Explain production and distribution of iron and steel industry
Answers
Answer:
The growth and development of iron and steel industry is a reflection of global economy. The iron and steel industry depicts a changing nature in its growth and production pattern. In the mid-1970s, the relatively developed countries of North.
America, Western Europe and Japan accounted for nearly two-third of the world’s steel production. But gradually the spatial pattern has changed and attention has now shifted to the developing regions.
Explanation:
The spatial distribution pattern of iron and steel industry in major countries of the world is as follows (Figure 10.1).
- China:
China is having the oldest system of fabricators of iron, as is evident from its historical records. But until the adoption of her five-year plan in 1953, China had only insignificant iron and steel manufacturing of modern type.
Gradually, China has developed the iron and steel industry and now it is the highest producer of iron and steel in the world.
Since 1973, growth of steel production in China was spectacular and within a span of 15 years China was able to increase its production of crude steel to 217 percent. In that period consumption increased 300 per cent. This growth rate clearly reveals the rapid pace of industrialisation that is now going on in China.
The iron and steel industry is concentrated in Anshan, Wuhan and Paotow triangle. The biggest iron and steel factory was established in the Chinese mainland at Anshan in Manchuria by Japanese, but was greatly expanded by the Chinese with Russian help. Other iron and steel production centres in Manchuria are Fushun, Penki, Shenyang, Harphin and Kirin.
For Wuhan plants, ore is obtained from Taylh, i.e., 130 km away, and coal from Pingtinghan to the north of Yangtze River. The Wuhan steel plant is also in process of expansion. Other less extensive new steel plants are being created in Siangtan (Hunan), Tientsin, Tangshan, Nanking, Shanghai, etc.
At present, China is having following important areas of iron-steel industry:
(i) Southern Manchuria is the largest steel plant of China at Anshan and other plants at Pensihu and Mukden.
(ii) Shansi is also an old region of iron and steel production. In this region Taiyuan has been developed as a major steel centre.
(iii) The Lower Yangtze Valley: In this region Hankow, Shanghai, Hanyang and Chungking are the main centres of iron and steel industry.
(iv) Other centres are located at Paotow, Chinling Chen, Canton, Singtao and Huangsih.
The growth of iron and steel industry in China has been spectacular. Since 1973, China has increased its production of steel by 220 per cent, although her consumption of steel has also increased more than 300 per cent.
- Japan:
In spite of the shortage of raw material (iron and coal), Japan has become one of the leading steel producers of the world. After China, Japan is the second largest producer of pig iron and crude steel in the world.
Yawata, the first steel plant was built in 1901 by government. Yawata is a major centre of heavy industry with about one fifth of Japan’s steel capacity. Kamaishi in Honshu and Muroran in Hokkaido are small tidewater plants.
The number of large-scale plants directly connected with regional mineral resources and those plants are only in Kamaishi, Kosaka, Osarizawa, Hassei (Akita), Hosokura (Miyagi) and Fujine (Iwate).
Over half of the Japan’s steel capacity is concentrated near the major port cities of Himeji, Kobe-Osaka and Tokyo-Yokohama areas of South Central Honshu.
In Japan, large-scale concentration of iron and steel industry has occurred in the following regions:
1. The Tokyo-Yokohama Region:
It is having all facilities required for the growth of iron-steel industry. The reclamation of Tokyo Bay provided large, extensive plane land for steel manufacturing units. The Tokyo-China region is the main area in which steel industrial units have been developed at Hitachi and North Tokyo.
2. Nagoya Region:
It contributes about 20 per cent of the Japanese steel production. This region had witnessed a massive growth of industries within the period 1950-60.
3. Osaka-Kobe Region:
At the head of the Osaka Bay, a highly industrialised area known as the Kinki has developed. The port of Osaka is the main centre. Other centres of this region are Amagaski, Kobe, Hemegi, Sakai and Wakayama.
- United States of America:
Once USA was the highest producer of iron and steel but now its rank is third in the world, next to China and Japan. In the US first iron and steel plant was established in 1629 at Massachusetts. During last 380 years or so the US steel industry has undergone through several changes. This change has not only occurred in growth and production pattern but also in localisation pattern. The major iron and steel regions in the USA are as follows:
(i) Appalachian or Pittsburgh Region: