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MAINS 2014
GS1
10 marks

Account for the change in the spatial pattern of the Iron and Steel industry in the world.

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7 min
150 words
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What the examiner wants

Account for the shift in global iron and steel location from coalfields to coasts, markets and Asia.

Account forGive the reasons that explain it.

Demand-wise check

  1. 1Early phase: located on coalfields (Ruhr, Pittsburgh, Midlands) due to heavy coal use≈30 words
  2. 2Shift to iron ore and coasts: falling coal per tonne, imported ore and coal (Japan, South Korea's Pohang), tidewater plants≈30 words
  3. 3Market and scrap: mini mills and electric arc furnaces near markets (US)≈30 words
  4. 4Asian rise: China's dominance, India now second; old Western belts decline (rust belt); future: green hydrogen steel near renewables≈30 words

Open in about 20 words and close in about 20.

Answer plan

Weber's least-cost logicHistorical shift stagesPresent Asian dominanceEmerging green steel factor

Where marks usually go

  • Describing locations without explaining the factor behind each shift
  • Outdated data showing Japan or US as leaders

Draw this

  • World map with arrows showing shift from Europe/US coalfields to East Asian coasts

Value addition

  • DataChina produced about 1,019 million tonnes of the world's 1,888 million tonnes of crude steel in 2023; India (about 140 Mt) has been second since 2018.World Steel Association
  • ThinkerAlfred Weber's least-cost location theory (1909) explains raw-material-oriented weight-losing industries like steel.Weber, 1909