Q1.
Can you spot the port, highway and railway network on the map in Fig. 12.24? How do you think they helped make Surat a trading hub?
Answer
Yes — here is where each one is. Look at the key in the bottom-right corner of Fig. 12.24 (Surat City Map), then find the symbols on the map.
| Feature | Symbol in the key | Where you see it on the map |
|---|---|---|
| Port | A small ship | Two ship symbols on the coast to the south-west of the city, where the Tapi river meets the Arabian Sea |
| Railway | A hatched (cross-barred) line | Runs right through the middle of the city, roughly north-east to south-west, crossing the river |
| Road / highway | A plain black line | Several, radiating out of the city in every direction and crossing one another at the centre |
| Airport | An aeroplane | South-west of the built-up area, close to the coast |
| Textile Market | A small yellow-green square | In the heart of the city — sitting almost on top of the railway line |
| River (Tapi) | Pale blue band | Curving through the city from the east and out to the sea |
How they made Surat a trading hub.
- The port brought the world to Surat. Because the city sits on the west coast, ships could carry goods to and from West Asia, Africa and Europe. The chapter says exactly this: “The city's location on the west coast led to the setting up of ports and road networks that continue to be important today.” Trade here “flourished from the 16th century onwards”.
- The railway brings raw material in and finished cloth out. Raw cotton reaches Surat through cotton mandīs from Maharashtra and other parts of Gujarat (Fig. 12.23); finished sarees and garments leave for shops all over the country. The textile market sits beside the railway for exactly that reason.
- Roads and highways connect the last mile. Trucks carry cotton from the mandī to the power looms, cloth from the looms to the dyeing units, and dyed fabric to the wholesale market — a product “moves from one stage to another through markets”, and every one of those moves is a road journey.
- The airport carries what is small and precious. Surat has the largest diamond industry in the world, with about 1.5 million (15 lakh) artisans cutting and polishing. Diamonds travel by air, not by ship.
- Together they lower the cost of trade. A city where goods can arrive by sea, rail and road and leave the same way is a cheap place to buy and sell — so traders, artisans and wholesalers gather there, and the gathering itself attracts more of them.
Why it happens: a market needs more than buyers and sellers — it needs a way for goods to reach the buyers and sellers. Transport is what turns a good location into a trading hub. Surat also had the second ingredient: “communities of expert artisans and skilled persons have lived here for centuries; their skills have been passed on over generations.”