Examine the locational aspects of Sheep rearing as an economic activity around the world.

The Locational aspects of sheep rearing are as follows:

South America

• Sheep rearing is an important activity in South America. The most important sheep areas of South America lie in the western and southern parts of the continent. Argen­tina is the leading country followed by Chile.

Uru­guay and southern part of Brazil, too, form impor­tant sheep rearing regions. Argentina today rears some of the best breeds of sheep. Australia and New Zealand

• Australia is a sheep rearing country par excel­lence. The country has more sheep than the US, Argentina and Uruguay combined. The country supplies nearly half of the total wool entering world trade. There are two important sheep regions in this country, the southeastern part and the extreme western part.
• Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland are the leading states of Australia in sheep rearing. Although sheep are the chief livestock reared in Australia, beef cattle are also raised. The chief beef raising area lies in the moist hilly region in the southeastern part of the country. The cattle can be reared successfully only in the area of the temperate grasslands. The tropical grasslands are too dry for raising beef animals.
• New Zealand, though a much smaller country than Australia has an important place among pro­ducers of animal products. The country owes its status of a developed economy to its cattle and sheep. (This is in spite of the fact that the grazing area in New Zealand is much smaller than that in Australia.)
• Both cattle and sheep are reared here, and among cattle also they are reared both for meat and dairy products.

Asia

• The largest concentration of sheep in Asia is found in the former Soviet Republics. Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kirghizia have large areas devoted to sheep rearing.
• In the Mediterranean, sheep rearing has been an important activity in the uplands not suitable for cultivation or cattle grazing.
• Similarly the poor pasture areas of central Asia and Southwest Asia have been important sheep rearing regions.

Topics: GS-I: Factors Responsible for the Location of Industries in Various Parts of World