest area is large enough to supply timber on a constant basis.
material
Transport Ideal location for mill= riverside. It minimizes transportation problems.

one ton of newsprint may require 2000 kW hours of electricity

Energy
Canada has mountainous terrain + fast flowing rivers= Cheap hydroelectric Power available.

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

USA has highest paper consumption in the world, provides a ready-made market for the paper pulp industry of
Market
Canada.
 Britain
Raw
Its timber output is negligible but still a major paper-producer thanks to pulp-imports from Sweden and Canada..
material

Mills located @coastal areas, to process imported material (=less transport cost) Example Mill near Thames
estuary, Manchester Ship canal.
Transport
(In later articles, well see that Manchester canal was developed to turn Manchester into a port for textile business
but then Manchester textile industry 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.

South East Asia

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

Myanmar, Thailand Best wood found inland, has to be transported through rivers towards coast.

India
near raw material Dependent on bamboo, softwood. E.g. South Gujarat, Odisha, MP

Kolkata: raw material brought from North Eastern States, cheap labor, coal, water available.
near market
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 Northern hemisphere?

Plankton availability
Fishes eat plankton.
Phytoplankton require sunlight = they can develop well in continental shelves and shallow 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 for fishing.

Observe the indented coastlines in N.America and Europe.

Locate South China Sea. You can understand one of the reasons why China and neighbours keep 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.

The cool temperate climate favors large scale commercial fishing, preservation and storage of fish.
Climate While tropical areas= hot, moist = fish cannot be stored for long.

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
Equipment trees, were used to make wooden vessels watertight.

Today, commercial fishing vessels dont need any of above, but steel and heavy engineering industry also
developed in surround the coastal regions (e.g. Great lakes-Pittsburg) =shipbuilding industry.

hilly terrain = less cultivable areas.

Labor Cold long winters= not good for agriculture= more people switch to fishing. Eg. Iceland, Japan, Norway.

In the mountainous regions of Asia and Europe, agricultural production 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, most of the early urban settlements were on or near
Market the Eastern coast = ready market for selling fish products.
During weekly fast of Catholics, fish must be eaten instead of meat.
Before electricity/petroleum, whale oil was the chief source of fuel and lubricant.
in developed countries, fishes even used as animal food, fertilizers
Medical 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 vessel or near the coastal plants.

location prominent fishing area

 1. Dogger bank,
Northern Europe 2. great fisher bank

3. Grand bank, George bank,

US Canada
4. Nova Scotia, Newfoundland

Commercial Fishing: (Europe+America) VS Asia

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

Factor impact

climate Tropical climate= fish cannot be stored for long.

Asia has relatively smooth coast line = less natural harbors than Europe/N.America
coastline
Continental shelves are narrower than Europe, North America

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

But in the tropical regions of Asia, multiple variety of fishes occur, but in smaller groups=not good for large scale
species
commercial exploitation.
variety
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, meat and dairy products are plenty =not much
demand for fishes.
Continental shelves are narrower than Europe, North America=less plankton=less fish

Lets check two leading fishing nations:

Norway Jap an

1. Sea of Japan=shallow water=more planktons

2. North-West pacific continental shelf=more planktons
extensive continental shelf=good for plankton=more fishes
3. meeting of kuroshio (warm) and oyashio (Cold) currents= more
planktons

long, fiorded coastline with many offshore islands= good

more than 3000 islands, indented coastline
sites for fishing and villages

soil, climate not suitable for agro=people shifted to
fishing
Theyre skilled at fishing, due to long seafaring
generation, right from the times of Vikings and
Norsemen.
Mountainous country=less area for cultivation= people shift to
fishing
Already good experience for whale fishing.
Genuine pearls rare, in the early 1900s of Japanese invented
method to cultivate pearls artificially=shows their expertise.

Steel industry, marine engineering developed in costal areas

well established shipbuilding industry
using imported coal and iron ore
hilly terrain + fast flowing river=cheap
^provides material for sophisticated fishing vessels with
hydroelectricity=helps in canning industry.
processing and refrigeration facilities onboard.

Most settlements on or near coastal areas=diet is marine Livestock/dairy farming=not much hence fish = main source of
dependent protein.
Cold climate=fish preservation easier. 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 fishes

2. Commercial varieties like Prawns and Mackerel are mostly confined along western coast.

Other than that, these books dont contain much wisdom on Location factor for Indian fisheries (just list of species found, fisherman
use outdated equipment, problem of overfishing etc.)

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

Mock Questions
Explain reasons for following (5 marks each)

1. Canada is a leading manufacturer of newsprint

2. 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 the locational advantages for this distribution?
2. To what extend has proximity to water transport or rail communication influenced timber 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 the following countries
a. Japan
b. Norway
c. Canada
4. Explain the parts played by each of the following factors, in the development of Lumbering industry
a. hydro electricity
b. frozen ground
c. technological changes
25 marks
1. Commercial fishing and lumbering better developed in the higher latitudes of Northern Hemisphere compared to other parts of the
world. Comment.
2. Factors responsible for overwhelming use of hardwood for fuels vs. industrial use of softwood.
Previous Posts
[Geography] Location Factors: Cotton Textile, Wool, Silk, Jute; Why China #1 in Silk;
Why Textile industry in Osaka, Manchester, Lancashire, Mumbai
[EnB] Doha COP18/UNFCC: Extension of Kyoto, Green Climate Fund, AAU issue,
challenges exaplained
[EnB] COP 11 Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Hyderabad 2012 Outcomes,
Bushmeat, Empty Jungle syndrome
[EnB] Trophic Levels, Biotic Potential, Bio Magnification & IGNOU Material on
Environment and biodiversity (free Download)
[EnB] Gadgil report on Western Ghats: Why Controversies, Athirappilly, Gundia
Projects: Explained (Part 4 of 4)
[EnB] Gadgil Panel report on Western Ghats: recommendations, Ecologically Sensitive Zones (ESZ), WGEA (Part 3 of 4)
[EnB] Western Ghats: Threats to Biodiversity, Monoculture Plantation, Exotic Species, Sacred Groves (Part 2 of 4)
[EnB] Western Ghats: Physical Geography, Biodiversity Overview (Part 1 of 4)
[EnB] Bergmanns Rule, Migrantwatch, Seasonwatch, Ross Sea Marine Protected Zone, Lake Vida, Chromatophores
[EnB] Aichi Targets for Biodiversity Protection under CBD

28 comments to [Geography] Location Factors: Timber, Paper Pulp, Fishing industry: why developed in Print || PDF Subscribe
Higher latitudes of Northern Hemisphere (Need Chrome)! (free!)

sameer
Reply to this comment
great article sir, if you can post a series for geography similar to that of world history An all inclusive one it would be of great help.

rajrajeev
Reply to this comment
Really very good article

Niks
Reply to this comment
You Are simply great Sir.. Hats off to you.Now i am not gonna prepare world industry section.. i will fully rely on you sir..
This is more than sufficient + just need to see NCERT for maps.

Pars
Reply to this comment
Thanks Mrunal JiGreat effort on your part.

gyan
Reply to this comment
Thank you so much for such nice artile

sampad
Reply to this comment
I wud like to suggest to make a link for geography section in the archives. Thanks for ur effort

Neeraj kumar
Reply to this comment
thanks sir, for this awesome article.
one more reason for why fishing occurs along west cost of India then east cost?? most of the Indian river flow towards east cost, so in bay
of bengal water is muddy and it creates low photic zone (sun light penetration in sea water is low)= less plankton= less fish. on the contrary
in Arabian sea the situation is totally reverse from bay of bengal.

Rohan
Reply to this comment
Thank you

Abhishek
Reply to this comment
Thanks Mrunal, you have picked the right topic, hoping you will continue with topics which are a little unconventional. On a totally different
note, what is the expected date for prelims result?

Mohan
Reply to this comment
nice article mrunal bhai

Naveen Shekhar
Reply to this comment
Good article !!!!!

Aspirant786
Reply to this comment
Excellent article, thanks Mrunal!
jagannath
Reply to this comment
superb

Balamuralikrishna
Reply to this comment
I wonder, how Mrunal explain these matters without readers getting bored. Thats Mrunal style of teaching.

Rashmi
Reply to this comment
Really great.
It is not feasible for everyone to buy too many books. and even if one buys all the booksthere is no time left to read all of themhence
getting a very well explained and compiled article on each such topic is really great.

Mukul
Reply to this comment
Good compilation Sir G!

sara
Reply to this comment
yummy and 6 more articles to come makes it even more delicious even my geog optional teacher at delhi didnt explain with such ease
.. thanks a lot

Nitin
Reply to this comment
Thank u sir !!!!
The most essential thing i learn from ur articles is the approach one must follow for mains preparation.
Sir i am facing a serious problem related to mains preparation.Going by the paradigm shift in UPSC syllabus it is expected that
dynamic/analytical approach in the GS section which is going to be decisive.I gathered photocopies of all coaching materials but i feel all
are useless/outdated.
I am reading The Hindu for last 3 months.I study from the RSS feeds for older editions.I realize some topics are important which can b
asked.But they are not exhaustive.I request u to make a section in ur blog where the aspirants can pour in valuable information/articles/links
so that we can mutually reduce the overhead of data collection/filtering.
I also request u to release, say 25 questions per week(from GS syllabus of various subjects) so that we can gather sufficient information
regarding those for mains preparation.

Chaitanya
Reply to this comment
Sir,Is this topic include in GS-III? in food processing and related industries in INDIA -scope significance, location,upstreams and
downstream requirments,supply chain management?

RRK13
Reply to this comment
fabulous keep it up. our pray will also help you.

v chakradhar
Reply to this comment
very nice material , iam happy to get a site which is giving coaching @free

Suresh
Reply to this comment
Sir, history main par stratagy par article ki teevr partiksha hai
TARUN
Reply to this comment
Dear mrunal sir,
I am regular follower of your blog and personally thank you for spreading this knowledge and understanding of yours not as a teacher but as
a friend.
You are showing a path to young blood surely some of them will be IAS in coming years. The most amazing part of yours is spreading
knowledge free of cost in a world where coaching centers charging fees which is beyond the reach of normal man.
Thanks for your great support.

praghu
Reply to this comment
can we get these books in hindi? plz tell me mrunal.

ashish patil
Reply to this comment
thanks mrunal bhai..u r the only beacon of light in this years confusing environment of mainshope u gonna suggest us material for
sociologys part of GS

Mansoor Ahmad
Reply to this comment
Incredible ! Love your notes ! Keep going and stay blessed.

kishore
Reply to this comment
HI mrunal,
as my knowledge,china is the largest producer and exporter of seafood and 35% of the world seafood export is from china.i dint find china
in ur article anywhere.can u mention the details.

Anurag
Reply to this comment
PL confirm Whether continental shelf in east coast is wider or west. Its east cost which is wider that was the reason of the reason for having
more port in west coast.