Cameroon GCE A-Level Geography 0750 Paper 1 June 2019 exhaustive Study Guide

General Examination Information and Candidate Instructions

• Examination Body and Subject Details:   - Organization: Cameroon General Certificate of Education Board (CGCEB).   - Examination Session: June 2019.   - Level: Advanced Level.   - Subject Code and Title: 0750 Geography 1.   - Paper Type: Multiple Choice Question (MCQ) Paper.   - Duration: One and a half hours.

• Examination Hall Regulations:   - Prohibited Items: Mobile phones are strictly prohibited in the examination room.   - Materials Required: A soft HB pencil and an eraser must be used throughout the examination.

• Pre-examination Procedures:   - Candidates must fill in the specific identifying information, including:     - Centre Number.     - Centre Name.     - Candidate Identification No.     - Candidate Name.   - Candidates must verify that the booklet is correctly headed "Advanced Level - 0750 Geography 1".   - Information must be filled into the answer sheet exactly: Candidate Name, Exam Session, Subject Code, and Candidate Identification Number.   - Candidates must ensure the answer sheet remains pristine, with no creases, folds, or extraneous marks.

• Testing Protocol:   - Quantity: The paper consists of $50$ questions, all of which are compulsory.   - Weighting: All questions carry equal marks.   - Format: Each question provides four suggested answers (A, B, C, and D).   - Marking Technique: On the Answer Sheet, candidates must draw a horizontal line across the letter within the square brackets corresponding to their choice (e.g., [A] [B] [C] [D] with a line through C).   - Scoring Rules: Only one answer is permitted per question; marking more than one result yields a score of zero. Changes must be made by erasing the first mark carefully.   - Time Management: Candidates are advised to move on if a question is too difficult and return to it later.   - Rough Work: All drafting must be performed in the blank spaces provided within the question booklet.   - Conclusion of Exam: The invigilator collects the answer sheet first, then the question booklet. Candidates are prohibited from leaving the hall with the booklet.

Section A: Physical Geography

• Atmospheric Science and Climatology:   - Weather Layer: The troposphere is the specific atmospheric layer responsible for daily changes in weather conditions.   - Cloud Morphology: Cumulus clouds are defined as clouds that appear as rounded, fluffy piles. Other cloud types identified include Stratus, Nimbus, and Cirrus.   - Atmospheric Chemistry: Ozone gas is found in its highest concentration within the Stratosphere. The relevant layers mentioned include the Stratopause, Troposphere, and Mesosphere.   - Tropical Desert Climates: These regions are typically located between latitudes $25^\circ$ to $35^\circ$ North and South. Characteristics include:     - High daily range of temperature exceeding $25\,^\circ\text{C}$.     - Constantly subsiding air currents.     - Annual precipitation levels below $250\,\text{mm/year}$.   - Macro-scale Climate Factors: Major influences on climate at a macro-scale include:     - Latitudinal position.     - The distribution of land and sea.     - Air masses.     - The location of global pressure zones.

• Hydrology and Water Resources:   - Fresh Water Storage: Within the global hydrological cycle, the largest store of fresh water is located in polar ice caps and glaciers. Other reservoirs include seas/oceans (saltwater), rivers, and various lakes/reservoirs.   - Sinuosity Index Calculation: The sinuosity of a river is determined by dividing the winding distance by the straight-line distance.     - Formula: $\text{Sinuosity Index} = \frac{\text{Winding Distance}}{\text{Straight-line Distance}}$     - Example Calculation: For a river with a winding distance of $10\,\text{km}$ and a straight-line distance of $5\,\text{km}$, the index is $2$.   - Cameroon Drainage Basins: Principal basins harnessed for hydroelectric power include the Niger-Benue, Chad, Atlantic, and Congo basins.

• Geology and Plate Tectonics:   - Earth Composition and Structure:     - Continental crust thickness decreases toward the ocean floor.     - The upper mantle exists in a semi-plastic state.     - Density of rocks increases from the crust toward the core.     - Note on Temperature: Temperature increases (rather than reduces) from the crust toward the core.   - Continental Drift: The supercontinent that existed before splitting and drifting to form current continents is named Pangaea. Associated terms include Panthalassa (the ocean), Gondwana, and Laurasia (the southern and northern splits).   - Tectonics of Africa: The plate adjacent to the African plate to the West is the South American Plate. Other nearby plates include the Eurasian, Indo-Australian, and Arabian plates.   - Lacustrine Hazards in Cameroon: Known "killer lakes" (sites of limnic eruptions) in Cameroon include Lake Monoun. Other regional lakes mentioned for context are Lake Barombi, Lake Oku, and Lake Awing.

• Geomorphology and Weathering:   - Physical Weathering: In tropical deserts, physical weathering is intensified due to uniformly high temperatures year-round and high diurnal temperature ranges.   - Mass Movement: A specific type of movement involving a highly fluidized mass of clay and fine-grained materials moving rapidly down slopes (common in the Western Highlands of Cameroon), becoming pasty and forming lobes or tongues at the foot of slopes, is specialized as a mudflow.   - Coastal Processes and Engineering:     - Fluvial/Coastal Feature Pairs: Hydraulic action is paired with spits; Longshore drift with beaches; Abrasion with cliffs; Corrosion with arches.     - Coastal Defense Measures: Hard defense includes sea walls, groynes, and revetments. Soft defense measures include beach replenishment.

• Soil Science:   - Soil Texture Analysis: Soil texture is categorized by the percentages of clay, silt, and sand. One example provided involves components of Clay $20\%$, Silt $60\%$, and Sand $20\%$.   - Structural Impediments: The platy soil structure is most likely to hinder soil drainage and air circulation compared to prismatic, crumby, or blocky structures.   - Wouri River Estuary Soils: The marshy, regularly flooded mud flats of the Wouri River estuary are characterized by hydromorphic or halomorphic soil conditions.   - Soil Categorization Example: A sample is classified based on particle size distribution:     - Fine sands ($0.2\text{ to }0.02\,\text{mm}$): $35\%$     - Silt particles ($0.02\text{ to }0.002\,\text{mm}$): $35\%$     - Clay particles ($<0.002\,\text{mm}$): $30\%$     - This specific ratio categorized the soil as clayey loam.

• Biogeography and Ecosystems:   - Climax Communities: A plant community maintained over a long period specifically by persistent human intervention is known as a plagioclimax. Other types include polyclimax, subclimax, and pyrogenic climax.   - Trophic Levels in Woodland Ecosystems:     - $T1$: Primary producers.     - $T2$: Herbivores (e.g., caterpillars).     - $T3$: Carnivores and omnivores (e.g., fox).     - $T4$: Consumers (e.g., owl).     - System dynamics: Solar energy and precipitation drive production; decomposition recycles energy; energy is lost at each ascending level. Removing herbivores ($T2$) would cause a population increase in primary producers ($T1$).   - Net Primary Productivity (NPP): The tropical rainforest is identified as the most productive biome in terms of NPP, surpassing the tundra, temperate grasslands, and deserts.

• Environmental Hazards and Energy:   - Hazard Classification: Landslides, flooding, and soil erosion are classified as hydro-meteorological hazards. Deforestation is often categorized as a human-induced environmental change.   - Sustainable Energy and Pollution: Environmentally friendly processes that cause minimal air pollution include the tapping of geothermal heat in volcanic regions and the tapping of solar energy using large panels.

Section B: Human Geography

• Demography and Population Dynamics:   - Demographic Transition Model (DTM):     - Cameroon, displaying high birth rates, rapidly falling death rates, and an increasing total population, is categorized in Stage 2 (Early Expanding).     - Zero population growth (ZPG) occurs at Stage IV/V (Low Fluctuating).   - Aging Populations: Consequences include an increase in state expenditure and a shortage of the labour force.   - Dependency Ratio Calculation:     - Data: Total population ($300$), Children ($130$), Elderly ($70$).     - Formula: $\text{Dependency Ratio} = \frac{\text{Dependent Population (Children + Elderly)}}{\text{Active Population (Total - Dependents)}} \times 100$     - Calculation: $\text{Dependents} = 130 + 70 = 200$; $\text{Working Pop} = 300 - 200 = 100$. The ratio is $2.0$ or $200\%$.   - Migration Metrics: Net migration is the difference between total entry and total departure.     - Example: $350,000\text{ (entry)} - 300,000\text{ (departure)} = +50,000$.   - Movement Types: Commuting is defined as the regular daily movement of people from residences to workplaces and back.   - Population Doubling Time: For the year 2015, Cameroon had a population of $23.5\,\text{million}$ and an annual growth rate of $2.1\%$. Using the "Rule of 70":     - Formula: $\frac{70}{\text{Growth Rate}}$     - Calculation: $\frac{70}{2.1} \approx 33.3\,\text{years}$.

• Agricultural Land Use:   - Von Thünen Model: This model emphasizes transport costs as the primary factor influencing agricultural land use.   - Locational Rent: Defined as the surplus returns obtained by using land for growing one specific crop rather than another, based on its location.   - Margin of Cultivation: A specific point or zone where revenue and production/transport costs are equal ($\text{Revenue} = \text{Cost}$), meaning zero profit is made.

• Transportation and Economic Activity:   - Transport Networks (Beta Index):     - Variables: Edges ($e = 15$), Vertices ($v = 25$).     - Formula: $\beta = \frac{e}{v}$     - Calculation: $\beta = \frac{15}{25} = 0.6$.   - Economic Sector Classification: A fisherman is categorized under primary economic activities.   - Modal Characteristics: Road transportation is characterized by low terminal costs, high line costs, and high route flexibility.

• Industrial Geography:   - Industrial Inertia: Reasons for an industry remaining in a location after primary factors disappear include fixed capital, established reputation, and an emergent skilled labour force. High labour or raw material costs would typically discourage staying.   - Agglomeration: The clustering of financial firms in a specific area (e.g., Akwa in Douala) is an example of agglomeration economies.

• Settlement Geography and Urbanization:   - Rank-Size Rule:     - Formula: $P_n = \frac{P_1}{n}$, where $P_n$ is population of rank $n$.     - Calculation: If the 5th rank settlement population is $1\,\text{million}$, the first rank population ($P_1$) is $1\,\text{million} \times 5 = 5\,\text{million}$.   - Classification: Rural settlements include isolated dwellings, hamlets, and villages. Urban settlements include towns, cities, conurbations, and megalopolises.   - Urban Land Use (Bid Rent Curve): Bid rent curves model how different functions (Commercial, Industrial, Residential) compete for space relative to distance from the CBD.     - Commercial functions typically dominate at $0-1\,\text{km}$.     - Industrial functions follow until a certain radius (e.g., $2\,\text{km}$) before giving way to residential functions.   - Settlement Dynamics: There is a direct or positive relationship between settlement size and the number of functions performed.   - Market Threshold: Factors influencing the threshold of a service include price of goods and consumer income levels.   - Urban Morphology: The standard sequence from center to periphery is: Central Business District (CBD) $\rightarrow$ Inner City $\rightarrow$ Suburbs $\rightarrow$ Rural/Urban fringe.   - Central Place Theory: Walter Christaller’s $K$ values (e.g., $K=3$ for marketing principle, $K=4$ for transport, $K=7$ for administrative) represent the hierarchical distribution of settlements.

• Economic Development and Globalization:   - Rostow’s Model of Economic Growth: Stage IV and Stage V (Age of High Mass Consumption) are characterized by a rapid expansion of the tertiary sector and a relative decline in manufacturing.   - Globalization Factors: The primary catalyst for globalization in recent decades is the advancement in information and communication technologies (ICT), alongside the emergence of trans-national corporations (TNCs).