Why are these industrial buildings located where they

Question 1

What are factors which favour the location of an industry known as

Answer 1

Location factors

Question 2

Physical factors (1)

Answer 2

Land

Most industries require a large piece of cheap, flat land for factory building. The Ruhr Region in Germany is located along the lower course of River Rhine. The plain has attracted many heavy industries

Coastal areas are also an ideal location for industrial development. Reclamation can be carried out for building factories and expanding the scale of production. There is plenty supply of seawater for cooling.

Question 3

Physical factors (2)

Answer 3

Raw materials

Factories tend to be located near the source of raw materials to reduce transport cost. This is especially important for heavy industries as their raw materials and products are bulky and heavy.

Question 4

Physical factors (3)

Answer 4

Energy supply

Early industries depend on coal as the main source of energy. Power-oriented industries were thus set up close to coalfields to save the transport cost.

Question 5

What is steelmaking known as

Answer 5

Raw material-oriented industry

Question 6

Human factors (1)

Answer 6

Labour supply

A large labour supply is important, especially for labour-intensive industries. Industrial belts are found in big cities where a huge pool of labour is available.

Question 7

Human factors (2)

Answer 7

Transport

A good transport network makes
the movement of raw materials and
finished products easier and at lower
cost. Areas with ports, railway and
highway networks have attracted
many industries to move in.

Question 8

Human factors (3)

Answer 8

Markets

Some manufactured products are heavy, fragile or perishable. For example, motor vehicles and dairy products. These industries tend to locate close to markets to save transport cost and reduce loss. They are known as market-oriented industries.

Question 9

Human factors (4)

Answer 9

Agglomeration economies

When similar or related types of industries concentrate in a certain area, they enjoy benefits called agglomeration economies. For example, car-making and shipbuilding are found near the steel industry as they can buy steel (raw material) in bulk at lower cost. Supporting services such as banking move in afterwards.

These benefits attract industries to stay in a location even other locational
advantages are gone. This is known as industrial inertia.

Question 10

Human factors (5)

Answer 10

Government policy

Government policy affects the location of industries. For example, the Chinese government set up several Five-Year Plans that initiated the relocation of the iron and steel industry from the northeast to the west. Also, some governments provide low tax rates to attract investment and boost industrial development.