Theory question 108
Nigeria: People and EconomyContrast the Sokoto Plains with the Eastern highlands under the following headings (a) relief and drainage: (b) resources and human activities (c) problems of development
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(a) Sokoto Plains: low, flat to gently undulating sedimentary plains (250-350 m), drained by the Sokoto-Rima system to the Niger, seasonal rivers and fadama. Eastern highlands: high rugged basement-complex mountains and plateaus (Mambilla, Obudu, Adamawa, over 1,500 m), steep slopes, sources of fast rivers (Katsina Ala, Donga, Cross tributaries)
(b) Sokoto: grazing of cattle, sheep and goats; millet, sorghum, groundnut, cotton, onions, irrigated rice (Bakolori); limestone (cement at Sokoto), leather work. Highlands: cooler climate, tea (Mambilla), cattle ranching (Obudu), vegetables, tourism, timber
(c) Sokoto: low erratic rainfall, drought, desert encroachment, poor soils, distance from ports. Highlands: rugged terrain, poor roads and isolation, soil erosion, sparse population, cost of providing services
Under each heading contrast the two regions point by point.