SHANGHAI, Feb 27 (SMM) – The World Steel Association (worldsteel) reported on Tuesday February 26 that output of crude steel across 64 countries totaled 146.7 million mt in January, up 1% from a year earlier.China’s crude steel production for January rose 4.3% year on year and stood at 75 million mt, with India’s output down 1.9% from January 2018 to 9.2 million mt.Japan produced 8.1 million of crude steel last month, down 9.8% year on year. South Korea’s output came in at 6.2 million mt, with a year-over-year decline of 1.5%.

• China Crude Steel Production Spatial Definition
• Crude Steel Production
• China Crude Steel Production Spatial Index

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SHANGHAI, Feb 27 (SMM) – The World Steel Association (worldsteel) reported on Tuesday February 26 that output of crude steel across 64 countries totaled 146.7 million mt in January, up 1% from a year earlier.China’s crude steel production for January rose 4.3% year on year and stood at 75 million mt, with India’s output down 1.9% from January 2018 to 9.2 million mt.Japan produced 8.1 million of crude steel last month, down 9.8% year on year. South Korea’s output came in at 6.2 million mt, with a year-over-year decline of 1.5%.

ADVERTISEMENTS:Read this article to learn about the Distribution of Iron and Steel Industry among Various Countries. CIS: ( Former Soviet Union Industry):In the post-revolution period, the Soviet steel industry had achieved a remarkable expan­sion. From the early period of Stalin era, steel industry have experienced all-round government patronage. During the Second World War, however, the Soviet iron and steel industry were affected badly.Most of the large production centres were either destroyed or damaged in such a way that they required a thorough re-modelling. However, within 1975.the country became the largest iron and steel producing nation in the world.

Till now, the CIS has been able to maintain the performance in the same fashion. ADVERTISEMENTS:The increase of the Soviet iron and steel output is indeed astonishing. In 1930, the output of pig iron was a mere 5 million tonnes, which went up to 10 million tonnes in 1934. In 1936, the output of pig iron and steel increased to 14 and 16 million tonnes, respectively.In 1935, the country had witnessed the production of 33 and 45 million tonnes of pig iron and steel.

From this period onwards, the Soviet steel industry had witnessed an unprecedented growth.The growth rate can be noticed from the table:The consistent increase of iron and steel production enabled the country to retain the top position among the iron and steel producing countries. In 2004, the major constituents countries of CIS namely Russian Federation and Ukraine jointly produced 104 million tonnes of crude steel. Russian Federation and Ukraine produced 66 and 39 million tonnes of steel respectively and secured third and fourth position among steel producing countries. ADVERTISEMENTS:The industry first took its birth in Moscow region some 300 years back. After revolution, subsequent exploration of new iron ore and coal deposits encouraged the decentralization of the industry to the remote areas.The location of Soviet steel industries are mostly controlled by raw material availability. In fact, the total transport cost for raw material assemblage in this country is often so high, that this may be regarded uneconomic in any country other than socialist economy. ADVERTISEMENTS:The iron-steel districts of both the Krivoy Rog and Donbas had a symbiotic relationship regarding raw material supply.

According to this reciprocal relationship, Donbass coal is used in Krivoy Rog and after unloading coal, it collects Krivoy Rog iron ore for Donbass steel industry. Therefore, both the centres became mutually benefitted and overall transport cost is reduced.2&3.

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The Ural — Kuznetsk region:This region was primarily based on nearby iron ore deposits. It was one of the oldest iron-steel districts in the CIS.

The real development of the Ural region, however, began after the introduction of ‘combine’ system with Kuznetsk.In fact, during the middle of 20th century, two giant plants were erected, one each at the Urals and Kuznetsk. The iron ore based plants of Magnitogorsk in Ural and coal based plants of Novo Kuznetsk in Kuznetsk basin became an instant success, despite the great distance of 3,100 km between each other.4. The Central district:This region is located around the capital city of Moscow. Perhaps this is the only market based iron and steel region in the CIS. The development of the Moscow- Tula industrial region forced the planners to set up iron and steel centres in this region. Due to the absence of any nearby iron ore deposit, scrap is now being used as raw material.5. The other regions:Besides these traditional centres, new iron and steel producing cen­tres have developed around Kursk magnetic anomaly, Electrostal, Cherepovets, Kolpino, Len­ingrad, Vertsilya, Liyapaya in the east and Yarmak, Kuzbass and Petrovsk-Zabaykalskiy in the south central region.

United States:The United States of America is the world’s third largest producer of iron and steel, next to the USSR and Japan. Till 1974, the United States was able to maintain its top position among the manufacturing countries.Since then, the CIS first surpassed it in 1978 and then Japan in 1983. In 1996, the USA produced 95 million tonnes of crude steel or 13 per cent of the world production.

In the same year the respective production of the CIS and Japan was 120 million tonnes and 99 million tonnes.A general observation on the production chart reveals that production of crude steel is gradually decreasing in the United States. This downward trend of production was first visible in the middle of 70’s, when production came down to 124 million from 132 million between the period 1973 to 1978.However, keeping pace with production, the consumption volume in the country has also come down. In 1992, the total consumption of crude steel in the USA was 93.33 million tonnes or 13.7 per cent of the world total.

Except the CIS no other country in the world consumes such a large amount of crude steel.The set-back received by the US steel industry in recent decades was not very unexpected. According to US exports, the growing competition among the developing countries to capture international market, protection and subsidies introduced to safe-guard their home market were the principal reasons for their unprecedented growth. ADVERTISEMENTS:On the other hand, because of historic reasons, the US steel industry have developed certain problems of their own. The unscientific ‘Pittsburg plus’ policy and later the introduction of ‘multiple basing point system’ restricted the spontaneous development of new industrial centres.According to that theory, to save Pittsburg from growing competition, law was enacted which enforced the rule that all steel centres had to sell their products at the rate fixed up by Pittsburg and some other base points or steel centres. So, naturally, Pittsburg steel industry survived, but the US steel industry, as a whole, suffered a lot in the absence of spontaneous growth.Apart from these, most of the US plants are old, uneconomic and poorly managed. On the other hand, new entrants like Japan, using sophisticated, fuel and cost efficient production machinery largely reduced the cost of production. A strict vigil on quality and use of scrap as raw material largely helped the countries like Japan to achieve a tremendous success and curb the US monopoly on the iron and steel industry.

ADVERTISEMENTS:After the construction of first iron and steel plant at Massachusetts in 1629, the US steel industry had undergone a sea-change through last 350 years or more and now placed in a cross­road. During this long history, distribution or spatial concentration of industries had also wit­nessed a massive change from one region to another.At this juncture, therefore, it is not the distribution but the tendency of dispersal is of greater importance.The major iron and steel regions in the USA may be classified as follows:1. Youngstown-Wheeling-Johnstown iron and steel region.2. Lower Great Lakes region.3.

Eastern region.4. South-East region.5. The Western region.1. Youngstown-Wheeling-Johnstown region:This region was once regarded as the world’s iron-steel capital. At that time, Pittsburg iron-steel industry was unparalleled in the world.

The nearby Pittsburg coal and Lake Superior iron ore, wonderful transportation network and excellent marketing facilities favoured the growth of this region. This region attained such a fame, that even after the decline of this industry, to protect the industry, US Government introduced the infamous ‘Pittsburg Plus’ policy.Apart from Pittsburg, large concentration of iron and steel industry came into being around Mahoning and Shenango valley. A large steel plant is on production in the Youngstown. The steel centres developed in the adjacent Wheeling and Steubenville district around Ohio district mostly specialized in the production of high quality steel. The Johnstown region, situated farther east earned reputation in steel making when famous Bethlehem steel plant constructed their giant plants.2. Lower Great Lakes region:Gradually, with the passage of time, Pittsburg lost its pre-eminence as a steel centre. From the early period of 20th century iron-steel industry in USA started shifting towards the southern part of Great Lakes.

Besides Lake Erie, new steel centres developed at Buffalo, Erie, Cleveland, Detroit and at Lorain.To serve the western and southern markets, massive steel plants were developed in the Chicago-Gary district and at Duluth. The greatest advantage of this region is that it lies within the route of Lake Superior and Mesabi iron ore deposits and Appalachian coal.This break of bulk situation or advantage of loading-unloading enabled the region to get both iron ore and coal at a much cheaper rate. The good transportation system either by water through lakes or trains were added advantage. Till recently, this industrial zone grew at a tremendous speed.3.

Atlantic Coastal region:Initially, iron-steel industry developed here, around the iron ore mines of the Adirondacks, and Cornwall area. Though the iron ore deposits were exhausted very soon, the steel industry continued to grow. The nearby large market provided excellent opportunity to grow vigorously.The most important steel centre in this region are the Maryland, Sparrows Point and Penn­sylvania. In Pennsylvania region, the Bethlehem steel plant constructed a giant steel plant at Bethlehem on Lehigh River.

The Steelton is another steel town within Pennsylvania which produces large amount of special quality steel.Sparrows Point and Maryland are two old steel plants, initially developed for the nearness of the Virginia coal. Entire steel industry collects coal from Pennsylvania and Virginia mines and iron ore from Lake Superior, Adirondacks and Cornwall areas. The proximity of great valley limestone and cheap water transportation through Lehigh and Susquehanna River provided added advan­tage.4. The South-Eastern region:This region extends from the Virginia on the east to Ala­bama on the south. From the early days of steel making, steel plants were developed around Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee.

This area, particularly the Alabama-Birmingham concentra­tion have proximity of both iron ore and limestone deposits of Red Mountain and extensive deposits of good quality coal situated within the region.Among these deposits, Warrior coal deposits in the Birmingham region is notable. The cheap, abundant labour also gives this region a distinct advantage over its competitors. However, lack of market is a problem to this industry.5. The Western region:This region extends from Colorado in the interior to the Califor­nia on the West. Among the steel region in the USA, this region is new one. Only after Second World War, for strategic reasons, the government had set up steel mills.The pioneer attempt to construct a steel mill was made in 1882 at Pueblo. Later on, steel industries were developed at Fontana in California and Provo in Utah.

Initially, iron ore was collected from Wyoming and coal from Colorado.The Government-owned steel corporation constructed a steel plant at Geneva to manufac­ture machines for military purpose.The plants situated at California collects coal from Sunny side in Utah and iron ore from Eagle Mountain. Japan:The steel industry in Japan had witnessed a complete metamorphosis in its not too long history. Like all other industries, the iron and steel industry was also devastated completely by Second World War. But, from the complete destruction, soon it was revived and touched the pre-war levels of production.After the complete destruction of plants in Second World War, production of Japanese steel industry came down to only 1 million tonne or even less. But, the patriotic zeal and hard labour of Japanese workers made a great deal to revive the industry.The growth rate increased in such a pace that, within a few years, it surpassed the production of Great Britain, Germany and France.

This tremendous increase of steel production was made possible by the complete reformation of the industrial set-up.Without having any of the required raw materials, the growth and expansion of Japanese steel industry is indeed a perplexing phenomenon. The year 1996, Japan secured second position in the production of steel and crude recording the production of 98.13 million tonnes.In the year 1973, this industry recorded an all-time high of 119 million tonnes. Compared to any other country, the per capita steel production in Japan is the highest in the world. Almost all of the Japanese steel manufacturing units are very large as well as integrated. There are at least 12-13 manufacturing units, each having the production capacity of more than 10 million tonnes of steel per year.Japan is having some of the highest steel producing units in the world, each producing more steel than the combined output of even some developed countries. At present, the Nippon-Kokan steel factory situated in the Okayama region is the biggest steel plant in the world.

This plant is having more than 20 million tonnes of production capacity per year.The beginning of the iron and steel industry in Japan dates back to the middle of 18th century. Though, the real development of the industry started only after the Meiji restoration in 1868. In that period, to curb the dependence on foreign steel, concerted efforts were given to raise the output and increase the production efficiency.At the very beginning of 20th century, giant steel producing centres were developed on Osaka, Kobe and Tokyo-Yokohoma area.

But till the middle of the century, production of steel per year remained within 10 million tonnes mark. During the World War and depression in 1930, the industry received a set-back and the production dropped to only 2 million tonnes per year.The Sino-Japanese War and heavy military demands of the Second World War came as a blessing to the Japanese steel industry. To meet the growing demand from foreign countries, as well as in the home, the iron and steel industry in Japan had undergone a complete moderniza­tion and rapid expansion programmes.In this period, manufacturers started using scrap as a raw material.

The iron ore was obtained from China, Australia and India at a much cheaper rate. Just before the on-set of Second World War, production recorded a new high of 8 million tonnes.Second World War completely devastated the Japanese iron and steel industries. In the subsequent years, rapid recovery from war devastation was the priority of Japanese industry.

The subsequent Korean war and increasing demand from other countries helped a lot and Japanese industry gradually struggled off the war obsession.The period between 1950-1970,Japanese industry was able to double its production. The overall industrial boom in the country and latest technology adopted in the steel manufacturing process, made Japan one of the lead­ing steel producing country in the world.The hard working labour force, national pride of the Japanese people, cost reduction in the manufacturing process and ready market in the third world countries helped Japan to secure an enviable position among the world’s steel manufacturing circles. Distribution of Iron and Steel Industries in Japan:The first steel plant was constructed in Japan at the fag end of 19th century. This Yawata steel plant was the biggest in Asia at the time of installation. Within a span of 40 years, at least 10 other steel plants were constructed in Japan. Since then, Japanese steel industry never looked back.

The leading steel producing companies are Fuji, Sumitomo, Nisshin, Kawasaki and Kobe steel plant.The spatial distribution of Japanese steel producing centres may be sub-divided into six principal regions.These are:1. Tokyo-Yakohoma Area.2. Nagoa Region.3. Osaka-Kobe Region.4. Fukuoka-Yamaguchi Region.5. Oka-Yamaha Region.6. Hokkaido Region.1.

The Tokyo-Yokohoma Region:Tokyo, the centre of politics, culture, economy, trans­portation and all other aspects of Japan, naturally attracted large iron and steel industries within its fold. Hitachi is another industrial area around. Tokai also provided all facilities to the iron and steel industries at the beginning.The reclamation of Tokyo Bay provided large extensive plane land for steel manufacturing units. The Tokyo-Chiba region grew very fast as a major iron and steel centre. In this zone, the largest agglomeration of iron and steel industry is found at Hitachi, north of Tokyo.2. Nagoa Region:Nagoa region is now popularly known as the ‘Detroit’ of Japan. This region had witnessed a massive growth of industries within the period 1950-1960.

At present, this region contributes nearly 20 per cent of the total value of shipments.3. Osaka-Kobe Region:Osaka-Kobe is another large agglomeration of iron and steel in­dustries. The combined output of Osaka and Kobe surpassed all other region’s output. The largest steel plant in this region is located in the South-East of Osaka, at Wakayama. At least 70 per cent of the total output of this region is exported to the foreign countries.4.

Fukuoka-Yamaguchi Region:In the extreme south of Japan within Kyushu and west­ern most end of Honshu, this region is located. The output of this region is not very large, though the growth rate of this region is very high. In the north of Kyushu, the famous Yawata steel plant was constructed under direct Government supervision in 1901.

The initial advantage of this industry was the nearness of Chikulo coalfields.The Dokai bay situated very near, provided easy water transportation to import the iron ore from China and export of the prod­ucts to the foreign countries. The rail-lines connecting Fukuoka and Nagasaki also helped the industrial growth of the region. Kita-Kyushu is another notable iron and steel centre in this area.5.

Oka-Yamaha Region:Oka-Yamaha steel centre is one of the newest steel centres in Japan, situated in between Osaka-Kobe and Hiroshima. Though the present production is not very large, introduction of latest technology and government incentives made this industrial region one of the most up-coming steel producing centres in Japan.6. Hokkaido Region:Hokkaido, which is not very famous for industrial developments, possesses the single iron and steel producing centre near Muroran. The coal fields of Ishikari, Kushiro and Romai initially attracted the entrepreneurs to set up iron and steel industry at Muroran.

The fluxing material and manganese are collected from Kamino-Kuni region of Hokkaido.The total Japanese production of crude steel in 2004 was 112.7 million tonnes, while con­sumption of steel in that period was 115 million tonnes. In production, Japan secures first position in the world, while in consumption it ranks second, next to CIS. China:The People’s Republic of China is the largest producer of iron and crude steel. The country is now producing more steel than Japan and United States.

Regarding consumption China secures third position in the world, next to the Japan and United States of America. In 2004, China produced 272 million tonnes of crude steel. However, in that year, total consumption of steel was far lower i.e. 310 million tonnes.Since 1973, growth of steel production in China was spectacular, within a span of 15 years China was able to increase its production of crude steel to 217 percent. In that period consump­tion increased 300 per cent. This growth rate clearly reveals the rapid pace of industrialization, that is now going on in China.In 1996, China contributed 15 per cent of the world production of crude steel. In the corre­sponding period, consumption was much lower (10.54 per cent).Development:The history of iron and steel making in China is very old.

China Crude Steel Production Spatial Definition

The initial development was basically of cottage industry level. The indigenous technique of fabrication was highly devel­oped. The scale of production was not very significant.The modern blast furnace was erected in China only in 1890.

In the first half of the 20th century, the political turmoil and repeated foreign aggression hindered the growth of small-scale steel furnaces. However, in this period, the Japanese established their control over Manchuria.To consolidate their economic position Japanese people started the construction of modern steel plants over Manchuria. These plants were short-lived.

After Second World War, due to dearth of capital and raw materials, most of the factories were closed.Meanwhile, isolated attempts were made to set up iron and steel plants at Yangtze, Shan­tung etc. Some of these were able to survive and others failed. The surviving industries further suffered set-back when Russian Communist Revolutionaries of China destroyed most of the plants.After the installation of Communist regime in 1949, serious efforts were made to make China self-reliant in steel production.

Due to the implementation of various measures, produc­tion gradually increased. Within 1955, production exceeded 1.5 million mark.Apart from pre-existing Anshan Steel Plants, several plants were constructed during five year plan periods. The new integrated iron and steel plants were set up at Tiensin, Shantung, Paotow, Taiyuan, Wuhan, Shanghai, Chungking, Canton and several other locations.To make the country self-sufficient in iron and steel production, the famous ‘back yard’ furnace policy were promulgated. The construction of thousands of unplanned furnaces im­proved the production marginally. This ambitious project failed miserably to yield desired output. In spite of this failure, the overall production improved considerably within 1960, the country surpassed 18 million tonnes target of steel production. Distribution:The iron-steel centers in China are located in three separate regions.These are:1.

Southern Manchuria.2. Northern China.3. Yangtze Valley.1. Southern Manchuria:This is the oldest steel producing area in China. The oldest steel plant is located at Anshan.

This plant, which was destroyed by the Russians and Chinese Com­munists, was later revamped. The plant was first designed by Japanese colonialists. Considering the location of raw materials, this plant is ideally situated.Coal is supplied from Fushan coal deposits and iron ore and limestone is obtained locally.

During the initial period, this iron-steel plant was regarded as the largest steel plant in China, though at present production is not very satisfactory. Old and obsolete machines and back-dated technology are the major problems of this steel plant.2.

Northern China:Northern China iron and steel producing region stretches from Paotow to Shantung. Large steel plants are located at Shantung, Beijing and Shensi. Coal is obtained from Yangku, iron ore is available in the vicinity. Two large steel plants came into being, one each near Anyang and Yellow river valley.3. Yangtze Valley:Of late, this region became the undisputed leader of iron and steel production. This region stretches from Shanghai to Chungking.

The major iron and steel plants are located at Chungking, Wuhan and Shanghai. Coal is obtained in the south of Nan-Chang and Chungking. Several hydro-electricity plants in the region provide energy to the plants. The extensive deposits of iron ore in southern Yangtze River provides uninterrupted supply. Most of the plants in this region are integrated.4. Other Centres:There are several other small isolated iron and steel centres located in Southern China. The steel mills near Canton now provides considerable amount of high quality steel.

The phenomenal growth of Chinese iron and steel industry after 1970 enabled the country to meet most of the domestic consumption.Considering the large reserves of iron ore, coal and domestic demand, the future of Chinese iron and steel industry seems to be very bright. Germany:After the re-unification of East and West Germany in 1990, the country is now one of the major steel producing nations in the world. West Germany was, however, all along a dominant steel producing nation. In 2004, Germany produced 46 million tonnes of crude steel and secured fifth place in the world. The production of steel in this part was very consistent.

Till 1978, it was fourth largest producer of crude steel.Germany, as a whole, is rich in coal reserve. The vast coal deposits of Ruhr valley and upper Silesia and enormous iron ore deposits of Lahnsieg, Ergburg provided excellent opportunities to develop iron-steel industry in the early period. Though the quality of iron ores is of inferior grade, coal deposits are very superior in quality.Apart from domestic iron ore, the country had every opportunity to import coal from neighbouring countries.

Before the outbreak of the Second World War, German steel production went up to 20 million tonnes. The large-scale import of pig iron enabled the country to expand its steel industry very rapidly. Due to war compensation, Germany lost the control over Silesian coal deposits.The divided German steel industry between two countries suffered a temporary set-back.

The Western Germany was able to revive the industry very rapidly. Till 1955, East German production was below 5 million tonnes, in a sharp contrast West German production exceeded 15 million tonnes mark.Most of the German steel output comes from the Great Ruhr industrial area. The extensive deposits of good quality coal within the region, presence of Ergberg and Lahn-Sieg iron ore and excellent import facilities through good transportation network helped immensely for the rapid growth of Ruhr iron and steel industry. France:Till 1973, France was the sixth largest steel producing nation in the world.

Since then, though the position has slipped down to tenth, it still maintains a key role in the production of iron and steel. In 2004, France was able to produce crude steel of 20.8 million tonnes.Since 1973, produc­tion of steel is gradually decreasing in France, because of the declining demand of crude steel in modern manufacturing industries. As scrap is used more and more in the manufacturing indus­tries, decline of steel industry is not an unnatural phenomenon.The large and very good quality Lorraine iron ore and imported coal from adjacent Ruhr basin of Germany prompted rapid development of iron and steel industry in France.At least three regions emerged as major iron and steel producing districts.These are:1.

The Lorraine Region.2. The Denain-Anzin Region.3. The Central France Region.The Lorraine iron-steel region contributes most of the product. Here, Minette ore deposits are of very good quality. Coal is also obtained from nearby Moselle area.

Though most of the coal is to be imported from neighbouring countries. The reduction of coal requirement in modern techniques adopted by the plants enabled the region to grow at a faster rate in the middle of the century.

The major plants are located around Rombas, Knutange and Moselle.The industries of Denaim-Anzin region uses Lorraine iron ore and imported coal, either from Belgium or Poland. The central district iron industry is comparatively small in volume. It was developed on local coal reserve. The industry developed here, around Lyons urban area.

Great Britain:Great Britain was the pioneer country in steel making. For centuries, the country achieved such a fame that at one time it alone contributed half of world’s iron and steel production.

The tragic decline of British steel dominance is one of the most spectacular events in the first quarter of 20th century.The country is now not able to retain herself within the list of top ten iron and steel producing nations in the world, though it secures 10th place in the world regarding con­sumption. Since 80’s, the production of United Kingdom fell short of 15 million tonnes.Its consump­tion, however, is greater that 15 million tonnes. The country is now deficient in iron and steel production. In 2004, the country produced only 13.77 million tonnes of crude steel and con­sumed 17.5 million tonnes.During the early period of growth the industry used charcoal as fuel, but after the middle of 18th century the discovery of good quality coking coal helped to raise the production level.

Within middle of 19th century the iron and steel industry in the country developed so much that output of the industry equaled three-fourths of world production.The industrial revolution and subsequent inventions of different new steel producing techniques, like Bessemer, Gilcrist- Thomas, enabled the country to raise its production rapidly. At the end of 19th century, though production of Britain gradually increased but the relative share of its production to the world’s share declined considerably, mainly because of the rapid growth of production in other coun­tries particularly USA, Germany, and Japan.The production of USA exceeded Britain in the year 1890. By 1935 the country became fourth, lagging behind to USA, Germany and CIS In the 70’s several countries like Japan, China, Italy, France, Brazil, Korea and even Poland surpassed Britain in steel output.Through most of the old plants are now not in the production.The original distribution of Great Britain were as follows:1.

Northern Region — (a) North-East Coast, (b) North-West Coast, (c) Scottish Low­land.2. Eastern Region — (a) Northumberland-Durham, (b) East Midland, (c) North Lin­colnshire.3. Western Region — (a) Cumberland, (b) Lancashire, (c) West Midland.4.

Southern Region — (a) South Wales.At present, most of the old, worn out manufacturing units are closed and only twenty- five odd units are producing steel. The largest among them is British Steel Corporation, a govern­ment owned company entrusted for the revival of steel industry. The large-scale retrenchment of workers and massive import of steel from foreign countries are the characteristic features of the British steel industry.The depletion of the British coal and iron-ore deposits forced the industries to migrate near coastal regions. The continuous mining through several centuries exhausted the deposits and cost of mining also increased substantially. Now British coal and ores are costlier than imported ore.The major steel plants are located in Glasgow, Teesside in the North-West, Hartlepool and Consett in the north-east, South Yorkshire, South Lancashire, Stanton, Starely, Corby and West Midland in the central region and South Wales, Port Talbot in the south-west and London in the south-east. Italy:Italy is a consistent producer of iron and steel. In 1988, the country secured seventh position in the production of crude steel.

Since 1973, there has been a consistent output in Italy. The country is entirely deficient in raw materials like coal and iron ore.Almost entire industry is dependent on the imported iron and coals. As a late-starter, Italy got the advantage of high technology. Most of the mills use electric furnace and basic oxygen process. Half of the Italian output is contributed by a giant public sector company, ‘Italsider’.Italian iron and steel industry is entirely dependent on imported iron ore. The country imports iron ore from Sweden, Brazil and Australia.

Nowadays most of the steel is produced from scraps. Formerly coal had to be imported from UK and Germany, now cheap hydel power substituted coal. The major industries are mostly located along the coast. Important industries are situated at Naples, Genoa, Aosta and Trieste.9. Other Countries: (i) Europe:The other major European steel producing nations are Poland, Belgium, Luxemburg, Spain, Holland, Sweden etc. (ii) Poland:Poland is the 15th largest iron and steel producing country in the world.

In 2004, the country produced 10.6 million tonnes of crude steel. In 2004, the total consumption of crude steel in Poland was 9 million tonnes.

Crude Steel Production

So, Poland is a surplus producing country.The vast Silesian coal help Poland to build up a massive steel plant near Nova-Huta and Krakow. The country is deficient in iron ore. It has to import iron ore from CIS and Sweden. (iii) Czechoslovakia:Iron and steel industry is moderately developed in this country. The largest steel plant in the country is Skoda steel plant. (iv) Sweden:Sweden is very rich in her iron ore reserve. Energy is obtained from cheap hydel-power.

Swedish steel is of very high quality. The best quality steels are generally exported. This country is not self-sufficient in ordinary steel production. (v) Holland:This country is deficient in both iron ore and coal.

China Crude Steel Production Spatial Index

As most of the steel plants are new, productivity rate is very high. The country has to import large amount of steel for domes­tic consumption.

(vi) Belgium and Luxemburg:The reciprocal relationship or symbiotic system of transporta­tion of Luxemburg ore and Belgium coal helped both the countries mutually. The combined production of the two country exceeded 15 million tonnes of steel in 1990. (vii) Australia:Australia is very rich in coal deposits. Most of the steel plants are new in Australia. So, the productivity is very high.

The important steel plants are New Castle and Port Keembla. (viii) Asia:Apart from Japan, China and India the other countries are not very developed in steel production. (ix) South America:In South America, the major steel producing countries are Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Venezuela.(x) Brazil:The development of the production of steel in Brazil is spectacular. Since 1973, production of steel has witnessed more than 300 per cent increase. The consumption of steel within the country is very low. Therefore, Brazil is able to export bulk of her steel production.Most of the steel industries are located around Sao-Paulo and Curumba.

Brazil possesses vast amount of iron ore. The largest of these deposit is located near Minas-Geraes. Other large steel plant is located at Santa Catarina. Most of the mills obtain energy from hydel power plants.Apart from Brazil, the other South American countries are not very developed in iron and steel production. The Hoa Chi Pato steel industry in Peru, San Nicolas iron and steel region in Argentina, Paz del Rio in Columbia, San Tome de Guyana in Venezuela are other large steel plants in South America. (xi) North America:Apart from United States, Canada and Mexico are two other noteworthy steel producing nations in North America.

(xii) Canada:The Canadian steel industry is not very old. Most of the iron and steel centres were developed around Lake Ontario, Sydney, Nova Scotia. Canada is self-sufficient in the production of iron ore and coal. Most of the coal reserves are located within Nova Scotia and iron ores are located around Sydney.Apart from that, steady supply of iron ore and coal from adjacent USA enable Canada to develop a large steel industry. Some of the major steel plants are, Hamilton, Sault Ste, Ontario, Sydney, etc. (xiii) Mexico:Mexican steel industry is as old as American steel industry.

The largest steel plant is located at Monterrey. The others are Monclova, Coahuila, Piebras Negras, and Colima. The Coal is obtained from Salivas area and iron ores from Durango. (xiv) Africa:Africa contributes insignificant amount of iron and steel. The largest producer in Africa is South Africa. The major producing centres are located at Transvaal and New Cas­tle.