China. For about 500 miles (800 kilometers)
the Indus flows through some of
the world’s tallest mountains. It passes
through northwestern India, the territory
of Kashmir, and northern Pakistan.
Much of the river’s water comes from
the melting of glaciers and snow in the
mountains.
After leaving the mountains the Indus
flows onto the plains of Pakistan. In the
region called Punjab, several rivers
empty into the Indus and make it much
wider. The Indus empties into the Arabian
Sea.
The Indus is very important to the
economy of the region through which it
flows. Although much of the land is very
dry, farming is possible because river
water is used for irrigation. The main
crops grown in the region are sugarcane,
wheat, rice, and cotton. Fish caught in
the river include hilsa and trout. The
shallow area where the river empties into
the sea has a lot of shrimp.
#More to explore
India • Indus Valley Civilization
• Irrigation • Pakistan
Industrial
Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period
of major changes in the way products
are made. It took place more than 200
years ago and greatly affected the way
people lived as well as the way they
In 1960 India
and Pakistan
signed a treaty
in which they
agreed to
share the
waters of the
Indus.
When snow melts from the mountains or
rain falls on the land, the Indus River rises.
Flooding happens when the river overflows
its banks.
132 Indus River BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
worked. In earlier days, people made
products by hand. They worked mostly
in their own homes or in small
workshops. During the Industrial
Revolution, many factories were built.
Laborers began making large numbers
of things using machines powered by
engines.
England was the first country in which
these changes took place. However, the
Industrial Revolution soon spread to
other European countries, the United
States, and Japan.
Developments
The Industrial Revolution began in the
cloth industry. Before that time making
cloth was a slow process. After the wool
was gathered it had to be spun into yarn
and then woven into fabric by hand. In
1733 an invention called a flying shuttle
made it easier to weave cloth. A machine
called a spinning jenny, invented in
1770, made it easier to spin yarn. In
1793 Eli Whitney invented a machine
called a cotton gin. It helped clean cotton
after it was picked.
Whitney also came up with the idea of
interchangeable parts. Before that time
a worker who was skilled at making one
type of product would spend a great
deal of time making a single product by
hand. Whitney discovered that a
machine could make many copies of
the individual parts of a product at
once; the parts could then be assembled
by any worker. This meant that many
goods could be produced quickly. Soon
factories were set up to produce these
goods.
Factories and the machines in them
needed power sources. In the early
1700s people discovered how to build
steam engines. In the late 1700s James
Watt invented a steam engine that could
run factory machines.
The Industrial Revolution soon spread
to all kinds of production. Farmers, for
instance, began to invent new machines
to plow fields and plant crops.
Factory owners needed ways to bring
large amounts of raw materials to their
factories. They also needed ways to
deliver the products that they made to
customers in many places. Their
demands led to many improvements in
the transportation system. The U.S.
inventor Robert Fulton perfected the
steamboat in 1807. The British inventor
George Stephenson put a steam engine
on wheels and put the wheels on rails in
1825. The result was a railroad.
Before the Industrial Revolution people
made clothing and other products at home.
To make cloth they had to spin wool into
yarn on a spinning wheel and then weave
the yarn into cloth by hand.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Industrial Revolution 133
Impact on Society
By the late 1700s, many people could
no longer earn their living in the countryside.
People moved from farms and
villages into bigger towns and cities to
find work. Cities grew larger, but they
were often dirty, crowded, and
unhealthy.
Although the machines made the work
easier in some ways, factory work created
many problems for the workers.
Machines increased production. This
meant that products were cheaper to
make and also cheaper to buy. Factory
owners grew rich. Factory employees,
however, did not earn much, and the
work was often dangerous. Many
worked 12 to 14 hours a day. Men,
women, and even small children worked
in factories.
Workers sought to win improved conditions
and wages through labor unions.
These organizations helped create laws
that protected the workers. They limited
the number of hours they had to work
and guaranteed that they would be paid
a certain amount.
#More to explore
Industry • Technology and Invention
Industry
An industry is a group of businesses that
make or sell similar products or perform
similar services. Farms are part of the
agricultural industry. Factories are part
of manufacturing industries. Schools are
part of the educational services industry.
Industries are important to every country’s
economy.
