Answer the following questions.
(i) What is meant by the term ‘industry’?
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Answer: Industry refers to an economic activity that is concerned with the production of goods like the iron and steel industry, the extraction of minerals like the coal mining industry and the provision of services like the tourism industry.
(ii) Which are the main factors which influence the location of an industry?
Answer: Setting up an industry leads to the development and growth of that location. The factors that affect the location of industries are the easy availability of raw materials and land, adequate supply of water and labour, access to power and transport, presence of markets and a good amount of capital. Sometimes, the government also provides incentives like subsidised power, lower transport cost and other infrastructural facilities. This is done to encourage industries to be established in economically backward areas.
(iii) Which industry is often referred to as the backbone of the modern industry and why?
Answer: Steel is called the backbone of modern industry because almost everything we use is either made of steel or has been made with machinery or tools made out of steel. The steel industry is basically the feeder industry, whose products are the raw materials for other industries.
(iv) Why has the cotton textile industry rapidly expanded in Mumbai?
Answer: The warm and moist climate, proximity to the port, easy availability of raw materials and skilled labour helped in the rapid expansion of the cotton textile industry in Mumbai.