NCERT 8th Class (CBSE) Social Science: Industries – Comparative Studies

Question: What are the locational advantages enjoyed by the steel plant at Jamshedpur?

Answer: The iron and steel industry constitutes the backbone of modern industrial economy. Thus, the manufacture and consumption of iron and steel is a measure of a nation’s  business activity and the standard of living of its people.

Jamshedpur enjoys the following locational advantages.

1. High quality hematite, an ore of iron brought from the Singhbhum district of Jharkhand and the Mayurbhanj districts are located at a district of Odisha. The iron ore mines in these districts are located at a distance of about 75 km to 100 km from Jamshedpur.
2. Good quality coking coal is obtained from Jharia and Rajniganj coal mines. These mines are located at a distance of about 150 km to 200 km.
3. Manganese is brought from Keonjhar district in Odisha.
4. Limestone and dolomite, which are used as flux materials, are available from the Sundergarh district of Odisha and Palamu, Hazaribagh and Ranchi districts of Jharkhand.
5. Sufficient amount of water needed for cooling and washing is available from the Subarnarekha river and a reservoir at the Kharkai river.
6. Jamshedpur and its surrounding areas are thickly populated. Labourers are easily available from the states of West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh.
7. Kolkata located located at a distance of about 240 km from Jamshedpur has a well-developed industrial belt, which provides ready market for the products.
8. Jamshedpur is connected to Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai by an efficient network of roadways and railways. Kolkata, an important port, is used for importing and exporting goods.

Question: What are the reasons for the growth of cotton textile mills in Ahmadabad over Mumbai?

Answer: The cotton textile industry of Ahmadabad showed more growth than the ones in Mumbai due to the following reasons:

1. Land rent and wages were high in Mumbai.
2. Mumbai was located at a greater distance from the consuming centres.
3. The development of railways in other parts of India helped the new areas to collect raw materials and distribute the finished goods easily.
4. Cheap labour costs in the interior parts of India.

Question: What are the factors responsible for the growth of iron and steel industry in Pittsburgh?

Answer: Pittsburgh enjoys the following locational advantages.

1. An early start in 1903-04
2. Fairly cheap and efficient transportation of high grade iron ore from the northern fields.
3. Sufficient water supply from the rivers.
4. Great Lakes provide easy and cheap inland water transport.
5. A variability of labourers, both skilled and unskilled, from the countries of Europe and other parts of USA due to high wages paid in the steel mills here.
6. Most furnaces and steel plants located along the river banks readily receive and dispatch heavy freight.
7. Thousands of factories in this region provide a ready market for the finished products.