1. Factors affecting Location of Industries

The location of industry at a particular place is the result of a number of decisions taken at various levels. There are certain geographical factors which facilitate this decision making. There are other factors which fall outside the subject matter of geography. The validity or importance of a factor also changes with time and space.

Industries maximise profits by reducing costs. Therefore, industries should be located at points where the production costs are minimum. Some of the factors influencing industrial locations are as under:

1.1. Access to Market 1.2. Access to Raw Material 1.3. Access to Labour Supply 1.4. Access to Sources of Energy 1.5. Access to Transportation and Communication Facilities 1.6. Government Policy 1.7. Access to Agglomeration Economies/Links Between Industries 1.8. Other Miscellaneous Factors So, the location of modem industries is not guided by a single factor due to its complex nature. All aspects have to be considered and analysed before deciding location of industries.2.1. Hunting and Gathering Fig 1. Areas of Gathering 2.2. Pastoralism or Animal Rearing 2.2.1. Nomadic Herding Pastoral nomadism is associated with three important regions. The core region extends from the Atlantic shores of North Africa eastwards across the Arabian peninsula into Mongolia and Central China. The second region extends over the tundra region of Eurasia. In the southern hemisphere there are small areas in South-West Africa and on the island of Madagascar.Fig. 2 Areas of Nomadic Herding 2.3.1. Subsistence Agriculture Fig. 4 Areas of Primitive Subsistence Agriculture Fig. 5 Areas of Intensive Subsistence Agriculture Fig 6. Areas of Extensive Commercial Grain Cultivation This form of agriculture is found in the highly developed parts of the world, e.g. North- western Europe, Eastern North America, parts of Eurasia and the temperate latitudes of Southern continents.Fig. 7 Areas of Mixed Farming 2.3.7. Market Gardening and Horticulture 2.3.8. Co-operative Farming 2.3.9. Collective Farming 2.4. Mining