Textile industries are located

Analyze the question: This is about industrial location, which means the factors that decide where a factory is sited. The question asks where textile industries are usually located.

Concept: Industries locate based on factors such as:

• Raw materials
• Market
• Power and water supply
• Labour
• Transport
• Government policy

Whether an industry sits near its raw materials or near its market depends on the product:

• Weight-losing (bulky raw material) industries, such as sugar refining, cement, and cotton ginning, locate near raw materials to cut transport costs.
• Weight-gaining or perishable-product industries, such as soft drinks and bakeries, locate near the market.

Step-by-step solution:

1. Option A (near the market): This is a factor for some industries, but textile production is not mainly market-oriented. Textile products can be transported easily and sold widely.
2. Option B (where water resource is scarce): This is wrong. Textile industries need a lot of water for washing, dyeing, bleaching, and printing, so they need plentiful water.
3. Option C (in wide plains): Flat land helps with building, but it is not the defining factor for textile location.
4. Option D (near sources of raw materials): This is correct. Textile mills use cotton, which is bulky and costly to haul. Traditionally, mills are sited close to cotton-growing areas. In Nigeria, northern towns such as Kaduna, Kano, and Funtua grew as textile centres because cotton is grown in the north.

**Answer: D. near sources of raw materials.

Tip: Ask yourself, "Is the raw material bulky or heavy, or is the finished product fragile or perishable?" For raw material-based industries (textiles, cement, sugar, cotton ginning), pick "near raw materials." For perishable products (bread, soft drinks), pick "near the market."