Std 10 Geography · Chapter 8

8. Economy and Occupations

Complete solutions to the Exercise. Maharashtra State Board (Balbharati), Grade Ten Geography.

Exercise

1Fill in the blank with appropriate word.

(a) India's per capita income is less than Brazil due to ________.
(ii) Massive Population
(b) The economy of Brazil is mainly dependent on the ________ activities there.
(iii) Tertiary
(c) The economies of India and Brazil are of the ________ type.
(iii) Developing

2Answer the following questions:

(a) Why has mining not developed in the western part of Brazil?

The western part of Brazil, largely comprising the Amazon river basin, is covered by dense equatorial forests.
There is a lack of knowledge regarding the potential reserves of mineral resources in these heavily forested interior parts.
Furthermore, the region suffers from severe inaccessibility, making the extraction and transportation of minerals highly difficult.
These combined factors have led to significant limitations in the development of mining activities in the western part of the country.

(b) What are the similarities and differences in the fishing activities in Brazil and India?

Similarities:

Both Brazil and India have long coastlines (Brazil has ~7400 km and India has ~7500 km) which provide excellent grounds for marine fishing.
In both countries, marine fishing is well developed along the coast and is an important source of food and livelihood.

Differences:

In India, freshwater (inland) fishing is highly developed in rivers, canals, lakes, and ponds, accounting for about 60% of the country's total fish production.
In Brazil, inland fishing is not well developed. The fish resources of the Amazon River are used only on a small scale.
Brazil's south-east coast is a rich fishing ground because the warm Brazil current and the cold Falkland current meet there.

3Give reasons:

(a) Per capita land availability is more in Brazil as compared to India.

Brazil occupies about 5.6% of the world's land area but has only about 2.78% of the world's population.
India occupies only about 2.41% of the world's land area but supports about 17.5% of the world's population.
Brazil's population density is about 23 persons per sq. km, while India's is about 382 persons per sq. km.
So, each person in Brazil has much more land than a person in India.

(b) There is mixed economy in Brazil and India.

A mixed economy is an economic system where both the private sector and the public (government) sector coexist and operate together.
In both Brazil and India, major sectors such as banking, railways, airways, health, and telecommunications are owned and managed by both private enterprises and the government simultaneously.
Because economic activities and strategic sectors are shared between public and private ownership, both countries are classified as having a mixed economy.

4Study the following graph and analyse in short.

Note on Graph Data: The textbook gives a bar graph showing the "Contribution of sectors in national income" and the "Percentage of Population engaged in the sector" for both India and Brazil.

Analysis of the Graph:

Sectoral Contribution to Income: In Brazil, the tertiary (service) sector dominates the economy, contributing the highest share (around 67%) to its national income. In India, the tertiary sector also contributes the highest share (around 57%) to the national income. The secondary sector's contribution is somewhat similar in both countries (India ~26%, Brazil ~27.5%).
Population Engagement: A stark difference is seen in employment. In Brazil, a massive 71% of the population is engaged in the tertiary sector, while only 10% is engaged in the primary sector. In contrast, in India, the largest chunk of the population (around 48.8%) is still heavily dependent on the primary sector (agriculture) for their livelihood, with only 26.9% engaged in the tertiary sector.
Conclusion: The graph indicates that Brazil's economy is highly service-oriented both in terms of income and employment. Meanwhile, India presents an uneven economic structure where the service sector generates the most income, but agriculture remains the primary source of employment for nearly half of its massive population.

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