Class 12 Geography – Chapter 5: Primary Activities
1. What are primary activities?
Answer:
Primary activities involve natural resource extraction, like agriculture, fishing, forestry, mining, and pastoralism. These are the base for all other economic sectors and human survival.
2. How are primary activities important to an economy?
Answer:
They provide raw materials for industries, food for people, and jobs in rural areas. In developing countries, a large population still depends on these activities.
3. Name the types of primary activities.
Answer:
They include:
- Hunting and Gathering
- Pastoralism (Nomadic/Commercial)
- Fishing (Inland/Marine)
- Mining
- Forestry
- Agriculture (Subsistence/Commercial)
4. What is subsistence agriculture?
Answer:
It’s practiced to meet family needs, using traditional tools and small plots. Productivity is low, and it’s common in less-developed regions like parts of Asia and Africa.
5. Explain intensive subsistence agriculture.
Answer:
It uses small land with high labor input. Farmers grow food crops like rice and wheat for survival. It is common in densely populated areas like India and China.
6. Describe shifting cultivation.
Answer:
Also called ‘slash and burn’, it involves clearing forests, burning vegetation, and growing crops for a few years. It’s traditional but environmentally harmful if overused.
7. What is plantation agriculture?
Answer:
It’s commercial farming of single crops like tea, coffee, or sugarcane on large estates with capital investment and labor. Crops are mainly export-oriented.
8. Define commercial farming.
Answer:
Farming with market intent, using modern tools, large plots, and mechanization. It includes wheat farming in the USA and mixed farming in Europe.
9. Differentiate between nomadic and commercial pastoralism.
Answer:
Nomadic pastoralism moves with animals for grazing. Commercial pastoralism is fixed and market-driven, common in developed countries like Australia and New Zealand.
10. What are the features of nomadic herding?
Answer:
It’s based on seasonal movement, limited technology, and survival. Practiced in Sahara, Central Asia, and Arctic, it depends on traditional knowledge and local resources.
11. What is mixed farming?
Answer:
It combines crop cultivation and livestock. It ensures income diversity, efficient land use, and is found in countries like France and the USA.
12. Describe the characteristics of Mediterranean agriculture.
Answer:
Found in coastal regions with dry summers and wet winters, it includes orchards, vines, and cereals. Crops like olives and grapes are globally important.
13. What is market gardening?
Answer:
Also called truck farming, it focuses on vegetables and fruits near urban areas. It uses fast transport and ensures daily supply to nearby markets.
14. How does mining qualify as a primary activity?
Answer:
Mining extracts minerals directly from the earth, forming raw material for industries. It includes coal, iron, gold, and is vital for economic development.
15. What are the types of fishing?
Answer:
Fishing is classified as:
- Inland fishing: rivers, lakes
- Marine fishing: oceans (commercial or subsistence)
16. Name top fishing countries.
Answer:
China, Japan, USA, India, Peru, and Indonesia are major fish-producing countries due to coastline length, technology, and tradition.
17. What are the problems faced in agriculture today?
Answer:
Land degradation, overuse of chemicals, climate change, irrigation issues, and declining farm income are key issues in both developed and developing nations.
18. How does technology impact primary activities?
Answer:
Mechanization, improved seeds, irrigation, and satellite mapping boost productivity in agriculture and mining, but also risk environmental harm if not regulated.
19. Explain the role of forest-based activities.
Answer:
Forests provide timber, fuelwood, medicine, and livelihoods. Deforestation must be controlled to balance economic gain with environmental conservation.
20. Why is sustainable management important in primary activities?
Answer:
Unsustainable practices deplete resources and harm the environment. Managing land, water, forests, and animals wisely ensures long-term food security and ecological balance.