Chapter 9: Economic Geography,

Agriculture and Primary Activities

Oil tanker indicating increasing

economic interdependence

Categories of Activities

Primary Activities: related to harvesting

or extracting something from the earth

Primary Activities

Hunting and gathering

Subsistence agriculture

Nomadic herding

Extractive industries (forestry, mining)

Secondary Activities: add value to raw

materials by changing their form

Secondary Activities

Manufacturing

Processing (freezing, canning)

Construction

Primary and secondary activities.

Wood harvesting and paper mill.

Tertiary Activities: provide goods and services to

secondary activities such as banking, real estate and

health care.

Tertiary Activities

Retail and wholesale

Personal and professional services

Planned Economy: Production and

prices are controlled by the

government

Planned Economies

Found in Communist countries

Goals include the adequate production

of food and the equal distribution of

wealth

Profit by individuals is limited or

eliminated

Vendors in China: Planned Economy

with Free Market Elements

Collective Farm in Siberia

Collective Farms in the former Soviet

Union

Collective

Farms in

North Korea

Gross

national

income

compared to

purchasing

power

Informal economies involve about 40% of

jobs in Latin America

Subsistence Economies

Intensive: cultivation of small holdings

Extensive: involves use of large areas

of land

Subsistence Economies

Subsistence Agriculture

Hunting and gathering

Nomadic herding

Shifting cultivation

Intensive rice farming

Hunting

Gathering of roots, nuts, and berries

Nomadic Herding: Camels in Niger

Nomadic Herding: Sheep in Bolivia

Nomadic Herding: Cattle in Africa

Nomadic Herding: Reindeer in Lapland

Nomadic Herding: Yak in Central Asia

Shifting Cultivation: The Process

Trees are girdled during dry season

The forest is burned

Ash is used as fertilizer

Crops are planted for about five years

Family moves to a new area

Slash and Burn or swidden

agriculture in rainforest regions

Slash and Burn: Amazonia

Slash and Burn: Amazonia

Rice Farming: Southern Asia

Terracing Yunnan province, China

von Thünen’s

Model

von Thünen’s Model

Costs near cities are higher. Farm

products tend to be of higher value.

Costs distant from cities are lower.

Farm products tend to be of lower

value.

Commercial Agriculture: Farming for

profit, usually highly mechanized

Sugar beet harvesterSwitchgrass

harvested for energy

production

Modern Irrigation Systems

Agricultural

Regions of

North

America

U.S. Farm Regions

New England, Great Lakes: Dairy

Florida, California coasts: Truck farming

Midwest: Corn Belt

Great Plains: Wheat

Intensive Commercial Agriculture

Truck farming

Livestock-grain farming

Truck Farming: Lettuce and carrots

Truck Farming: Strawberries

Truck Farming: Tomatoes

Truck Farming: Cabbage

Truck Farming: Apple orchard and

blueberries

The Corn Belt: Midwestern U.S.

Iowa: Open Storage of Corn

The Corn Belt: centered in the

Midwestern U.S.

Poultry and livestock farming

Dairy Farming: Northeast and Great Lakes

Chickens and hogs

Extensive Commercial Agriculture

Wheat farming

Livestock ranching

Range Livestock: Cattle

India Ireland

Large-scale Grain: Wheat and oats

Wheat Production in the U.S. is

concentrated in the Great Plains

Special Crops

Mediterranean Agriculture: crops that

prefer long growing season and can

tolerate drought

Plantation Agriculture: high value crops

commonly grown in tropical wet

climates for export

Special Crops/Livestock Ranching

Mediterranean Agriculture: Grapes

Mediterranean Agriculture: Olives

Mediterranean Agriculture: Figs and Dates

Mediterranean Agriculture: Citrus Fruits

Plantation Agriculture: Tea

Plantation Agriculture: Coffee

Plantation Agriculture: Bananas

Plantation Agriculture: Cacao

Plantation Agriculture: Rubber

Sugar being loaded for export in

the Philippines

The Southeast: Cotton

Cotton Production in the U.S.

The Southeast: Tobacco

Tobacco Production in the U.S.

Peanuts in the U.S.