Different Industries
Geography: Cambridge International GCSE (2027 Exams), topic 9.1.1
Types of Industry
There are several different types of industry.
Primary and manufacturing industries
- Primary industry
- Getting raw materials, like coal, out of the ground.
- Manufacturing industry
- The general term for making products, usually in a factory.
Heavy and light industry
- Heavy industry
- Using a lot of heavy or bulky raw materials, such as iron or steel or coal.
- It often causes pollution.
- Light industry
- Using fewer raw materials that are usually lighter in weight and easy (and less costly) to transport.
Processing industry
- Making a product from some raw materials.
- For example, using the raw materials of iron ore and coal to create steel.
Assembly plants
- Bringing together different component parts in one production line to make a product.
- For example, cars are made from hundreds of different parts on production lines.
Footloose industry
- This is an industry that doesn’t use heavy or bulky raw materials so does not need to always stay in one place.
High-technology (hi-tech/high-tech) industry
- This involves companies that create or invent products using lots of modern information and research.
- Within the industry, there are companies like Microsoft, Apple, Nokia, Samsung, etc that make the newest gadgets.
- People who work in this industry are usually very highly skilled.
Test yourself on Different Industries
What type of industry are companies like Microsoft, Apple, Nokia, Samsung in?
What sort of industry doesn’t use heavy or bulky raw materials so does not need to always stay in one place?