Geography

To measure the direction of one point to another, draw a straight line connecting them.

• Read the question carefully– if the question ask you the direction of B from A, then draw a + sign at A and read the direction from A.

Bearing

• Draw a straight line connecting the 2 points.



• Draw a + sign at where you are taking the bearing from.
• Place the protractor at the + sign with 0° facing north and then read the bearings from the point starting from 0° (north) clockwise as shown in Fig.4.

Height
The height of a place above sea level can also be indicated by the contour lines.
Contours are imaginary lines connecting areas of the same height above sea level on a map.
The contour lines can be used to show the relief of a place such as whether the slope is gentle or steep. The spacing of the contours indicate the steepness of a slope – the closer the contours the steeper the slope and vice versa.

a) valley – associated with rivers, tend to be V-shaped and narrow in the upper course, broader in the lower course
b) plateau – elevated land with flat top and steep sides
c) escarpment – continuous line of steep slope at the edge of a ridge or plateau.

Guide to describing relief
Give the average height ( or the range of height) of the relief of the area and state the height of the highest point.

Describe the relief of the area:
(a) state whether it is mountainous or hilly or whether it is part of a plateau. Point out and describe any relief feature that stands out in the area and state its location on the map.
(b) Describe the slopes in the area. States whether they are concave. Convex, uniform, steep or gently sloping.

Example of how you can describe relief:
The height of the area ranges from below 10 metres near to the coast to 548 metres in grid square 8483.
The main relief feature is T Mountain which is in the western part of the area. As the mountain extends to the south-east, it becomes narrower and its height decreases. This part of the mountain has two peaks of heights about 240 metres in grid square 8582 and about 110 metres in grid square 8682. This part of the mountain also has two spurs from grid square 8583 to 8683 extending from south-west to north-east.
The contours of T Mountain are very close together in the area west of easting 85. This indicates that the slopes are steep. The spacing of the contours on the eastern side of the mountain is wider. The slopes here are therefore less steep.

Steps taken to measure gradient
Identify the two points which the measurement is taken from and the height above sea level for the two points. You can either refer to the spot heights, the bench marks or the contour lines.
Calculate the height difference (vertical distance) of the two points.
Convert the height to the same unit of measurement as for horizontal distance if necessary e.g. 3.048 feet = 1metre
Measure the distance of the 2 points on the map. Convert to actual distance by referring to the line scale or using the map scale ie. 1: 50,000 means 1 cm on the map represents 500m in actual distance.
Gradient is expressed in ratio form – vertical distance: horizontal distance ie. 1: 30 - which means for every 1 metre increase in vertical distance, there is an increase of 30 metres in horizontal distance.

River Studies

Describing River
a) drainage pattern ie – dendritic, trellis or radial
b) area drained – many tributaries joining the main river etc
c) direction of flow- the river flows from a higher ground to lower ground or towards the sea.
d) Course of river – ie. Straight or meandering, braiding, width
e) Presence of river features e.g rapids, waterfall

Drainage pattern
The drainage pattern of river is determined by the relief and the geological features of the land over which the river flows.

Drainage density

Refers to the number of streams on the land surface. The greater the number, the higher the density. Drainage density is highest in areas with impermeable rock of fine texture and heavy rainfall.

River valley
Wide valley floor as indicated by the widely spaced contour lines which increases in value away from both banks of the river.
V-shaped valley with steep slopes – indicated by closely packed contour lines which increases in value away from both banks of the river,
Flat valley floor as indicated by the absence of contour lines immediate to both banks of the river.

Evidence of water supply
Reservoir
Pump house
Pipeline

Settlement Pattern

a) Dispersed – houses far apart – areas with low economic development e.g. normadic herding, smallholdings
b) Linear – arranged in a line, usually along a mode of transport ( rail, road) or waterway (river, coast) to take advantage of the accessibility and resources.
c) Nucleated – concentration of buildings or houses – usually at road junctions or centers of economic activities ( e.g. community or village with facilities like school and shops)

Choice of site for the location of airport, plantation, settlement etc.
Availability of large area of flat land, ability to expand, very accessible e.g. near to rail or roads, availability of services or resources – remember to look closely at the map symbols on the map and refer to the legend of the map.

E.g. of question on Geography of food
Describe the type of food production in the map area and explain the importance of the roads to it.
The main food production is the growing of sugar-cane to be made into sugar as shown by the presence of large area under sugar plantation and the presence of sugar mill. The roads are important for the transportation of sugar-cane other settlements for refining or for sale. It also allows workers to be transported from their homes to the plantations and back.

E.g of question on development:
A new agricultural training centre is to be set up at either X or Y. Which site do you support and why?
An agricultural training centre is likely to provide training for farmers, both locally and within the country, as well as be engaged in research and development.
Y is the better site because:
• it is surrounded by agricultural areas — permanent cultivation (all around except to the south and southwest), a chicken farm (to the northwest), some coconut plantations (to the southwest) — these farmers are likely to be keen to undergo training.
• it is a growing town with a larger population compared to X, so it should not be difficult to get students for training.
• It is accessible by road to X and other parts of the country e.g. Z — major road, secondary roads.
• The town has all the necessary services and facilities to support its set up — bank (capital investment), telecommunications (links to other parts of the country), medical facilities and other services (supporting services).
• There is available land on the outskirts of the town for the centre but not to the east of the town, where there are swamps and the river and streams may overflow and flood the area.