World transport

• Natural resources, economic activities and

markets are rarely found in one place. Transport,
communication and trade establish links between
producing centres and consuming centres.
• The system of mass production and exchange is
complex. Each region produces the items for
which it is best suited. Trade or the exchange of
such commodities relies on transportation and
communication
 Transportation
• Likewise, the high living standards and quality
of life depend on efficient transportation,
communications and trade.
• In earlier days, the means of transport and
communication were the same. But today
both have acquired distinct and specialised
forms.
• Transport provides the network of links and
carriers through which trade takes place.
 TRANSPORT
• Transport is a service or facility for the carriage of
persons and goods from one place to the other
using humans, animals and different kinds of
vehicles.
• Such movements take place over land, water and
air.
• Roads and railways form part of land transport;
while shipping and waterways and airways are the
other two modes. Pipelines carry materials like
petroleum, natural gas, and ores in liquidified form.
 Importance of transportation
• Moreover, transportation is an organised service
industry created to satisfy the basic needs of
society. It includes transport arteries, vehicles to
carry people and goods, and the organisation to
maintain arteries, and to handle loading, unloading
and delivery. Every nation has developed various
kinds of transportation for defence purposes.
Assured and speedy transportation, along with
efficient communication, promote cooperation and
unity among scattered peoples.
 MODES OF TRANSPORTATION
• The principal modes of world transportation,
as already mentioned are land, water, air and
pipelines.
• These are used for inter-regional and intra-
regional transport, and each one (except
pipelines) carries both passengers and freight.
• The significance of a mode depends on the
type of goods and services to be transported,
costs of transport and the mode available.
 MODES OF TRANSPORTATION
• International movement of goods is handled
by ocean freighters. Road transport is cheaper
and faster over short distances and for door-to
door services. Railways are most suited for
large volumes of bulky materials over long
distances within a country. High-value, light
and perishable goods are best moved by
airways. In a well-managed transport system,
these various modes complement each other.
Land Transport
 Land Transport
• Most of the movement of goods and services
takes place over land. In early days, humans
themselves were carriers.
• bride being carried on a palanquin (palki/doli)
by four persons (Kahars in north India). Later
animals were used as beasts of burden
 Land transport evolution
• With the invention of the wheel, the use of carts
and wagons became important. The revolution in
transport came about only after the invention of
the steam engine in the eighteenth century.
Perhaps the first public railway line was opened
in 1825 between Stockton and Darlington in
northern England and then onwards, railways
became the most popular and fastest form of
transport in the nineteenth century.
 Evolution of land transport
• It opened up continental interiors for commercial grain
farming, mining and manufacturing in U.S.A. The
invention of the internal combustion engine
revolutionised road transport in terms of road quality
and vehicles (motor cars and trucks) plying over them.
• Among the newer developments in land transportation
are pipelines, ropeways and cableways. Liquids like
mineral oil, water, sludge and sewers are transported
by pipelines. The great freight carriers are the railways,
ocean vessels, barges, boats and motor trucks and
pipelines
• In general, the old and elementary forms like the
human porter, pack animal, cart or wagon are the
most expensive means of transportation and large
freighters are the cheapest.
• They are important in supplementing modern
channels and carriers which penetrate the interiors
in large countries. In the densely populated districts
of India and China, overland transport still takes
place by human porters or carts drawn or pushed
by humans.
Roads
 Roads
• Road transport is the most economical for short
distances compared to railways. Freight transport
by road is gaining importance because it offers
door-to-door service.
• But unmetalled roads, though simple in
construction, are not effective and serviceable for
all seasons.
• During the rainy season these become unmotorable
and even the metalled ones are seriously
handicapped during heavy rains and floods.
 Roads
• In such conditions, the high embankment of
rail-tracks and the efficient maintenance of
railway transport service, is an effective
solution.
• But the rail kilometrage being small cannot
serve the needs of vast and developing
countries at a low cost. Roads, therefore, play
a vital role in a nation’s trade and commerce
and for promoting tourism.
 Roads
• The quality of the roads varies greatly
between developed and developing countries
because road construction and maintenance
require heavy expenditure. In developed
countries good quality roads are universal and
provide long-distance links in the form of
motorways, autobahns (Germany), and inter–
state highways for speedy movement
Autobahns of germany
• Lorries, of increasing size and power to carry
heavy loads, are common. But unfortunately,
the world’s road system is not well developed.
Heavy trucks
Trucks of USA
Trucks of india
E- highway of germany
 ROAD DENSITY
• The world’s total motorable road length is only
about 15 million km, of which North America
accounts for 33 per cent. The highest road
density and the highest number of vehicles
are registered in this continent compared to
Western Europe.
 TRAFFIC FLOWS
• Traffic on roads has increased dramatically in
recent years. When the road network cannot cope
with the demands of traffic, congestion occurs. City
roads suffer from chronic traffic congestion. Peaks
(high points) and troughs (low points) of traffic
flow can be seen on roads at particular times of
the day, for example, peaks occurring during the
rush hour before and after work. Most of the cities
in the world have been facing the problem of
congestion
TRAFFIC JAMS IN CHINA
 Road net work in North America
• In North America, highway density is high, about 0.65
km per sq km. Every place is within 20 km distance from
a highway.
• Cities located on the Pacific coast (west) are well-
connected with those of the Atlantic Coast (east).
Likewise, the cities of Canada in the north are linked
with those of Mexico in the south.
• The Trans Canadian Highway links Vancouver in British
Columbia(west coast) to St. John’s City in Newfoundland
(east coast) and the Alaskan Highway links Edmonton
(Canada) to Anchorage (Alaska)
Trans canadian highway
Trans Canadian highway
 Pan american highway
• The Pan-American Highway, a large portion of
which has been constructed, will connect the
countries of South America, Central America
and U.S.A.-Canada.
Pan american highway
 Australia
• The TransContinental Stuart Highway connects
Darwin (north coast) and Melbourne via
Tennant Creek and Alice Springs in Australia.
Australia
 Europe
• Europe has a large number of vehicles and a
well-developed highway network. But
highways face a lot of competition from
railways and waterways.
 Russia
• In Russia, a dense highway network is
developed in the industrialised region west of
the Urals with Moscow as the hub. The
important Moscow-Vladivostok Highway
serves the region to the east. Due to the vast
geographical area, highways in Russia are not
as important as railways.
 China
• In China, highways criss-cross the country
connecting all major cities such as Tsungtso
(near Vietnam boundary), Shanghai (central
China), Guangzhou (south) and Beijing (north).
A new highway links Chengdu with Lhasa in
Tibet