GRADE 9 GEOGRAPHY NOTE

ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES
Economic activity refers to the production, distribution and exchange of goods and services.
Classification of Economic Activities
The types of economic activities practiced in the world are grouped in to five. Namely primary,
secondary, tertiary, quaternary and quinary
A. Primary economic activities
 This refers to the production of means of subsistence and raw materials from the natural
resources.
 They involve basic food stuff and raw materials.
Primary economic activities are characterized by:
 Dependent on the natural environment
 Influenced by the physical environment
 The dominant primary economic activities are:
1. Agriculture: is defined as the growing of crops and tending of livestock whether for the
subsistence of the producer or for sell.
 It is spatially the most wide spread, found in all world regions.
 In agricultural activity, land is the basic means for production
 Two measure factors affect agricultural activities. A. Physical (natural) factors:
include relief, soil, climate, biological factors etc. B. Human factors: include methods of
cultivation ( modern and traditional), labor organization, market, political factors etc
2. Forestry: forest is mass of plants mainly dominated by trees.
Forestry is an activity that involves the extraction of trees and other forest products.
Direct uses of forest products
 For construction purposes  As an industrial raw materials  As a source of food stuffs
Indirect uses of forest products
 To control soil erosion  As home of wild life
 To regulate local climate  As aesthetic value
 To store greenhouse gases
3. Fishery: involves the production of certain marine and fresh water products.
 It is the oldest occupation of mankind but not well developed as compared to the other
economic activities.
 At present it is the main stay of livelihood in Norway, Iceland and Japan
4. Mining: is concerned with the extraction of mineral bearing rocks from the earth’s crust.
 Minerals are organic as well as inorganic but most minerals are inorganic.
 Minerals are useful for different purposes such as for:
 Construction ( granite)  Industrial raw material ( iron )
 Jewelry ( gold and diamond)  Source of energy ( petroleum, natural
gas)

B. SECONDARY ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES

 Secondary economic activities include manufacturing, construction and power production.
 Manufacturing is the activity which turns raw materials into products by using labor, energy
and equipment, while industry refers to the place where manufacturing takes place.
 Manufacturing uses machines, tools and labor to make things for use or sale. The term may
refer to a range of human activities, from handicraft to the use of high technology. However, it
is most commonly applied to the creation of industrial products in which raw materials are
transformed into finished goods on a large scale.
 Manufacturing activities are characterized by the following features:
 Dependency on raw materials that are obtained from the primary economic sector;
 Transformation of raw materials into finished and/or semi-finished goods;
 Most modern manufacturing industries need power, skilled manpower, huge capital and
modern technology;
 Most modern manufacturing industries are characterized by a high level of division of
labor;
 The production of end products that are ready for consumption or semi-finished goods
that serve as an input for other industries.
Secondary Activities The main types of Secondary activities include:

 Manufacturing
 Construction
 Power Production
C. TERTIARY ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES

 The tertiary sector of the economy, (the service sector or the service industry) is the next type
of economic activity. The basic characteristic of this sector is the provision of services .
 The tertiary sector involves the provision of services to other businesses as well as to the final
consumers. Examples of tertiary economic activities include education, legal services, medical
services, trade, transportation services, tourism, etc.

Tertiary Activities The main types of Tertiary activities include:

 Trade
 Tourism
 Transportation
 Communication

TRADE
  Trade is a tertiary economic activity. It is the process of buying, selling, or exchanging of
commodities.
 The earliest form of trade was bartering, which is the exchange of one article for another of
equal value.
 The emergence of trade is related to the unequal distribution of resources that are essential to
satisfying human needs. It also resulted from specialization of skills, such as weaving,
metalwork, tannery, pottery, etc.
TOURISM

 Tourism is a collection of activities, services and industries that delivers a travel experience,
and they include transportation, accommodations, eating and drinking establishments, retail
shops, entertainment businesses, activity facilities and other hospitality services provided for
individuals or groups travelling away from home.
 Tourism is a source of both job opportunities and income. It is known as a ‘smokeless
industry’. The main tourist attractions include natural and human- made features. The
following are some of the reasons for tourism:
 site-seeing;
 conferences;
 sport activities, such as skiing, mountaineering, boating, yachting, fishing, hunting,
swimming, etc;
 health purposes – for example to secure fresh air and sunshine and sometimes to
bathe in hot springs etc;
 research;
 religious ceremonies.
 Features that encourage the development of a tourist industry include:
 good weather conditions;
 beaches, scenery (scenic attractions) or physical landscape features;
 services, such as bathing, boating, recreation, hotels, restaurants, etc.
 accessibility (transport facilities);
 interesting features (historical sites, parks, etc).
COMMUNICATION
 The word communication involves the transmission of words and messages from one place to
another. The following are the major types of communications:
 Mail: This includes the distribution of letters, pakages as well as money. Example:
Postal services
 Telephone: is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sound, most
commonly the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system
whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to
each other. Example: Mobile phone, land line telephone.
 Radio: It is one of the most important means of communication. All over the world,
information is transmitted using radios, with the help of electromagnetic waves.
 Television: It is a means of communication used to transmit messages using both
images and sounds. Nowadays, it is possible to receive information and entertainment
via TV from any corner of the world with the help of satellites.
 Internet and other modern communications tools: by using satellites and other
electronic equipment like the computer and telephone, new methods of communication
have been introduced to the world. Some of them include fax, e-mail and internet .
D. QUATERNARY ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES
 The quaternary sector may realistically be seen as an advanced form of service activity
involving specialized knowledge, technical skills, communication ability, or administrative
competence. These activities include education, research, development, financial services and
government activities.
 These are the activities performed in office buildings, elementary and university classrooms,
hospitals and doctors’ offices, theatres and television stations.
 They are activities primarily concentrated in large urban places and require higher levels of
education than the other sectors. This section also includes other pure services, such as the
entertainment industry.
E. QUINARY ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES
 They are generally considered to be a sub-set of quaternary activities and are those that
involve high-level decision making and scientific research skills.
 It is also a sub-division of the tertiary sector representing the special and highly paid skills of
top business executives, government officials, research scientists, financial and legal
consultants, and the like.
 These people find their places of business in major metropolitan centres, in and near major
universities and research centres.