Sectors of the Economy. What are the sectors of the economy?

To better understand the human activities of production and consumption of goods, we have divided the economy into three main sectors: o primary, O secondaryit's the tertiary. In this way, we are able to understand the entire process that goes from the exploration of natural resources to the industrialization and use of products.

primary sector: the primary sector is the area where people extract elements from nature (extraction) or cultivate some type of raw material in the countryside (agriculture). Thus, everything that is produced in this sector is calledprimary product.

Example: coffee cultivation and production; extraction of gold or silver.


Coffee plantation, primary sector activity

secondary sector: is the area responsible for transforming raw materials into industrialized goods. It is the industrial production sector.

Example: grinding, refining and packaging coffee for consumption; production and manufacture of jewelry.


Coffee production factory for consumption

tertiary sector: is the trade and services sector. It is the area of ​​the economy in which products are aimed at the consumer. It is also the sector in which activities that are not related to the production of goods take place, such as education, transport, tourism, public administration, among others.

Examples: supermarkets, cleaning and surveillance companies, among others.


After passing through the other sectors, the coffee is served by an employee in the tertiary sector

It is interesting to note that the different types of economies in the world have different distributions in the sectors of their economies. Countries considered underdeveloped have a concentration of activities in primary sectors. Emerging and developed countries, on the other hand, have a greater concentration in the tertiary sector.


By Rodolfo Alves Pena
Graduated in Geography

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