Trade, transport and telecommunications

Last time

Before we start: last time, in Industry, industrial location and tourism, you learned these points. Here they are again on one card. Keep them in mind, because today builds on them.

Moving goods and messages

Pakistan sells textiles and rice abroad, and buys oil and machinery. Goods move by road, rail, sea and air, and information by phone and internet. This lesson covers trade, transport and telecommunications.

Exports

Exports are goods and services sold to other countries. Pakistan's main exports are textiles and clothing, rice, leather goods, sports goods, and surgical instruments. Most are based on agriculture, so a bad harvest cuts exports.

Imports

Imports are goods and services bought from other countries. The main imports are petroleum, machinery, chemicals, vehicles, and edible oil. Petroleum is a large share of imports, because Pakistan produces too little oil, and needs it for transport, power and industry.

The balance of trade

The balance of trade is the value of exports minus the value of imports. Pakistan usually has a trade deficit: it imports more than it exports. Ways to improve it: more value-added exports, such as clothing instead of raw cotton, and less dependence on imported fuel.

Roads

Roads carry most of Pakistan's goods and passengers. The main highway, the N-5, runs from Karachi to Peshawar. Motorways, such as the M-2 from Lahore to Islamabad, give fast travel. The Karakoram Highway links Pakistan with China. Problems: poor roads in remote areas, congestion, and accidents.

Railways

The main railway line runs from Karachi through Lahore to Peshawar. Rail is cheaper for heavy, bulky goods over long distances, and causes less pollution per tonne. But the railways have suffered from old engines and tracks, delays, and losses.

Ports and airports

Karachi Port and Port Qasim handle most of Pakistan's sea trade. Gwadar, a deep-sea port in Balochistan, is being developed. Dry ports inland, such as at Lahore and Faisalabad, let goods clear customs away from the coast. Main international airports are at Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad. Airports develop where there is demand, flat land and good road links.

Transport compared

Each kind of transport suits different needs.

Telecommunications

Mobile phones have spread rapidly, and many people use them for banking, business and news. Internet access is good in cities but uneven: remote and mountainous areas have weak coverage. Reasons: it is expensive to build towers and cables in remote, rugged areas with few customers, and some people cannot afford devices.

Why transport matters

Good transport lowers costs for industry and farming, and gets exports to ports quickly. It links remote areas to markets, schools and hospitals. Projects such as new roads to Gwadar aim to make Pakistan a trade route for the region.

Mistakes that lose marks

Mistake one: saying Pakistan has a trade surplus. Mistake two: listing exports that are imports, such as petroleum. Mistake three: explaining uneven internet without developing the reasons. The fix: correct trade facts, and developed reasons.

The full-marks tip

The full-marks tip: for trade, name main exports and imports, and say why the balance is usually a deficit. For transport, compare modes by cost, speed and the goods carried.

On one card

So, on one card: trade and transport. Keep it for revision.