A location answer explains why an activity sits where it does by linking each factor to what the activity needs. Naming the factor is only the start.
This lesson is part of economic activities and resources. It builds on classifying economic activities, since the category tells you which factors matter most.
What are the location factors?
| Factor | What it means for the activity |
|---|---|
| Raw materials | Distance to the inputs, and whether they spoil or are heavy |
| Market | Distance to the buyers |
| Labour | Number and skills of workers nearby |
| Transport | Roads, ports, rail and the cost of moving goods |
| Power and water | Supply of electricity or water the activity uses |
| Land and government policy | Cost of land, incentives, zoning |
Primary activities depend strongly on physical factors, such as soil, climate and relief. Secondary and tertiary activities lean on human factors such as labour, markets and transport.
Worked example: a fictional fruit cannery
A cannery processes pineapples into tinned slices. It is sited 15 km from the pineapple farms, on the road to a port.
Write each point as factor, link, reason.
- Raw materials: the farms are nearby. Pineapples bruise and spoil within days, so short travel keeps the fruit fresh for canning.
- Transport: the road reaches the port. Tins are sturdy and leave by container, so export costs are low.
- Labour: a nearby town supplies workers during the harvest season, when the plant needs extra staff.
The same factors would read differently for a tyre plant. Tyres do not spoil, so distance to raw materials matters less, and the port matters more.
The mistake that costs marks
The common slip is a sentence that fits any factory: “The factory is located near the road because transport is good.” It names a factor, but does not say why it matters here.
| Answer | Why it works or fails |
|---|---|
| “Near the road because transport is good” | Generic, no link to the activity |
| “Near the road to the port because tinned fruit is exported and the tins travel in containers” | Names the factor, links it to the product and gives the reason |
The fix: end each sentence with “because”, followed by something about the activity.
Check yourself
A fictional bakery sells fresh bread daily to a town. Explain two location factors that favour a site in the town centre rather than 30 km away.
Answer
Factor 1, market: customers live in the town, so a central site cuts delivery time. Bread is best sold fresh, so fast delivery protects quality.
Factor 2, labour: bakers and shop staff live nearby, which saves their travel time and makes early-morning shifts easier to fill.
Each answer names the factor, links it to the bakery’s need for fresh bread, and gives a reason.
What to study next
Continue with comparing resource-use choices, then read how goods move in transport and trade networks.
If you want a teacher to read your location answers with you, see online one-to-one Geography tuition.