International trade is sub divided into two types such as

1. Billateral trade 2. Multilateral trade

1) Bilateral trade is a trade carried out between two countries based on the agreement deal of not using currency for payment.

2) Multilateral trade is a trade carried out between many countries.  The Trade Blocs like APEC (Asian Pacific Economic Community), ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) and SAPTA (South Asian Preferential Trade Agreement) are created to make the trade easier.

Components of Trade

• “Export” and “Import” are two components of trade. ‘Export’ means goods and services sold for foreign currency. India exports nearly 7,500 goods to nearly 190 countries of the world.  Import refers to goods and services bought from overseas producers.  India imports nearly 6,000 goods from 140 countries.  The difference between the values of export and import is called Balance of trade.

Major Exports from India

1. i) Agriculture Products

Cereals, Pulses, tea, coffee, spices, nuts and seeds, sugar and molasses, processed food, meat and meat products.

1. ii) Ores and minerals

Iron ore, Coal, Manganese, Mica, Bauxite.

iii) Leather products

Wallets, Purses, pouches, handbags, belts, foot wear, gloves.

1. iv) Gems and jewellery

Precious stones, gold jewellery, decorations and antiques.

1. v) Chemicals and related products

Pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, rubber and glass.

1. vi) Engineering goods

Machinery, iron and steel, electronic goods, computer software.

vii) Textiles and handicrafts

Ready made garments, cotton, yarn and zari goods.

Major Imports of India

Machineries like transport equipment, machine tools, non-electrical machineries, electrical machineries.  Wheat, medicinal and pharmaceutical products, Petroleum. Fertilizers and newsprint.

Transport System of India.

• Development of a country not only depends upon the production of goods and services but also on an efficient means of transport.

Roadways

• Road network in India is the second longest in the world accounting for 3.314 million km. The roads are classified into Village roads, District roads, State Highway, National Highway, Golden Quadrilateral Super Highways, Expressways, Border Roads and International Highways.

Border Roads

• Border Roads are the roads constructed along the northern and north eastern borders of our country.

Railways

• The railways in India provide the principal mode of transportation for freight and passengers. Railway made a modest beginning in India in 1853. By 1947, they had grown to 42 rail systems managed by 37 companies.  In 1951, the systems were nationalized as one unit- “The Indian Railways”.

The network runs on the multigauge operation. They are :

1. Broad Guage (1.676 mts)
2. Meter Guage (1.00 mts)
3. Narrow Guage (0.672 mts)

The Indian Railways is divided into 17 zones

ZONES                                            HEADQUARTERS

Central Railway                                          Mumbai

Eastern Railway                                          Kolkata

East Central Railway                                   Patna-Hajipur

East Coast Railway                                     Bhubaneswar

Konkan Railway Corporation                      Navi Mumbai

Northern Railway                                        New Delhi

North Central Railway                                 Allahabad

North Western Railway                               Jaipur

North Eastern Railway                                Gorakhpur

North East Frontier Railway                        Malegaon (Guwahati)

Southern Railway                                        Chennai

South Central Railway                                 Secunderabad

South Eastern Railway                                Kolkata

South East Central Railway                         Bilaspur, CG

South Western Railway                               Hubli

Western Railway                                         Mumbai

West Central Railway                                  Jabalpur

The Role of Physiography in Railway System

• The Himalayan region has rugged terrain and so it is very difficult to lay railway tracks along the steep stopes. Hence, this region has only three railway lines.
• Further, the condition in west Rajasthan, frequent flood in Brahmaputra valley thick forest and rough terrain in Northeast India has led to a few railway lines in these region.
• The northern plains of India is a flat land with rich alluvial soil. It has highly developed agricultural and industrial sectors with high population. Hence, it has a dense network of railways.
• Peninsular India is a 0plateau region with an undulated terrain, hence it has a moderate railway network.

MRTS – Chennai

• The Mass Rapid Transit system (MRTS) is an elevated line of the suburban railway in Chennai. This railway line currently runs from Chennai beach to Velachery covering 17 stations for a distance of 25 km. The MRTS is operated by the state owned Southern Railway.

Pipe Lines.

• Pipelines were used for transporting water to cities in earlier days, but now they are also used for transporting crude oil and natural gas from oil and natural gas fields to oil refineries, fertilizer factories and big thermal power plants.

Advantages of Pipeline Transport

• Pipeline can be laid through difficult terrain as well as under water. Initial cost of laying pipeline is high but subsequent cost for maintenance and operation is low. It ensures steady supply and minimizes transshipment losses and delays.  Pipeline operation involves very low consumption of energy.
• There are three important pipeline network in our country.

1. From oil fields in upper Assam to Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh via Guwahati, Barauni and Allahabad.
2. From Salaya in Gujarat to Jalandhar in Punjab via. Viramgam, Mathura, Delhi and Sonipat.
3. Gas pipeline from Hazira in Gujarat connects Jagdishpur in Uttar Pradesh Via. Vijaipur in Madhya Pradesh.

Waterways

• Waterways are the cheapest means of transport. They are most suitable for carrying heavy and bulky goods at low cost.

Inland Waterways

• India has an extensive network of inland waterways in the form of rivers, canals and backwaters. The “Waterways Authority” of India has identified five National Waterways They are :

National water ways 1 :  Allahabad – Haldia stretch of Ganga.

National water ways 2 :  Saidiay-Dhubri stretch of the Brahmaputra

National water ways 3 : Kollam – Kottapuram stretch of the west coast canal, Champakara canal and Udyogmandal canal.

National water way 4 : Bhadrachalam-Rajahmundry and Wazirabad Vijayawada stretch of the Krishna Godavari river system alon with Kakinad Puducherry canal network.

National water ways 5 : Mangalgadi-Paradeep and Talcher – Dhamara Stretch of the Mahanadi, Brahmani river along with the east coast canal.

Ocean Routes

• India has a long coast line of 7516km with 13 major and 187 medium and minor ports located along the coast. These ports handle 95 percent of the country’s foreign trade. The major ports are managed and controlled by ‘Port Trust’ under the Government of India.
• India has four major ship building yards. They are :

1) Hindustan shipyard at Vishakhapatnam

2) Garden reach workshop at Kolkata.

3) Mazagaon Dock at Mumbai

4) Kochi shipyard at Kochi

Airways

• Airways is the quickest, costliest, most modern and comfortable means of transport.

Communication

• Communication system contributes to the development of economy and social relationships. It helps in promoting cultural unity.

Means of Communication

                   Personal Communication       Mass Communication

                   Postal Service                          Radio

                   Telegrams                      Television

                   Telephones                     Newspaper

                   Mobile Phones                         Internet

                   Fax

8. REMOTE SENSING

• Geography is the study of the Earth focusing on its surface, the atmosphere, oceans, plants, animals and people. The most effective technology to gather information on any part of the earth within a short span of time without footing the region is the Remote Sensing Technology.
• What is Remote Sensing?

Remote = far away

Sensing = getting information

• Remote sensing can be defined as the collection of data about an object from a distance.

Components of Remote Sensing

• The four basic components of a remote sensing system are target, energy source, transmission path, and a sensor. The target is an object of material that is being imaged. The components in the system work together to measure and record information about the target without actually coming into physical contact with it. 
•  
• The energy source provides electromagnetic energy to the target. Normally, the energy source can be classified in to two. Passive System (that is sun, irradiance form earth’s materials) 2. Active System (that is irradiance form artificially generated energy sources such as radar).
•  
• Remote sensing technology makes use of a wide range electromagnetic spectrum from a very short wave Gamma ray to a very long radio wave. The electromagnetic radiation interacts with the target, depending on the properties of the target and the radiation; transmit information from the target ot sensor. Sensor is a device to detect the Electro Magnetic Radiation (EMR).
• Sensors can be classified on the basis of energy received into Passive sensors and Active Sensors. Passive sensors detect natural radiation that is emitted or reflected by the  object or surrounding area being observed.   For example Cameras used for taking  favorite  pictures during daylight.  Active sensors transmit their own signal and measure the energy that is reflected (or scattered back) from the target for example Radar.

Advantages of Remote Sensing

1. This system has the ability to provide a synoptic view of a wide area in a single frame.
2. Remote sensing systems detect features of inaccessible areas that cannot be reached by human vision : For example Equatorial forest in the Congo basin, Africa.
3. Cheaper and rapid method of acquiring up to-date and continuous information over a geographical area For example. It helps agriculturists to identify the areas affected by pests. Crop related diseases etc.
4. Helps the planner for formulating policies and programs to achieve the holistic functioning of the environment.

For example.  Spots the areas of natural disasters such as tsunami, drought prone, flood affected and cyclone hit areas and helps in providing relief and rehabilitation program in the affected areas.

5. Enable the cartographers to prepare thematic maps like geological maps, soil maps, population maps etc.

Geographical Information System (GIS) is a systematic integration of Computer Hardware, Software and Spatial Data, for capturing, storing, displaying, updating, manipulating and analyzing all forms of geographically referenced data.

Application of GIS

• GIS is used by people of various fields.
• Exploration and Mining companies use GIS to find prospective areas for exploration and mining.
• Power companies use GIS to monitor and analyse the electricity load on the grid network for a Particular area.
• Transport companies use GIS to locate shortest routes for delivering goods and to save time.
• Law enforcement agencies use GIS to map, visualize, and analyze crime incident patterns.
• Ecologists use GIS to understand relationships between species distribution and habitats.

Global Positioning Systems (GPS)

• GPS is a space- based global navigation satellite system that provides reliable location and time information in all weather and at all times. GPS was created and realized by the U.S.

Application of GPS

• GPS is considered a dual-use technology, meaning it has significant military and civilian applications.
• Surveying, Map-making, Navigation, Cellular Telephony, and Geofencing are the main civilian use of GPS.
• Navigation, Target tracking, Missile and projectile guidance, Search and Rescue, and Reconnaissance are the main military use of GPS.
• GPS has become a widely used and a useful tool for commerce, scientific uses, tracking and surveillance, GPS’ accurate timing facilitates everyday activities such as banking, mobile phone operation, and even the control of power grids.