Economy and Occupations Class 10 Notes, Questions | SSC Geography
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This chapter looks at how people in India and Brazil earn their living and how their economies are built. It explains the type of economy both countries have, the three sectors of occupations, and what the 2016 data says about each sector's share in GDP and in employment. It then compares agriculture, mining, fishing, industries, trade and services in the two countries, along with ideas such as GDP, per capita income and GST.
Summary
India and Brazil are both developing countries, and both have a mixed economy. In a mixed economy the government (public sector) and private individuals and companies (private sector) together own and run economic activities. Both countries are making progress in industry, technology and education, but their per capita income is still low when compared with developed countries.
Occupations are grouped into three sectors. Primary activities take resources directly from nature, such as agriculture, mining, fishing, lumbering and animal rearing. Secondary activities process raw materials into finished goods, as in manufacturing industries. Tertiary activities provide services, such as transport, communication, trade, banking, tourism and other services. A country's economy is often judged by which sector contributes most to its income and which sector engages most of its people.
The 2016 pie diagrams show that in both countries the tertiary sector gives the largest share of GDP: 67% in Brazil and 57% in India. The big difference is in employment. Nearly half of India's working population (48.8%) is still in the primary sector, even though this sector gives only 17% of GDP. In Brazil only 10% of people work in the primary sector, and as many as 71% work in services. So Brazil's economy depends mainly on tertiary activities, while India's economy still depends heavily on agriculture for jobs.
Agriculture is important in both countries. Around 60% of India's land is under cultivation, and India grows foodgrains, cash crops and spices; Indian spices are famous all over the world. In Brazil a much smaller share of land is cultivated because large areas are covered by the Amazon forests. Brazil is a leading producer of coffee and is the largest exporter of coffee and soyabean in the world. Coffee is grown on large farms called fazendas, mainly in the south-eastern highlands, in states such as Minas Gerais and Sao Paulo.
Mining is a primary activity. In Brazil it is concentrated in the eastern and south-eastern parts, where minerals like iron ore and manganese are found. The western part, covered by dense equatorial rainforest, is hard to reach, has poor transport and heavy rainfall, and its mineral reserves are not fully surveyed, so mining has not developed there. In India coal is mined in places such as Korba in Chhattisgarh and in eastern Maharashtra, and mineral oil is obtained from wells at Digboi in Assam and at Kalol in Gujarat.
Fishing is carried on along the coasts of both countries. Off the south-east coast of Brazil, the warm Brazil current meets the cold Falkland current, which makes it a rich fishing ground. Fresh water fishing is not well developed in Brazil. In India both marine and inland fishing are important, and inland fisheries give the larger share, about 60%, of the country's fish production.
Secondary and tertiary activities are growing in both countries. Industries in Brazil are concentrated in the south-east, where power, transport, capital and markets are available. Trade links both countries with the world: China, the USA and Germany are among Brazil's major trading partners, and India is an important trading partner for many countries because of its wide range of products and its large market. In taxation, India introduced the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in 2017, while Brazil has followed a GST-type system since 1984. The currency of India is the Indian Rupee and that of Brazil is the Brazilian Real.
Types of economy
| Type | Who owns and runs activities |
|---|---|
| Capitalist economy | Mainly private individuals and companies; the main aim is profit. |
| Socialist economy | Mainly the government; the aim is the welfare of society. |
| Mixed economy | Both the government and the private sector work side by side. India and Brazil have this type. |
Sectors of the economy
Primary sector
- Uses natural resources directly.
- Examples: agriculture, mining, fishing, lumbering, animal rearing.
Secondary sector
- Converts raw materials into more useful goods.
- Examples: iron and steel, textiles, sugar, automobile and food processing industries.
Tertiary sector
- Provides services that support the other two sectors and people's needs.
- Examples: transport, communication, trade, banking, insurance, tourism, education, health care.
India and Brazil: sectors in 2016
| Sector | Share in GDP: India | Share in GDP: Brazil | Population engaged: India | Population engaged: Brazil |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary | 17% | 5.5% | 48.8% | 10% |
| Secondary | 26% | 27.5% | 24.3% | 19% |
| Tertiary | 57% | 67% | 26.9% | 71% |
What the table shows:
- The tertiary sector gives the largest share of GDP in both countries.
- India's primary sector engages almost half the population but gives less than one-fifth of GDP, so income per worker in farming is low.
- In Brazil the tertiary sector both earns the most and employs the most people.
- The secondary sector's share in GDP is almost the same in both countries.
India and Brazil compared
| Point | India | Brazil |
|---|---|---|
| Type of economy | Mixed, developing | Mixed, developing |
| Main source of jobs | Primary sector (agriculture) | Tertiary sector (services) |
| Land under cultivation | Around 60% of the land | A smaller share, as forests cover large areas |
| Famous farm products | Spices, foodgrains, cash crops | Coffee and soyabean (largest exporter) |
| Mining areas | Coal at Korba (Chhattisgarh) and eastern Maharashtra; oil at Digboi (Assam) and Kalol (Gujarat) | Mainly the east and south-east; little in the forested west |
| Fishing | Marine and inland; inland gives about 60% of fish production | Mainly marine, off the south-east coast; fresh water fishing not developed |
| Per capita income | Lower, because national income is shared by a huge population | Higher, as the population is much smaller |
| GST | Introduced in 2017 | A similar system since 1984 |
| Currency | Indian Rupee | Brazilian Real |
Important terms
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Mixed economy | An economy in which the public sector and the private sector both own and run economic activities. |
| Gross Domestic Product (GDP) | The total market value of all final goods and services produced within a country in one year. |
| Per capita income | National income divided by the total population; the average income of one person. |
| Primary activity | An occupation that obtains resources directly from nature. |
| Secondary activity | An occupation that processes raw materials into finished goods. |
| Tertiary activity | An occupation that provides services rather than goods. |
| Fazenda | A large coffee farm in Brazil. |
| GST | Goods and Services Tax, a single indirect tax on the supply of goods and services. |
Key points to remember
- India and Brazil both have mixed and developing economies.
- Mining is a primary activity, not a secondary one; tourism is a tertiary activity.
- Brazil's economy depends mainly on tertiary activities (67% of GDP, 71% of workers in 2016).
- 48.8% of India's population works in the primary sector, against 10% in Brazil.
- Brazil is the world's largest exporter of coffee and soyabean; coffee farms are called fazendas.
- Minas Gerais and Sao Paulo are major coffee-growing states.
- Warm Brazil current and cold Falkland current meet off south-east Brazil.
- About 60% of India's fish production is from inland fisheries.
- India is famous for its spices.
- India's per capita income is lower than Brazil's mainly because of its massive population.
- Brazil has had a GST-type system since 1984; India adopted GST in 2017.
Important questions and answers
Q1. Choose the correct option: The economy of Brazil is mainly dependent on ____ activities. (a) primary (b) secondary (c) tertiary (d) quaternary
(c) Tertiary.
Q2. Choose the correct option: The economies of India and Brazil are ____. (a) capitalist (b) socialist (c) mixed (d) communist
(c) Mixed.
Q3. Find the odd one out: Agriculture, Mining, Tourism, Fishing
Tourism. It is a tertiary activity; the others are primary activities.
Q4. State whether right or wrong: Mining is a secondary occupation.
Wrong. Mining takes minerals directly from the earth, so it is a primary occupation.
Q5. Give reason: India's per capita income is less than Brazil's.
Per capita income is found by dividing national income by the population. India's national income is large, but it is shared among a very large population, much larger than Brazil's. So the average income of one person in India works out lower than in Brazil.
Q6. Give reason: Mining has not developed in the western part of Brazil.
The western part of Brazil is covered with dense equatorial forests of the Amazon basin. The region is hard to reach, transport facilities are poor and the climate is hot with heavy rainfall. The mineral reserves of the area are also not fully known. For these reasons mining has not developed there.
Q7. Give reason: The south-east coast of Brazil is a good fishing ground.
Off the south-east coast of Brazil, the warm Brazil current meets the cold Falkland current. Where warm and cold currents meet, plankton, the food of fish, grows in plenty, so large numbers of fish gather there. This makes the area a rich fishing ground.
Q8. Give reason: There is a mixed economy in India and Brazil.
In both countries some activities, such as defence, railways in India and certain large enterprises, are run by the government, while agriculture, much of industry, trade and services are run by private people and companies. Since the public and private sectors work together, both countries have a mixed economy.
Q9. Write the similarities and differences in fishing in India and Brazil.
Similarities: In both countries fishing is developed along the coasts, and marine fishing is important.
Differences: In India inland fishing is well developed and gives about 60% of fish production; in Brazil fresh water fishing is not developed. In Brazil the meeting of the warm Brazil current and cold Falkland current creates a rich fishing ground; India's coast has no such meeting of currents, but other favourable conditions support fishing.
Q10. Study the 2016 sector data and answer: In which country is the share of the primary sector in employment higher, and what does it show?
India, with 48.8% of its population in the primary sector against 10% in Brazil. It shows that India still depends heavily on agriculture for jobs, although this sector gives only 17% of its GDP.
Q11. Give information about agriculture in Brazil.
Only a part of Brazil's land is cultivated because large areas are under forests. Agriculture is mainly developed in the south and south-east. Brazil is a leading producer of coffee and the largest exporter of coffee and soyabean in the world. Coffee is grown on large farms called fazendas in states such as Minas Gerais and Sao Paulo. Other crops include sugarcane, maize, cotton and cocoa.
Q12. Distinguish between the economies of India and Brazil.
Both are mixed, developing economies with the tertiary sector giving the largest share of GDP. However, India's workforce is concentrated in the primary sector (48.8%), while Brazil's workforce is mostly in the tertiary sector (71%). Brazil's per capita income is higher than India's because its population is much smaller.
Exam tips
- Learn the 2016 sector percentages well; graph and pie diagram questions use them directly.
- For "odd one out" questions, first sort each item into primary, secondary or tertiary.
- In comparison questions, write similarities and differences under separate headings.
- For reason questions about Brazil, link the answer to its physical features such as the Amazon forests or ocean currents.
FAQs
What type of economy do India and Brazil have?
Both have a mixed economy and are developing countries.
What are coffee farms in Brazil called?
Fazendas.
Which sector gives the largest share of GDP in India and Brazil?
The tertiary sector: 57% in India and 67% in Brazil (2016).
What is the currency of Brazil?
The Brazilian Real.