IGCSE Geography / Economic activity and energy

Where primary and secondary activity locates

Edexcel International GCSE Geography (4GE1), chapter 4: Economic activity and energy, specification point 4.1b. Free lesson.

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Primary activities take natural resources from the places where they occur, while factories can choose a site. Understanding how location factors affect costs helps explain where factories are built and why their locations have changed.

Where primary activity locates

Primary activity takes raw materials from the land or sea, so it has little choice about its location. It is usually found where the resource is. A resource is something natural that people can use. Locations can change if the resource or the way it can be used changes. Farming needs the right climate, fertile soil and gentle slopes that machines can work. Wheat grows well on flat, fertile lowland. Mining and quarrying can only take place where the coal, metal ore or rock lies. Forestry takes place where trees grow, often on upland that is too steep or poor for farming. Fishing needs rich…

Why factories choose particular sites

Secondary activity means making things. Unlike a mine or a farm, a factory can choose its site. Owners aim to locate where costs are lowest. Each reason for choosing a site is a location factor. Raw materials: Heavy iron ore and coal are costly to move, so a steelworks may be beside a dock where ships unload them. Transport: Ships and railways can move heavy materials to a factory and carry finished steel away cheaply. Energy: Steelmaking needs great heat. Coal can be burned in furnaces to provide it. Flat land: A large, level site is cheaper to build on and leaves room…

How factory location factors have changed

The factors that pull factories to a site have changed over time. New energy sources, transport and production methods mean that many factories have more choice about where to locate. A century ago, factories often had to be on coalfields because coal was heavy and costly to move. Electricity now comes through the grid, so factories can locate almost anywhere. Heavy industry was often beside a mine or port because bulky raw materials were hard to transport. Many modern factories assemble light parts, so they have more freedom to locate. Canals, railways and ports were important in the past.…

How to explain a location factor

Naming a factor on its own gives little explanation. To develop your answer, identify what is at the site and explain how it reduces costs for the factory. For example, instead of writing that a factory is there because of transport, explain that it is beside a dock, so heavy raw materials can be brought in cheaply by ship. The main factors to consider are raw materials, energy, labour, the market, transport, flat land, capital and government policy. Over time, the pull has shifted from coalfields and ports towards motorways, cheaper labour overseas and government incentives.

Example: explain why manufacturing locations have changed

For a four-mark answer, give two reasons and explain how each change affects factory location or costs.

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