Page 53 - SST Class 05

Inland Waterways : Inland waterways mainly operate in rivers, lakes or lagoons. In
India, they are not developed well, but effort is being made to develop inland
waterways on an extensive scale. The Ganga, Brahmaputra and Godavari-Krishna and
their tributaries are navigable rivers. Backwaters or lagoons in Kerala too are widely
used for water transport.

Waterways are highly developed in Europe and America. They are very helpful when
it is not possible to build roadways or railways. The rivers passing through dense
forests are often used for it. Large rivers like the Amazon, Chang Jiang and Mississippi
are extensively used as inland waterways.

An ancient ship An oil tanker A cargo ship A luxury ship

Sea Routes : Sea routes connect different coastal countries of the world. Ships normally
ply on fixed routes. The major sea routes in the world are across the Atlantic Ocean.
The two canals, namely Suez Canal and Panama Canal have played a vital role in
expanding sea routes. The 190-km-long Suez Canal connects the
Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea. Similarly, the 82-km-long
Panama Canal joins the Pacific Ocean with the Atlantic Ocean.
Both these canals have greatly shortened the sea routes. The
other important sea routes are the Cape of Good Hope Route
and North Atlantic Route. These sea routes have helped to boost
trade relations among different countries of Europe, Asia, North

America and Africa. Chennai seaport

Know It!

v The Suez Canal is only 190 kilometres long, yet it has shortened India-England route by 9,700 km.

India has a long coastline measuring 7516.6 kilometres. There are 11 major and 139
minor seaports. Mumbai is the busiest seaport of India. The other major seaports of
India include Kandla, Kochi, Nhava Sheva, Marmagao, Tuticorin, Chennai,
Vishakhapatnam, Paradip, Kolkata and Haldia. These are used for overseas trade.

3. Means of Air Transport

The means of air transport are the latest. They brought to reality man’s dream to fly

Means of Transport 53