Commercial Geography

Radha Raghuramapatruni
 Books on Commercial Geography
• Commerical Geography by Mrs. P.N.Padey, Nirali Publications
• Handbook of Commercial Geography. George W. Chisholm
• The Geography of Commerce: A Text Book. Spencer Trotter
• Commercial Geography: A Book for High Schools, Commercial
Courses and Business Colleges. Jacques W. Redway
• A Short Commercial Geography. Lionel W. Lyde
Definition of Commercial Geography
-Geography that deals with commodities according to their places of origin
and their paths of transportation.
-Commercial geography investigates the spatial characteristics of trade and
transactions in terms of their nature, causes, and consequences.
• "Commercial geography is a form of geography concerned with the
production and. supply of raw materials including agricultural output and
finished goods.“
George Goudie Chisholm FRSE FRSGS LLD
(1 May 1850 – 9 February 1930)- was a Scottish geographer.
He authored the first English-language textbook on economic geography:
Handbook on Commercial Geography (1889) and the World Gazetteer, later to
become known as The Times Gazetteer.
Commercial geography can be considered a component of economic
geography similar to transport geography.
Still, it is relevant to see commercial geography as distinct, which allows the
sphere of locations investigated by economic geography to interact with the
sphere of circulation investigated by transport geography.
 Environment
• A natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring
naturally, meaning in this case not artificial.
• The term is most often applied to the Earth or some parts of Earth.
• The physical environment includes land, air, water, plants and animals,
buildings and other infrastructure, and all of the natural resources that
provide our basic needs and opportunities for social and economic
development. A clean, healthy environment is important for people's physical
and emotional wellbeing.
Man-Made Environment
Man cannot directly live in the geographical environment, so he creates some
of his environmental conditions to adjust to it. This is a man-made or human-
made environment, a human creation. A man-made environment is also called
a social environment. It has two types which are described here.

The Inner Environment

• The inner environment is the social environment that endures as long as
society cherishes. The inner environment has a profound impact on human
lives. The inner environment is often called the 'social heritage' as it is an
important factor for humankind to exist, live and arise. It is entirely
dependent on human social influence.
 The Outer Environment
• The outer environment is the physical environment that man has created
on his own with the evolving technology and science.
• It is the modification of the physical environment that has helped cope
with the progress of mankind and the development of the environment.
• It includes city infrastructures, houses, various amenities provided at the
social and individual level, transport and communication, and much more.
• It can be said that the outer environment changes more rapidly than the
inner one because it is in the hand of man and his evolving technology.
Commercial activity
• Commercial activity is an activity intended for exchange in the market to
earn an economic profit. For example, commercial banking refers to
banking activities focused on businesses, as opposed to consumer or retail
banking which deals with the finance needs of individuals.

What are the importance of commercial activities?

• Commercial activities are among the most important, if not the most
essential, service activities in new and existing urban settlements.
• Commerce helps enhance development opportunities and increase
productivity for an economy.
Types of Commercial Activities

• Primary Activities – Agriculture & Allied Activities

• Secondary Activities – Industrial Activities
• Tertiary Activities – Activities related to services sector
• Quaternary Activities – Activities related to generation and
sharing of information
Significance of Commercial Geography
• The environment influences the development of commercial activities and
the nature of these activities changes regionally. We have studied the same in
the above discussions.
• Such kind of study is useful for planning and development of commercial
activities.
• As there is greater importance to such activities today¸ the study of
commercial geography also has got importance.

Encouragement to Increase the Production- The commodity products are

obtained from the economic activities.
• The various commodities are obtained from the primary and secondary
occupations.
• The tertiary and quaternary activities consist of services from which direct
commodity products are not obtained¸ but these services help in the
production and distribution process.
• The nature of production and services is different on regional level.
• They are abundant at some places and scarce at other.
• With the help of such information the decisions related to trade can be
taken in commercial geography.
• The development of trade encourages the increase in the production and it
helps in the regional economic development.
Search for Markets - The regional information of productions helps in
searching markets. The regions of plenty¸ scarcity and specialization of
productions are the origins of markets.
• Such study provides new markets. Their nature is determined from the local
level to international level. This information becomes useful in many
globalization process.

Motivation to Trade- The trade is standing as the base in the development of

all economic activities. Therefore¸ a competition in the growth of trade has
been started all over. The production is very much beneficial to trade.
• The trade may be systematically developed with the help of such
information.
Development of Transport and Communication- The future of trade depends
on the transport and communication system.
• Unless the transport system is cheap¸ safe and speedy¸ the trade can not
develop.
• Therefore¸ the efficient transport should be associated with competent
communication to develop the trade.
Development of Services- The trade establishes the relations among the
regions. In this connection¸ the services are developed and employments are
generated.
• The well educated and efficient man power gets employment opportunities.
• This begins the free movement of man-power. The service sector has been
developing all over the world due to the modern life style of man. The
countries like China and India have got importance due to their rich human
resource.
Nature of Resources

• The resources¸ being the base of economic development and human life¸ have
got greater importance.
• The nature of resources is varied. According to Zimmerman¸ the resources are
functional and dynamic in nature.
• Similarly¸ they are limited and unlimited; concealed and non-concealed.
• Due to its varied nature¸ it is being overused which need to be conserved.

Functional nature of resources-

Man utilizes the resources to fulfil his primary needs. The process of such
utilization is dynamic and continuous.
The need increases with changing the lifestyle of man and to fulfil those¸ it
needs to exploit the resources; which keeps the process of production constant.
Hence¸ it is said that the nature of resources is functional or dynamic.
• In case of some resources the function stops and its nature remains stagnant and
the use of resources in human life stops.
• We can take an example of agricultural 14 land which is capable of producing
crops. When the land becomes infertile and incapable to produce crops¸ the
function of the land resource stops¸ its nature remains stationary.
• It is therefore that the nature of resources is functional or dynamic.
Limited and unlimited nature of resources :
• The resources are limited. The deposits of resources reduce with their daily use
and vanish after a specific period. Such resources are called ‘Limiting Resources’.
• The land¸ vegetation¸ animals¸ minerals are the examples of limiting
resources/scarce resources.
• Such resource are generated very slowly as compared to their speedy use. In
case of minerals there is no question of their regeneration which needs to be
utilized very carefully.
• On the other hand¸ the availability of some resources is unlimited. Though such
resources are utilized by man¸ their regeneration is possible through the process
of environmental cycle.
• These resources are also known as inexhaustible resources. The weather¸ water¸
solar energy are the best examples of such resources.
Concealed and non-concealed resources:
• The resources have been available on earth from the ancient times. It’s use is
related to the development of science and technology. Man¸ in old age¸ was
unknown about the use of minerals.
• He had no knowledge about the energy generated from water. Hence, in old
age¸ the resources remained unused and concealed in nature.
• Even today¸ man is unable to develop a technology to generate tidal energy on
large scale which is concealed resource.
• The non-concealed resources help in the development and bring happiness in
human life.
Physical Factors

• 1. Relief and landforms- Lowland plains, flat river valleys and deltas and
volcanic areas with fertile soil tend to have high population densities.
Mountainous areas with steep slopes and poor quality soil tend to have low
population densities.
• 2. Weather and Climate-Temperate areas which experience few extremes of
weather and climate tend to be more attracted than areas which experience
extremes.
• Areas which are very dry, very cold or very wet tend to have sparse
populations whereas areas which have a moderate climate with evenly
distributed rainfall or with monsoon type climates have denser populations.
• 3. Soil type and quality 
Areas which have rich, fertile soils allowing successful agriculture tend
to have higher population densities than areas which have poor quality
soils have sparse populations.
• Good quality soils may be found in low lying areas such as river flood
plains and deltas where silt is deposited; in volcanic areas; in areas
which have a high natural humus content.
• Poor quality soils may be found in areas with steep slopes; areas with
very high rainfall throughout the year which tends to leach nutrients fro
the soil; cold areas of permafrost; areas experiencing soil degradation
through human management e.g. over-grazing/deforestation.
• 4. Water supply
Water supply is essential for human survival and development and
because of this areas which have sufficient water (but not too much) tend
to have denser populations than areas which are dry or suffer from regular
drought or areas which have excessive rainfall or which may be prone to
flooding.
• 5. Vegetation
Some types of vegetation make the development of settlement more
likely, e.g. grasslands.
• Areas with particularly dense rainforest, coniferous forests or those with
little vegetation tend to have sparse populations.
6. Raw materials/natural resources
• Areas with a wealth of natural resources such as oil, coal or minerals may
have higher population densities than areas which do not.
• It is important to remember though that natural resources may be found in
otherwise harsh environments and that they may be traded and
exported/used in areas other than where they are extracted.
7. Natural threats
• These may affect population density as people may try to avoid areas where
pests, threatening animals and diseases are particular risks.
II. Physical Factors
• Physical factors influencing the location of human settlements
are physiography, land / soils, climate, water supply and river banks.
• Physical geography (also known as physiography) is one of the three
main branches of geography.
• Physical geography is the branch of natural science which deals with
the processes and patterns in the natural environment such as the
atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and geosphere.
• This focus is in contrast with the branch of human geography, which
focuses on the built environment, and technical geography, which
focuses on using, studying, and creating tools to obtain, analyse,
interpret, and understand spatial information.
• The three branches have significant overlap, however.
Location of India in the World map, longitudes, latitudes and
equator
• India is a South Asian country and it is bordered by the Indian Ocean to
the south.
• The southwest is by the Arabian Sea and to the south Bay of Bengal.
• The neighbouring countries of India are China, Nepal and Bhutan to the
northeast, Pakistan to the west and Myanmar and Bangladesh to the east.
• Any place in the world is located using the longitude and latitude that are
derived using a geographic coordinate system. 
• India is a vast country. Lying entirely in the Northern hemisphere (Figure
1.1) the main land extends between latitudes 8°4'N and 37°6'N and
longitudes 68°7'E and 97°25'E.
• The easternmost longitude of India is 97o 25’ E. This is located in
Arunachal Pradesh state.
• While the westernmost longitude is 68o7’ E. It ends at about 29o due to
the huge longitudinal extent of the east-west.
• The local time of these places might show wide differences as they are
located at extreme points of India.
• This time difference can range up to 2 hours.
• Kibithu is the disputed easternmost point in India. Kibithu is a small town
in Arunachal Pradesh located in the district called Anjaw.
• It lies at the junction between India, China and Myanmar, that is it is
bordered by China in the north and in the east by Myanmar. 
• The longitudes of 82 ½ 0 E (82o 30’) represent the standard meridian.
The local time of these places varies from one place to another.
• The local time that is considered the standard time of the country is
the time at this meridian and is represented as Indian Standard Time
(IST).
• It is necessary to adopt the time of the central meridian of a country
as the standard time.
• There are 28 states and 8 Union territories in the country. Union
Territories are administered by the President through an
Administrator appointed by him/her.
• From the largest to the smallest, each State/ UT of India has a unique
demography, history and culture, dress, festivals, language etc.

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_states_and_union_territories_o
f_India_by_population
• India is a union consisting of 28 states and 8 union territories.
• As of 2022, with an estimated population of 1.4 billion, India is the world's
most populous country before the People's Republic of China. India occupies
2.4% of the world's area and is home to 17.5% of the world's population.
• The Indo-Gangetic plains have one of the world's biggest stretches of fertile
flat-deep alluvium and are among the most densely populated areas of the
world. The eastern and western coastal regions of Deccan Plateau are also
densely populated regions of India.
• The Thar Desert in western Rajasthan is one of the most densely populated
deserts in the world.
• The northern and north-eastern states along the Himalayas contain cold arid
deserts with fertile valleys. These states have relatively less population
density due to indomitable physical barriers.
• India shares its border with seven countries which are Afghanistan,
Pakistan, China, Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar, and Bangladesh.
• Sri Lanka is separated from India by the Gulf of Mannar.
• The Maldives is located under the island of Lakshadweep in the
southwest part of the Indian Ocean.
 Rivers of India
The Himalayan Rivers
• The Himalayan Rivers receive input from rain as well as snowmelt and glacier
melt and, therefore, have continuous flow throughout the year.
• During the monsoon months of June to September, Himalayas receive very heavy
rainfall and experience maximum snow melt and these are the periods when the
rivers carry about 80% or more of the annual flows.
• This is also the time when these rivers are prone to flooding.
• The main river systems in Himalayas are those of the Indus and the Ganga-
Brahmaputra-Meghna.
• The Indus rises near Mansarovar in Tibet. Flowing through Kashmir, it enters
Pakistan and finally falls in the Arabian Sea near Karachi.
• A number of important tributaries of Indus flow through India, namely, the Sutlej,
the Beas, the Ravi, the Chenab and the Jhelum.
• Bhagirathi and Alakhnanda are two important rivers that originate in Garhwal
Himalayas.
• These join at Devprayag to form Ganga which is the most sacred river of India. This
river traverses through Uttaranchal, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal and
thereafter enters Bangladesh.
• The important tributaries of Ganga are the Yamuna, the Ramganga, the Ghaghra, the
Gandak, the Kosi, and the Sone.
• Many of these tributaries are mighty rivers themselves. Yamuna River is an important
tributary of Ganga and its own important tributaries are Chambal and Betwa.
• The Brahmaputra rises in Tibet where it is known by the name Tsangpo. It enters India
in Arunachal Pradesh and after traversing through Assam, enters Bangladesh.
• Its important tributaries are the Dibang, Lohit, Subansiri, Manas and Teesta. Ganga and
Brahmaputra rivers meet at Goalundo in Bangladesh. The Barak River, the head stream
of Meghna rises in the hills in Manipur.
• The Meghna is the part of Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna-System. The combined Ganga-
Brahmaputra River meets Meghna in Bangladesh and their huge volume of water flows
into the Bay of Bengal.
• Harnessing the waters of the major rivers that flow from the Himalayas
is of paramount importance for India, Nepal, and Bangladesh.
• Through a close collaboration and pooling resources, huge benefits can
be realized from flood control, assured irrigation, hydroelectric power
generation, employment generation, and improvement of
environmental quality.
• As these countries grapple with the political compulsions and realities,
both domestic and international, of utilizing the flow of the Ganga-
Brahmaputra system, precious water, largely unutilized, continues to
flow to the sea.
• At times, it also inflicts large losses to life and property.