`Subject: Geography

Year: 9

Dear Students,

Each week in Geography you will be expected to complete a piece of Geography work that should take you between

1 to 2 hours. This is the minimum expectation and there are lots of other useful things you could spend your time

completing in your free time as listed below:

Watching Documentaries:

Chasing Ice

Blue Planet

Planet Earth

Life

Severn Worlds One Planet

Horizons: We need to talk about population

National Geographic

Explore the following websites:

BBC Bitesize

Geoguessr

Google Maps

Gapminder

Kids World Travel Guide

World Atlas

Earthtime.org

Read the following books:

Our Place by Mark Cocker

Adventures of a young naturalist by David Attenbrough

Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall

Population and Development – Tim Dyson

Factfulness by Hans Rosling

Adventures through the Anthrpocene by Gaia Vince

Week Title of work Learning Intentions: Deadline for work

1 What and Where is Africa?

To be able to compare the size, population and population densities of the different continents

Friday 27th March 2020

2 A Little History

To understand how Africa’s past has shaped its present.

Friday 3rd April 2020

3 Africa Today

To understand the relevance of Africa’s human geography today.

Friday 10th April 2020

4 Africa’s Countries

To be able to explore a political map of Africa, learning about its human geography.

Friday 17th April 2020

5 How Many People and Where?

To understand the factors affecting Africa’s population distribution and density.

Friday 24th April 2020

6 Africa’s Physical Features

To be able to explore a physical map of Africa, learning about its physical geography.

Friday 1st May 2020

7 Africa’s Biomes

To understand the characteristics of Africa’s biomes.

Friday 8th May 2020

If you have any questions about your work please email your class teacher and they will get back to you as soon as

they can.

Mr Mullins (l.mullins@bishopchalloner.bham.sch.uk)

Mrs Dawson (z.dawson@bishopchalloner.bham.sch.uk)

Mrs Tahir (h.tahir@bishopchalloner.bham.sch.uk)

Mr Tsintas (a.tsintas@bishopchalloner.bham.sch.uk)

Mr Reed (r.reed@bishopchalloner.bham.sch.uk)

Week 1:

Title: What and Where is Africa?

1. Lots of people think Africa is a country. It’s not. It is a continent. Can you explain the difference between a

continent and a country?

2. How many African countries can you think of without looking at a map?

3. The graph above compares the areas of the continents. Using the graph (and the table on the first page)

decide whether each statement below is true or false.

A. All of North America would fit into Africa

B. South America and Europe together would fit into Africa

C. Africa is about 3 times the size of Europe

4. The graph above compares the populations of the continents. Using the graph (and the table on the first

page) decide whether each statement below is true or false.

A. There are more people in Africa than Europe

B. Africa has more people than North and South America combined

C. More people live inside Asia than outside Asia

Continent Population Density (people per square

kilometer)

Africa 37

Antarctica 0

Asia 96

Europe 75

North America 23

South America 23

Oceania 5

5. The population density of a place is the number of people living there per square kilometer, on average.

Using the table above decide whether each statement below is true or false

A. Africa is the least crowded of the inhabited continents

B. Europe has about twice as many people per square km as Africa does

C. Africa has more people per square km than either North or South America

6. Make a big spider diagram (mind-map) as your summary for Africa. Use a double page. Mark in facts you

already know. You could group them under headings such as: Where is Africa? You will add to this spider

diagram over the rest of the lessons.

Week 2:

Title: A Little History

Africa: Our Cradle

All humans are linked to Africa, because that’s where humans began! Look at the first map below. We think that the

first species of human appeared around X, about 2 million years ago. It was related to apes. (X is in today’s Ethiopia.)

Then around 200 000 years ago, our own species emerged (Homo Sapiens). And about 60 000 years ago, we began

leaving Africa, and we spread around the world (see the second map)

African Empires and Kingdoms

There were many ancient African civilisations, empires and kingdoms. The map above showed the following three:

Ancient Egypt. This civilization lasted for over 3000 years. It ended in 30BC with the death of Cleopatra, the

last pharaoh.

The Mali Empire (About 800 to 1500.) It grew very wealthy, mainly through selling salt, gold, ivory, pottery,

silks, and slaves, to other parts of Africa. (Slavery was common in many places.) The ruler of the Mali Empire,

Mansa Musa, was the richest person ever – richer than anyone alive today!

The Kingdom of Kongo. (About 1400-1914.) It depended on trade in ivory, metals, and slaves. From 1857 it

was controlled by Portugal.

1. We all share one link with Africa. What is it?

2. Ancient Egypt was based around a great river, can you find out which one?

3. What did the Mali Empire and the Kingdom of Kongo have in common?

The Europeans Arrive

European people such as the Portuguese, Dutch, French and British began to take an interest in Africa about 600

years ago. They began trading fabrics and guns for gold ivory and slaves. The slave trade lasted for over 300

years and at least 12 million slaves were taken. Then the Europeans got greedier and colonised places (took

control of them) so they could take resources that they wanted like wood, gold, coffee and spices. In 1884, in

Berlin, the European countries carved Africa up amongst themselves, drawing lines on a map to create new

countries (see the map below)

4. Two European countries colonised about two thirds of Africa between them. Which two countries?

5. See how many African countries you can name that were British Colonies. The map in Lesson 4 might help.

6. Using 50-60 words, see if you can explain why European countries wanted to colonise areas of Africa

Independence

Eventually, many African colonies grew tired of being exploited. They struggled for their freedom. Libya was first,

gaining independence in 1951. Zimbabwe did not gain independence until 1980.

7. a) What do ‘exploited’ and ‘independence’ mean? b) Can you explain why the countries wanted

independence?

8. Add some more facts to your Africa spider diagram.

Week 3:

Title: Africa Today

Today, Africa has 54 countries. There is a map of them in lesson 4.

23 of them are smaller than the UK, in area.

Only 4 of them have more people than in the UK!

1. Look back to lesson 1. What did the table say was the population of Africa? Is this still accurate? See if you

can find a more recent figure.

2. Africa’s population is expected to double in the next 30 years. What problems might this cause? (Think about

things people need like food, shelter, water etc).

3. In Africa half of the population is aged under 20. Is such a young population a good thing or a bad thing?

Make a table to show the advantages and disadvantages.

4. English is the official language in Ghana and Nigeria. Use the maps from lesson 2 and 4 to help you answer

this question.

Country Life Expectancy

Nigeria 53

Sierra Leone 47

UK 80

The table above shows life expectancy. This is how long that a person can expect to live for. In other words, it is the

average age at which people die. Many people think that life expectancy is most affected by adults dying before they

get old, but actually it is far more affected by babies and children dying before they become adults because that

brings the average down by much more. Although Sierra Leone’s life expectancy is 47 some people live a lot longer

than that.

5. Suggest some reasons why the two African countries have a life expectancy that is so much lower than the

UK (remember that children dying has a huge effect on life expectancy.

6. Add some more facts to your Africa spider diagram.

Week 4:

Title: Africa’s Countries

1. See if you can find and name these African countries:

a. It’s on the east coast and its name begins with K

b. It is tiny, and completely surrounded by South Africa

c. It is a big island, larger than the British Isles

d. It is just north of Nigeria, and a bit larger.

e. It is small and thin; its name starts with T and has 4 letters.

2. Now see how many countries you can find, beginning with:

a) M b) Z c) L d) S

3. Below are some capital cities, from the map. Find each one on the map, then write down the capital city and

the country it is in.

Addis Ababa Lusaka Nairobi Tripoli

Nouakchott Kampala Windhoek Libreville

4. The map above shows Africa’s different regions. See if you can name countries in each region, as follows:

a) three in Central Africa b) four in North Africa c) three in East Africa d) four in West Africa e) four in Southern Africa

5. Pick any African country and produce a fact-file on it. You could include its flag, currency, size, population,

traditions, culture, wildlife etc

6. Add some more facts to your Africa spider diagram.

Week 5:

Title: How many people and where?

Africa is home to about 1.1 billion people. The table below gives the population of each country.

1. According to the table above:

a. Which African country has the smallest population?

b. Which has the largest population?

c. The population of the UK is 66 million (66 000 000). Name the African countries which have a larger

population than the UK.

d. The population of London is about 9 million (9000 000). Name the African countries which have a

smaller population than the UK.

The map above shows the population density (look back to lesson 1) of African countries. Look at the key carefully.

The population density is shown with shading (the darker the shading the higher the population density of the area),

whist the cities’ population is shown with the squares and circles.

2. a) See if you can name a country with a high population density overall (use the map from lesson 4 to help

you)

b) Now name one with a low population density.

3. Copy the table below and fill in the missing population densities from the choices in italics below the table.

Country Average population density (people per square km)

Somalia

Namibia

Nigeria

UK 256 Population densities: 3 188 15

4. What does the completed table tell you about population density of the UK compared to the three African

countries?

5. Explain (give reasons for) the following statements about Africa’s population density. (The maps in lesson 6

& 7 will help you.)

a) It is sparsely populated (low population density) along the Tropic of Cancer.

b) Most of the coastal areas are quite densely populated (high population density).

c) People like to live around East Africa’s great lakes.

d) There’s a wiggly strip of high population density in Egypt.

6. The graph above shows the population growth of Lagos, in Nigeria. Lagos is Africa’s biggest city. It is growing

very fast. People are moving from rural areas (countryside). Answer the following questions:

a) What was the population of Lagos in 1990?

b) What was its population twenty years later, in 2010?

c) Why might people want to move from rural areas to Lagos?

d) A fast rise in population can put a big strain on a city. Can you suggest reasons why?

7. Add some more facts to your spider diagram.

Week 6:

Title: Africa’s Physical Features

1. The world’s longest river is in Africa. Find out what it is called and then find it on the map above.

a) Is it flowing towards the north or southwards?

b) It has two tributaries (smaller rivers that join together). Name each one and see if you can say where

each rises (starts).

c) What sea does this river flow into?

d) What do you notice about it, where it reaches the sea?

2. Name five African rivers that flow into the Atlantic Ocean. You must include one that has the same name as

a fruit.

3. The first photo above shows the largest waterfall in the world, Victoria Falls. Find them on the map and say

which river they are on.

4. The second photo above shows Africa’s highest mountain.

a) Use the map to find out its name.

b) Even though it’s near the equator, it has glaciers on top. Can you explain why?

c) Find Africa’s second and third highest mountains. What are they called?

5. The photo above was taken in the world’s largest hot desert. It is in Africa.

a) What is its name?

b) Where in Africa is it?

c) Is it mountainous? Flat? A mixture? Give your evidence.

d) Name two other African deserts.

6. Add more detail to your spider-diagram.

Week 7:

Title: Africa’s Biomes

A biome is a large with its own distinct climate, plants, and animals. The climate dictates what a biome will be like

because the plants and animals adapt to the climate.

Africa has different climate zones – so it has different biomes. Look at the colours at the top of each biome

information panel to match the map.

Read the information above and look at the map to answer the following questions.

1. In the hot desert biome

a) Why isn’t there much vegetation (plants)?

b) Give two ways in which plants have adapted to the climate in this biome.

2. a) The semi-desert region next to the Sahara is called the Sahel. Which countries lie (at least partly) in the

Sahel?

c) What effects would there be if there was a drought in the Sahel?

3. You are visiting a game park in Africa.

a) Which biome are you likely to be in?

b) Which animals might you see?

c) Name five countries that share this biome.

d) Desertification is a problem in this biome. Find out what desertification is.

4. a) Which biome has the most lush vegetation?

c) Explain why vegetation grows so well here.

5. The photo below is a satellite photo. Use this and the biome map and describe the pattern of where the

biomes are in Africa (hint: start at the equator)

6. Compare the biomes map with the population density map in lesson 5.

a) Which biome is the most sparsely populated?

b) Why do you think this is?

c) Describe the population density in the rainforest biome.

d) Which biome do most people live in, overall?

e) Why do you think this is?

Congratulations! You have completed the Africa Work. Well done.