Topic 5 - Economic Geography Flashcards
Define sector
One part or component of a larger system
Define extractive
Deriving products from nature
Define economy
A countries (or households) income and how it’s spent
Define Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
The total value of a country’s output during one year
Define pastoral farming
The raising of animals such as cattle, sheep and goats
Define agriculture
Farming; the us of land to grow crops and to rear animals
Define hydroponic farming
Growing plants without soil, instead using s nutrient liquid that is piped to the roots of the plants, usually in a green house
Define crop yield
Output (by mass) per unit area
Define communal farming
Food production on land that is owned by the group living there
Define market
Market is the demand for a good or service and the ability of the people who need the good and services to pay for them
Define dumping
The selling of surplus goods or commodities at low prices, especially on the markets of foreign countries
Define ranching
The large-scale tearing of cattle on extensive farms
Define exotic
From other parts of the world
Define food security
A condition in which people have and can afford safe and nutritious food for a healthy life
Define food insecurity
A condition in which people do not have enough nutritious food and may not know where their next meal will come from
Define multiplier effect
Additional economic development in response to a new or expanding economic development
Define link industry
An industry that either supplies materials or equipment to another industry or which depends on another industry for materials or equipment for its own processes
Define thermal gradient
The rate at which rock temperature increases with increasing depth below the surface
Define capital
The money as well as the land and equipment needed to produce wealth
Define by-products
Secondary or incidental products of a manufacturing process
Define manufacturing
The conversion of raw materials into fabricated products; the assembly of items
Define mass production
The making of large quantities of identical articles by standard mechanized process
Define formal economic activity
Work in a registered firm, factory or farm; regulated (and taxed) employment
Define periphery
On the edge or boundary of an area
Define break-of-bulk point
A point where cargo is unloaded from a bulk carrier to be reloaded into smaller units of transport
Define ro-ro
Roll on-roll off
Define industrial inertia
The tendency for industries to remain in the same location even though the original reasons for being there have gone
Define hinterland
The area beyond a seaport that supplies most of the seaport’s and that uses goods imported through (or made in) that seaport
Define homelands
The ten regions within South Africa designated by the apartheid government to be the “home” country of every black African person, according to their ethnic identity
Define NGO
Non-government organization
Define centralize
Gathered together at a center
Define informal sector
Types of employment where people find work for themselves (sometimes illegally) on the streets or in small home shops. All developing countries have a large informal sector
Define economic recession
A period of temporary reduction in business
What is economic geography?
The study of where economic activities are carried out and the factors affecting them
What are the 4 different economic sectors?
Primary: extracts natural materials from earth
Secondary: processes primary raw materials to produce manufactured goods
Tertiary: provides services
Quaternary: involves intellectual activities like research and information technology
Why is agriculture important for an economy? Provide 3 reasons
- Creates jobs
- Creates food security
- Creates income through export
What are the two types of farming that South Africa practices?
Small scale communal farming and large scale commercial farming
What is the difference between these two types of farming?
Small scale farming:
small scale commercial farming sells to local markets and are often family run. Subsistence farms only supply to farmers family, there is no surplus for sale
Large scale commercial farming:
these farms supply a large amount of South Africa’s food source.
What are some of the challenges facing subsistence and commercial farmers?
Subsistence farmers:
uneducated in modern farming techniques, difficult to find access to irrigation and electricity, dense farming population leads to poor soil quality
Commercial farmers:
increased production costs, government assistance subsidies have been withdrawn, it has become cheaper to import
What are the factors that favor farming in South Africa? Provide 7 factors
- Range of climates that supports production of different crops
- Long growing seasons
- Flat land
- Rivers
- Higher value in yield of exotic crops
- Climate research
- Plant research laboratories have developed new strains of crops that produce a higher yield
What are the factors hindering farming in South Africa? Provide 9 factors
- Only 7% of land is usable
- Insufficient rain and shortage of water
- Rainfall is unreliable
- Souls are poor
- Elimination of agricultural subsidies has forced some farms to stop operating
- Bad farming practices
- Soil erosion
- Poor land ownership
- Become cheaper to import produce
How can we increase food security among poorer areas?
Have those households grow their own food (subsistence farming)
What are some of South Africa’s most important minerals?
Iron ore, manganese ore, uncut diamonds, coal, gold, steel bars, aluminum ingots and stainless-steel sheets
How has the discovery and extraction of minerals benefitted South Africa?
After diamonds and gold were discovered rail roads were built to export, mining gave rise to other career fields in the industry, new investments poured into South Africa, link industries grew, wealth from mining was sued to build up infrastructure, employed thousands of people, exported materials brings in foreign exchange, and minerals are used in local industries
What are the factors that favor mining in South Africa? Provide 9 factors
- Huge reserves
- Wide range of mineral wealth
- Thick and continuous mineral seams
- Minerals are near surface
- Low thermal rock gradient
- Capital is available
- Coal is available for energy
- Low paid labor
- Government assistance is available for small scale miners
What are the factors that hinder mining in South Africa? Provide 7 factors
- Fluctuations in rand exchange rate
- Underground water is dangerous
- Labor costs have risen steeply
- Environmental concerns
- Transport costs are high
- HIV/AIDS
- Lung disease
What are the different kinds of manufacturing industries? List 7 types
- Heavy industry
- Light industry
- Raw-material-oriented industry
- Market-oriented industry
- Footloose industry
- Ubiquitous industry
- Bridge industry
What is a heavy industry?
Involves either:
-processing large masses of basic materials
-the large scale production of materials
They require large areas and emit much waste
What is a light industry?
Involves workers handling small amounts of material to make small articles of small bulk
What is a raw-material-oriented industry?
An industry that is set up near to the source of main raw material used in manufacturing process.
This is done to:
- reduce expensive transport cost
- avoid deterioration of raw material
What is a market-oriented industry?
Factories that are located near to the buyers to reduce transport cost and keep products fresh
What is a footloose industry?
Industries that aren’t tied to any specific location
What is a ubiquitous industry?
Industries that are everywhere
What is a bridge industry?
Industries that are set up at a break-of-bulk point
What are the factors influencing industrial development in South Africa? List 11 factors
- Energy
- Labor supply
- Markets
- Link industries
- Transport infrastructure
- Water
- Capital
- Land
- Government assistance
- Trade
- Competition
Where in South Africa are manufacturing industries concentrated?
The PWV complex (Pretoria Witwatersrand-Vaal complex)
What is the purpose of Industrial Development Zones (IDZs)?
The government has planned to develop and upgrade the infrastructure and services in smaller towns to make them competitors with modern industrial zones.
What is the purpose of Spatial Development Initiatives (SDIs)?
To develop and improve existing transport infrastructure, correct some damage done by apartheid strategies, to create an attractive environment for private-sector investment, to initiate and support economic activities along those transport corridors
What are the two perceived problems with centralization?
- People in rural areas, villages and small towns weren’t able to get any better paying jobs in cities
- People in urban areas were unhappy that rural settlers were staring to come into the cities
What is life like for people in the informal sector?
- They are self-employed
- Sometimes other members of the family are involved
- Wages are uncertain
- Working hours are long
- Capital use is low
- Profit margins are small
What are the reasons for high informal sector employment in South Africa?
Unemployment rates in formal occupations are high or some people have stopped working but do informal work part time
What are the challenges facing South Africa’s informal sector? List 4 challenges
- Difficult to access informal sector, each seller has their designated selling space
- Competition for business and selling spaces is increasing
- A large informal sector increases poverty
- Government funding is under stress
