Question

Difficulty: MediumHuman and Economic Geography of the World

Which of the following global industrial regions is correctly matched with its primary mineral resource base and associated manufacturing industry?

  1. Mesabi Range (United States) – High-grade iron ore deposits supporting the Great Lakes iron and steel complexAnswer
  2. B
    Donbas Region (Ukraine) – Extensive bauxite deposits powering primary aluminum smelting industries
  3. C
    Katanga-Zambia Belt (Central Africa) – Rich tin and tungsten deposits supporting precision electronics manufacturing
  4. D
    Silesian Region (Central Europe) – Offshore natural gas fields driving coastal shipbuilding and oil refining

Answer

The Mesabi Range in the United States is correctly matched with high-grade iron ore deposits supporting the Great Lakes iron and steel industrial complex.
The Mesabi Range in Minnesota, USA, is historically one of the largest producers of iron ore in North America. Its proximity to Lake Superior facilitated low-cost bulk water transportation to the major steel-manufacturing cities of the Great Lakes industrial region.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the geographical location and mineral resource of the Mesabi Range.
The Mesabi Range, located west of Lake Superior in Minnesota, USA, contains extensive iron ore deposits.
Identifying the primary resource base is essential for understanding regional industrial location and economic geography.
2
Evaluate the economic-geographic linkage between the raw material location and manufacturing centers.
Iron ore transported via the Great Lakes shipping routes supplied major steel-producing centers such as Chicago, Gary, Detroit, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh.
Heavy industries locate near raw material sources or cheap water transport routes due to bulk freight economic principles.
3
Verify the incorrect assertions in the alternative options.
Donbas is primarily a coal basin, the Katanga-Zambia belt is a major copper-cobalt zone, and Silesia is an inland coal-mining region.
Eliminating mismatched resource-region pairings confirms the unique accuracy of the Mesabi Range pairing.

Key Concept

Global Industrial Regions and Mineral Resource Distribution
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