GEOGRAPHY CSEC AND CAPE SYLLABI OUTLINE
CSEC GEOGRAPHY OUTLINE
MAPWORK
Elements of Maps
Grid Reference
Compass Direction
Grid Bearing
Measuring distance
Copying, enlarging or reducing sections of maps
Cross Section
Gradient
Relief
Drainage
Land Use
Weather systems: isobars, symbols, wind direction, ITCZ, tropical waves, tropical storms, hurricanes, cold fronts, anticyclones
Location and Time - latitude and longitude
Able to construct and interpret graphs, tables and charts
NATURAL SYSTEMS
INTERNAL STRUCTURE OF THE EARTH
Crust: Oceanic and Continental Plates
Mantle
Core
PLATE TECTONICS
Theory
Types of plate boundaries/margins
Distribution of earthquakes, island arcs, volcanoes, fold mountains, major faults and ocean trenches.
Global distribution of plates
Characteristics of:
Intrusive volcanic features: sills, dykes, plugs and batholiths
Extrusive volcanic features: caldera, shield volcano, composite cone, lava plateau
The rock cycle: formation of igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks
WEATHERING AND MASS MOVEMENT
Definition of weathering: the breakdown or disintegration of rocks "in situ"
Types of weathering, their locations, processes and results:
Physical or mechanical: frost action, exfoliation
Chemical: carbonation, hydrolysis
Biotic or biological
Mass movement: definition, causes and results
Soil Creep
Landslides
Characteristics of limestone
Processes leading to the formation of limestone features
Surface: clints and grykes, surface depressions, cockpits, swallow holes
Underground: caves, stalactites, stalagmites, pillars, underground rivers
WEATHER, CLIMATE, VEGETATION AND SOILS
Difference between weather and climate
Factors influencing weather and climate:
latitude
altitude
relief
distance from the sea (continentality)
winds: land and sea breezes and prevailing winds
Characteristics of Equatorial and Tropical Marine Climates:
temperature
precipitation
pressure
Weather conditions associated with Caribbean weather systems
tropical waves
hurricanes
cold fronts (before, during and after)
Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ)
anticyclones
Insolation, radiation and the role of greenhouse gases in heating the earth
Human activities that contribute to global warming and influence climate change (such as deforestation and activities that lead to emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases
Examples of the consequences of climate change in the Caribbean and EITHER United States of America (USA) OR the United Kingdom (UK): for example, sea level rise – examples of increased incidence of coastal flooding, impacts on coral reefs, coastal wetlands and settlements; changes in weather patterns and their impacts
Measures to reduce the effects of climate change in the Caribbean and those used EITHER in the United States of America (USA) OR the United Kingdom (UK) (for example, mitigation measures including reduced emissions, sustainable forestry, education)
Adaptations of vegetation to the environmental factors of climate, soil, biotic conditions (including humans)
The inter-relationship among climate, vegetation and soil seen in the characteristics of the tropical rainforest biome: types of trees; types of leaves and roots; structure; species composition; seasonality
Positive impacts (sustainable management) and negative impacts (deforestation, soil erosion, soil exhaustion) of human activities on tropical forests’ biomes
Major constituents of soil: organic and inorganic matter, bacteria, water and air
Factors influencing the formation of latosols: interaction amongst climate, vegetation, biota, and water in soil
FLUVIAL AND COASTAL PROCESSES
The hydrological cycle (evaporation, condensation, precipitation, transpiration, run-off, infiltration, through-flow, percolation, ground water flow) and its features (springs, aquifers, water table).
Drainage system – fluvial processes (erosion, transportation, and deposition)
Coastal system – wave processes (erosion, transportation, and deposition)
rivers – river valleys, waterfalls, meanders, braided channels, ox-bow lakes, levees, flood plains, deltas
coastal – cliff, wave-cut platform, headland, bay, cave, arch, stack, spit, bay-bar, tombolo, beach
Drainage patterns – dendritic, trellis, radial and relationship to rock type and geology
Types of coral reefs: fringing, barrier and atoll
Conditions necessary for the successful formation of coral reefs: water – depth, salinity, temperature, turbidity; the presence of beneficial algae and fish
Importance of coral reefs – coastal protection; raw material for beaches; ecological and economic benefits
Importance of mangrove wetlands: coastal protection; ecological; socio-economic benefits
NATURAL HAZARDS AND NATURAL DISASTERS
Difference between a natural hazard and a natural disaster.
Natural hazard – risk resulting from processes associated with the lithosphere, biosphere and atmosphere.
Natural disaster – effects of the event on the physical and human landscapes, especially in areas of high population density.
Areas in Caribbean countries at high risk from the hazards of earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanoes, landslides, flooding.
The effects of natural hazards and disasters – short term and long term.
Responses of individuals, national and regional agencies to the risk of the hazards and the effects of natural disasters in the Caribbean – the stages in the hazard/disaster management cycle
HUMAN SYSTEMS
POPULATION SYSTEMS
Factors influencing distribution and density of population – historical, cultural, physical, socioeconomic factors.
Dot and choropleth maps and population pyramids.
Factors influencing population growth in the Caribbean compared with EITHER those in India or China or Nigeria:
birth rate
death rate
natural increase
migration
fertility rate
life expectancy
government policies
Definitions of urbanisation, urban growth and urban sprawl.
Causes of population growth in capital cities and other urban areas; for example,
natural increase
migration (internal, regional and international):
Benefits for example,
labour supply
economic growth
Problems for example
overcrowding
crime
housing
environmental
Attempts to control urbanisation, for example
zoning
decentralisation of services
development of housing schemes
upgrade of rural areas
diversification of agriculture
Definition of in-migration and out-migration and types of migration (regional and international):
Reasons for in and out migration: push and pull factors (economic, social, and political) with relevant examples of origin of migrants and main destinations of migrants.
Consequences of in and out migration: economic and social impacts.
ECONOMIC SYSTEMS
Definitions of primary, secondary and tertiary activities.
Names and location of primary, secondary and tertiary activities in the Caribbean.
Characteristics and relative importance of primary, secondary and tertiary economic activities to the Caribbean.
Renewable (forest, fish) and non-renewable (oil and natural gas, bauxite) industries.
Names and locations of areas within Caribbean countries with the following resources: forests; fish; limestone; bauxite; petroleum; natural gas; and, gold.
Factors (raw materials, energy, transport, markets, labour, capital, the role of government) influencing the location of THREE of the following industries:
EITHER fishing OR forestry;
EITHER oil and natural gas OR bauxite; and,
food processing within CARICOM and Singapore.
Factors influencing the development and growth of the tourism industry for example
physical
historical
cultural
man-made attractions
role of government
Benefits and problems associated with the selected industries in the Caribbean:
Benefits for example
employment
revenue
improved standard of living
economic development
Problems for example
declining sources of raw material
high exploration costs
competition
pollution
accessibility
transportation
sustainability
Solutions to problems faced by the selected industries in the Caribbean, for example
exploration of new sources of raw materials
alternative sources of raw materials
diversification
AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS
Historical, physical, human and economic factors associated with agriculture.
Areas in Caribbean countries where commercial farming (both large-scale and small-scale) and subsistence farming are important.
Characteristics of commercial farming in a named Caribbean country
size of farm
ownership
labour
farming
practices
products
markets
technology
Characteristics of sugar cane farming
acreage
farming practices
labour
technology (for example, the use of materials, tools, techniques and sources of power to improve productivity), markets
Changes in commercial farming, for example
government policies (including issues of food security)
bio-fuels
value-added products
technology
shade houses
new markets
Impact on economic development, for example
cost and availability of traditional products
income
government revenue
job opportunities
diversification
SUSTAINABLE SYSTEMS
Environmental Degradation:
Agriculture:
deforestation
soil erosion and soil exhaustion
flooding
pollution
Quarrying:
mining
secondary industries – deforestation, pollution, land degradation
Tourism:
coral reef destruction
pollution
destruction of mangroves
Measures to ensure the sustainable management of resources
regional, national and personal responses in primary and secondary industries and tourism; (for example, education, organic farming, forest and soil conservation, fisheries management, improved mining and manufacturing techniques, and ecotourism)
CAPE GEOGRAPHY UNIT ONE
POPULATION GEOGRAPHY, GEOMORPHIC PROCESSES AND HAZARDS
MODULE ONE: POPULATION AND SETTLEMENT
Population and Resources
Population density and method of depicting population density –choropleth maps.
The merits and demerits of choropleth maps.
Optimum population, underpopulation and overpopulation.
Carrying capacity and factors influencing changes in carrying capacity.
Models of population growth in relation to resources –Boserup and Malthus.
Settlement Processes
Rural settlements – types and patterns.
Physical and human factors affecting the location of rural settlements. Case study.
The effects of changes in rural settlements in MDCs.
The process and problems of urbanization in MDCs and LDCs including the rank –size rule and primacy.
Causes and consequences of sub-urbanization, counter-urbanization, reurbanization or gentrification in MDCs.
The models of Burgess, Hoyt, Ullman & Harris and their applicability to cities in the developing world.
Solutions to urban growth in MDCs and LDCs
MODULE TWO: HYDROLOGICAL, FLUVIAL, COASTAL AND LIMESTONE ENVIRONMENTS
Hydrology
Concepts associated with the hydrological cycle and the river basin.
Major flows and factors influencing flows within the hydrological cycle, including precipitation, stem flow, interception, channel precipitation, pathways of water movement, storage
The storm hydrograph and water budgets (spatial and temporal changes)
Climatic, physical and biotic (human and vegetation) factors affecting drainage basin characteristics and flows
Factors influencing drainage patterns, drainage density and their measurements, including stream ordering
Fluvial Processes and Landforms
Concepts associated with fluvial landforms and processes, (include competence and capacity) erosion, transportation, deposition.
The major flows and processes operating within the river channel, including types of flow and variations of flow.
Stream channel morphology, including width, depth and wetted perimeter.
Stream channel characteristics, including meandering.
The influence of physical, biotic (human and vegetation) and geological factors on the long and cross-profiles of rivers, valleys and changes over time. Include sea level changes.
The measurement and calculation of stream velocity, stream width, and channel geometry.
Weathering and its influence on river basins: aerial and sub-aerial processes
Coastal Processes and Landforms
Wave formation, structure, types.
Major flows (for example, longshore drift) and processes (for example, marine erosion, deposition and wave refraction) operating in coastal environments.
The influence of the processes of erosion, transportation and deposition on the development of related landforms, including cliffs, beaches, bars.
Formation and distribution of coral reefs (including the theories). Threats to coral reefs.
The influence of human and geological factors (rock type and structure) on the shape and form of coastal landforms.
The influence of sea level changes on coastal landforms
Processes and landforms in limestone environments
Characteristics of limestone as a rock.
Chemical weathering processes and limestone. Include formula.
Characteristics and development of limestone landscapes. Cite specific examples.
Factors affecting the development of limestone landscapes
MODULE THREE: NATURAL EVENTS AND HAZARDS
Natural Events, Hazards and Disasters
Concept of a natural event, hazard and disaster.
Types of hazards – technological, tectonic, climatic and geomorphological
Flooding
Types of floods - riverine, coastal, estuarine.
Causes of floods
types of precipitation events
influence of human activity
sea level changes
drainage basin characteristics
Plate Tectonics
Continental drift and plate tectonics.
The formation of plates, global distribution and the direction of movement of plates.
Processes operating at different types of plate margins and hot spots.
Earthquakes - magnitude, relationship to plate boundaries, seismic waves and faulting.
Distribution and characteristics of volcanoes in relation to plate boundaries.
Formation of island arcs and origin of fold mountains.
Positive impact of volcanic and earthquake activity.
Value of folded and faulted landscapes.
Volcanoes, Earthquakes and Floods as Hazards
Earthquakes - primary and secondary effects and factors influencing these effects.
Types of volcanic eruptions, characteristics of volcanic material, nature of the hazards.
Case studies of the negative impact of floods, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
Photo interpretation, hazard risk maps.
Response to Hazards
Current capabilities in predicting earthquake, flooding and volcanic activities.
(ii) Individual and collective responses to earthquake, floods and volcanic hazards before the occurrence and after the occurrence
Government responses to hazards - earthquakes, floods and volcanoes
CAPE GEOGRAPHY UNIT TWO
CLIMATE, ECONOMIC ACTIVITY AND DEVELOPMENT
MODULE ONE: CLIMATE, VEGETATION AND SOILS
Atmosphere and Weather Systems
Global heat budget, including long and short wave radiation, albedo
Global surface and upper wind circulation, including jet streams, Rossby waves
Global patterns of vertical and horizontal temperature and pressure variations
Atmospheric humidity (absolute and relative humidity)
Condensation, types of precipitation, types of rainfall and mechanisms of raindrop formation.
Lapse rates
Weather conditions resulting from atmospheric stability, instability and conditional instability
Development of high and low pressure systems: anticyclones, depressions, hurricanes, Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) and weather conditions associated with weather systems, air masses and fronts
Interpretation of synoptic charts
Long and short-term climate change, global warming – causes, effects, solutions
The concept of microclimates
Urban, rural and mountain microclimates
Vegetation Types
The distribution and characteristics of
tropical rainforest
tropical grasslands
temperate grasslands
northern coniferous forests
The relationships between vegetation types and climate and human factors.
The opportunities and problems associated with the development of the tropical rain forests.
Variations in vegetation in response to differences in rock type, altitude, slope angle and drainage in a local area.
Vegetation studies using quadrats and transects
Soil Formation and Soil Conservation
The nature and properties of soil: soil profile, texture, structure, organic matter content, water, air
Processes of soil formation, including weathering, leaching
The interrelationships among parent material, climate, vegetation, topography, human activity and time on soil formation
The formation and characteristics of the soil types which develop under tropical rainforest and temperate grasslands
The study of soil horizons in the field.
Soil erosion and effectiveness of soil conservation methods, including agroforestry. Cite specific examples
MODULE TWO: ECONOMIC ACTIVITY
Economic Structure
The characteristics of primary, secondary, tertiary, quaternary and quinary economic activities
The changing relative importance of the types of economic activities, the reasons for the changes and the relationship to economic development
Agriculture
Modern farming in the European Union (arable, livestock).
Traditional (plantation, commercial and non-commercial small farming) and non-traditional agriculture (including aquaculture, hydroponics) in the Caribbean.
The environmental, economic, cultural and political factors which influence farming in the Caribbean and the European Union (for example, transnational trading blocs, government policies, changes in trading agreements).
The environmental impact of and environmental conflicts arising from agriculture in MDCs and LDCs.
Von Thunen’s model of rural land use and its applicability at both the local and the international scales.
Graphs to show net profit curves and to calculate locational rents based on Von Thunen’s model.
The potential impact of climate change on farming systems in LDCs.
Industry
The relevance of Weber’s model of industrial location.
The factors responsible for development and change in a major industrial region in an MDC - raw materials, technology, transport, New Industrial Division of Labour (role of Multi-National Corporations (MNC), globalisation, outsourcing, specialization, off- shoring, comparative advantage).
Case study of industrial change in an LDC
Approaches to and problems of industrial development in the Caribbean
Economic and social characteristics of the informal sector
The environmental impact of industrial development in MDCs and LDCs. Case studies
Tourism
Types of Tourism, Recreation and Leisure.
The social and economic factors accounting for the growth and changing nature of tourism globally.
Island and mainland tourism - location, patterns of arrival, organization. Cite specific examples.
Apply Butler’s Tourism Lifecycle Model to a resort in an MDC.
Case Study - Tourism in a Caribbean territory - location, resource base, trends in arrivals, marketing, foreign and/or local entrepreneurship, positive and negative impacts and conflicts.
Effect of tourism on the environment in LDCs and MDCs.
MODULE THREE: DEVELOPMENT AND DISPARITIES IN DEVELOPMENT
Development and Under-development
Definition of development, underdevelopment and sustainable development
Economic and non-economic indicators of development
Strengths, weaknesses of economic and non-economic indicators of development
The representation of the data collected in the form of charts, graphs and maps
Analysis of disparities from the data collected
Global Disparities in Development
Definitions of poverty, life expectancy, gender
Global disparities in income, poverty, life expectancy and education, including gender disparities
Rostow’s model, Colonialism, Dependency model and their utility in explaining disparities in development between Britain and the Caribbean
The concept of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) (include, for example, the role of disasters, debt burden, technology and government policy) and its utility in explaining disparities in development between Britain and the Caribbean
The consequences of global disparities (economic, political, environmental and social consequences)
Regional Disparities in Development
Myrdal’s cumulative causation model
The application of Myrdal’s cumulative causation model to an understanding of regional disparities in income, poverty or health in a specific country
Apply Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient to measure disparities
Local Disparities in Development
Friedman’s core-periphery model.
The application of Friedman’s core-periphery model to an understanding of urban-rural disparities in levels of economic development within a specific country.
Apply Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient to measure disparities.
Measures to Overcome Disparities
Aid-forms or types, global patterns (donors, recipients), impact, effectiveness, conditionalities
Debt relief
Appropriate technology