GEOGRAPHY NOTES:
SUB-TOPIC 1:
- Lines of latitude are called parallel arcs.
- They are called arcs and not circles because earth is not completely round.
- The equator is the largest arc.
- The further away the arcs are from the equator the smaller they become
- Each line if latitude has a value in degrees.
- The equator is the “ 0” degree line of latitude.
- Lines of longitude pass through the North and south poles.(they are not parallel)
- Lines of the longitude are called meridians
- Greenwich meridian is the most important line of the longitude.
- This is the meridian from where the world time zones are calculated.
- Greenwich is the 0° line of the longitude.
- Also known as the PRIME MERIDIAN.
- Earth is divided equally into 360°
- The lines of longitude are 180° east and 180° west of the greenwich meridian
SUB-TOPIC 2 :
- EARTH’S Axis is the imaginery line that passes between the North Pole and south pole
- Earth rotates on its own axis
- Becuase earth is round, the sun’s Rays can only shine on one side of earth at the same time.
- The round shape means one part of the world experiences night while the other experiences day.
- Earth takes 24 hours to complete its rotation
- As earth rotates, different parts of earth’s surface move in and out of the sun’s rays.
- The earth’s rotation is the cause of day and night
- Earth rotates from west to east
UNIT 5 :
- Earth’s axis tilts at 23 ½ degrees away from perpendicular.
- Meaning that certain times of the year different parts of earth tilt towards or away from the sun
- The tilt affects the length of day and night and is responsible for seasons
- Earth revolves around the sun
- It takes 365 ¼ days for earth to complete one revolution around the sun.
- Equinox means equal night
- The equinoxes are on an exact date when the length of day and night is the same number of hours long.
- The equinoxes occur on 21 March and 23 September.
- At these time of the year the angle of the earth’s axis tilts neither towards nor away from the sun. The sun is right above the
equator during the equinoxes.
- The equinoxes are associated with the spring and autumn seasons
- The solstices are the dates of the year when one hemisphere has the longest number of hours of daylight and the opposite
hemisphere has the shortest number of hours and daylight.
- Solstices occur on 21 December and on 21 june
- On 21 June the sun is directly above the tropic of cancer.
- On 21 December, the sun is directly above the tropic of capricorn.
- The solstices are associated with the summer and winter.
- The sun reaches its highest point in the sky at noon.
- The height of the sun in the sky depends on where earth is in relation with the sun.
- It reaches its highest point in the sky for places in the northern hemisphere on 21 June and on 21 December for places In the
southern hemisphere.
- At the equinox the sun is directly above the equotor.
- Meaning the angle of the sun is 90°
- The angle of the earth’s axis affects the amount of sunlight certain areas of earth at the different times of the year.
- In June, the parts of the northern hemisphere furthest from the equator receive long hours of sunlight.
- The southern hemisphere receives less sunlight and has shorter daylight hours.
- The amount of heat the earth receives from the sun is the main reason for different temperatures.
- Places close to the equator receive similar kind of heating from the sun.
- The temperature of the places close to the equator remains constant throughout the year.
- Places closer to the poles have much colder winter temperatures because they receive less heating from the sun during the long
winter months.
TERM 2:
SUB-TOPIC 1 :
- The following five factors influence the equator :
- Distance from the equator.
- Distance from the sea
- Height above sea level
- Ocean currents
- Mountains(relief)
- Temperature decreases with latitude
- This means that the further away from the equator a place is, the Lower the average temperature.
- Earth is tilted on its on axis
- This means that certain areas ‘lean’ towards or away from the sun.
- The position of the earth during its yearly revolution around the sun affects how much radiation certain areas receive from the
sun.
- The tilt of earth’s axis and the shape of earth mean that’d during winter seasons the areas close to the poles receive very few
hours of sunlight.
- Lack of heat from the sun keeps temperatures low.
- The tilt of earth’s axis in relation to the sun causes the seasons.
- Temperature and rainfall are influenced by how far a place is from the sea.
- Places far from the sea have hotter summers and cooler winters than places close to the sea. The sea helps to cool coastal places
in summer and warms them in winter.
- Oceans are liquid
- Land is solid.
- Solar radiation heats the land to a higher temperature than it heats water.
- Solar radiation only heats the surface layer of solids.
- Solar radiation can penetrate deep into water and heat water layers below the surface.
- Thw higher a place is the lower the temperature.
- Temperature decreases with altitude
- The average drop in temperature is 6, 5°C for every 1000 meters of altitude
- Solar radiation passes through the atmosphere without heating it.
- Radiation only begins to heat the land and oceans when it strikes earyhs surface.
- Heat is not transferred evenly.
- The are more air molecules concentrated in the air close to earth’s surface
- The gases in the air at this level absorb heat and transfer easily.
- Air is thinner at higher altitudes
- There are fewer air molecules in each unit of. Heat transfer is less efficient, wo temperature are cooler at higher altitudes.
- Ocean currents are large masses of water that constantly move in the top 100 metres to 200 metres of the worlds oceans.
- Some ocean current flow at a speed of 20 km per hour. The main causes of ocean currents are wins, differences in water
temperature and the rotation of earth.
- Maim causes of ocean currents are winds and differences in water temperature
- Winds move water of the surface of the oceans.
- The shape of earth and its position in space mean that there is more solar radiation in the area close to the equator than
anywhere else on earth.
- Solar radiation Close to the poles is weaker and seasonal.
- The relief of the land means that some areas receive more solar radiation than others.
- Some places face the sun while other face away from the sun and are in the shade long periods of time.
- Mountains can bring rain for some areas by forcing air to rise and release moisture content as rain.
- Mountains can also shelter.
TROPICAL Climate :
- Occurs between the equator.
- High temperature and rainfall
- Rainforests
- Wetter climate
- Annual precipitation is 2000mm
- Occurs in places closer to the equator
SUBTROPICAL CLIMATE :
- Further away from the equator
- The main seasons:
Summer: average 20 degrees
Winter : average 15 degrees
- Annual precipitation is 1000mm
- Often occurs on the East Coast of continents.
TEMPERATE CLIMATE:
- Mild climate.
- Does not have high or low rainfall
- Average temperature is 10 degrees
- Mostly rains in winter.
TERM 3 :
SUB-TOPIC 1 :
URBAN SETTLEMENTS.
- Towns and cities most people live in urban areas. There are many different types of buildings found in urban areas, and they are
actually grouped according to their purpose. Factories are grouped in industrial areas. Most people in urban settlements do not
work on farms, they work in buildings and some are traders on the streets.
RURAL SETTLEMENTS :
- Rural settlements are places where there are villages and farms. Rural settlements people do jobs that are linked to the land, such
as farming , mining, forestry and fishing.
SUB-TOPIC 2 :
VERTICAL AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS:
- Vertical aerial photographs are taken by special aeroplanes. The camera is fixed under the aeroplane, parallel to the ground. They
give a map view of the ground.
OBLIQUE AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS :
-oblique aerial photographs are taken by a camera that is attached to an aeroplane. The camera is fixed at an oblique to the ground.
Oblique photographs show a view from above that is also partly from the side.
SUB-TOPIC 3 :
CONCEPT OF URBANISATION.
- Urbanisation happens when people move to urban areas so that the proportion of the population who live in towns and cities is
greater than the number of people living in rural settlements. Urbanisation results in the growth of urban areas.
THE INFLUENCE OF EARLY SETTLERS.
- In 1652 the Dutch East India company decided to build a permanent settlement in the Cape in order to supply passing ships with
fresh food and water on their voyages to and from East. Cape Town slowly developed into an urban settlement.
THE INFLUENCE OF DISCOVERY OF GOLD
- People began to flood south Africa after the discover of gold, at first miners lived in tents an d shacks. Then permant buildings
were built. Railway roads and roads were built to transport people and goods. Mining towns and harbours created jobs. For both
skilled and unskilled workers. People with different skills moved to the towns.
THE INFLUENCE OF THE FORMATION OF THE UNION OF SOUTH AFRICA
- South Africa broke away from direct control from England and formed the union of South Africa. This jew government didn’t
involve black people. A law called the 1913 land act divided all the land in South Africa between bland and white people. 90% was
given to whites. The rest to the blacks.
THE INFLUENCE OF APARTHEID POPULATION CONTROLS.
- South Africa’s racial policies intensified with the election of the nationalist government. The word apartheid means
‘separateness’. The government believed that South Africas different races should stay separated.
THE INFLUENCE OF DEMOCRACY IN 1994
- South Africas cities had continued rapidly. The ending of apartheid laws meant that rural areas migrated to the cities. Many were
poor and unskilled there was a shortage of housing in the cities, so people built temporary housing.
TERM 4:
SUB-TOPIC 1:
SEA TRANSPORT.
- - Most goods traded internationally is by container ship.
Transport goods such as cars machines clothes.
AIR TRANSPORT.
- Lightweight, expensive items people and food, fresh fish and some veges
PIPELINE
- Special pumps transport water, oil and gas through pipes.
ROAD TRANSPORT
- Motorbikes, bakkies, trucks, specialised road vehicles.
RAIL TRANSPORT
- Used to transport heavy goods such as coal.
Advantages and disadvantages of road and rail transport.
ADVANTAGES OF ROAD TRANSPORT :
- Goods transported by road can go directly to places.
- Road transport is cheaper and quicker over short distances.
- Specialised trucks, such as petrol tankers, make it easier to deliver certain commodities.
DISADVANTAGES OF ROAD TRANSPORT :
- Having so many vehicles on the roads causes congestion.
- Exhaust fumes cause pollution, which pollutes the environment and is harmful to people’s health.
- Increased traffic on the roads increases the danger of road accidents.
ADVANTAGES OF RAIL TRANSPORT :
- Railways carry a large number of passengers and goods
- Train transport avoids congestion
- Most trains run on electricity
- Rail transport is cheaper for bulky goods like coal, cement and iron ore.
DISADVANTAGES OF RAIL TRANSPORT :
-Trains have to follow railway lines.
- goods transported by railways need to be offloaded and then transported by road.
- To be efficient a train needs to carry a full load of goods.
Private modes of transport:
- There are 150 000 mini bus taxis in South Africa
- At least 185 000 people are employed directly in the mini bus taxi business.
- Mini bus taxis are owned by individuals
- Mini bus taxis go to places where other transport do not
- They stop anywhere
- They operate on weekends
- They are quicker
- Mini bus fares are more expensive
- Mini buses maybe old and unsafe
- Passengers have to wait for taxi to fill up
- Mini buses are always overcrowded
