WAEC SSCE - Geography - 2017 (Essay)

(a) How the following factors have affected world population

(i) Advanced technology

• Increased food production: mechanised farming, improved seeds and fertilisers produce more food, supporting a larger population.
• Improved transport and communication: makes it easier to move food, medicine and people, reducing deaths from famine and easing migration/settlement.
• Industrial growth and employment: factories and cities attract people, encouraging population concentration and, through better living standards, survival.

(ii) Improved medical care

• Lower death rate: immunisation, drugs and better hospitals cure diseases that once killed many people.
• Reduced infant and maternal mortality: more babies and mothers survive childbirth, so more people live to reproduce.
• Longer life expectancy: control of epidemics and better sanitation allow people to live longer, increasing total population.

(b) Four factors accounting for the high density of population in Java

• Fertile volcanic soils: weathered lava gives rich soils that support intensive farming (especially rice), feeding a large population.
• Favourable equatorial climate: high temperatures and heavy, reliable rainfall allow continuous cultivation all year round.
• Intensive wet-rice (padi) cultivation: a highly productive food crop that supports many people per unit area.
• Historical, administrative and commercial development: long settlement, good transport, ports and the growth of large cities such as Jakarta attract and hold a dense population.

(a) Five reasons why the production of consumer goods is common in developing countries

• Availability of local raw materials: developing countries have abundant agricultural and light raw materials suited to making food, drinks, soap and textiles.
• Large local market: big and growing populations create high demand for everyday consumer goods.
• Low level of capital and technology: consumer-goods (light) industries need less capital and simpler technology than heavy industries.
• Availability of cheap, unskilled labour: consumer-goods production is often labour-intensive and matches the abundant low-skilled workforce.
• Import-substitution policy: governments encourage local making of basic goods to save foreign exchange and reduce dependence on imports.

Other valid points: quick returns on investment, ready market among low-income earners.

(b) Five factors which influence industrial location

• Raw materials: weight-losing or perishable raw materials pull industries close to their source.
• Power/energy supply: reliable electricity, coal or gas is needed to run machines.
• Market: industries locate near large populations or where demand for their goods is high.
• Transport and communication: good roads, railways and ports ease movement of materials and finished goods.
• Labour supply: availability of skilled and unskilled workers at reasonable cost.

Other valid points: capital, water supply, government policy, land/site.

Geographical Account of the Cross River Plains

The Cross River Plains are located in south-eastern Nigeria, mainly in Cross River State, within the lower basin of the Cross River and its tributaries. The area is generally low-lying, deeply drained and covered in many places by tropical rainforest.

(a) Climate

1. The area has a sub-equatorial or tropical rainforest climate.
2. Temperatures are high throughout the year. Mean annual temperature is about 21°C to 30°C.
3. The annual temperature range is small because of the cloudy skies, high humidity and proximity to the Atlantic Ocean.
4. Rainfall is heavy and reliable, generally above 3,000 mm per annum in the wetter parts.
5. Rain falls during most months of the year, giving a long wet season and a very short dry season.
6. The rainfall pattern is mainly double maxima, with two periods of maximum rainfall separated by a short August break.
7. Most rain is convectional and is commonly accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning.
8. Relative humidity is high, often above 80%.
9. The prevailing moist wind is the south-westerly wind from the Atlantic Ocean.

(b) Economic Activities

1. Crop farming: Farmers grow food crops such as cassava, yam, cocoyam, maize, plantain, banana and vegetables. Rice is cultivated in suitable swampy and floodplain areas.
2. Tree-crop cultivation: Oil palm, cocoa, rubber and kola are important cash crops.
3. Fishing: Fishing is carried out in the Cross River, its tributaries, creeks and swamps. Fish are also smoked and sold.
4. Forestry and lumbering: The rainforest provides valuable timber and other forest products.
5. Trading and commerce: Agricultural produce, fish, palm produce and manufactured goods are bought and sold in rural and urban markets.
6. Mining and quarrying: Sand, gravel, clay and other building materials are obtained in some localities.
7. Manufacturing and processing: There are small-scale industries for processing palm oil, cassava, timber and fish, as well as other urban industrial activities.
8. Tourism and hospitality: The natural scenery, wildlife reserves, cultural festivals and tourist centres provide employment.
9. Transport, education and government services: Urban centres provide jobs in transport operations, civil service, schools, research institutions and hospitality services.
10. Local crafts: Some inhabitants engage in weaving, pottery, carving and other crafts.

(c) Problems of Development

1. Poor transport network: Many rural settlements are poorly linked by all-season roads; heavy rains often make roads impassable.
2. Flooding and poor drainage: Low-lying areas are liable to seasonal flooding, which damages farms, houses and roads.
3. Soil erosion and leaching: Intense rainfall removes nutrients from soils and causes gully erosion in susceptible areas.
4. Dense forest vegetation: Clearing forest for farming, settlements and road construction is difficult and expensive.
5. Pests and diseases: Mosquitoes, tsetse flies and other pests, together with tropical diseases, reduce labour efficiency and increase health costs.
6. Inadequate infrastructure: Some areas lack adequate electricity, potable water, health facilities, schools and modern communication facilities.
7. Dispersed settlement and sparse population in some areas: This increases the cost of providing social amenities and public services.
8. Environmental degradation and pollution: Deforestation, oil-related pollution in affected areas, poor waste disposal and sand excavation degrade the environment.
9. Land and resettlement problems: Development projects may lead to loss of farmland, displacement of people, disputes over compensation and occupational dislocation.
10. Mismanagement and inadequate capital: Poor funding, weak planning and mismanagement delay development projects.

(a) Three functions each of the following settlements

(i) Urban settlement

• Administrative function: serves as the seat of government and headquarters of offices and institutions.
• Commercial and industrial function: centre for large markets, banks, trade and manufacturing.
• Service function: provides higher services such as hospitals, universities, transport hubs and entertainment.

(ii) Rural settlement

• Agricultural (food-producing) function: farming, fishing and animal rearing to feed both rural and urban areas.
• Supply of raw materials: provides crops, timber and minerals for urban industries.
• Source of labour: supplies workers who migrate to the towns, and serves as a residential base for farming families.

(b) Four areas of interdependence between rural and urban centres

• Food and raw materials: rural areas supply food and industrial raw materials to towns.
• Manufactured goods and services: urban areas supply the countryside with processed goods, machinery, education and health services.
• Labour and employment: rural areas provide labour to urban industries, while towns offer jobs and higher wages.
• Market and money flow: towns provide markets for rural produce, and money earned is spent on urban goods; remittances also flow back to villages.

Other valid points: transport links, spread of ideas/technology and social interaction.