Tertiary activities refer to services that support the production and distribution of goods. They are also known as service industries and are an essential part of a modern economy. These activities can be broadly divided into two categories: production and exchange.
Production: Tertiary activities also include the production of services such as healthcare, education, transportation, and information technology. These services are essential for the functioning of the economy and provide the necessary infrastructure for manufacturing and other industries to thrive. For example, communication services like telecommunications and internet connectivity are crucial for the effective functioning of businesses and industries.
Exchange: Exchange refers to the movement of goods and services from producers to consumers. It includes activities like trade, retail, banking, insurance, and transportation. These activities facilitate the distribution and exchange of goods and services in the economy. For example, retail stores or e-commerce platforms provide the exchange of goods between the producer and the consumer, while financial services such as banking allow for the exchange of money.
Thus, tertiary activities encompass both the provision of services that support production (e.g., education, healthcare) and the facilitation of exchange (e.g., trade, retail, transportation).
Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:
Hunting and Food Gathering
The earliest human beings depended on their immediate environment for their sustenance. They subsisted on: (a) animals which they hunted; and (b) the edible plants which they gathered from forests in the vicinity. Primitive societies depended on wild animals. People located in very cold and extremely hot climates survived on hunting. The people in the coastal areas still catch fish though fishing has experienced modernisation due to technological development. Many species, now have become extinct or endangered due to illegal hunting (poaching). The early hunters used primitive tools made of stones, twigs or arrows so the number of animals killed was limited. Gathering and hunting are the oldest economic activity known. These are carried out at different levels with different orientations. Gathering is practised in regions with harsh climatic conditions. It often involves primitive societies, who extract both plants and animals to satisfy their needs for food, shelter and clothing. This type of activity requires a small amount of capital investment and operates at very low levels of technology. The yield per person is very low and little or no surplus is produced.
