(a) Draw an outline map of Nigeria. On the map, show and name: (i) one area important for oil palm production; (ii) one area important for cattle rearing; (...

(a) Outline map of Nigeria showing oil palm and cattle rearing areas

On the outline map below, the oil palm production area is shaded in the south-east (the Niger Delta / South-Eastern belt), the cattle rearing area is shaded in the far north (the Sudan / Sahel savanna belt), and the required towns are marked with dots and named.

• (i) Oil palm production area: the South-East / Niger Delta belt (Imo, Abia, Akwa Ibom and Rivers area), shaded green.
• (ii) Cattle rearing area: the far northern Sudan / Sahel savanna belt (Sokoto, Kano, Katsina and Borno area), shaded brown.
• (iii) One town in the oil palm area: Aba.
• (iv) Two towns in the cattle rearing area: Kano and Sokoto.

(b) Three factors that favour cattle rearing in the northern area

1. Abundant pasture and savanna vegetation: the extensive grassland of the Sudan and Sahel savanna provides plentiful natural grass for the cattle to graze on.
2. Absence of the tsetse fly: the dry northern climate is largely free of the tsetse fly, so the cattle are not attacked by trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness).
3. Favourable climate and wide grazing land: the moderate rainfall of about 50 - 125 cm per year with low relative humidity encourages grass growth, while the vast, flat open plains allow the herds to move and graze freely.

(c) Three ways in which cattle rearing is of importance to Nigeria

1. Source of food: cattle supply meat, milk and other dairy products, providing protein for the population.
2. Source of income and employment: the rearing, sale and processing of cattle provide a livelihood for herders, traders and butchers, and yield revenue to government through cattle tax (Jangali).
3. Source of raw materials: hides and skins from cattle are used in the leather and allied industries, while the dung provides organic manure for farming.