WAEC SSCE - Geography - 2020 (Essay)

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(a) Sketch map of Nigeria

(b) Three characteristics of the rainforest belt

• It has very tall, evergreen, broad-leaved trees, often with buttress roots. Examples include iroko, obeche and mahogany.
• The trees occur in distinct storeys or layers: an upper canopy, middle layer and lower layer. The canopy is dense and intercepts much sunlight.
• There are many different species of trees, as well as climbers, creepers and epiphytes. Because little light reaches the forest floor, undergrowth is generally sparse.

(c) Four economic importance of rainforest vegetation in Nigeria

• It supplies valuable tropical hardwoods, such as iroko, obeche and mahogany, for building, furniture and other wood industries.
• Logging, sawmilling and related forest industries provide employment and generate income.
• It supports farming, especially plantations of tree crops such as cocoa, rubber and oil palm.
• It provides forest products such as fuelwood, food and medicinal plants for local use and sale.

Examination reminder: Do not state that rainforest undergrowth is dense without qualification. A closed canopy blocks sunlight, so the forest floor usually has little undergrowth, although climbers and epiphytes are common.

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(a) Two sources of thermal energy in Nigeria are:

1. Fossil fuels (such as coal, oil, and natural gas) used to generate electricity and power industries.
2. Biomass (such as wood, charcoal, and animal waste) used for cooking and heating.

Two sources of renewable energy in Nigeria are:

1. Solar energy, which can be harnessed through photovoltaic (PV) panels to generate electricity and power homes and businesses.
2. Wind energy, which can be harnessed through wind turbines to generate electricity.

(b) Four problems hindering the development of thermal energy in Nigeria are:

1. Inadequate infrastructure and financing for power generation, transmission, and distribution.
2. Poor maintenance of existing thermal power plants, leading to frequent breakdowns and reduced efficiency.
3. Dependence on imported fossil fuels, which are subject to price fluctuations and supply disruptions.
4. Environmental pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels, leading to climate change and health problems.

(c) Solutions to the problems identified in (b) are:

1. Investing in the development of infrastructure and financing mechanisms for power generation, transmission, and distribution to improve the reliability and affordability of electricity.
2. Improving the maintenance of existing thermal power plants to reduce breakdowns and increase efficiency.
3. Diversifying the energy mix to include more renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power, which are abundant in Nigeria and can be harnessed locally, reducing dependence on imported fossil fuels.
4. Encouraging the adoption of clean energy technologies and practices, such as carbon capture and storage, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and minimize the environmental impact of thermal energy generation.

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(a) Three characteristics of ocean transportation

• Uses natural waterways: Ocean transport moves along the seas and oceans, which are free natural highways requiring no construction of the route itself, only ports and harbours.
• Handles bulky and heavy goods cheaply: Large ocean-going vessels (tankers, bulk carriers, container ships) can carry enormous volumes of low-value, bulky cargo such as crude oil, grain and ores over long distances at very low cost per tonne.
• Slow but long-distance and international in scope: It is the slowest major mode, yet it links continents and is the dominant means of international trade; it also depends on the weather and can be interrupted by storms and rough seas.

(b) Three advantages of water transportation

• Cheapness: The route is provided free by nature, so it is the cheapest means of moving bulky goods over long distances.
• Large carrying capacity: A single ship or barge can carry a very large load, far more than a lorry or aircraft, making it economical for bulk commodities.
• Low energy and maintenance cost: Because there is no road or rail track to build and maintain, and vessels use fuel efficiently for the load carried, running costs are low; it also causes little land pollution.

(c) Four ways poor transportation network hinders economic development

• Restricts movement of goods to market: Farmers and producers cannot move their produce to markets or ports easily, so goods perish, prices fall and production is discouraged.
• Raises the cost of goods and production: Poor roads increase transport charges, vehicle repairs and delays, which raise the prices of raw materials and finished goods and reduce profits and investment.
• Discourages industrial location and investment: Industries avoid areas that are hard to reach, so mineral and agricultural resources remain unexploited and jobs are not created.
• Isolates regions and slows the spread of services: Remote areas remain cut off from schools, hospitals, banks and government services, widening regional inequality and slowing national integration and development.

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(a) Five reasons for industrial localization (why industries cluster in particular places)

1. Nearness to raw materials: industries that use bulky or perishable raw materials locate close to their source to cut transport costs (for example cement near limestone).
2. Availability of power/energy such as hydroelectricity, coal or gas needed to run machines.
3. Nearness to market: industries settle near large populations that buy their goods, especially where the product is bulky or fragile.
4. Supply of labour: a large pool of skilled and unskilled workers attracts industry.
5. Good transport and infrastructure (roads, rail, ports, water) and the pull of existing industries and services (agglomeration), which make one another cheaper to run.

Also acceptable: availability of capital, water supply and favourable government policy.

(b) Five benefits of establishing manufacturing industries in rural areas

• Creation of rural employment, reducing joblessness and idleness in the villages.
• Reduction of rural-urban migration, since young people find work at home instead of crowding into cities.
• Development of rural infrastructure: roads, electricity, water and health services are provided to serve the industry and the community.
• Raising of rural incomes and standard of living, and a wider market for local farm produce used as raw materials.
• Even (balanced) regional development, spreading wealth to the countryside and easing pressure and congestion in the towns.

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Outline Map of Nigeria: Coastal Features

The supplied MySchool reference answer does not match this map question: it discusses benefits of coastlands and seaport problems rather than locating features on Nigeria’s outline map.

For full credit, the important relative positions are: the interior coastland in the south-west and inland from the coast; the coastal plain as a narrow lowland belt along the southern coast; the Niger Delta in the south-central coast where the River Niger enters the Atlantic; and Port Harcourt immediately east of the Niger Delta.

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(a) Four characteristics of nucleated settlements

1. The houses and buildings are closely packed and grouped together around a central point such as a market, well, church or road junction.
2. There is a compact, clustered form with little open space between the dwellings.
3. Buildings and services (shops, school, place of worship) are concentrated in one place, so people live near one another and near their facilities.
4. The farmland lies outside and around the built-up cluster, so farmers travel out to their fields from the settlement.

(b) Four functions of cities in the world

• Administrative: serving as centres of government and headquarters of institutions.
• Commercial: acting as markets and centres of trade, banking and business.
• Industrial: hosting factories and manufacturing.
• Service and cultural: providing education, health, transport, entertainment and religious services for the surrounding region.

(c) Four factors that favour the growth of settlements

1. Reliable water supply from rivers, springs or lakes.
2. Fertile soil and good farmland that provide food.
3. Favourable relief and climate (well-drained, gently sloping land with a healthy climate).
4. Good transport links, trade and security, together with employment opportunities and available building land, which attract people to settle and stay.