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Direction of Trade and Airports Class 12 Geography

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GeographyCBSE Class 12 · International Trade

Direction of India's Trade and Airports (Class 12 Geography, India: People and Economy, Chapter 8)

Updated 16 October 2026 · Fact-checked

Asia and ASEAN supply the largest part of India's imports (Rs 29,18,577 crore in 2021-22), followed by Europe, North America, Africa and Latin America. Most trade moves by sea and air, with a small land share to Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Air transport is fast but costly, and NCERT lists 25 major airports.

Notice that Asia and ASEAN supply far more of India's imports than Europe, North America, Africa and Latin America combined.

Illustration drawn for QuestionBuddy.

Understand Direction of Trade and Airports

Why this topic matters. The syllabus lists "Direction of trade" and "Airports" under Chapter 8, and the map list asks for ten international airports. CBSE has repeatedly asked a state-wise "international airport" map item and a 5-mark answer on air transport, so know the airports, the table and the NCERT statements.

1. Direction of trade.

  • India has trade relations with most countries and major trading blocks of the world.
  • Table 8.6, imports by region (Rs crore), 2016-17 and 2021-22: Europe 4,03,972 and 6,40,577; Africa 1,93,327 and 3,68,156; North America 1,95,332 and 3,78,041; Latin America 1,15,762 and 1,61,995; Asia and ASEAN 15,44,520 and 29,18,577.
  • NCERT gives only the direction of imports; it gives no regional table for exports.
  • India aims to double its share in international trade within the next five years. Measures already adopted: import liberalisation, reduction in import duties, delicensing and a change from process to product patents.
  • Most of the foreign trade moves by sea and air; a small portion goes by land to neighbouring countries such as Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

2. Air transport in trade.

  • Air transport has the advantage of taking the least time and of carrying high-value or perishable goods over long distances.
  • It is very costly and unsuitable for heavy and bulky commodities, which ultimately reduces its participation in international trade compared with oceanic routes.

3. Airports.

  • 25 major airports were functioning (Annual Report 2016-17): Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Goa, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, Thiruvananthapuram, Srinagar, Jaipur, Calicut, Nagpur, Coimbatore, Cochin, Lucknow, Pune, Chandigarh, Mangaluru, Vishakhapatnam, Indore, Patna, Bhubaneswar and Kannur.
  • Since 2017, under the UDAN scheme, 73 unserved or underserved airports, including 9 heliports and 2 water aerodromes, have been operationalised (PIB 2023).
  • Map list (2026-27 syllabus), international airports: Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, Guwahati, Delhi, Amritsar, Thiruvananthapuram and Hyderabad. Amritsar is in the syllabus list but not in NCERT's list of 25 major airports.
  • States: NCERT and the map list name cities only. CBSE map items and their marking schemes pair six of them with states: Amritsar (Punjab; 2024 64/1/1 Q30.3, 2026 64/1/1 Q30.7), Ahmedabad (Gujarat; 2023 64/3/1 Q30.7, 2025 64/6/1 Q30.5), Guwahati (Assam; 2023 64/4/1 Q30.7, 2026 64/3/1 Q30.7), Hyderabad (Telangana; 2026 64/2/1 Q30.7), Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala; 2026 64/5/1 Q30.7; sample paper 2023-24 Q30) and Bengaluru (Karnataka; 2025 64/1/1 Q30.7; sample paper 2025-26 Q30). This page adds no state for Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata or Delhi, as no CBSE item checked here supports one.

Inference (ours, not NCERT). The percentage growth rates and the shares of regions are our own calculations from Table 8.6; the five regions add up to less than total imports in Table 8.1, so shares here are shares of the five listed regions only.

Key quotations

Short lines worth knowing by heart: who says them, when, and why they matter.

  • India aims to double its share in the international trade within the next five years.

    NCERT, India: People and Economy, Chapter 8: Section "Direction of Trade".

    Leads into the list of trade-promoting measures.

Direction of Trade and Airports: key facts

Imports by region, 2021-22 (Rs crore)
  • Asia and ASEAN 29,18,577
  • Europe 6,40,577
  • North America 3,78,041
  • Africa 3,68,156
  • Latin America 1,61,995
Asia and ASEAN is the largest in both years shown.
Routes and aims
  • Sea and air carry most trade
  • land route to Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Pakistan
  • aim: double share in five years
Measures: import liberalisation, lower duties, delicensing, process to product patents.
Air transport
  • Least time
  • high-value and perishable goods
  • very costly
  • unsuitable for heavy bulky goods
  • smaller role than oceanic routes
The reasons for its limited share.
Airports
  • 25 major airports (2016-17)
  • 10 map-list international airports
  • Amritsar in the map list but not in NCERT's 25
  • UDAN: 73 airports operationalised since 2017
Map list: Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, Guwahati, Delhi, Amritsar, Thiruvananthapuram, Hyderabad.

How to answer Direction of Trade and Airports questions

For direction-of-trade items, read the table carefully and state that it shows imports only. For airport items, learn the ten map-list cities, and the six states CBSE has used to ask for them.

  1. 1Name the region and its figure for the year asked, and say the table is for imports.
  2. 2For growth, compute (new - old) / old x 100 and mark it as your calculation.
  3. 3For routes, state "sea and air" first and the small land share with the four neighbours.
  4. 4For air transport, give two merits (least time; high-value and perishable goods) and two limits (very costly; unsuitable for heavy and bulky goods).
  5. 5For map items, use the syllabus map list and the state named in the question (Punjab, Gujarat, Assam, Telangana, Kerala and Karnataka have been used).

Direction of Trade and Airports in real life

The idea, met in an everyday situation. Answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

Raising the share of trade

Suppose a government wants to double its country's share of world trade in five years, so it removes some import licences, lowers import duties and changes its patent rules from protecting a process to protecting the product.

Which measures of NCERT's list are these?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. NCERT lists import liberalisation, reduction in import duties, delicensing and change from process to product patents.
  2. Removing licences is delicensing; lowering duties is a reduction in import duties; the patent change is from process to product patents.

Answer: Delicensing, reduction in import duties and the change from process to product patents (with import liberalisation overall).

Memory hook: Open, cut, delicence, product patent.

Land route to neighbours

Imagine a trader sends sacks of goods by lorry across a land border to a neighbouring country instead of using a port or an airport.

Which NCERT statement applies, and which four neighbours does NCERT name?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Most of India's foreign trade is carried through sea and air routes.
  2. A small portion is carried through the land route to neighbouring countries like Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

Answer: The small land share of trade; Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

Memory hook: Sea and air first; land is small.

Tricks to remember Direction of Trade and Airports

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

  • Five regions "E A N L A"

    Europe, Africa, North America, Latin America, Asia and ASEAN - Table 8.6 in order.

    Use it when: Regions of the table.

  • Asia first, Latin America last

    Asia and ASEAN is largest and Latin America smallest in both years.

    Use it when: Ranking of regions.

  • Four measures "L D D P"

    Liberalisation, Duty cuts, Delicensing, Product patents.

    Use it when: How India plans to double its trade share.

  • Amritsar is the odd one

    Nine of the ten map-list airports are in NCERT's list of 25; Amritsar is not.

    Use it when: Map list versus textbook list.

Direction of Trade and Airports: solved examples

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Try each one before you open the solution.

Example 1: The target for the share of trade · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

NCERT says India aims to double its share in international trade within the next:
(A) two years
(B) five years
(C) ten years
(D) twenty years

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. NCERT: India aims to double its share in the international trade within the next five years (1 mark).

Answer: (B) five years

Example 2: Statements on Table 8.6 · 1 mark · MCQHarder board level

Using Table 8.6 (imports, Rs crore; 2016-17 and 2021-22: Europe 4,03,972 and 6,40,577; Africa 1,93,327 and 3,68,156; North America 1,95,332 and 3,78,041; Latin America 1,15,762 and 1,61,995; Asia and ASEAN 15,44,520 and 29,18,577), consider the statements:
I. Asia and ASEAN was the largest source of imports in both years.
II. Latin America was the smallest source of imports in both years.
III. Imports from Europe in 2021-22 were more than double those of 2016-17.
Which are correct?
(A) I and II
(B) II and III
(C) I and III
(D) I, II and III

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. I and II hold in both years from the table.
  2. III is false: 6,40,577 / 4,03,972 = 1.59, which is less than double (our arithmetic) (1 mark).

Answer: (A) I and II

Example 3: Assertion and reason on Asia and ASEAN · 1 mark · Assertion-reasonHarder board level

Assertion (A): Between 2016-17 and 2021-22 the value of India's imports from Asia and ASEAN rose by more than 85 per cent.
Reason (R): Asia and ASEAN was the largest source region of India's imports in both years.
(A) Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
(B) Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
(C) (A) is true but (R) is false.
(D) (A) is false but (R) is true.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. A: (29,18,577 - 15,44,520) / 15,44,520 x 100 = 89.0 per cent (our arithmetic), so true.
  2. R is true from the table, but being the largest source does not explain the growth rate, so R is not the explanation (1 mark).

Answer: (B) Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).

Example 4: Source-based: direction of imports · 3 marks · Source-basedHarder board level

Read the data (imports, Rs crore, 2021-22): Europe 6,40,577; Africa 3,68,156; North America 3,78,041; Latin America 1,61,995; Asia and ASEAN 29,18,577. In 2016-17 imports from Europe were 4,03,972.
(i) Which region supplied the largest value of imports in 2021-22? (1)
(A) Europe (B) Africa (C) North America (D) Asia and ASEAN
(ii) The increase in imports from Europe between 2016-17 and 2021-22, in Rs crore, is: (1)
(A) 1,61,995 (B) 2,36,605 (C) 4,03,972 (D) 6,40,577
(iii) The share of Asia and ASEAN in the total of the five regions in 2021-22 is closest to: (1)
(A) 25 per cent (B) 45 per cent (C) 65 per cent (D) 85 per cent

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. (i) Asia and ASEAN, so (D) (1 mark).
  2. (ii) Our own subtraction: 6,40,577 - 4,03,972 = 2,36,605, so (B) (1 mark).
  3. (iii) Our own calculation: the five regions total 44,67,346 crore, and 29,18,577 / 44,67,346 x 100 = 65.3, so (C) (1 mark).

Answer: (i) D; (ii) B; (iii) C

Example 5: Measures to raise the share of trade · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level

Name the measures India has adopted to increase its share in international trade and state its aim. (3 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Aim: to double its share in international trade within the next five years (1 mark).
  2. Measures: import liberalisation and reduction in import duties (1 mark).
  3. Measures: delicensing and the change from process to product patents (1 mark).

Answer: India aims to double its share in international trade within the next five years. It has already started adopting suitable measures such as import liberalisation, reduction in import duties, delicensing and the change from process to product patents.

Example 6: HOTS: who is growing fastest? · 5 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency

Using Table 8.6, work out the percentage growth of imports from each of the five regions between 2016-17 and 2021-22, rank the regions, and compare Asia and ASEAN's share of the five-region total in the two years. State one limit of the table. Label inference. (5 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Growth (2 marks): Europe 58.6; Africa 90.4; North America 93.5; Latin America 39.9; Asia and ASEAN 89.0 per cent (our arithmetic).
  2. Rank (1 mark): North America, Africa, Asia and ASEAN, Europe, Latin America.
  3. Shares (1 mark): Asia and ASEAN 15,44,520 / 24,52,913 = 63.0 per cent in 2016-17 and 65.3 per cent in 2021-22 (our arithmetic).
  4. Limit (1 mark): the table shows imports only, and the five regions add up to less than total imports; NCERT gives no reason for the changes (any reason is inference).

Answer: Percentage growth of imports from 2016-17 to 2021-22 (our arithmetic): North America 93.5, Africa 90.4, Asia and ASEAN 89.0, Europe 58.6 and Latin America 39.9. So North America grew fastest and Latin America slowest, although Asia and ASEAN remains by far the largest source.

Its share of the five-region total rose from 63.0 per cent (15,44,520 of 24,52,913) to 65.3 per cent (29,18,577 of 44,67,346), so dependence on Asia and ASEAN increased slightly.

Limit: Table 8.6 shows imports only and the five regions sum to less than the total imports of Table 8.1, so the shares are for the listed regions. NCERT does not explain the changes; any reason offered would be our inference.

Where students lose marks in Direction of Trade and Airports

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

  • Mistake: Reading Table 8.6 as total trade

    The table title says direction of trade.

    Wrong working

    Asia and ASEAN take 65 per cent of India's exports.

    Right working

    Table 8.6 shows imports only; about 65 per cent is Asia and ASEAN's share of the five-region import total.

    Do this: Write "imports" every time.

    Usually costs: 1 mark.

  • Mistake: Writing that air transport carries most of the foreign trade

    Air is fast and modern.

    Wrong working

    Air routes carry the largest part of the foreign trade.

    Right working

    Air transport is costly and unsuitable for heavy and bulky goods, so its participation is smaller than that of oceanic routes.

    Do this: Fast and costly, not dominant.

    Usually costs: 1 mark.

  • Mistake: Dropping Amritsar from, or adding Kannur to, the map list

    The NCERT list of 25 and the syllabus map list differ.

    Wrong working

    The map list is a part of the 25 airports of the textbook.

    Right working

    The map list has ten airports including Amritsar; Kannur is one of the 25 but not a map-list airport.

    Do this: Use the syllabus list for map items.

    Usually costs: 1 mark in map work.

  • Mistake: Missing the land route

    The text stresses sea and air.

    Wrong working

    India's foreign trade is carried only by sea and air.

    Right working

    A small portion is carried by land to Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

    Do this: Sea, air and a small land share.

    Usually costs: 1 mark.

Exam tips

  • In every direction-of-trade answer say whether the figures are imports, and give the year.
  • Learn the ten map-list airports; the states come from CBSE map questions, not from NCERT or the map list.
  • For air transport give two merits and two limits so that both sides earn marks.
  • The questions on this page are our own and are checked by meaning against the chapter page and past papers; they are not copies of board items.

Practice questions on Direction of Trade and Airports

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

  1. Q1 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

    Which one of the following is NOT a region listed in NCERT's Table 8.6 on the direction of India's import trade?
    (A) Europe
    (B) Africa
    (C) Oceania
    (D) Latin America

    Hint

    The table has five regions.

    Answer

    (C) Oceania. The five regions are Europe, Africa, North America, Latin America, and Asia and ASEAN.

  2. Q2 · 2 marks · Very short answerHarder board level

    Using Table 8.6, find Europe's share of the five-region import total in 2016-17 (Europe Rs 4,03,972 crore of Rs 24,52,913 crore) and in 2021-22 (Rs 6,40,577 crore of Rs 44,67,346 crore), to one decimal place, and say whether the share rose or fell. (2 marks)

    Hint

    Share = region / five-region total x 100.

    Answer

    2016-17: 4,03,972 / 24,52,913 x 100 = 16.5 per cent. 2021-22: 6,40,577 / 44,67,346 x 100 = 14.3 per cent. Europe's share fell, although the value of imports from Europe rose (our own arithmetic on the NCERT figures; the totals are the sums of the five regions).

  3. Q3 · 1 mark · MCQHarder board level

    Which one of the following cities is in the 2026-27 syllabus map list of international airports but is NOT among the 25 major airports named in the NCERT text?
    (A) Ahmedabad
    (B) Guwahati
    (C) Amritsar
    (D) Hyderabad

    Hint

    Check the NCERT list of 25.

    Answer

    (C) Amritsar. It is in the syllabus map list, but NCERT's list of 25 major airports does not name it; the other three are in both.

  4. Q4 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

    For each region in Table 8.6, divide the 2021-22 imports by the 2016-17 imports, to two decimal places. Which three regions came close to doubling, and which two did not? (3 marks)

    Hint

    A ratio of 2.00 would mean exact doubling.

    Answer

    Europe 6,40,577 / 4,03,972 = 1.59; Africa 3,68,156 / 1,93,327 = 1.90; North America 3,78,041 / 1,95,332 = 1.94; Latin America 1,61,995 / 1,15,762 = 1.40; Asia and ASEAN 29,18,577 / 15,44,520 = 1.89 (our own arithmetic). North America, Africa and Asia and ASEAN came close to doubling; Europe and Latin America did not. NCERT gives no reasons for these changes.

  5. Q5 · 2 marks · Very short answerBoard level

    Name the four neighbouring countries to which, according to NCERT, a small portion of India's foreign trade is carried by land. (2 marks)

    Hint

    Nepal and Bhutan are two of them.

    Answer

    Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

  6. Q6 · 3 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency

    A student writes: "Table 8.6 proves that Asia and ASEAN account for about two-thirds of India's total foreign trade." Use the table to show what it does and does not support. (3 marks)

    Hint

    What does the table cover: exports, imports or both? Which regions?

    Answer

    Table 8.6 gives only the direction of imports, so it says nothing about exports and cannot show the share of total trade. For imports, Asia and ASEAN's Rs 29,18,577 crore is about 65 per cent of the Rs 44,67,346 crore total of the five listed regions (our arithmetic), so the claim holds only roughly and only for imports; the five regions also add up to less than the total imports of Rs 45,72,775 crore in Table 8.1.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

  1. 1.Which five regions does Table 8.6 list for India's import trade?Show answer

    Europe, Africa, North America, Latin America, and Asia and ASEAN.

  2. 2.Which neighbouring countries receive a small share of trade by land route?Show answer

    Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

  3. 3.How many major airports were functioning according to the Annual Report 2016-17?Show answer

    25.

  4. 4.What change in patents is listed among the trade measures?Show answer

    The change from process to product patents.

  5. 5.Which international airport in the map list is not named in NCERT's list of 25 major airports?Show answer

    Amritsar.

Direction of Trade and Airports: frequently asked questions

How often has the airport map item been asked?

Almost every year as a state-wise map item (Q30): Punjab, Amritsar (2023 64/1/3 Q30.7; 2024 64/1/1 Q30.3; 2025 64/4/1 Q30.7; 2025 64/7/1 Q30.6; 2026 64/1/1 Q30.7), Gujarat, Ahmedabad (2023 64/3/1 Q30.7; 2025 64/6/1 Q30.5), Assam, Guwahati (2023 64/4/1 Q30.7; 2024 64/2/1 Q30.7; 2025 64/5/1 Q30.5; 2026 64/3/1 Q30.7), Telangana, Hyderabad (2026 64/2/1 Q30.7), Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram (2026 64/5/1 Q30.7) and Karnataka, Bengaluru (2025 64/1/1 Q30.7). Learn all ten map-list airports.

Are the states of the airports stated in NCERT?

No. NCERT and the syllabus map list name the cities only. The six states on this page (Punjab, Gujarat, Assam, Telangana, Kerala, Karnataka) are the ones CBSE has itself used in map questions, with the marking-scheme answers cited in the concept; no state is given for the other four map-list airports.

Does NCERT give the direction of exports?

No. Table 8.6 covers only the direction of imports for 2016-17 and 2021-22, so do not quote export destinations as NCERT facts.

Which board questions use air transport and trade?

Five-mark answers on the role of air transport in international trade appeared in the sample paper 2024-25 (Q27(B)) and in 2026 64/1/3 Q28(a). The merits and limits on this page cover them.