RBSE Class 12 Geography Notes Chapter 8 Primary Occupations

Rajasthan Board RBSE Class 12 Geography Notes Chapter 8 Primary Occupations

Introduction :

Hunting, gathering forest produce, fishing, cattle rearing, agriculture and mining are included in primary occupations.

Hunting :

  • It is considered the oldest economic activity.
  • Earning livelihood at the lowest level is possible in this activity.
  • People belonging to very cold or hot regions depend on hunting for their livelihood.
  • Hunters use sharp-weapons, poisoned arrows and noose for hunting.
  • At present, modified guns are also used for this purpose.
  • At present, hunting is considered an occupation in Tundra and Taiga regions, Northern Siberia, Kalahari Desert, Congo Basin, Malaya, Borneo, New Guinea and Amazon Basin.

Food Gathering :

  • Food gathering is also one of the oldest and economically inferior occupation.
  • People engaged in this occupation gather fruits, roots, tubers, nuts, berries, leaves, etc. from the forests.
  • The main areas of gathering forest produce are Malaya Peninsula, Amazon Basin, Kalahari desert, several mountain regions and the internal parts of south-east Asia.
  • On global level, importance of gathering forest produce is not much as the products obtained from this activity cannot compete global trade.

Fishing :

  • This also is an ancient occupation.
  • Man has to struggle continually against natural obstacles in fishing activity.
  • Fish are caught for livelihood and being used as food, to obtain oil and leather, to feed the milch animals and to make fertilisers.
  • The fisheries industry has undergone modernisation due to technological development. Demand of marine products has increased along with the growing population.
  • Major fishing regions in the world are North Pacific coastal regions, North Atlantic coastal-American regions, North-western European regions and Japan Sea regions.

RBSE Class 12 Geography Notes Chapter 8 Primary Occupations

Grazing Animals or Pasturing :

  • Pasturing is also an ancient occupation adopted by man for his living.
  • Pasturing is taken up in regions of warm, dry climate and temperate regions, as also irt uneven terrain and hilly regions.
  • Grazing can be carried on as nomodic herding and also as commercial grazing.

Agriculture :

  • Agriculture has an important place in economic activities of primary level.
  • It is the most prevalent occupation.
  • It is a main source of food for the most of population in the world.
  • Mechanisation in agriculture has increased the production at large and so international trade of agricultural produce has also started.
  • The changing face and development of agriculture is a symbol of development of human civilisation. The varying physical, social and economic conditions found across the world influence agricultural activities.

Types of Agriculture :

  • Due to various physical, social, economic and environmental conditions, there are different types of agricultural practices in the world. Among them, shifting agriculture, primitive permanent agriculture, life subsistence agriculture, extensive commercial food grain agriculture, plantation agriculture, mixed agriculture, dairy agriculture, truck farming and horticulture are very common.
  • Shifting agriculture in the oldest form of agriculture which is also known as jhooming, milpa, ladang, ray etc., agriculture.
  • Life subsistence agriculture is performed to fulfil the requirements of people regarding their sustenance of life.
  • In extensive commercial food-grain agriculture, farming is done with commercial view point.
  • Plantation agriculture was developed by Europeans in colonial era in tropical regions.
  • Plantation agriculture is a kind of commercial agriculture.
  • Plantations of tea, rubber, coffee, cocoa, sugarcane and banana are included in plantation agriculture.
  • In mixed agriculture, animals are reared along with crop-cultivation.
  • Dairy farming is a specialised method of agriculture in which special attention is paid to animal reproduction, grazing, and genetic improvement of animals.
  • Truck farming is also a specilised form of agriculture in which vegetables are grown near urban areas and sold in nearby markets by bringing them in trucks.
  • Horticulture is also a special type of agriculture in which fruits and flowers are grown.

RBSE Class 12 Geography Notes Chapter 8 Primary Occupations

Lumbering :

  • Lumbering is also a major of primary occupation. This occupation too has undergone major changes just like other occupations.
  • This occupation includes cutting wood from forests, making logs and sending them to saw mills. Paper and furniture industry are dependent on this industry.
  • The occupation of wood cutting is found at the primary level in tropical regions and temperate coniferous forests.
  • Wood cutting is done at commercial level in Canada, Norway, Finland and USA.

Mining :

  • Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth’s surface.
  • The places from which minerals are extracted are called mines.
  • Coal and petroleum are the basic pillars of energy while use of minerals is a measure of economic condition of a nation.
  • The situation of mineral deposits, quality of minerals, quantity, type, richness of mineral ores and proximity to market regions, demand for minerals, transportation facilities, capital, labour, level of technology advancement, government policy, etc. are influencing factors of mining activities.
  • Minerals show the pattern of unequal distribution and non-renewable availability on the earth.
  • There are more than 1600 minerals found in the earth’s crust but only about 200 minerals are used for industrial purposes.

Classification of Minerals :

  • All minerals are directly related to rocks and mainly there are three types of rocks in the earth’s crust – Igneous rocks, Sedimentary rocks and Metamorphic rocks.
  • Minerals of the world can be classified into three categories : Metallic minerals, Non-metallic minerals and Fuel minerals.
  • Metallic minerals are divided into ferrous and non-ferrous minerals, and non-ferrous minerals are divided into construction, chemical and jewel minerals.
  • At present, developed countries are reducing from mining and processing activities due to higher labour requirements but developing countries are laying more emphasis on mining activities and the major cause behind this is the changing pattern of labour cost.

Glossary :

  1. Primary Occupation : Primary occupation means work that involves obtaining raw material from the environment. Like – agriculture, hunting, mining and food gathering, etc.
  2. Hunting : An act of chasing and killing wild animals for food or pleasure.
  3. Grazing : Grazing of animals or livestock at pasture (a field or land covered with grass) is an activity by which cattle rearing is praticed largely.
  4. Agriculture : The science, art or occupation concerned with cultivation of land and raising livestock.
  5. Mining : A surface excavation where the topmost or exposed layer of the earth is removed for extracting ores or minerals from relatively greater depths.
  6. Climate : The composite or generally prevailing weather conditions of a region, as temperature, air pressure, humidity, precipitation, sunshine, cloudiness and winds throughout the year averaged over a series of years.
  7. Tundra Zone : Tundra, a major of treeless region or rolling ground found in cold regions, in the Arctic Circle or above the timber tree line on high mountains.
  8. Taiga Zone : The Taiga is a forest of the cold, subarctic region. The subarctic is an area of the Northern Hemisphere that lies just south of the Arctic Circle.
  9. Desert : A desert is a landscape form or region that receives very little precipitation. Generally, deserts are defined as areas that receive an average annual precipitation of less than 25 cm.
  10. Tribes : A group of people, or a community with similar values or interests, with common ancestory or a common leader are basically backward with social and economical point of view in the world.
  11. Environment : The surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal or plant lives or operates.
  12. Peninsula : An area of land almost completely surrounded by water on the majority of its border, while being connected to a mainland from which it extends. India is a fine example of peninsula.
  13. Trade : An act or process of buying, selling or exchanging commodities, in either wholesale or retail within a country or between countries.
  14. Lake : A large area of fresh or saline water surrounded by land.
  15. Temperate Zone : An area between tropical and polar zones.
  16. Ocean : The entire body of salt-water that covers nearly three-fourths part of the earth.
  17. Latitude : The angular distance of a place north or south of the earth’s equator, or file equator of a celestial object, usually expressed in degrees and minutes.
  18. Lanos : Lanos is a vast tropical grassland plain situated to the east of the Andes in Colombia and Venezuela, in north-western South America. It is an eco-region of the flooded grasslands and savannas biome.
  19. Steppes : Steppes are the major temperate grasslands which are found in Eurasia.
  20. Pampas : The Pampas are major grasslands in South America. They are also found primarily in Argentina and in Uruguay.
  21. Nomadic Herding : Nomadic Herding is a type of farming in which herdsmen move from place to place along with their animals (herds) sheep, camel, yaks, goats, reindeer, horses, donkeys or a mixture of species in search of water or grassland.
  22. Vegetation : Vegetation is an assemblage of plant species and the ground cover they provide. It can also refer to a wide range of spatial scales.
  23. Irrigation : Irrigation is the application of controlled amounts of water to plants at needed intervals. It helps to grow agricultural crops, maintain landscapes and arably disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall.
  24. Commercial Grazing : Commercial Grazing is a form of agriculture aimed at producing live-stock, rather than growing crops including dairy farming, raising beef cattle and raising sheep for wool. It is also known in some regions as pastoral farming or ranching or live-stock farming.
  25. International Trade : International trade is the exchange of capital, goods, services across international borders or territories. It is the exchange of goods and services among nations of the world.
  26. Shifting Agriculture : Form of agriculture, used especially in tropical Africa, in which an area of ground is cleared of vegetation and cultivated for a few years and then abondoned for a new area until its fertility is naturally restored.
  27. Population : The whole number of people or inhabitants of a country or region.
  28. Crop-Rotation : The growing of different crops in succession on a time period to avoid exhausting soil fertility and to control weeds, pests and diseases.
  29. Monsoon Asia : The seasonal wind of the Indian Ocean and southern Asia, blowing from South West in summer and from the North – East in winter. It is commonly marked by heavy rains, rainy season.
  30. Population Growth : Population growth is the increase or decrease in the number of individuals in population of a city, state or country in a fixed time.
  31. Plantation Agriculture : Plantation agriculture is a form of commercial farming where crops like tea, coffee, fruits are grown for profit purposes.
  32. Fazendas : In Brazil, coffee farms are called Fazendas.
  33. Mixed Agriculture : Mixed farming is an agricultural system in which a farmer grows multicrops together with live-stock rearing.
  34. Continent : A continent is one of several very large and high landmasses of the world. Generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria.
  35. Metropolis : A metropolis is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political and cultural centre of a country or region and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce and communication.
  36. Thick-Farming : A type of agriculture in which vegetables are grown nearby urban areas for fulfilling the demand of urban population. In this agriculture, vegetables are send to urban areas by truck at night time.
  37. Urbanisation : Urbanisation refers to the population shift from rural to urban areas, “The gradual increase in the proportion of people living in urban areas” and the ways in which each society adapts to the change.
  38. Coniferous Forests : Coniferous forests, vegetation composed primarily of cone-bearing needle-leaved or scale-leaved evergreen trees found in areas that have long winters and moderate to high annual precipitation. The northern Eurasian coniferous forest is called the Taiga or the Boreal forest.
  39. Soil Erosion : Detachment and movement of top soil or soil-material from the upper part of the soil profile by the action of wind or running water, especially as a result of changes brought about by human activities and by forces of denudation.
  40. Flood : A flood is an overflow of water on land which is usually dry. Sometimes, a water
    resource (river, lake, or pond) gets flushed with too much water. Unusually heavy rain sometimes causes floods.
  41. Industry : Industry is the production of goods or related services within an economy. The major source of revenue of a group or company is the indicator of its relevant industry.
  42. Petroleum : Petroleum is a naturally- occurring yellow-to-black liquid found in geological formations beneath the Earth’s surface. It is refined into various types of fuels.
  43. Igneous Rock : Igneous rock or magnetic rock, is one of the three main rock types, the other being sedimentary and metamorphic. Igneous rocks are formed through the cooling and solidification of magma or lava.
  44. Sedimentary Rock : Sedimentary rocks are types of rock that are formed by deposition and subsequent cementation of that material at the Earth’s surface and within bodies of water.
  45. Metamorphic Rock : Metamorphic rocks arise from the transformation of existing rock types, in a process called metamorphism, which means “change in form.” The original rock is subjected to heat and pressure causing profound physical or chemical change.
  46. Metallic Minerals : Metallic minerals are those minerals which can be method to obtain new products of metals, e.g. ferrous ore.
  47. Non-metallic Minerals : Non-metallic minerals do not contain metal elements in their inorganic chemical formula. Some common examples include, clay, diamond, dolomite, gypsum, mica, amethyst and quartz etc.
  48. Fuel Minerals : The non-metallic minerals, which are obtained from fossils and which when burned with air produce (directly) heat or (indirectly) energy, coal, petroleum, natural gas are some of its examples.

RBSE Class 12 Geography Notes Chapter 8 Primary Occupations

RBSE Class 12 Geography Notes