geography - booklet I

what is weathering

the breaking down of the earth surface and coasts is dew to weathering and erosion.

weathering takes place when the rocks are attacked by the weather.

erosion is the wearing away of the land.

exfoliation / onion skin weathering

when a rock is repeatedly heated. the rocks surface expands as it is heated and contracts as it is cooled. continually this process makes small pieces of the rock's crust to fall off ( like an onion skin ).

biological weathering

this is due to the action of plants and animals. seeds may fall into a rock and grow into a tree. as the roots develop they force the rock apart. burrowing of small animals cam help to break down the rock.

chemical weathering

this is due to chemical waters or rain. when ordinary rain water contains small amounts of acid, the acid attacks the rock and and causes it to rot away.

freeze-thaw weathering

can also be called frost-shattering. water gets in a crack in a rock. when it freezes the rock expands, when the water melts the rock contracts. constant repetition of this process makes the rock break.

what is erosion

weathering and erosion work together. erosion weakens and loosens rocks. the action of rivers and sea, wind and ice are all cheif examples of erosion.

erosion wears away the land transportation moves material from one place to another deposition builds up new land forms.

types of erosion:

corrasion => sandpaper effect. corrosion => chemicals and salt react with certain minerals in the rock. hydraulic action => the force and power of waves erode the coast. hydraulic pressure => air is compressed in a crack in a rock/cliff when a wave crashes into it. attrition => waves and sea currents move the pieces of broken rock in the water. the pieces the collide with each other and break into little pieces.

how do rivers shape the land?

the river flows downwards as boulders, rocks, pebbles and rock particles are bounced and scrapped across the channel bed. as the river cuts down, the steep sides are attacked by weathering. the loosened material slowly creeps down the slope because of gravity or is washed into the river and carried away. the end result is a steep-side valley that has the shape of a letter "V"

features of a river and valley:

source : where the river starts. spurs: ridges of land around which a river winds valley sides: the slopes on either side of the river. "V" - shaped valley: the shape of the valley sides in it's upper course. channel: the course of a river river banks: the sides of the river channel. river bed: the bottom of a river channel. load: the material that is moved by the river.

waterfalls

Falling water and rock particles or boulders loosen and wear away the softer rock. the hard rock above is under cut as erosion of the soft rock continues. the heard rock collapses into the plunge pool to be broken up and wasted away by the river . the position of the waterfall moves back. erosion continues and the waterfall lowly "eats" its way upstream, leaving a gorge behind.

FARMING

the way that people produce food or growing crops. arable: the ploughing of land and growing of crops. pastoral: leaving the grass for the grazing of the animals. mixed farming: when crops are gown in the same area as the animals are grazed.

farming is a big buisness. farmers must chose their spot wisely depending on where the chose, both phisical and human factors are involved. phisical factors: climate, releif and soils. human factors: farm size, technology, distance from markets and transport

arable farming

rain in growing seasons. warm summers. frosty winters. agribuisness is to invest money on new technology and farming methords.

INDUSTRY

there are primary, secondary and tertiary industry's. primary : collect natural reasorces from the land, water and trees. secondary : make things from those natural resorces. tertiary : provide service for people.

POPULATION

population maps show how many people are spread across the country. the most crowded are towns and cities. density is the number of people in an area. usually given in every square kilometer.

factors that discourage people from settling in are called negative factors. factors that encourage people to settle in are called positive factors

fastest growing cities are: Mexico city Sao Paulo Karachi Deli Mumbai Kolkata Dhalka Jakata Seoul Tokyo

kenya

raw materials power labour market transport

a good indusrty needs:

coal, small amounts on limestone and coal are used to make iron and steel.

high-tech industries make products such as microchips, mobile phones, pharmaceuticals, scientific equipment.

wathering and erosion

farming

industy

population

KENYA

Ecosystems

An ecosystem is a community of plants and animals which interact with each other and with their non-living environment. The types of plants and animals that grow or live in an environment depend on factors such as climate, soil, rock type and relief.Ecosystems can vary enormously. They range from small ponds to hedgerows. To whole Rainforests stretching thousands kilometres across continents. A very large ecosystem such as a rainforest is called a biome The vegetation in a biome is largely determined by climatic factors such as temperature, rainfall, sunshine and wind.

- recently ecosystems have been destroyed by human activity.- eg : air pollution - acid rain.

Equitorial climate

Hot and wet all year. no winters or summers. 5' North or South of the Equator. the main factor that affects climate is latitude. sun is overhead all year which means there is more temperature.

mediterranean climate

30' to 40' north and south of the Equator. california, Central Chile, Mediterranean sea, south Africa, South-west Australia, South-east australia.