Geography

Geography Syllabus

Geography Past Papers

SECTION 1: MAP READING AND FIELD STUDY

Given an extract from a topographic map, the student should be able to:

• Locate places using four and six-figure grid references;
• Use a scale to measure the distance;
• Give direction in terms of compass bearing and the 16 points of the compass;
• Read and interpret conventional symbols;
• Reduce and enlarge a section of a map;
• Draw and interpret cross sections and sketch sections;
• Calculate gradients using ratios;
• Describe the following: drainage, vegetation, land use, settlement, communications;
• Describe land forms through the reading of contours;
• Explain the relationship among the patterns of: relief; drainage; vegetation; land use; settlement; communications.

Given a photograph, the student should be able to:

• Interpret geographical data.

The student should be able to:

• Locate a place from its latitude and longitude;
• Find the latitude and longitude of a given place;
• Calculate the time of places;
• Draw and sketch maps to show relative location and spatial distribution;
• Draw diagrams to illustrate geographical features;
• Locate territories in the Caribbean;
• Construct bar and line graphs and pie charts;
• Interpret tables, dot maps, chloropleth and isopleth maps, bar graphs (including population pyramids) and line graphs and divided circles;
• Collect, record and present information based on field work on at least one chosen topic.

SECTION 2: NATURAL SYSTEMS

Internal Forces

• Theory of Plate Tectonics.
• Types of plate boundaries.
• Global distribution of plate boundaries.
• Caribbean and adjacent place boundaries.
• Formation and distribution of earthquakes, volcanoes and fold mountains.
• Intrusive volcanic features, (sills, dykes, batholiths) and extrusive volcanic features (cones and plateaux).
• Changes in intrusive and extrusive volcanic features over time.

External Forces

• Definitions of denudation, weathering, mass wasting and erosion.
• Weathering types (physical, chemical and biotic).
• Processes of weathering, (carbonation, oxidation, solution, frost action, pressure release, temperature changes, biotic).
• Mass wasting (land slides and soil creep).
• Conditions influencing landslides and soil creep.

Rivers

• The water cycle.
• How water flows on reaching the surface.
• River processes: Erosion, transportation, deposition. River valleys; Land forms–rapids, waterfalls, gorges, ox-bow lakes, flood plain, levees, meander and braiding (bars), river cliffs, point bar, deltas.
• Drainage patterns.

Limestone Environment

• Characteristics of limestone (chemical composition, structure, pearmeability).
• Processes occurring in limestone areas and land forms created both on the surface and underground, (swallow holes, caves, stalactites, stalagmites, pillars).
• Karst landforms in the Caribbean (conical hills and cockpits).

Coasts

• Wave types (constructive, destructive).
• Wave processes and resulting land forms (cliff,notch, wave-cut platform, headland, and bay, caves, arches, stacks, beaches, spit, tombolo, bars.
• Types of coral reefs in the Caribbean (fringing, barrier).
• Location, distribution of coral reefs in the Caribbean.
• Conditions necessary for the successful formation of coral reefs.

Weather, Climate, Vegetation and Soil

• Differences between weather and climate.
• Caribbean weather systems (hurricane, tropical waves, cold fronts, anticyclones, ITCZ).
• Influence of relief on climate in the Caribbean.
• The components of an ecosystem-human, climate, vegetation, soil (living and non-living components).
• Location of equatorial, tropical marine and tropical continental regions.
• Climates, vegetation and soil of the equatorial, tropical marine and tropical continental regions.
• The relationship between the climate, vegetation and soils of equatorial, tropical marine and tropical continental regions.

SECTION 3: HUMAN SYSTEMS

Population and Settlement

•  Factors influencing population distribution and population density in a named Caribbean country;
• Factors affecting population growth in ONE Caribbean and in ONE developed country;
• Definition of urbanisation;
• Reasons for urbanisation in the Caribbean;
• Population growth of ONE Caribbean capital city within the last 20 years;
• Benefits and problems of urbanisation of capital city in objective 5;
• Ways of controlling urbanisation in the Caribbean;
• Patterns and consequences if international migration in one named Caribbean country within the last 20 years.

Economic Activity

• Characteristics and relative importance of primary, secondary and tertiary economic activities to the Caribbean.
• Location of one example of each of the following economic activities: (1) one example of Primary- fishing or forestry or mining (bauxite or gold or oil and natural gas); (2) one example of Secondary- garment industry or food processing; (3) one example of Tertiary- tourism.
• Factors influencing the location of economic activity chosen in 10: physical, human and economic.
• Trends in economic activity chosen in 10.
• Challenges in each economic activity chosen in 10- globalisation, technology, marketing [for example, Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME), European Union (EU)] and sustainability.
• For the secondary industry chosen in 10, compare a named Caribbean country with a newly industrialised island either Hong Kong or Singapore.
• Importance of agriculture to the Caribbean region.
• Changing role of Agriculture, for example: trends in employment, contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the Caribbean, acreage, diversification, marketing arrangements.
• Location of commercial, arable and peasant farming in the Prairie Provinces of Canada.
• Characteristics of Commercial arable farming in the country selected three points above and Prairie Provinces of Canada.
• Trends in commercial arable farming in the country selected four points above and the Prairie Provinces of Canada.

SECTION 4: HUMAN-ENVIRONMENT SYSTEMS

Natural Hazards

• Definition of a Natural Hazard.
• Impact of one of the following on life and property: volcanic eruption, or earthquake or hurricane.
• Responses to one hazard in a Caribbean country: Individual responses (preparedness, community involvement); National responses (national disaster organisation activities [for example,  Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM)], role of national organisations.
• Regional responses [for example, activities of Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA)].

Environmental Degradation

Pollution

• Definition of Pollution;
• Types of Pollution (air, water and land);
• Location of area in a named Caribbean country where pollution is a major problem.

Global Warming

• Definition of Global warming;
• Long-term changes in global temperatures;
• Causes of Global warming;
• Consequences of global warming (for example, climate change and sea level rise in one named Caribbean country and either Mauritius or Maldives).
• Measures to reduce the impact (for example, forest conservation, use of renewable energy resources, changes vehicle emissions) in a developed country.

Coral Reef Destruction

• Causes of coral reef destruction (for example, sedimentation, sewage pollution and tourism).
• Consequences of coral reef destruction (for example, coastal erosion, decline in fish stock).
• Measures to reduce the impact in one Caribbean territory.

Deforestation

• Causes of deforestation (for example, squatting, lumbering, agriculture, mining).
• Consequences of deforestation (for example, loss of flora and fauna, soil erosion, flooding decline in underground water).
• Measures to reduce the impact of deforestation (for example, reafforestation, protected areas) in one named Caribbean territory.