4.2.1 Global networks and flows - Global trade

Content

Geographic inquiry and concept(s)
- How different places become interconnected by global interactions
Geographic knowledge and understanding
- An overview of contemporary global networks and flows: global trade in materials, manufactured goods and services
Case study or detailed examples
- Neither required by the syllabus
Aims of this lesson
- To have knowledge and understanding of contemporary global networks and flows in global trade (materials, manufactured goods and services).

Trump’s wounding of the US economy offers Beijing an unparalleled opportunity – if it dials back its overbearing trade tactics

The Guardian · 31 January 2026

(Raw) materials
- Raw materials are materials or substances used in the primary production or manufacturing of goods. Examples of raw materials include steel, oil, corn, grain, gasoline, lumber, forest resources, plastic, natural gas, coal, and minerals.

Core and periphery
- The concept of a developed core surrounded by an undeveloped periphery. The concept can be applied at various scales.

Manufactured goods
- A manufactured good is a good that is produced mainly by the application of labour and capital to raw materials and other intermediate inputs. As such, manufactured goods are the opposite of primary goods, but include intermediate goods as well as final goods. They include steel, chemicals, paper, textiles, machinery, clothing, vehicles, etc.

Services
- A service is a transaction in which no physical goods are transferred from the seller to the buyer.

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Analyse the changing patterns and trends in global trade in materials, manufactured goods and services. [12]
Analyse how political decisions at different scales affect patterns of global trade. [12]