7.

Region and Regional Development

Try this. Hindi-speaking

belt, Bengali-
Given below are some geographical areas speaking belt,
Marathi-speaking
given to you. Complete the table in your
belt, Kannada-
notebook thinking about similarities between speaking belt,
them and their types. One has been done for Urdu-speaking belt
you as an example. Answer the questions that Delhi University
follow : campus,
Table 7.1
Punjab University
campus, Mumbai
Geographical Common Type University campus,
areas factors / (political/ Vanasthali
characteristics physical) University campus
Ganga river basin, River Physical 1) While completing the above table, how
Amazon river did you decide the common factor between
basin, Mississippi
these areas?
river basin, Nile
river basin 2) How did you differentiate one area from
The Himalayan another?
region, The Alps, 3) Is the common factor the only basis of
The Western Ghats, differentiation?
The Rockies, The 4) Make a list of characteristics which can
Caucasus
be the basis of different areas separately.
Marathwada,
Vidarbha, Geographical explanation
Khandesh,
Konkan, Western You must have realized that small or large
Maharahstra areas of land having common features help us to
The Thar desert, identify them separately. These features can be
The Arabian natural (physical) or man-made (administrative
desert, The Gobi
boundaries, political or linguistic). Generally,
desert, The Sahara
desert there is a boundary which demarcates one
Rajasthan, area from another. A geographical area that
Madhya Pradesh, distinguishes itself from another area is called a
West Bengal, region.
Kerala, Manipur These regions can be very small or very
Pune, Bhopal, New large. Natural features which form the basis of
York, Manchester, a region are physiography, climate, vegetation,
Munich, Shanghai
soil or wildlife. For example, we differentiate
Parbhani, Nagpur,
Palghar, Kolhapur,
between the Himalayan ranges and the Northern
Solapur Plains of India on the basis of their altitude and
topography. Thus, they are considered as two

66
different regions. Socio-cultural factors like,
to languages after independence. Thus,
language, ethnicity, etc., political factors like
Maharashtra became the State of Marathi-
administrative boundaries and economic factors
speaking people, Tamilnadu became the land
like GDP, are some man-made factors which
of Tamil-speaking people, etc.
define a region. For example, Madhya Pradesh
and Maharashtra are two different regions
because they have their own boundaries and
governments. Similarly, Pune and Ahmednagar Use your brain power !
are two different districts. So they are two Can you tell what is the identifying
different regions. In a region, there can be two
characteristic in the following regions?
or more sub-regions. For example, within the
1) Pune Metropolitan Region
Northern Plains of India, there are various sub-
regions of different plains : the Indus and its 2) Nagpur hub
tributaries, the Ganga-Yamuna plains and the 3) Dal Lake in Srinagar
Brahmaputra-Hooghly plains. Similarly, within 4)   Alleppey tourism centre
a district, there can be talukas. Each of the
Types of regions :
taluka is a region in itself. Each city and village
in the Taluka is also considered a region. Geographical explanation
The classification of regions is thus based
On the basis of characteristics, a region
on common characteristics. The area which has can be divided into physical or political regions.
common characteristics and is homogeneous For example, river basins are physical regions
in nature, constitutes a region. In geographical while districts are political regions. Both of
studies, a region is the basic unit. This helps us these are formal regions. A formal region is an
to differentiate one area from another. Every area inhabited by people who have one or more
region has various attributes : characteristics in common. Shared characteristics
i) Location : A region must have a may be a common language, economic activities,
geographical location. It can be expressed such as a particular crop production, or physical
in latitudes and longitudes. characteristics, such as the climate of an area.
ii) Spatial extent : Based on homogeneity, the Some formal regions have distinct boundaries
extent of a region can be decided. which make them easy to identify, such as
iii) Boundary : A region must have a boundary. countries or states. Examples of formal regions
Beyond a boundary, there is another region. are Europe, Africa, United States and Canada or
iv) Hierarchical arrangement : A region Assam and West Bengal, etc.
can be arranged into various orders or On the other hand, functional regions are
sub-regions on the basis of the common not bound by any formal characteristic but
characteristics. For example, Northern by a function. A functional region may not be
plains and its subregions. heterogeneous in nature. It may involve more
than one type of physical or political regions
Do you know ? but still it can be one functional region because
that function binds these regions together. For
The States Reorganization Act of 1956 example, Pune Metropolitan Region has various
made the state boundaries according physical regions, many political regions, various
villages, talukas and cities in its area. But, the
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 Boundaries of functional regions

Boundaries of formal regions

T.V. Tower

Wi-Fi

Milk collection centre

Pizza outlet
Fig. 7.1 : Difference between formal and functional region
area which comes under Pune Metropolitan
District Kolhapur, Taluka Haveli, rice –
Region is bound by the economic activities. The
producing region of Konkan, Black cotton
regions in the periphery serve the core region
soil region of India, areas served by Local
with vegetables, flowers and other perishable
trains of Mumbai, area served by a Primary
items. The core area pays the surrounding region
Health Centre.
value for their products. A functional region
is an area organized to function socially and Formal Regions Functional Regions
economically as a single unit. Functional regions
are centred on a focal point that connects other
areas by various systems, such as transportation,
communication or economic activities. Cities
can be considered functional regions because
highways, railroads, subways and buses move
people from the suburbs to the central areas of
the city. Other examples of functional regions are
television signal areas of a TV tower, Wireless,
Wi-Fi hotspots or pizza delivery areas served by Use your brain power !
a pizza outlet or milk served by a milk centre.
(See fig. 7.1) • Identify your formal region.
• Can you identify and demarcate your own
Try this. functional region?
• Which one is larger?
Here is a list of regions. Classify them
into Formal or Functional regions :
Regional Development :
Ujani Dam catchment area, area served
We have seen that not all regions are the
by Pune Municipal Transport (PMT), area
same in size and population and also in resources.
served by Citi Cable Service, Uttar Pradesh,
Some regions like the desert regions might have

68
fewer resources while forested regions have same time, net irrigated area to total sown area
huge resources. is also higher. This indicates that the region has
good irrigation facilities. Also, consumption of
Can you tell ? electricity is higher than in the other two regions.
These indicators point to the fact that life in this
Read the table 7.2 and answer the
region may be better than in the other two.
questions that follow : Table 7.2 At the same time, these indicators are not

Urbanization (%)
enough to give a complete picture of the region.

sown area (%)

consumption of
Below Poverty

Net irrigated

year (in units)

electricity per
area to Total
Per Capita
Income (`)
Population

Per capita
Line (%)
Indicators like literacy rate, enrolment ratio/
Region

dropout ratio, sex ratio, crime rate against

women/children, etc. will give a better picture.
There are a number of indicators based on
A 15466 14 45 64 557 various social, economic, political, cultural and
environmental conditions of a region.
B 10432 32 31 42 332
Thus, development of a region is a function
C 5000 48 16 28 145
of its resources and its population. There are
1) In which region do you think there are many factors which affect the development of a
more resources available? region. For the holistic development of a region,
2) In which region do you think people are skilled human resources and optimum utilisation
richer? of natural resources is necessary. Thus, regional
3) In which region do you think people may development is the development of all the
be more happier? Why? regions simultaneously, raising their per capita
4) Do you think the given indicators or income and living standards by exploiting their
factors are enough to decide the standard natural and human resources fully.
of living of people in the region?
5) In which region would you like to stay Think about it.
and why ?
• Does development mean maximum
Geographical explanation utilisation of resources?
• Does development consider environment
In the above table, three regions with their as an indicator?
performance in few indicators are shown. On • Can a region be called developed if it has
the basis of the given data, we can say that sparse population or no population?
region A performs better in the given indicators • Discuss this in your class.
than region B or C. Per capita income suggests
that region A's income is high and production is
high. It also indicates that population is lower Try this.
than the other regions. Lower per capita income
could mean that either the population is high In the following table, regions are given.
or the total income is also less. In general, this At the same time, some geographical factors
indicates the presence of fewer resources and and effects are also given. Complete the
lesser utilisation of these resources. In region A, table 7.3 accordingly, with the help of solved
urbanisation is more than regions B and C. At the examples.

69
 Physical factors and regional development :
Table 7.3
Region Geographical Effects on the The physical factors like climate and relief
Factors region of a region affects its development. Areas where
Nile River Agricultural land is less fertile, water is scarce, diseases
basin Development, flourish will be less developed. For example, the
Development regions located in the tropical rainforests. On
of Industries, the other hand, fertile land, favourable climate
Hydro- and good rainfall promote the development. For
electricity
example, Mediterranean region.
project,
Irrigation etc. The physical setting of a region is also very
Coniferous important. If regions are landlocked or located
forest area in high mountain ranges or if there is a lack of
Japan Island navigable rivers, long coastlines or good natural
location, harbors, then even in presence of other natural
low mineral resources, the region may not develop well.
resources, Sometimes, there is presence of large resources
narrow but climate may not be favourable or population
geographical
may not be present to exploit the same. For
extent
example, Antarctica
Indonesia, Agriculture
Malaysia Development, Population and regional development :
Trade,Tourism
Can you tell ?
Factors affecting regional development :
• Looking at the five stages of Demographic
In geographical studies, we consider many
Transition Theory, countries in which
factors when we talk about the development of
stage do you think, will be called
a region. Development itself is a very relative
developed?
term. There are many indicators of development.
• Having looked at the various shapes of
Income of the region through various activities,
pyramids, which pyramid will represent a
quality and quantity of population, education,
developed country? (fig. 2.1)
life expectancy, poverty, etc. are some indicators
of development, but no one indicator can be • After having answered both the questions
the only factor to decide the development of a above, what can you comment upon
region. Considering only one or few factors the role of population in regional
will never give a holistic view of the region. development?
Generally, development is considered when
it takes into account the physical, economic, Geographical explanation
social, environmental, etc. aspects of a region.
Population and development are closely
Till now, we have studied various aspects
interrelated. In fact, all the parameters of
of geographical studies like population, land
development are measured, keeping in mind the
use, various economic activities, etc. Let us now
population of a region. Population influences
see how each of these will affect the regional
development and in turn, is also influenced
development of a region.
by development. Quality and quantity of the
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population are important for development of a
region. Give it a try.
Population density, age, sex, fertility, Table 7.4
mortality, occupational structure, literacy rate, Percentage of Government
life expectancy, etc. determine the pressure on malnourished expenditure on
resources in the region. At the same time, they Region children about education
can also determine how efficiently the resources to enter school (% of total budget)
in a region will be used by the population. Year 2016 Year 2016
A 29.3 4.70
In the five stages of Demographic
B 19.2 4.17
Transition, the later stages have low birth
C 3.4 7.10
rates and death rates. This will imply that the
D 12.8 5.40
regions with such low growth will have greater
E 31.7 4.09
development because there will less population
F 27 4.45
to spend on. At the same time, the quality of the
population will be equally important. G 3.1 3.82
H 5.9 5.95
Population pyramids help to explain
Draw a conclusion on the basis of the data
employment and consumption patterns,
given in table 7.4. Use Spearman's Rank
social needs and perhaps the psychological
Correlation, find the correlation between the
characteristics of population. The high
two variables. What can you comment about
dependency ratio may force huge amount of
the development in this region?
capital resources to be consumed in supporting
the dependents. The existence of a relatively large Land use and regional development :
population of working age is associated with When we analyse the existing patterns of land-
higher economic development and high living use in regions which are developed and regions
standards. If migration is high in a region, the which are not developed, we find a difference in
region will face problems of using the population the percentages of land use. The demand for land
for various activities. Regions, where people are changes due to the changing needs of the society.
migrating in large numbers, shows that it has a As socio-economic conditions change, land use
good employment opportunities or better living keeps on changing. Rural as well as urban areas
conditions, which is a pull factor. Similarly, have land under different uses. In rural areas,
the migrated population can bring pressure on much of the land is used for agricultural purposes
resources and facilities in the recipient region. and other uses have less land. On the other hand,
You know that higher the population, lower in urban areas much of the land remains under
will be the per capita income. Per capita income residential, commercial, industrial and other uses.
is an important indicator of development. On The way the people of a region use their land will
the other hand, if the population is very low in help the region develop faster.
a region, it may hamper further development, as As population and human aspirations
there will be lack of human capital to exploit the increase, land becomes an increasingly scarce
resources. resource. Deciding how to use land is important
to reduce the negative effects of land use and
to increase the efficient use of resources in a
region with minimal effect on future generations.

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With faster economic development and changes Table 7.6
in land use, the transition of rural area to urban

Tertiary Sector to

Development Index
Primary Sector to

Secondary Sector
Contribution of

Contribution of

Contribution of
area also increases at a faster rate.

to GDP (%)
GDP (%)

GDP (%)
Regions

Human

(HDI)
Try this.

Look at the land use of the following

regions and answer the questions that follow :
Table 7.5 2018 2018 2018 2018
A 1 34 65 0.93
Land under perma-
nent meadows and
manent crops (%)
Land under per-

B 2 32 66 0.85

GDP in billion
dollars (2017)
pastures (%)
Land under

C 2 37 61 0.71
Forests (%)
Other land
land (%)

D 6 33.2 60.8 0.81

Region
Arable

(%)

E 14 30 56 0.65

A 11.8 0.3 46.0 2.1 39.9 76.48 1) In which region is contribution of primary
B 4.0 0.04 44.0 20.1 32.1 1364.83 activities the least?
C 52.0 16.0 4.1 9.7 17.9 837.58 2) In which region is contribution of primary
D 27.4 0.8 15.3 22.4 32.6 567.48 activities the most?
E 6.5 1.0 16.7 57.0 19.2 3456.35 3) In which region is contribution of tertiary
F 57.8 0.6 5.5 14.3 21.8 312.84 activities the most?
G 2.8 1.0 0.0 0.1 95.6 1391.25 4) Which region has the highest HDI?
H 33.6 1.8 16.8 31.0 16.4 3061.14 5) Can you draw a conclusion on the basis of
I 50.1 4.1 3.1 21.8 20.8 11325.66 the answers from Q1 to Q4?
J 13.7 13.0 5.7 48.5 19.0 3737.48
K 11.0 0.8 2.6 66.0 19.7 5747.49 Geographical explanation
L 2.5 0.5 37.5 37.7 21.8 206.22
These three types of activities that are carried
1) What does the table show? out in any region, give an idea about the regional
2) Which region has the highest land use development in that region. It is generally seen
under agriculture ? that the regions are developed if they contribute
3) Which region has the highest GDP? more in tertiary sector and depend less on
4) Which country has more land use under primary activities. There are various indices like
forests? the Human Development Index (HDI) which are
5) Which region has highest land use under the used to assess various aspects of development in
category ‘other land’? What is its GDP? a region. Generally, tertiary activities contribute
6) Write your conclusion in few sentences. more to the income of the region and hence more
development is seen.
Primary, secondary and tertiary economic
activities and regional development : Regional imbalance :
Look at the following data and answer the Balanced regional development as a policy
questions that follow : is considered both on economic, social and
political grounds. The policy is considered in
order to redress inequalities between different

72
regions of a country and also for raising Moreover, human factors like skilled labour,
the standard of living to a higher level at a technology, transportation, access to markets,
uniform rate. communication facilities, power, technology,
Causes of Regional Imbalances in India : banking and insurance etc. have played a
You have already studied how various dominant role in disparity in development.
factors affect the development of a region. Due to adequacy of such factors, some regions
Considering India as a region, we know that there fare better than others. For example, North-
is regional imbalance as levels of development Eastern Region, Himachal Pradesh, etc. are less
developed as compared to other regions.
are not similar in all sub-regions. Physical
Moreover, investments made by the private
factors like location, relief, altitude, availability
sector are generally concentrated in those regions
of resources, accessibility have been responsible
having basic infrastructural facilities. This has
for imbalanced regional development.
an impact on the government’s decision of
While some regions have a better position in locating industries and projects which contribute
terms of geographical location, mineral and other by increasing employment and other advantages
natural resources, the others are lagging behind in for the residents there.
these. For example, the states located in difficult
Strategies to reduce Regional Imbalance :
terrains surrounded by hills and dense forests like
the states of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, In India, many policies have been considered
several north-eastern states are behind the other and implemented to reduce this regional
imbalance. Regions which were not developed
regions having more mineral and other resources.
were initially identified. The reasons behind non-
Regions which have ports and airports have an
development are also identified. These can be
advantage over others. For example, you know
physical, social or economic reasons. Different
that while determining the location of iron and
types of criteria are considered for identifying
steel industries, nearness to raw material is a
such areas. Funds are allocated to those regions
criteria.
which need them in particular sectors or fields.
Thus, regional imbalances arise due to such Sectorwise investments are then done to improve
locational advantages attached to regions which the conditions in these areas. Such funds are
are rich in resources and locational disadvantages given in the form of subsidies, and investments in
attached to regions which don’t have. Adverse roads, schools, agriculture, irrigation, industries,
climate and vulnerability to disasters like floods housing, medical and health facilities, etc.
and cyclones are also responsible factors for Special care is taken for regions which have
poor rate of development. This is turn may been identified as drought-prone, deserts, hilly
result in low agricultural productivity and lack and tribal-dominated areas. Decentralisation of
of industrialisation. industries is also a strategy to reduce regional
imbalance.
Give it a try.
Go through the fig. 7.2 and write two sentences on each factor. Tell how they will help in
reducing regional imbalance. Also add some more to the list, if necessary.
Regional Imbalance Reduction Strategy

Electricity Support to
Policy Review
Provision of Provision of Provision Infrastructural
to all and Reforms
Drinking Water Public Goods/ of Infrastructure Projects
Services All weather and Stimulus
Education Special
roads Governance
Funds
Justice and Medical and Skill
Law and Order Health Facilities Fig. 7.2 Development

73
 Find out ! Happiness Index’. Relate its correlation
with regional development and discuss in
Find out information about ‘Human the class.

Exercise

Q. 1) Identify the correct group : Q. 3) Write short notes on :

1.A) 1) Satpuda   B) 1) Yavatmal 1) Factors affecting regional development.
2) Deccan 2) Amravati 2) Measures to reduce regional imbalance.
3) Alps 3) Solapur
Q. 4) Give geographical reasons :
4) Rockies 4) Greater Mumbai
1) Regional development is dependent on
C) 1) Thar    D) 1) Marathwada
physical setting.
2) Sahara 2) Khandesh
2) Factors like illiteracy, poverty affect the
3) Himalaya 3) Vidarbha
regional development.
4) Gobi 4) Konkan
3) Development is not seen in the Himalayan
2.A) 1) Plain   B) 1) Pressure region.
2) Lakes 2) Rivers
Q. 5) Answer in details :
3) Mountain 3) Temperatures
1) What is a region?
4) Plateaus 4) Humidity
2) On what factors are the regions
C) 1) Tropical forest    D) 1) Fishing
differentiated? Give examples.
2) Thorny forest 2) Lumbering
3) Per capita income is not the real indicator of
3) Mangrove forest 3) Agriculture
regional development. Explain.
4) Deciduous forest 4) Bakery
Q. 6) Find the correlation between land under
Q. 2) Differentiate between : permanent crops and GDP given in Table 7.5
1) Functional region and formal region. using Spearman's Rank Correlation. Write the
2) Physical region and political region. conclusion in your own words :



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