Chapter – 7

Transport and Communication

In this post we have given the detailed notes of class 12 Geography Book 1 Chapter 7 (Transport and Communication) in English. These notes are useful for the students who are going to appear in class 12 board exams.

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Chapter 7: Transport and Communication

Introduction

• Natural resources, economic activities, and markets are often located in different places, necessitating the movement of goods and people.  
• Transport, communication, and trade connect production and consumption centers.  
• Efficient transportation, communication, and trade are crucial for a high quality of life.  
• Transportation and communication were once intertwined, but today they have evolved into distinct and specialized forms.  

Transport

• Definition: A service that moves people and goods using humans, animals, and vehicles across land, water, and air.  
• Components: Transport arteries, vehicles, and organizations for maintenance and handling.  
• Importance: Promotes cooperation, unity, and defense.  
• Transport Network: A pattern of places (nodes) connected by routes (links).  

Modes of Transportation

• Land: Roads, railways, pipelines, ropeways, and cableways.  
• Water: Shipping and waterways.  
• Air: Airways.  
• Choice of Mode: Depends on the type of goods, distance, cost, and availability.  

Land Transport

• Early Forms: Human porters, animals, carts, and wagons.  
• Revolution: The invention of the steam engine (18th century) and the internal combustion engine.  
• Railways: Became popular in the 19th century, opening up interiors for economic activities.  
• Pipelines: Transport liquids and gases like oil, water, and sewage.  

Roads

• Importance: Economical for short distances and door-to-door service.  
• Challenges: Unmetalled roads become unmotorable in rainy seasons, while metalled roads are expensive to construct and maintain.  
• Highways: Metalled roads connecting distant places with wide lanes and bridges for uninterrupted traffic flow.  
• Global Highway Networks: Well-developed in North America and Europe, with major highways in countries like Russia, China, India, and Africa.  
• Border Roads: Integrate remote areas and provide defense.  

Railways

• Importance: Long-distance transport of bulky goods and passengers.  
• Gauges: Broad, standard, meter, and smaller gauges.  
• Global Rail Networks: Extensive networks in Europe, Russia, North America, Australia, New Zealand, South America, Asia, and Africa, with varying densities and importance.  
• Trans-Continental Railways: Connect two ends of a continent, facilitating long-distance travel and trade.
  • Trans-Siberian Railway: St. Petersburg to Vladivostok (9,332 km).  
  • Trans-Canadian Railway: Halifax to Vancouver (7,050 km).  
  • Union and Pacific Railway: New York to San Francisco.  
  • Australian Trans-Continental Railway: Perth to Sydney.  
  • Orient Express: Paris to Istanbul.  

Water Transport

• Advantages: No route construction needed, low friction, and cheaper energy cost.  
• Types: Sea routes and inland waterways.  

Sea Routes

• Importance: Smooth and cost-effective for long-distance transport.  
• Modernization: Radar, wireless communication, refrigerated chambers, tankers, specialized ships, and containers.  
• Major Sea Routes:
  • Northern Atlantic Sea Route: Connects North-eastern U.S.A. and North-western Europe, handling a significant portion of global trade.  
  • Mediterranean-Indian Ocean Sea Route: Serves numerous countries and people, with important ports like Port Said, Aden, Mumbai, Colombo, and Singapore.  
  • Cape of Good Hope Sea Route: Connects Western Europe with Africa, Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.  
  • Southern Atlantic Sea Route: Links Western Europe and West Africa with South America, but with less traffic due to limited development.  
  • North Pacific Sea Route: Connects the west coast of North America with Asia, with major ports like Vancouver, Yokohama, and Shanghai.  
  • South Pacific Sea Route: Connects Western Europe and North America with Australia, New Zealand, and Pacific islands via the Panama Canal.  

Coastal Shipping

• Advantages: Convenient and cost-effective for countries with long coastlines, such as the U.S.A., China, and India.  
• Potential: Can reduce congestion on land routes.  

Shipping Canals

• Suez Canal (1869): Connects the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea, reducing travel time between Europe and Asia.  
• Panama Canal: Connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, shortening distances between the east and west coasts of North America and facilitating trade with Asia.  

Inland Waterways

• Importance: Rivers, canals, lakes, and coastal areas have been used for transport since ancient times.  
• Factors Affecting Development: Navigability, width, depth, continuity of water flow, and technology.  
• Major Inland Waterways:
  • Rhine Waterway: Heavily used waterway connecting industrial areas of Europe with the North Atlantic Sea Route.  
  • Danube Waterway: Serves Eastern Europe, facilitating trade in agricultural products and machinery.  
  • Volga Waterway: Extensive waterway in Russia, connecting with Moscow and the Black Sea.  
  • Great Lakes – St. Lawrence Seaway: Important commercial waterway in North America, allowing ocean-going vessels to reach deep into the continent.  
  • Mississippi Waterways: Connects the interior of the U.S.A. with the Gulf of Mexico.  

Air Transport

• Advantages: Fastest but expensive, ideal for long distances, valuable cargo, and reaching inaccessible areas.  
• Connectivity Revolution: Overcomes geographical barriers and increases accessibility.  
• Infrastructure: Requires airports, hangars, and maintenance facilities, making it more developed in industrialized countries.  
• Rapid Growth: No place is more than 35 hours away, with frequent air services worldwide.  
• Inter-Continental Air Routes:
  • Northern Hemisphere: Dense network in Eastern U.S.A., Western Europe, and Southeast Asia.  
  • Southern Hemisphere: Limited services due to sparse population and economic development.  

Pipelines

• Use: Transport liquids and gases like water, petroleum, and natural gas.  
• Global Networks: Extensive networks in the U.S.A., Europe, Russia, West Asia, and India, connecting oil wells with refineries, ports, and markets.  

Communications

• Evolution: From telegraphs and telephones to optic fiber cables and the Internet.  

Satellite Communication

• Impact: Enables cell phones, cable TV, and global connectivity.  
• Advantages: Reduces communication costs and time regardless of distance.  

Cyber Space – Internet

• Definition: The electronic digital world for communication and information access.  
• Growth: Expanded rapidly, connecting billions of people worldwide.  
• Impact: Facilitates e-mail, e-commerce, e-learning, and e-governance, making the world a “global village.”  

Conclusion

• Efficient transport and communication systems are essential for economic development, social integration, and defence.
• Different modes of transport have varying strengths and limitations, complementing each other in a well-managed system.
• Technological advancements continue to shape the landscape of transport and communication, making the world increasingly interconnected.

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