Transport: Introduction

• -refers to the means by which goods and people are moved from one point to another on the earth’s surface.
  Transport is an outcome of supply (production) and demand (consumption).
• Goods or raw materials may be produced in one area while consumers or manufacturers may be found in another area.
• Transport therefore acts as a link between the two.
• For example Cotton has to be transported from farms to the weaving industries.
• The cloth then has to be transported to clothing industries where they are turned into clothes.
• The clothes then have to be transported back to the customers.
• Also the spatial distribution of services such as homes and workplaces creates the need for transport.
• For example people have to be ferried to and from work back to their homes on a daily basis i.e. commuters.
• People also move to a from places of social and cultural activities.
• Transport is necessitated by distance.
• Wherever there is distance between two places, there will be need for transport.

Factors affecting transport choice.

• The choice of transport that will be used between two points depends on the following:
• The type of goods to be transported e.g. liquids can be carried by pipeline or tankers
• The quantity of goods to be transported e.g. bulky or heavy goods can be shipped or transported by rail while light goods can be flown in.
• Quality for example perishables need to be transported quickly to the market before they go bad.
• The number of people to transport.
• Human preference
• The cost of the type of transport
• Accessibility of the source and destination.
• Availability of roads, navigable river or railway lines to use.
• The affluence of the people involved.

To access more topics go to the Geography Notes page.