Transportation | Definition | Explanation

Transportation Definition

Transportation is the movement of humans, animals and goods from one part of a country to another.

Transport is important, because it enables trade between people, which is essential for the economic development of a country. The Transportation network is directly linked with country’s economic development because trade is possible through modern transportation. The Transport infrastructure consists of roads, railways , airways, waterways, canals and terminals such as airports, railway stations, bus stations, warehouses, and seaports.

The Transport acts as a bridge between producer and consumers, the distance between goods and market decreases due to transportation. Due to undeveloped means of transportation, the prices of commodities increased in local market. Transportation does not affect only the economic field but also affects the political, social and historical spheres of life. Humans’ first means of transport involved walking, running and swimming. Inventions such as the wheel and the sled helped make animal transport more efficient through the introduction of vehicles. The water transport, including rowed and sailed vessels, dates back to time immoral and was the only efficient way to transport large quantities or over large distances prior to the Industrial Revolution.

The Industrial Revolution in the 17th century saw a number of inventions fundamentally change transport. With telegraphy, communication became instant and independent of the transport of physical objects. The invention of the steam engine, closely followed by its application in rail transport, made land transport independent of human or animal muscles. Both speed and capacity increased rapidly, allowing specialization through manufacturing being located independently of natural resources. The 19th century also saw the development of the steam ship, which sped up global transport. With the development of the combustion engine and the automobile around 1900, road transport became more competitive again, and mechanical private transport originated. The first “modern” highways were constructed during the 19th century. Read more