WAEC Geography 1988 past questions and answers

Planets revolve (move) around the sun; they rotate on their own axes, so 'rotate around the sun' is wrong.

In the southern hemisphere autumn begins in March, so the autumnal equinox is on 21st March.

Below the crust lies the mantle, also called the mesosphere; the barysphere (core) is deeper.

Fragments of older rocks deposited and cemented together (e.g. sandstone) are mechanically formed sedimentary rocks.

The Deccan plateau of India was built up by many lava flows.

When an overthrust fold breaks and its upper limb is pushed far forward, that overriding sheet is a nappe.

Structural plains are formed by earth movements on level rock layers, not by deposition.

Swash is the water rushing up the beach; backwash is its return.

No large river flows into the Red Sea, so little fresh water dilutes it while evaporation is high.

Warm moist air cooled from below condenses near the ground to form advection fog.

Pressure depends on latitude, altitude and temperature; soil moisture has no direct effect.

Sirocco and Leveche blow hot from the Sahara; Mistral and Bora are cold winds.

The tail catches the wind, so the arrow head swings round to point where the wind is coming from.

Highest 30°C (May) minus lowest 24°C (Jan/Feb) = 6°C.

High temperatures all year with a long dry season and a single summer rainfall peak describe the savanna (tropical) climate.

A soil profile is a vertical section from the surface down to the parent rock showing the horizons.

Cool temperate woodland is made of broad-leaved deciduous trees such as oak and beech.

Interdependence means living and non-living parts act on and depend on each other.

Preservation, stabilisation, afforestation and conservation protect the environment; 'regradation' is not a control measure.

Components are linked, so changing one upsets the balance and can turn the processes in the system the other way.

Poor technology slows exploitation, so it does least to use resources up quickly.

The South Atlantic route links Europe with West Africa and South America.

Asia holds about 60% of the world's people.

Aircraft need good visibility and calm air; haze, storms and low cloud delay or cancel flights.

Gas flaring, aircraft, factories and vehicles release large amounts of pollutants; household cooking is a minor source.

Rural areas supply food, raw materials and labour; cities supply manufactured goods and services.

Nigeria has almost no earthquakes, so they play no part in where people live.

The Sokoto plains are drained by the Sokoto-Rima to the Niger and the sea, so they are not inland drainage.

In densely settled Igboland, family compounds are scattered among the farms, giving a dispersed pattern.

Shasha, Owena, Osse and Siluko rise in the western uplands; the Wase is on the Jos Plateau side in the north-central area.

The Jos (north-central) plateau has inselbergs on basement rock as well as extinct volcanoes and crater lakes.

Growing numbers of farmers take over grazing land, squeezing the herders.

Fruit farmers there face slow-maturing trees, frost, summer drought and replanting costs; processing is well developed.

Glass is made from sand (silica), not from petroleum.

The huge, steady flow of the Zaire river over many falls and rapids gives the greatest potential.

ECOWAS aims at economic co-operation, free trade and a common currency, but not a single budget for its members.

(a)(i) Improved medical care: vaccines and drugs control diseases; better hospitals and doctors; lower infant and maternal mortality; longer life expectancy; death rate falls so population grows fast
(ii) Advanced technology and industry: mechanised farming, fertilisers and pest control raise food supply; storage and processing keep food all year; industries create jobs and higher living standards; better housing, water and sanitation – all supporting a larger population
(b) Fertile volcanic soils; heavy, reliable rainfall and hot climate; intensive wet-rice cultivation with 2-3 crops a year; long history of settlement and government encouragement; plantations, industries and towns providing jobs

Show how each factor lowers death rates or increases food supply.

(a) Any two, e.g. conurbation and megalopolis (or town/city)
(b) Conurbation: two or more towns that grow and merge into one built-up area; each keeps its own name and identity, e.g. Lagos-Ikeja-Agege
Megalopolis: a very large chain of cities and conurbations joined together over a long distance; the largest urban form, e.g. Boston-Washington (BosWash)
(c) Any four: overcrowding and slums; traffic congestion and poor transport; shortage of housing; pressure on water, electricity, schools and hospitals; unemployment and crime; pollution and waste disposal problems

Describe each urban type by size and how its towns are joined.

(a) Advantages: cheapest for bulky, heavy goods; carries very large loads over long distances; natural routes – little cost of track; links countries across oceans
Limitations: slow; rapids, waterfalls and shallow stretches block rivers; seasonal changes in water level; limited to places on water; silting of ports; risk of storms and piracy
(b) Dredging channels and harbours; building locks, canals and dams to bypass rapids and regulate water level; faster modern ships and containers; navigational aids (lighthouses, buoys, radar); linking ports to road and rail networks

Match each solution to a limitation you named.

(a) African countries produce similar primary goods (cocoa, groundnuts, oil); poor transport links between countries; different currencies and exchange problems; trade barriers and customs formalities; political instability and border disputes; colonial trade ties directed to Europe; low purchasing power
(b) Nigeria exports raw materials (crude oil) that Japan lacks; Japan exports manufactured goods (vehicles, electronics, machines) Nigeria needs; good sea transport links; large Nigerian market; trade agreements and Japanese investment and credit

Trade grows when countries produce different, complementary goods.

(a) Cottage/craft industries (e.g. West Africa, India); light industries (e.g. Japan, southern Nigeria); heavy industries (e.g. Ruhr in Germany, north-eastern USA)
(b) Cottage: done at home by few workers; simple hand tools, little power; small output using local materials and skills
Light: produce small, light consumer goods (textiles, food, plastics); need little capital and space; employ many, often female, workers; located near markets
Heavy: produce bulky goods (steel, ships, machinery); need huge capital, power and raw materials; products often used by other industries; employ mainly men; located near raw materials or ports

Name a real region for each class.

(a) Map with key showing: sub-equatorial south (coast); tropical hinterland (middle belt/south); high plateau (Jos); tropical continental north; a town in each, e.g. Port Harcourt/Benin, Ilorin, Jos, Kano
(b) Southern Nigeria: long wet season March-July with heavy rain; short dry spell (August break); short wet season September-October; dry harmattan season November-March. (Northern: one wet season May/June-September, long dry season October-May)
(c) Two rainfall peaks allow two crops a year (e.g. maize); heavy rain supports tree crops (cocoa, oil palm, rubber); planting begins with the first rains and harvesting in the dry spell/season; heavy rain causes leaching and erosion, and humid conditions favour pests/tsetse that limit cattle rearing

Link each rainfall season to a farming activity.

(a) Inland: rivers Niger, Benue and tributaries, Lake Chad, Kainji Lake, other dams; coastal creeks, lagoons and the Niger Delta; ocean/offshore fishing in the Gulf of Guinea; fish ponds/farms
(b) Nets (cast, drift, seine), hooks and lines, traps and baskets, spears; canoes; trawlers for deep-sea fishing
(c) Tilapia, catfish, Nile perch, mackerel, bonga, croaker, sardine, shrimps, crayfish
(d) Source of cheap protein; employment for fishermen, traders and boat builders; income and some foreign exchange; raw material for fish meal and oil; supports processing and canning industries

Separate inland, coastal and deep-sea fishing.

(a) Sketch map showing e.g. Kano-Kaduna zone (north), Enugu-Onitsha-Aba-Port Harcourt zone (east), Lagos-Ibadan/Ikeja zone (west)
(b) e.g. Western zone: cottage – cloth weaving/dyeing (adire); manufacturing – textiles or cement (Ewekoro)
(c) Cottage weaving: local cotton and dyes; inherited skills; local market and culture
Cement: limestone deposits nearby; power supply; large market in Lagos for building; labour; good road and rail transport; capital

Give location factors specific to the industry you name.

(a) Map shading the far north (Sahel belt from Sokoto to Borno); towns e.g. Sokoto, Maiduguri (also Katsina, Kano, Nguru)
(b) Low and unreliable rainfall and recurrent drought; southward shift of the Sahara/climatic belts; deforestation for fuelwood; overgrazing; bush burning; over-cultivation and poor farming; strong dry winds removing topsoil
(c) Afforestation and shelter belts to break the wind and hold soil; irrigation to keep vegetation alive; control of grazing and bush burning; alternative fuels; sand-dune fixation

Name causes that are natural and those made by man.

(a) Swampy, waterlogged terrain makes road building and farming difficult; numerous creeks and rivers isolate settlements; coastal erosion and flooding; water hyacinth blocks waterways; oil spillage and gas flaring damage farmland and fishing; heavy rainfall and diseases; poor social amenities
(b) Special development agencies (e.g. NDDC, river basin authorities) to provide infrastructure; land reclamation and bridges/roads linking towns; controlling erosion and pollution; oil companies investing part of their earnings in local communities; developing fishing and processing industries; better schools and hospitals

Relate each limitation to the swampy coastal environment.

(a) Sketch map with key: tropical rain forest (Congo basin/Guinea coast, town e.g. Kisangani or Lagos/Ibadan); savanna (Sudan/Guinea savanna, town e.g. Kano)
(b) Rain forest: tall evergreen trees (up to 60 m) in three layers; continuous canopy; broad leaves with drip tips; buttress roots; many species mixed together; climbers, epiphytes; sparse undergrowth where canopy is thick (Savanna: tall grass with scattered trees; deciduous, drought-resistant trees, thick bark; grass dries in dry season)
(c) Forest: hardwood timber (iroko, mahogany, obeche); tree crops (cocoa, oil palm, rubber); food, fuel, medicine; game; tourism and protection of soil

Keep the characteristics and the importance to the same belt.

(a) Map: gold – Obuasi/Tarkwa (Ghana); petroleum – Sirte basin, e.g. Zelten/Sidra (Libya); copper – Katanga/Shaba (Lubumbashi, Kolwezi) in Zaire
(b) Foreign exchange (oil in Nigeria, iron ore in Liberia, bauxite in Guinea, gold in Ghana); employment; growth of towns (Jos, Enugu, Tarkwa); raw materials and power for industry; roads/railways built to mines; government revenue for social services
(c) Land degradation – open pits and mine spoil (Jos tin mines); water pollution and oil spillage (Niger Delta); air pollution from dust and gas flaring; deforestation and loss of farmland; soil erosion and abandoned pits/ponds breeding mosquitoes

Use named minerals and countries in (b).

(a) Map with latitude 20°N; south-west monsoon (tropical maritime) winds blowing onshore over West Africa in July (also SE trades); Canaries current (cold) off NW Africa; Mozambique/Agulhas current (warm) off SE Africa
(b) West Africa: south-west winds from the Atlantic bring the rainy season; NE trade winds (harmattan) from the Sahara bring dry, dusty, cool weather (Nov-Feb); the warm Guinea current adds moisture to the coast; the cold Canaries current makes the NW coast dry and foggy, helping form the desert

Show wind and current directions with arrows on the map.

(a) Desert climate with very little rain; high evaporation; to grow crops all year and feed a large population; river floods only seasonally
(b) Nile valley and delta in Egypt; Gezira (between Blue and White Nile) and other schemes in Sudan
(c) Basin (flood) irrigation; perennial irrigation using dams and barrages (Aswan High Dam, Sennar) and canals; shaduf, sakia and Archimedean screw; pumps
(d) Cotton, rice, wheat, sugar cane, maize, millet, beans, vegetables, citrus
(e) Two or three crops a year; food for the population; cotton exports earn foreign exchange; employment; dams also give hydro-electric power and flood control

Name a scheme or dam for the areas and methods.

(a) Equatorial forest of the Zaire (Congo) basin – Equateur, Haut-Zaire and Bandundu areas, Mayombe forest near the coast
(b) Large areas of dense forest with valuable hardwoods; River Zaire and tributaries to float logs; market at home and abroad; port at Matadi/Boma; labour; foreign capital
(c) Foreign exchange from timber export; employment; raw materials for sawmills, plywood and furniture; fuel wood; revenue for government
(d) Trees of one species scattered; thick undergrowth and swampy ground; buttresses and very hard wood; rapids and falls on rivers; poor roads; heavy rainfall and diseases; deforestation without replanting
(e) Afforestation and regeneration; taungya system; selective felling; better roads and haulage equipment; plantations of economic trees

Under each heading give two or three clear points.

(a)(i) Latitude: angular distance of a place north or south of the equator, 0°-90° N/S; lines (parallels) run east-west. Longitude: angular distance east or west of the prime (Greenwich) meridian, 0°-180° E/W; lines run north-south and are used to find local time
(ii) Standard time: the time a country (or zone) adopts, based on one central meridian, so all towns keep the same time (Nigeria uses 15°E, 1 hour ahead of GMT). GMT: local time on the Greenwich meridian (0°), the reference for world time
(b) Time difference: 10:00am 5th July - 4:48am 4th July = 29 h 12 min; one full day (24 h) does not change longitude, leaving 5 h 12 min
15° per hour: 5 h = 75°; 4 min = 1°, so 12 min = 3°; total 78°
X is behind Greenwich, so it is west: longitude 78°W

Earth turns 15° each hour (1° every 4 minutes); places behind GMT are west.

(a) Sedimentary rock: rock formed from layers of sediments (rock fragments, plant/animal remains or chemical deposits) laid down in water or on land, then compacted and cemented
Mechanical: weathered fragments transported by rivers, wind, ice and deposited in layers, then compacted (sandstone, shale, conglomerate)
Organic: remains of plants and animals accumulate and harden (coal, limestone, chalk)
Chemical: minerals precipitate from solution when water evaporates (rock salt, gypsum, potash)
(b) Any three: contain fuels (coal, petroleum, natural gas); limestone for cement and lime; sandstone/clay for building, bricks and pottery; rock salt for food and industry; good aquifers for water; form fertile soils

Name a rock example for every process.

(a) Planetary (prevailing) winds drag surface water, e.g. trade winds drive the equatorial currents westward
Temperature/density differences: warm light water moves poleward at the surface, cold dense water moves towards the equator
Salinity: water of low salinity flows on the surface towards water of high salinity
Rotation of the earth (Coriolis force): currents deflected to the right in the northern hemisphere and to the left in the southern hemisphere
Shape of coastlines and relief of the sea floor divert currents
(b) Warm currents raise winter temperatures of coasts, e.g. North Atlantic Drift keeps NW Europe mild and Norwegian ports ice-free
Warm currents bring moist air and rainfall, e.g. Guinea current on the West African coast, Mozambique current on SE Africa
Cold currents lower temperatures and cause aridity/coastal deserts, e.g. Benguela (Namib desert), Canaries (western Sahara), Peruvian (Atacama)
Meeting of warm and cold currents causes fog (e.g. Newfoundland) and rich fishing grounds

Give a named current and a named coast for each effect.

(a) Bar graph of monthly rainfall (left axis, mm) with a line graph of temperature (right axis, °C), months on the horizontal axis, title and scale shown
(b) Tropical continental (savanna/Sudan type) climate
(c) High temperatures all year (22-32°C, mean about 27°C); annual range about 10°C, larger than equatorial; single rainfall maximum in August (summer rain); long dry season (November-March) with almost no rain; total rainfall moderate (about 873 mm); highest temperature (32°C) just before the rains in April

A single peak of rain and a long dry season point to the savanna (tropical continental) type.

(a) Vertical section labelled from top: organic layer/litter, A horizon (topsoil), B horizon (subsoil), C horizon (weathered parent material), bedrock
(b) A horizon: dark in colour because of humus from decaying plants and animals; loose and full of roots and organisms (most biological activity); zone of eluviation – leached and lighter in texture because water washes clay and minerals downward
B horizon: zone of illuviation – richer in clay, iron and aluminium washed in from above, so it is more compact and often reddish/brown; little humus because few organisms live there
C horizon: partly weathered rock fragments, coarse, little or no organic matter because it is close to the parent rock

For each zone give a characteristic and the reason for it.

(a) Permanent drought: rainfall is always too low for normal plant growth, as in hot deserts, e.g. the Sahara/Kalahari. Seasonal drought: a regular dry season each year in an area that has enough rain in the wet season, e.g. savanna of northern Nigeria (harmattan period)
(b) Causes (two): very low or failed rainfall; shifting climatic belts/desert encroachment; high temperatures and evaporation; deforestation and overgrazing
Effects (two): crop failure and famine; death of livestock; water shortage; migration of people; desertification and dust storms
(c) Two: irrigation and dams to store water; afforestation and shelter belts; drought-resistant crops and better water conservation; wells and boreholes

Seasonal drought returns every year; permanent drought never ends.