Geography

course outline

Topics

• Map Reading and Interpretation

  Covers scale, measurement of distances, direction, bearing, map reduction/enlargement, identification of physical (spurs, valleys) and cultural (city walls, settlements, communication routes) features. Includes gradient measurement, cross profiles, inter-visibility, and explanation of drainage, communication, settlement, and land use patterns based on contoured survey maps of West Africa.

• Principles of Elementary Surveying

  Definitions of terms, instruments, chain and prismatic compass, plotting of traverse, avoiding obstacles in the field.

• Geographic Information System (GIS)

  Basic concepts, components (hardware, software, data, procedures, experts), sources of data (land surveying, remote sensing, map digitizing, map scanning, field investigation, tabular data), uses (defense, agriculture, urban development, mapping, surveying, transportation, census), and problems (power, personnel, capital).

• Statistical Maps and Diagrams

  Graphical representation of statistical data including bar graphs, line graphs, flow charts, dot maps, proportional circles, density maps, and isopleth maps.

• The Earth as a Planet

  Examines the Earth's position relative to the sun, concepts of latitude and longitude, rotation and revolution effects, and the internal and external structure of the Earth.

• Hydrosphere

  Covers ocean basins, salinity, ocean currents (causes, types, and effects on coastlands), lakes, rivers, lagoons, and water as an environmental resource.

• Tectonic Processes

  Includes vulcanicity, earthquakes, and the formation, characteristics, and importance of landforms such as mountains, plains, karsts, and coastal features.

• Denudational Processes

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

• Weather Study

  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).

• 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.

• Climate - Classification

  Major types of climate (Hot: Equatorial, Tropical Continental, Desert; Temperate: warm and cool). Classification of climate based on Greek and Koppen.

• Vegetation

  Major types (Tropical Rainforest, cool/warm temperate woodland, Tropical Grassland), their characteristics, distribution, affecting factors, and plant communities. Includes vegetation as an environmental resource and its conservation.

• Soil

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

• The Environment - Environmental Resources

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

• The Environment - Environmental Problems/Hazards

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

• The Environment - Environmental Conservation

  Meaning, importance, methods, problems, and solutions for environmental conservation.

• World Population

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

• 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), and migration.

• Transportation

  Modes (roads, railways, water, air, pipeline, cables, ropeways). Transportation's role in economic development (movement of people and commodities, national and international trade, diffusion of ideas and technology, national integration), problems, and solutions.

• Industry

  Classification (primary, secondary, tertiary), types (heavy and light industry), factors of industrial location, contributions to development, and problems/solutions.

• Trade

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

• Tourism

  Meaning, centers, reasons (leisure, recreation, education), importance, problems, and solutions for tourism.

• Nigeria - Population

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

• Nigeria - Resources

  Mineral resources (petroleum, gas, coal, tin/columbite, iron ore, limestone) including their distribution, extraction methods, problems, and solutions. Power resources (petroleum, gas, coal, HEP, solar energy). Water resources (rivers, lakes, dams, sea, underground water).

• Nigeria - Agriculture

  Vegetation (trees, food and cash crops; timber) including forest, savanna, and biosphere. Types of agricultural practices, food and cash crops, importance, problems, and solutions.

• Nigeria - Transportation

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

• Nigeria - Communication

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

• Nigeria - Industry

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

• Nigeria - Trade

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

• Nigeria - Development & 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.

• Nigeria - ECOWAS

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

• Ghana - Physical Setting

  Physical environment covering geology, relief, drainage, climate, vegetation, and soils.

• Ghana - Population

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

• Ghana - Settlement

  Origin, types (rural and urban), characteristics, hierarchy, land use, urbanization processes, problems, and solutions.

• Ghana - Agriculture

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

• Ghana - Fishing

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

• Ghana - Lumbering

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

• Ghana - Mining

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

• Ghana - Manufacturing

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

• Ghana - 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), and Biogas (e.g. cow dung).

• Ghana - Development & 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.

• Sierra Leone - Agriculture

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

• Sierra Leone - Fishing

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

• Sierra Leone - Lumbering

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

• Sierra Leone - Mining

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

• Sierra Leone - Manufacturing & Power

  Location of industry, types of industries, problems of manufacturing industry. Covers energy and power sources including water, fuelwood and charcoal, biogas (e.g. cow-dung), and hydro-electric power projects (e.g. Dodo, Guma, Bumbuna).

• Sierra Leone - Transport & Communication

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

• Sierra Leone - Trade

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

• Sierra Leone - Tourism

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

• Liberia - Population

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

• Liberia - Resources

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

• Liberia - Agriculture

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

• Liberia - Transportation

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

• Liberia - Communication

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

• Liberia - Industry

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

• Liberia - Trade

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

• Liberia - Fishing

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

• Liberia - Mining

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

• Senegambia - Population

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

• Senegambia - Resources

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

• Senegambia - Agriculture

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

• Senegambia - Transportation

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

• Senegambia - Communication

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

• Senegambia - Industry

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

• Senegambia - Fishing

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

• Senegambia - Development & 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.

• Senegambia - Trade

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

• Africa - Broad Outline

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

• Africa - Lumbering

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

• Africa - ECOWAS

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

• Urban Land Use

  Commercial activities, ports, factories, recreational areas, urban crop farming.