Geography Waec Syllabus

ELEMENTS OF PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY

1. Map work
   • Map reading and interpretation based on contoured survey
     maps of parts of West Africa: scale
   • measurement of
     distances, direction and bearing, map reduction and enlargement
   • identification of physical features such as spurs,
     valleys, etc. and
   • cultural features such as city walls,
     settlements, communication routes, etc.;
   • measurement of
     gradients
   • drawing of cross profiles, inter-visibility
   • description and explanation of drainage characteristics and
     pattern
   • patterns of communication, settlement and land use.
2. *Principles of elementary surveying compass, plotting of traverse, avoiding obstacles in the field.
3. **Geographic Information System (GIS)
   • GIS: Basic concepts, components (hardware, software, data,
     procedures and experts)
   • sources of data (land surveying,
     remote sensing, map digitizing, map scanning, field
     investigation and tabular data etc)
   • uses (defence, agriculture,
     urban development, mapping, surveying, transportation,
     census etc), problems (power, personnel, capital etc)
4. Statistical maps and diagrams
   • Graphical representation of statistical data: Bar graphs, Line
     graphs, flow charts, dot maps, proportional circles, density
     maps, isopleth maps.
5. Elements of Physical Geography

   The earth as a planet in relation to the sun, latitude and distance, longitude and time, earth’s rotation and revolution and their effects, structure of the earth (internal and external).

6. *Hydrosphere

   Ocean basins, salinity, ocean current ( causes, types and their effects on the temperature of adjacent coastlands), lakes,
   rivers, lagoons, water as an environmental resource.

7. Rocks

   Types, characteristics, formation and uses.

8. Tectonic processes

   Vulcanicity, earthquake, landforms: Mountains, plains, karsts and coastal landforms (formation, characteristics and
   importance).

9. Denudational processes

   Agencies modifying landforms such as weathering, mass
   movement, running water, underground water, wind and
   waves.

10. Weather and climate

    Simple weather study based on local observation, description
    of the Stevenson’s screen and uses of basic weather
    instruments e.g. rain gauge, thermometer, barometer, wind vane etc.

11. Climate Elements

    Rainfall, sunshine, air pressure, wind, humidity, temperature
    and cloud. Factors affecting climatic elements e.g. altitude,
    latitude, ocean currents, land and sea breezes, continentality,
    aspect. Interpretation of climatic charts and data.

12. Climate Classification
    • Major types of climate (Hot climate – Equatorial, Tropical
      Continental, Desert
    • Temperate climate – warm and cool).
    • Classification of climate based on Greek and Koppen.
13. Climate change

    Meaning, causes, effects and remedies.

14. Vegetation
    • Major types (Tropical Rainforest, cool/warm temperate
      woodland, Tropical Grassland)
    • characteristics, distribution,
      factors affecting their distribution, plant communities.
    • Vegetation as an environmental resource.
    • Conservation of
      vegetation resources.
15. Soil

    Definition, local types and characteristics. Factors and
    processes of soil formation, soil profile, importance to man
    and the effects of human activities on soil. Soil erosion and
    conservation.

16. Environmental resources

    Meaning, classification ( renewable and non renewable) types ( vegetation, water, mineral, atmospheric, etc ) and the importance of each.

17. Environmental problems/ hazards

    Types (soil erosion, drought, desert encroachment, flooding
    and pollution), causes, effects and prevention of each.

18. Environmental conservation

    Meaning, importance, methods, problems and solutions.

ECONOMIC AND HUMAN GEOGRAPHY

1. World Population

   Factors and patterns of growth, distribution and movement, growth rate problems.

2. Settlement
   • Types (rural and urban)
   • patterns and factors affecting location
   • growth and size; functions of rural and urban settlements
   • interaction patterns( urban-rural, rural-urban,
     urban-urban, rural rural)
   • migration.
3. Transportation
   • Modes (roads, railways, water, air, pipeline, cables, ropeways
     etc.)
   • Transportation and economic development (movement
     of people and commodities, national and international trade,
     diffusion of ideas and technology, national integration)
   • problems of transportation and their solutions.
4. Industry
   • Classification (primary, secondary and tertiary)
   • types (heavy and light industry); factors of industrial location
   • contributions to development
   • problems/solutions.
5. Trade

   Meaning, types (national and international), reasons for trade,
   importance.

6. Tourism
   • Meaning, centres, reasons (leisure, recreation, education etc )
   • importance, problems and solutions.

REGIONAL GEOGRAPHY OF NIGERIA

1. Nigeria on broad outline

   Location, position, size, distance and political divisions.

2. Physical setting

   Relief, drainage, climate, vegetation

3. Population

   Size, distribution, structure, population quality, population
   movement, population data ( sources and problems/solutions)

4. Resources
   • Mineral (petroleum, gas, coal, tin/columbite, iron ore, limestone)
   • distribution, methods of extraction, problems and
     solutions)
   • Power (Petroleum, gas, coal HEP, solar energy)
   • Water (rivers, lakes, dams, sea, underground water)
   • Vegetation (trees, food and cash crops; timber,etc)- forest, savanna, biosphere.
5. Agriculture

   Types of agricultural practices, food and cash crops, importance, problems and solutions.

6. Transportation

   Mode, advantages and disadvantages, problems and solutions, influence of transportation on human activities.

7. Communication

   Communication networks, advantages and disadvantages,
   importance, problems and solutions.

8. Industry

   Definition, types, major industrial zones, factors of location, importance, problems and solutions.

9. Trade

   Meaning, types (national and international), stock exchange, capital market, forex, major commercial areas, importance of
   commercial activities.

10. Tourism

    Meaning, centres, reasons for tourism, importance, problems
    and solutions.

11. Issues on development and environmental concerns

    Issues of Development and Environmental Conservation:
    Rural and regional development, resource management and
    conservation, environmental pollution e.g. air, water, soil,
    noise; waste disposal, etc.

12. ECOWAS

    Meaning, member countries, purposes/mandate,
    advantages/benefits, disadvantages, problems and solutions.

13. Geo-political issues

    Geo-political issues-Land reclamation.

REGIONAL GEOGRAPHY OF GHANA

1. Ghana on broad outline

   Location, position, size, distance and political divisions.

2. Physical setting

   Physical environment (geology, relief, drainage, climate, vegetation and soils).

3. Population

   Size, growth, distribution and density, age/sex structure: fertility, morbidity and mortality, migration.

4. Settlement

   Origin, types (rural and urban), characteristics, hierarchy,

5. Primary economic activities
6. Agriculture

   Subsistence (intensive and extensive) commercial (vegetable,
   livestock, dairying, commercial grain), plantation, problems
   and solutions.

7. Fishing

   Inland and ocean (in-shore/off shore), methods, types of fish,
   storage and marketing, importance, problems and solutions.
   Sources of timber, methods of exploitation, types of species

8. Lumbering

   (for internal use and for export), problems and solutions,
   conservation.

9. Mining

   Types, distribution of minerals, methods of extraction,
   importance, problems and solutions.

10. Manufacturing

    Types of manufacturing industries, distribution, factors influencing location of industries, problems of
    industrialization.

11. Trade and commerce

    Services, transport and communication, recreation and
    tourism, administration.

12. Tourism

    Meaning, centres, reasons for tourism, importance, problems
    and solutions.

13. Energy and power

    Water (Akosombo and Kpong Hydro-electric Power projects
    – benefits and side effects), fuel wood and charcoal,
    petroleum and natural gas (Saltpond), solar, wave and wind
    energies (Donkokrom and Kokrobite), Biogas e.g. cow dung.

14. Issues on development and environmental concerns

    Issues of Development and Environmental Conservation:
    Rural and regional development, resource management and
    conservation, environmental pollution e.g. air, water, soil,
    noise; waste disposal etc.

REGIONAL GEOGRAPHY OF SIERRA LEONE

1. Sierra Leone on broad outline

   Size and location, physical environment, people and
   settlements.

2. Agriculture

   Meaning of agriculture, Subsistence (intensive and extensive)
   commercial (vegetable, livestock, dairying, commercial grain
   production), plantation, problems and solutions.

3. Fishing

   Meaning of fishing, Inland and ocean (in-shore/off shore),
   methods, types of fish, storage and marketing, importance,
   problems and solutions.

4. Lumbering

   Meaning of lumbering, Sources of timber, methods of
   exploitation, types of species (for internal use and for export),
   problems and solutions, conservation.

5. Mining

   Types, distribution of minerals, methods of extraction, problems and solutions.

6. Manufacturing

   Location of industry, types of industries, problems of
   manufacturing industry, Energy and Power, water, fuelwood
   and charcoal, biogas (e.g. cow-dung), hydroelectric power
   projects e.g. Dodo, Guma, Bumbuna.

7. Transport and Communication

   Road, rail, water, air, the roles of transport and
   communication to economic development,( internal and
   external trade, diffusion of ideas and technology), problems
   of transport and communication, solutions.

8. Trade

   Major commodities of trade (agricultural, manufactured
   goods, minerals, etc.), patterns of trade (internal and
   external), problems of trade.

9. Population

   Size, growth, distribution and migration.

10. Tourism

    Meaning, development of tourism, problems of tourism &
    solutions, socio-economic effects of tourism. Main tourism
    areas, factors responsible for its development, economic
    importance.

REGIONAL GEOGRAPHY OF LIBERIA

1. Liberia on broad outline

   Location, position, size, distance and political divisions.

2. Physical setting

   Relief, drainage, climate, vegetation and soil.

3. Population

   Size, distribution, structure, population quality, population
   movement, population data ( sources, problems & solutions)

4. Resources

   Mineral, power, water and vegetation resources, importance of resources to development.

5. Agriculture

   Types of agricultural practices, food and cash crops, importance, problems and solutions.

6. Transportation

   Mode, advantages and disadvantages, problems and solutions, influence of transportation on human activities.

7. Communication

   Communication networks, advantages and disadvantages,
   importance, problems & solutions.

8. Industry

   Definition, types, major industrial zones, factors of location,
   importance, problems and solutions, importance.

9. Trade

   Meaning, types ( national and international), forex, major commercial areas, importance of commercial activities.

10. Tourism

    Meaning, centres, reasons for tourism, importance, problems
    and solutions.

11. Fishing

    Meaning of fishing, Inland and ocean (in-shore/off shore),
    methods, types of fish, storage and marketing, importance,
    problems and solutions.

12. Mining

    Types, distribution of minerals, methods of extraction, problems and solutions.

REGIONAL GEOGRAPHY OF SENEGAMBIA

1. Senegambia on broad outline

   Location, position, size, distance and political divisions.

2. Physical setting

   Relief, drainage, climate, vegetation and soil.

3. Population

   Size, distribution, structure, population quality, population
   movement, population data ( sources, problems &solutions)

4. Resources

   Mineral, power, water and vegetation resources, importance of resources to development.

5. Agriculture

   Types of agricultural practices, food and cash crops, importance, problems and solutions.

6. Transportation

   Mode, advantages and disadvantages, influence of transportation on human activities, problems and solutions.

7. Communication

   Communication networks, advantages and disadvantages,
   importance, problems and solutions.

8. Industry

   Definition, types, major industrial zones, factors of location, importance, problems and solutions.

9. Mining

   Types, distribution, methods of extraction, problems and
   solutions

10. Fishing

    Meaning of fishing, Inland and ocean (in-shore/off shore),
    methods, types of fish, storage and marketing, problems and
    solutions.

11. Issues on development and environmental concerns

    Issues of Development and Environmental Conservation:
    Rural and regional development, resource management and
    conservation, environmental pollution e.g. air, water, soil,
    noise, waste disposal etc.

12. Trade

    Meaning, types (national and international), forex, major commercial areas, importance of commercial activities,
    problems and solutions.

13. Tourism

    Meaning, centres, reasons for tourism, importance, problems and solutions.

REGIONAL GEOGRAPHY OF AFRICA

1. Africa on broad outline

   Location, size, position, political divisions and associated islands, physical features and their economic importance (relief, drainage, climate and vegetation), distribution of minerals.

2. Irrigation agriculture

   Irrigation agriculture in the Nile Basin and the Niger Basin.

3. Plantation agriculture

   Plantation agriculture in West and East Africa.

4. Oil production

   Oil production in Nigeria, Ghana and Libya.

5. Lumbering

   Lumbering in Equatorial Africa (with particular reference to
   Cote d’Ivoire and Zaire).

6. Gold Mining

   Gold mining in South Africa.

7. Copper mining

   Copper mining in Zambia and Zaire

8. Population

   Population distribution in West Africa.

9. ECOWAS

   Meaning, member countries, purposes/mandate, advantages/benefits, disadvantages, problems and solutions.

10. FIELD WORK

    Fieldwork on any one of the following topics should be based
    on local geography of candidate’s home country. (This
    aspect of the syllabus should be examined by schools as part
    of the continuous assessment and should account for 25% of
    the total mark allotted to continuous assessment).

    • Land use (rural or urban):
      rural – crop farming (e.g. rice, cocoa, etc. )
      urban crop farming
      mining (e.g. coal, tin, petroleum etc.), fishing.
      urban – commercial activities, ports, factories,
      recreational etc.
    • Market survey – rural or urban.
    • Traffic flow – rural or urban.
    • Patterns of journey to work – rural or urban.
    • Rate of erosion in the locality, etc.

SUGGESTED READING LIST

1. R. B. BUNNETT & P.O. OKUNROTIFA General Geography in Diagram for West Africa.
2. B. O. AKINDELE & G. C. LEONG Certificate Physical and Human Geography (West African Edition).
3. STRAHLER, A. N. Introduction to Physical Geography.
4. MONKHOUSE, F. J. Principles of Physical Geography.
5. UDO, REUBEN K. Comprehensive Geography of Tropical Africa.
6. UDO, REUBEN K. Geographical Regions of Nigeria.
7. N. P. ILOEJE A new Geography of Nigeria (New Edition).
8. M. A. ABEGUNDE et al Senior Secondary Geography Series
9. DICKSON K. B. & BENNEH G. New Geography of Ghana.
10. DICKSON & ACHEAMPONG Geography for Senior Secondary Schools in Ghana.
11. OBOLI, H.O.N. An outline Geography of West Africa.
12. J. I. CLARKE Sierra Leone in Maps.
13. GWYN-JONES A New Geography of Sierra Leone.
14. PRITCHARD, J. M. Africa
15. DUZE & AFOLABI OJO Macmillan Senior School Atlas.
16. COLLINS New Secondary School Atlas.
17. PHILIPS World Atlas.
18. CLARY AUDREY N. Longman Dictionary of Geography(Human and Physical).
19. MOORE, W. E. A Penguin Dictionary of geography
20. N. P. ILOEJE, P.C. ONOKALA & F.O. ODEMERHO Basic Geography Course for Senior Secondary Schools Books 1-3.
21. MACMILLAN Macmillan Senior School Atlas for Liberia Schools.
22. Guiness, P. & Nagle, G. IGCSE Geography