Theory question 105
Nigeria: Physical Setting(a) On a sketch map of Nigeria, locate and name: (i) the Chad Basin and the Western Highlands; (ii) one important river in one of the regions; (iii) one important town in each region. (b) State three ways in which the relief and drainage of the Chad Basin differ from those of the Western Highlands. (c) Highlight three problems of development in the Chad Basin.
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(a) Chad Basin: north-east (Borno, Yobe), around Lake Chad; rivers Komadugu-Yobe or Ngadda; town Maiduguri. Western Highlands: south-west uplands (Oyo, Osun, Ekiti, Ondo, Kwara); rivers Ogun, Osun, Oshun, Owena; town Ibadan, Ilorin, Akure, Ado-Ekiti.
(b) Chad Basin is a flat, low sedimentary plain (about 300-500 m); Western Highlands are an undulating crystalline upland with inselbergs (up to 600 m). Chad Basin has inland drainage into Lake Chad; Western Highlands drain outward to the Atlantic or the Niger. Chad Basin rivers are few and seasonal; Western Highlands have many rivers in a dendritic pattern, flowing most of the year.
(c) Low unreliable rainfall and drought; desertification and shrinking of Lake Chad; poor soils and sand dunes; long distance from the coast and poor transport; insecurity; shortage of water for industry; few industries and low investment.
Contrast the two regions point by point (height, rock, drainage pattern).