Paper: Economic Geography

Topic: Concepts of Manufacturing Region (UNIT 3)

Department of Geography
B.Sc/ B.A VI Semester

INTRODUCTION

MANUFACTURING REGION : CHARACTERISTIC, CONDITIONS AND MAJOR INDUSTRIAL

REGIONS OF THE W ORLD

An industrial region, also called manufacturing region is characterized by a landscape dominated

by an assemblage of factories, chimneys, ejecting smoke and ash, heaps of raw material, scrap
and slag, godowns, building, offices, labour colonies, means of transport etc.

Industrial regions are those areas, where concentration of industries has occurred due to

favorable geo-economic conditions. These are areas within which manufacturing industry is
carried out on a relatively large scale and employs a relatively large proportion of population.

CHARACTERISTIC, CONDITIONS AND MAJOR MANUFACTURING REGIONS OF THE WORLD

Industrial regions are those areas, where concentration of industries has occurred due to

favorable geo-economic conditions. These are areas within which manufacturing industry is
carried out on a relatively large scale and employs a relatively large proportion of population.

The spatial distribution of manufacturing units shows a distinct trend of localization towards a
few selected areas; these regions are referred to as ‘industrial regions’.

THE COMMON CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF THE MANUFACTURING REGIONS ARE :

1. Large population engaged in industrial pursuits,

2. Large industrial complex in hierarchical order,

3. Integration of some main industries with a group of subsidiary industries,

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4. Large banking and credit facilities,

5. A network of communication lines, and

6. A large market for labour supply, etc.

The industrial regions of the world are very unevenly distributed over the face of the earth. Both

natural and cultural factors are involved in any explanation of the distribution of manufacturing

regions of the world, but the great differentiations in localisation of any industrial region can be
explained to a large degree by the availability of resources.

Since the development of machinery, many industrial centres have sprung up where there is

abundance of coal, or coal and iron, or extensive water-power – the mainsprings of modern
industry, and all such towns are more or less business centres.

There are several factors affecting the concentration or localisation of industry. The main

localising factors are: the market, the labour supply, the cost of land resources, the situation of

raw material, the nature and situation of the natural and human resources, the value of the

commodities produced in relation to the cost of the various items entering into their production,
and finally, the supply of capital.

THE MAJOR MANUFACTURING REGIONS OF THE WORLD ARE AS FOLLOWS:

1. North American region, comprising USA and Canada.

2. European region, consisting of the industrial region of UK, Germany, France, etc.

3. Industrial region of former USSR.

4. Asian region, comprising the industrial regions of Japan, China, India, etc.

5. Other isolated industrial regions.

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 3 MAJOR INDUSTRIAL REGIONS OF CANADA

Three Major Industrial Regions of Canada are:

1. Ontario and St. Lawrence Valley

2. Prairie Region

3. Pacific Coastal Region

In North America, Canada is the second largest industrial region. The country is rich in mineral
resources like iron ore, petroleum and forest resources and also has abundant hydroelectric
power.

THE THREE MAJOR INDUSTRIAL REGIONS OF CANADA ARE :

(i) Ontario and St. Lawrence valley,

(ii) Prairie Region, and

(iii) Pacific Coastal Region.

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1. Ontario and St. Lawrence Valley:
This is one of the most important manufacturing regions in Canada. The major products are

paper, cheese, flour, agricultural machinery, copper and nickel smelting, iron and steel industry

and chemical industry. The major industrial centres are Quebec, Ontario, Ottawa, Toronto,
Hamilton, etc.

2. Prairie Region:
As far as manufacturing industry is concerned, this region is not very developed. The major

centres of production are Manitoba, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Alberta, etc. Besides agro-based
industries, the other noted industries in the region are petroleum refinery and chemical industry.

3. Pacific Coastal Region:

In this region industry like paper and pulp, furniture, agricultural machinery, etc., have been
developed. The major industrial centres of this region are Vancouver and Prince Rupert

8 MAJOR INDUSTRIAL REGIONS OF USA AND SOUTHERN CANADA

Eight major Industrial Regions of USA and Southern Canada are

1. Southern New England

2. Mid-Atlantic States

3. Pittsburgh-Lake Erie Region

4. Detroit Industrial Region

5. Lake Michigan Region

6. Southern Appalachian Region

7. Eastern Texas

8. Pacific Coastal Region.

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North American industrial region comprising of USA and Canada is a highly developed
industrial region of the world. USA is now the wealthiest and most highly developed nation in
the world. Southern Canada is also well developed.

1. SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND:

This part of USA was the earliest to be developed by the settlers from England. Therefore,

industrial growth also started earlier in this region. This is one of the oldest industrial regions in

USA having a diversified industrial growth. The nucleus of the region is Boston with
Connecticut; Massachusetts and Rhode Island are other major centres.

The two dominant industries which developed in this region are shipbuilding and textile, but

both have now declined as newer centres with greater advantages have emerged in the Mid-
Atlantic States, the Great Lakes and the West.

The engineering industry is still important, especially for the production of specialised goods,

such as electrical machinery at Springfield, aircraft and armaments in Hartford, instrument-

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making at Bridgeport and textile-machinery manufacture at Worcester, Lowell and New
Bedford.

Two towns, Boston and Beverly, are specialised in footwear machinery and the former is a

shoemaking centre. The traditional textile towns are Lowell and Providence for woollen textiles;

and New Bedford, Worcester and Fall River for cotton textiles; but these now produce mainly
high-quality goods. Mass production is now more economic, farther south.

2. MID-ATLANTIC STATES:
This region has a great diversity of manufactures. Inland, the variety of product, from the wrist

watch to the giant locomotive; from the coarsest cotton to the finest silk; and from the deadliest

and most powerful chemicals to perfumes are the outstanding characteristics of this industrial
development.

Abundance of cheap and good anthracite coal of Pennsylvania, oil and natural gas from

Appalachians have been important factors in encouraging development in the Mid-Atlantic

Region. Coal is used in all units of this industrial region as a source of power but oil and gas are

also important sources of energy. This is also the most densely populated part of the United

States, a main source of skilled labour force, and this is also the main basis for the growth of
enormous industrial conurbation from New York to Baltimore.

The main industrial cities of the Mid-Atlantic region are New York, Newark, Trenton,

Philadelphia, Wilnington, Baltimore, etc. This vast conurbation from New York to Baltimore is

known as Megalopolis. New York, situated on Manhattan Island, at the mouth of this important

Hudson route from the interior via the Mohawk and Hudson valleys, is the largest city in the

United States. It has an excellent harbour, and kilometers of wharves along the shores of the
Manhattan Island and Long Island.

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3. Pittsburgh-Lake Erie Region:
This is the region having greatest concentration of ferrous industries. This region accounts about

one-fourth of ferrous and ferro-alloy products of the country. The famous Youngstown-

Pittsburgh-Johnstown iron and steel triangle is located in the region. The other steel-producing

areas are Wheeling, Cleveland, Louisville, Rookford, Flint, Steubenville and Detroit. It also

spreads down the Ohio River to Weirton, Steubenville, wheeling Huntington, Ashland, Ironton

and Portsmouth and up the Miami valley to Middletown. Pittsburgh also has the largest glass

industry in the United States. Johntown on the Conemangh, to the east of Pittsburgh, has a coal,

iron and steel industry. Most of the ore comes from Lake Superior. Cleveland, on Lake Erie, is
noted for iron goods, electrical engineering and machineries.

4. Detroit Industrial Region:

This is the greatest automobile manufacturing region of the USA, centred at Detroit. The city

was at first a centre for wagon and carriage-making which later led to the assembly of

automobiles in the region. It is the headquarters of several giant motor corporations including

Ford, Chrysler, and General Motors. Other locational advantages were the large market for cars

in the Midwest, where other forms of transport, e.g., railways, were relatively poorly developed
in the early 20th century; and the ease of transporting steel from Pittsburgh via Lake Erie.

5. Lake Michigan Region:

This area lies on the southern shores of Lake Michigan with Chicago as a main centre. There are

some 10,000 factories in and around Chicago, amongst which the iron and steel plants are the

most important. The manufacturing industries around Lake Michigan are confined largely to

Chicago and Gary where iron ore of the Lake Superior and of north meets coal from the south.
Chicago, near the head of Lake Michigan, is now the second largest city in the United States.

Its chief advantage lies in the fact that railways from the north-west are obliged to pass through it
in rounding Lake Michigan to reach the Atlantic, while it also forms a good centre for railways

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from the south. Chicago concentrates on motor vehicles and trucks, cement, chemicals, iron and
steel goods, furniture, paper, cereal, baby food and pharmaceuticals.

6. Southern Appalachian Region:

This is a very distinctive steel making area centred at Birmingham in the piedmont of the

southern Appalachians in the state of Albania. The availability of coal and iron, later

supplemented by oil and hydroelectric power from the Fall line are responsible for the growth of

this industrial area. Other industrial cities of this region are Atlanta, Gadsden, Bessemer,

Anniston and many others. Cotton textiles and chemicals are now manufactured in several

industrial towns of this industrial region where water power is available. It makes a very wide
range of goods such as metal works, chemicals and machinery manufacture.

7. Eastern Texas:
The industrial development of this region is based on oil, as a source of fuel and as a raw

material. The main centres of this region are cities of Dallas and Houston. This region is also rich

in sulphur, rock salt and phosphate rock. This makes oil refining and chemical industries the

most important in the region. Their situations on the coast have additional advantage of

transportation. The capital available by the oil industry helps in industrial development. Dallas

has more than twelve oil refineries, chemical plants, synthetic rubber factory as well as steel

milling and manufacture of mining equipment and consumer products. Dallas also has clothing
and fashion industry and Fort Worth is famous for aircraft and aerospace industries.

8. Pacific Coastal Region:

This region is a narrow coastal strip running through Washington, Oregon and California. This is

one of the great industrial agglomerations of the Pacific coast. Its industrial centres are San

Francisco and Los Angeles. This region is famous for food and beverages, automobiles, aircraft,

metal fabrication, petrochemical and heavy chemical industries. Apart from the above
mentioned industrial regions, there are some large isolated industrial centres in USA which are

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known for their industrial products. St. Louis has meat-packing, flour-milling, footwear, and

agricultural machinery industries. Kansas City has similar manufacture of products plus aircraft
and oil refining.

Major Industrial Regions of the Former USSR

Major Industrial Regions of the Former USSR

Before the revolution in Russian industry which began in 1928, manufacturing was confined to
the western parts of the Soviet Union.

Its chief centres were Leningrad, Moscow with its ring of smaller towns, and the Ukraine. Also,

the Donetz basin, with its reserves of coal and iron, constituted the foremost centre of the

metallurgical industries. The development, initiated by Stalin in the First Five-Year Plan was

designed to create a series of new industrial regions, with the result USSR became a highly

developed industrial nation in the world. Although with the disintegration of the country into

several new countries, these industrial regions have also been divided, but still their present
pattern shows a general industrial scenario of this region.

The well-developed industrial regions are as follows:

The Moscow Region is more extensive, and includes a number of towns; some of them, such as

Tula and Kalinin, of very considerable size, located within 160 kilometers of the city. Coal is

mined within this region, but in no great quantity. The chief industries are textile, chemical and

engineering. The Ukraine remains the chief centre of the heavy industries in European Russia.

Within the Ukraine, the Donetz basin, in which coal occurs, is the centre of the iron smelting and

metallurgical industries. To the west, along the Dnieper River, are further centres of the

engineering industry, in which high quality steel and aluminium goods are fabricated, and non-

ferrous metals refined. Even further to the west is the iron ore field of Krivoi Rog, near which

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heavy steel industries have been established. To these industrial regions should be added a
number of smaller industrial centres – towns like Kiev, Riga, Kazan and Volgagrad.

These are old towns in which the traditional industries have been developed and new

industries located.
The Leningrad Region:
Coal is lacking, but is, to some extent, replaced by hydroelectric power. Timber is abundant and

paper and cellulose are made. These, with engineering, and mechanical, electrical, and textile
industries, account for the greater part of the industrial production of the region.

The Ural Region:

This range of low hills contains very considerable deposits of iron ore and of various non-ferrous

metals. On its borders are not inconsiderable deposits of petroleum. A number of large centres of

the metallurgical industry have been set up here, deriving their supply of fuel from the next
industrial region to the east.

The Kuzbas Region:

In the upper valley of the Ob, has large reserves of coal. These are used, not only to supply the

local steel industry, but also that of the Ural region. Subsidiary chemical industries have been
established and progress has been made in building up textile and consumer industries.

Soviet Central Asia, or Turkestan, is the only area of Soviet Asia with a significant urban

civilisation dating from before the time of the Soviets. Into the ancient towns of Samarkand and

Bokhara has intruded a machine civilisation, and this region is important for its textile and light
industries.

The Caucasus Region:

It has a very considerable mineral wealth, not only in petroleum but also in coal and metallic
minerals. Although these minerals are now being worked, they have not yet given rise to any
large-scale manufacturing industries beyond the petrochemical.
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The Soviet Far East is an area rich in forests and minerals. It is, however, remote from other

parts of the Soviet Union, with which it is joined by the Trans-Siberian Railway. Its exposure has

led to the development here of certain ‘strategic’ industries as part of the defence plans of the
USSR.

Industrial Regions: 8 Major Industrial Regions of India

Following are the major industrial regions of India

1. Mumbai-Pune Industrial Region

2. Hugli Industrial Region.
3. Bangalore-Tamil Nadu Industrial Region
4. Gujarat Industrial Region
5. Chotanagpur Industrial Region
6. Vishakhapatnam-Guntur Industrial Region
7. Gurgaon-Delhi-Meerut Industrial Region
8. Kolfam-Thiruvananthapuram Industrial Region.

1. Mumbai-Pune Industrial Region:

This region extends from Thane to Pune and in adjoining districts of Nashik and Solapur. In

addition, industries have grown at a rapid pace in Kolaba, Ahmednagar, Satara, Sangli and
Jalgaon districts also. This region owes its origin to the British rule in India.

The growth of this industrial region is fully connected with the growth of cotton textile industry

in India. As the coal was far removed, hydel power was developed in Western Ghats. Cotton was
cultivated in the black cotton soil area of the Narmada and Tapi basins.

Cheap labour-force came from the hinterland, the port facilities for export-import and

communication links with the peninsular hinterland made Mumbai the ‘Cottonopolis of India’.
With the development of cotton textile industry, the chemical industry developed too.

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Opening of the Mumbai High petroleum field and erection of nuclear energy plants added

additional magnetic force to this region. Now the industrial centres have developed, from

Mumbai to Kurla, Kolaba, Thane, Ghatkopar, Ville Parle, Jogeshwari, Andheri, Thane, Bhandup,
Kalyan, Pimpri, Pune, Nashik, Manmad, Solapur, Ahmednagar, Satara and Sangli.

Mumbai, the nucleus of this industrial region, is facing the current limitation of space for the
expansion of the industry. Dispersal of industries is essential to bring about decongestion.

2. The Hugli Industrial Region:

Located in West Bengal, this region extends as a narrow belt running along the river Hugli for a

distance of about 100 km from Bansbaria and Naihati in the north to Birlanagar in the south.

Industries have also developed in Midnapur district in the west. The river Hugli offered the best

site for the development of an inland river port as nucleus for the development of Hugli
industrial region.

The old trading centre of late 17th century has developed into the present industrial hub of

Kolkata. Thus Kolkata-Haora forms the nucleus of this region. It is very well- connected by the

Ganga and its tributaries with the rich hinterland of Ganga-Brahmaputra plains. Besides

navigable rivers, roads and the railways provided subsequent links to the great benefit of Kolkata
port.

The discovery of coal and iron ore in Chotanagpur plateau, tea plantations in Assam and northern

parts of West Bengal and the processing of deltaic Bengal’s jute led to the industrial

development in this region. Cheap labour could be found easily from the thickly populated states

of Orissa, Bihar, Jharkhand and eastern part of U.P. Kolkata, having been designated capital city
of the British India (1773-1912) attracted large scale British investment of capital.

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Establishment of first jute mill at Rishra in 1855 ushered in the era of modem industrial

clustering in this region. A chain of jute mills and other factories could be established on either

side of Hugli River with the help of Damodar valley coal. The port site was best-suited for export
of raw materials to England and import of finished goods from that country.

Kolkata’s industries have established by drawing in the raw materials from adjoining regions and

distributing the finished goods to consuming points. Thus, the role of transport and

communication network has been as important as the favourable locational factors in the growth

of this region. By 1921, Kolkata-Hugli region was responsible for two-thirds of factory
employment in India.

Just after the partition of old Bengal province in 1947, the region faced, for some years, the

problem of shortage of jute as most of the jute-growing areas went to East Pakistan (now

Bangladesh). The problem was solved by gradually increasing home production of jute. Cotton
textile industry also grew along with jute industry.

Paper, engineering, textile machinery, electrical, chemical, pharmaceuticals, fertilizers and

petrochemical industries have also developed in this region. Factory of the Hindustan Motors
Limited at Konanagar and diesel engine factory at Chittaranjan are landmarks of this region.

Location of petroleum refinery at Haldia has facilitated the development of a variety of

industries. The major centres of this industrial region are Kolkata, Haora, Haldia, Serampur,

Rishra, Shibpur, Naihati, Kakinara, Shamnagar, Titagarh, Sodepur, Budge Budge, Birlanagar,
Bansbaria, Belgurriah, Triveni, Hugli, Belur, etc.

Alarming rate of silting of the Hugli River was a very serious problem. The depth of water in the

channel from bay head to Kolkata docks must be kept at 9.2 metres for big ocean ships to come
in. Dredging out of the silt rapidly filling up the water channel was very costly and not a
permanent solution to save the life of Kolkata port.
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The construction of Farakka barrage about 300 kms upstream on Ganga and flushing of the

channel are the only possible answers. The construction of Haldia port in the lower reaches of

Hugli to the south of Kolkata is another landmark in relieving the great pressure of cargo ships
on the port of Kolkata.

However, the industrial growth of this region has slowed down as compared to the other regions.

There are several reasons for this sluggish growth but decline in jute industry is said to be one of
the main reasons.

3. Bangalore-Tamil Nadu Industrial Region:

Spread in two states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, this region experienced the fastest industrial

growth in the post-independence era. Till 1960, industries were confined to Bangalore district of

Karnataka and Salem and Madurai districts of Tamil Nadu. But now they have spread over all
the districts of Tamil Nadu except Viluppuram.

This region is a cotton-growing tract and is dominated by the cotton-textile industry. In fact

cotton textile industry was the first to take roots in this region. But it has large number of silk-

manufacturing units, sugar mills, leather industry, chemicals, rail wagons, diesel engines, radio,

light engineering goods, rubber goods, medicines, aluminium, cement, glass, paper, cigarette,
match box and machine tools, etc.

This region is away from the main coal-producing areas of the country but cheap hydroelectric

power is available from Mettur, Sivasamudram, Papanasam, Pykara and Sharavati dams. Cheap

skilled labour and proximity to vast local market as well as good climate have also favoured the
concentration of industries in this region.

Coimbatore has grown rapidly mainly owing to its industrial growth based on Pykara power,

local cotton, coffee mills, tanneries, oil presses and cement works. Coimbatore is known as
Manchester of Tamilnadu because of its large-scale cotton textile industry. The establishment of

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public sector units at Banglore like Hindustan Aeronautics, Hindustan Machine Tools, Indian

Telephone Industry and Bharat Electronics etc. has further pushed up the growth of industries in
the region.

Madurai is known for its cotton textiles. Visvesvarayya Iron and Steel Works is located at

Bhadravati. The other important centres of this region are Sivakasi, Tiruchirapalli, Madukottai,

Mettur, Mysore and Mandya. Petroleum refinery at Chennai and Narimanam and iron and steel
plant at Salem are recent developments.

4. Gujarat Industrial Region:

The nucleus of this region lies between Ahmedabad and Vadodara as a result of which it is also

known as Ahmedabad-Vadodara industrial region. However, this region extends upto Valsad and

Surat in the south and Jamnagar in the west. The region corresponds to the cotton growing tracts

of the Gujarat plains and the development of this region is associated with the location of textile
industry since 1860s.

This region became important textile region with the decline of cotton textile industry in

Mumbai. Mumbai has the disadvantage of paying double freight charges for first bringing the

raw cotton from the peninsular hinterland and then despatching the finished products to inland
consuming points in India.

But Ahmedabad is nearer the sources of raw material as well as the marketing centres of the

Ganga and Satlui plains. Availability of cheap land, cheap skilled labour and other advantages

helped the cotton textile industry to develop. This major industrial region of the country, mainly

consisting of cotton textile industry, is expanding at a much faster rate in providing a greater
factory employment.

The discovery and production of oil at a number of places in the Gulf of Khambhat area led to
the establishment of petrochemical industries around Ankleshwar, Vadodara and Jamnagar.

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Petroleum refineries at Koyali and Jamnagar provide necessary raw materials for the proper
growth of petrochemical industries.

The Kandla port, which was developed immediately after independence, provides the basic

infrastructure for imports and exports and helps in rapid growth of industries in this region. The
region can now boast of diversified industries.

Besides textiles (cotton, silk and synthetic fibres) and petrochemical industries, other industries

are heavy and basic chemicals, dyes, pesticides, engineering, diesel engines, textile machinery,

pharmaceuticads, dairy products and food processing. The main industrial centres of this region

are Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Bharuch, Koyali, Anand, Khera, Surendranagar, Surat, Jamnagar,
Rajkot and Valsad. The region may become more important in the years to come.

5. Chotanagpur Industrial Region:

As its name indicates, this region is located on the Chotanagpur plateau and extends over

Jharkhand, Northern Orissa and Western part of West Bengal. The birth and growth of this

region is linked with the discovery of coal in Damodar Valley and iron ore in the Jharkhand-

Orissa mineral belt. As both are found in close proximity, the region is known as the ‘Ruhr of
India’.

Besides raw materials, power is available from the dam sites in the Damodar Valley and the

thermal power stations based on the local coal. This region is surrounded by highly populated
states of Jharkhand, Bihar, Orissa and West Bengal which provide cheap labour.

The Kolkata region provides a large market for the goods produced in the Chotanagpur region. It

also provides the port facility to the region. It has the advantages for developing ferrous metal

industries. The Tata Iron and Steel Company at Jamshedpur, Indian Iron Steel Co., at Bumpur-

Kulti, Hindustan Steel Limited at Durgapur, Rourkela and Bokaro are the important steel plants
located in this region.

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Heavy engineering, machine tools, fertilizers, cement, paper, locomotives and heavy electricals

are some of the other important industries in this region. Important nodal centres of this region
are Ranchi, Dhanbad, Chaibasa, Sindri, Hazaribagh, Jamshedpur, Daltonganj, Garwa and Japla.

6. Vishakhapatnam-Guntur Industrial Region:

This industrial region extends from Vishakhapatnam district in the north-eastern part of Andhra

Pradesh to Kurnool and Prakasham districts in the south-east and covers most of the coastal

Andhra Pradesh. The industrial development of this region mainly depends upon
Vishakhapatnam and Machilipatnam ports.

Developed agriculture and rich mineral resources in the hinterlands of these ports provide solid

base to the industrial growth in this region. Coal fields of the Godavari basin are the main source
of energy. Hindustan Shipyard Ltd. set up at Vishakhapatnam, set up in 1941 is the main focus.

Petroleum refinery at Vishakhapatnam facilitated the growth of several petrochemical industries.

Vishakhapatnam has the most modern iron and steel plant which have the distinction of being the

only plant in India having coastal location. It uses high quality iron ore from Bailadila in
Chhattisgarh.

One lead-zinc smelter is functioning in Guntur district. The other industries of this region include
sugar, textiles, paper, fertilizers, cement, aluminium and light engineering. The important

industrial centres of this region are Vishakhapatnam, Vijaywada, Vijaynagar, Rajahmundry,

Kurnool, Elum and Guntur. Recent discovery of natural gas in Krishna- Godavari basin is likely
to provide much needed energy and help in accelerated growth of this industrial region.

7. Gurgaon-Delhi-Meerut Industrial Region:

This region developed after independence, but is one of the fastest growing regions of India. It

consists of two industrial belts adjoining Delhi. One belt extends over Agra-Mathura-Meerut and
Saharanpur in U.P. and the other between Faridabad-Gurgaon- Ambala in Haryana.

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The region is located far away from the mineral and power resources, and therefore, the

industries are light and market oriented. The region owes its development and growth to hydro-

electricity from Bhakra-Nangal complex and thermal power from Harduaganj, Faridabad and
Panipat.

Sugar, agricultural implements, vanaspati, textile, glass, chemicals, engineering, paper,

electronics and cycle are some of the important industries of this region. Software industry is a

recent addition, Agra and its environs have glass industry. Mathura has an oil refinery with its
petro-chemical complex. One oil refinery has been set up at Panipat also.

This will go a long way to boost the industrial growth of this region. Gurgaon has Maruti car

factory as well as one unit of the IDPL. Faridabad has a number of engineering and electronic

industries. Ghaziabad is a large-centre of agro-industries. Saharanpur and Yamunanagar have

paper mills. Modinagar, Sonipat, Panipat and Ballabhgarh are other important industrial nodes of
this region.

8. Kollam-Thiruvananthapuram Industrial Region:

This is comparatively small industrial region and spreads over Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam,

Alwaye, Emakulam and Allapuzha districts of south Kerala. The region is located far away from

the mineral belt of the country as a result of which the industrial scene here is dominated by
agricultural products processing and market oriented light industries.

Plantation agriculture and hydroelectricity provide the industrial base to this region. The main

industries are textiles, sugar, rubber, match box, glass, chemical fertilizers, food and fish

processing, paper, coconut coir products, aluminium and cement. Oil refinery set up in 1966 at

Kochi provides solid base to petrochemical industries. Important industrial centres are Kollam,
Thiruvananthapuram, Alluva, Kochi, Alappuzha and Punalur.

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Besides the above mentioned eight major industrial regions, India has 13 minor industrial regions
and 15 industrial districts. Their names are mentioned below:

Minor Industrial Regions:

1. Ambala-Amritsar in Haryana-Punjab.
2. Saharanpur-Muzaffamagar-Bijnaur in Uttar Pradesh.
3. Indore-Dewas-Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh.
4. Jaipur-Ajmer in Rajasthan.
5. Kolhapur-South Kannada in Maharashtra-Karnataka.
6. Northern Malabar in Kerala.
7. Middle Malabar in Kerala.
8. Adilabad-Nizamabad in Andhra Pradesh.
9. Allahabad-Varanasi-Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh.
10. Bhojpur-Munger in Bihar.
11. Durg-Raipur in Chhattisgarh.
12. Bilaspur-Korba in Chhattisgarh.
13. Brahmaputra Valley in Assam.
Industrial Districts:
1. Kanpur,
2 Hyderabad,
3. Agra,
4. Nagpur,
5 Gwalior,
6. Bhopal,
7. Lucknow,
8. Jalpaiguri,
9. Cuttack,
10. Gorakhpur,
11. Aligarh,
12. Kota,
13. Pumia,

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14. Jabalpur,
15. Bareilly.

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