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Difficulty: HardIndustrial and Economic Geography of India

Consider the following statements regarding the locational factors of major industries in India:

1. The aluminum smelting industry in India is primarily localized near sources of cheap and continuous electrical power, as energy constitutes a major proportion of the total production cost.
2. The sugar manufacturing industry in India has shown a spatial shift from North India towards Peninsular India due to higher sucrose yield in tropical sugarcane varieties and a longer crushing period.
3. The synthesis of nitrogenous fertilizers (specifically urea) relies primarily on imported rock phosphate as the key hydrocarbon feedstock along inland pipelines.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. 1 and 2 onlyAnswer
  2. B
    2 and 3 only
  3. C
    1 and 3 only
  4. D
    1, 2 and 3

Answer

1 and 2 only
The response indicating '1 and 2 only' is correct because aluminum smelting requires huge amounts of cheap electricity, and tropical sugarcane in South India yields higher sucrose content over a longer crushing period. Nitrogenous urea relies on natural gas or naphtha feedstock rather than rock phosphate.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze Statement 1 regarding the locational drivers of aluminum smelting plants.
Statement 1 is correct. Aluminum smelting consumes immense electrical energy (approx. 18,000–20,000 kWh per ton of metal). Hence, proximity to hydroelectric power stations or captive thermal power plants is a critical locational driver alongside bauxite availability.
Electricity accounts for 30–40% of the total manufacturing cost of aluminum smelting.
2
Analyze Statement 2 regarding the spatial shift of the Indian sugar industry.
Statement 2 is correct. Peninsular India (e.g., Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka) features a tropical climate that yields higher sucrose content in sugarcane and prevents rapid juice drying, resulting in a significantly longer crushing season than in North India.
Cooperatives and favorable agro-climatic conditions have favored higher sugar recovery rates in Peninsular states.
3
Analyze Statement 3 regarding raw material feedstocks in urea fertilizer units.
Statement 3 is incorrect. Urea (NH2CONH2NH_2CONH_2) is a nitrogenous fertilizer produced from ammonia, which requires natural gas, naphtha, or coke-oven gas as its primary hydrocarbon feedstock (e.g., along the Hazira-Vijaipur-Jagdishpur pipeline). Rock phosphate is a mineral input for phosphatic fertilizers (like Single Super Phosphate and DAP), not urea.
Confusing raw materials for nitrogenous urea with mineral inputs for phosphatic fertilizers is a key industrial geography error.

Key Concept

Locational determinants and raw material dependencies of major Indian manufacturing industries
Estimated Time:2m 0s
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Topics

Industrial and Economic Geography of India

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