GEOGRAPHY

EXAM CONTENT
1 Mapwork
2 Zimbabwe
3 Rivers
4 Tectonic plates-volcanoes and earthquakes
5 Africa
6 Kenya

ZIMBABWE
GEOGRAPHY

The ten (10) provinces of Zimbabwe are:

Harare Province
Bulawayo Province
Manicaland Province
Mashonaland Central Province
Mashonaland East Province
Mashonaland West Province
Masvingo Province
Matebeleland North Province
Matebeleand South Province
Midlands Province
HIGHLIGHT THEM ON THE MAP
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RIVERS
Hydrological Cycle
Precipitation: water in falling to the earths surface (rain, hail, sleet, snow).
Interception: precipitaion that does not reach the ground (on leaves etc).
Surface runoff: water flowing over the surface of the land (streams, rivers etc).
Infiltration: water soaking into the soil layer.
Throughflow: infiltrated water that moves through the soil layer towards the river/sea.
Groundwater: water stored in the rocks below the soil layers, aquifers exists here.
Groundwater flow: water slowly making its way towards the sea thorugh the rock layers.

Drainage Basin Characteristics

Source: start of the river ( there may be many).
Tributary: a smaller river that joins a larger one..
Confluence: the joining of a tributary to the larger channel..
Mouth: the end of the river, where it meets the sea.
Watershed: the outer limit of the drainage basin.
Drainage Basin: the total area drained by a river system.
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Waterfalls
 Occur when rivers flow over layers of soft & hard rock.
 The soft rock is eroded more easily, this leads to the hard rock being undercut.
 A ledge of hard rock forms until it breaks and collapses into the plunge pool. Each
time this happens the waterfall moves further upstream.
 As the waterfall retreats upstream it often creates a gorge.
 Waterfalls occur in the upper and middle courses of rivers.

Opportunities
Agriculture
Rivers bring fertile silt and soil to floodplains and deltas resulting in these areas are
often being intensively farmed. Repeated flooding replenishes the nutrients taken by
the plants. They also provide water for irrigating crops.
Trade
Many of the worlds most successful cities were built by rivers which provided
freshwater and a way to dispose of waste. Importantly though they provide trade
routes to other countries and continents.
Leisure
Rivers are increasingly used for leisure and recreation. Old industrial areas in MEDCs
have been converted into apartments, art galleries, museums etc. Boating, rowing,
swimming etc are common in cleaner rivers.
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TECTONIC PLATES-VOLCANOES AND EARTHQUAKES
The earth consists of 4 main layers:
 The crust is the outer layer, broken into sections called tectonic plates. It is the
thinnest layer and the one which we live on.
 The mantle is the thickest layer and consists of molten rock
 The outer core is molten & about 3000 degrees C.
 This inner core is solid due to the immense pressure and is about 5000 degrees C.
 Both the inner & outer core consist of iron & nickel.

Plate Movement
The earth`s crust is broken into different sections which are slowly moving about.
Convection currents in the mantle distribute the heat from the core. This movement
drags the plates in different directions and is responsible for earthquakes and
volcanoes.
Over millions of years the land masses that we are familiar with have moved around
the planet as the tectonic plates shifted about.
Where the different sections of tectonic plate meet the movement causes
geographical features such as mountains, volcanoes and earthquakes.
Types of Volcano
 Shield: gentle sloping, created by basic lava (travels along way before solidifying).
Found at constructive boundaries.
 Composite: alternating layers of acid lava & rock/ash create the classic conical
shape. Found at destructive boundaries.
 Ash & cinder: Alternating layers of ash & cinder compacted.
 Fissure: volcanoes running along a crack in the crust, usually a constructive
boundary.
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 Caldera: Crater volcano created after volcano collapses in on itself having emptied
the magma chamber.
 Dome: steep sided volcano created by acid lava which cools before it has travelled
far.
Earthquake Characteristics

 Focus: the exact point at which the earthquake occurred- often deep in the ground.
 Epicentre: the point on the surface of the earth directly above the focus (so it can be
located easily on maps).
 Seismic waves: these are the shockwaves that move outwards from the focus. Their
energy disipates the further they travel.
 Seismometer: instrument that measures the magnitude of earthquakes.

NB: ANY NOTES NOT INCLUDED BUT APPEARING IN THE OUTLINE ARE ASSUMED
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE