Introduction to Geography
Senior 1 · Geography
Introduction to Geography
Lesson 2 of 3
20 min
The photograph shows Rubavu in Rwanda (front) and Goma in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (behind) on the northern shore of Lake Kivu. Before you read on, list two reasons why people chose to build a town here, and one danger they face by living here.
The site has clear advantages: flat land beside the lake for building, fresh water, fish, a lake port for boats to Karongi and Rusizi, rich volcanic soils nearby, a cool climate and a beautiful shore that draws tourists. It also has risks: the Virunga volcanoes, earthquakes along the rift, and gases dissolved deep in the lake. Weighing advantages against risks, and deciding what to do about them, is exactly what geography is useful for.
Important
Case study: the Nyiragongo eruption of 22 May 2021
On the evening of 22 May 2021 Nyiragongo erupted. Lava flowed south towards Goma and stopped at the edge of the city. Thousands of people from Goma crossed into Rwanda for safety. For days afterwards, earthquakes shook the area, damaging houses and roads in Rubavu and sending some of its residents east.
Every one of those actions depended on geography: knowing where things are, why they are there and how they are linked.
| Geography helps us to… | A Rwandan example |
|---|---|
| understand and use natural resources wisely | Methane gas from the bottom of Lake Kivu is pumped up and burned to generate electricity. |
| plan towns, roads and land use | Kigali's master plan keeps wetlands free of houses and marks where industries may be built. |
| farm well | Farmers plant at the start of the rainy seasons (March to May and October to December); tea suits the cool, wet highlands and cattle suit the drier east. |
| prepare for hazards | Meteo Rwanda issues rain forecasts, and maps of steep, unstable slopes show where landslides are likely. |
| develop tourism and trade | Visitors come for the mountain gorillas of the Virungas, the forest of Nyungwe and the savanna of Akagera; lorries carry goods to and from the ports of Mombasa and Dar es Salaam. |
| protect the environment | Rwanda banned plastic carry bags in 2008, and umuganda often plants trees and digs anti-erosion ditches. |
| find your way | Maps and GPS on a phone guide drivers, delivery riders and ambulances. |
| prepare for a career | Surveyors, urban planners, GIS analysts, meteorologists, tour guides and environmental officers all use geography daily. |
How Important is Geography? by National Geographic Education (2 min). As you watch, note two jobs or decisions that the video links to geographic knowledge.
Geography sits at a crossroads. It uses facts and methods from other subjects, and it gives them places, maps and real examples in return (Figure 1).
Figure 1. Geography borrows from, and gives to, many other subjects.
Definition
Geographic Information System (GIS): a computer system that stores information together with its location, so that it can be shown as layers on a map and analysed. Example: one layer shows roads, another shows schools, a third shows slope; together they show which schools are far from a safe road.
Worked example: geography meets mathematics (population density)
Rwanda's 2022 census counted 13,246,394 people. The country's area is 26,338 km². How many people live on each square kilometre, on average?
Interpretation. This is one of the highest densities in Africa. The City of Kigali, with 1,745,555 people on about 730 km², has about people per km², nearly five times the national average. A geographer then asks why: jobs, services and transport are concentrated in the capital.
Warning
Density is an average. "503 people per km²" does not mean every square kilometre holds 503 people. Some, such as Akagera National Park, hold almost nobody; some in central Kigali hold many thousands.
Rubavu is a busy lakeside town with a port, beaches and a border crossing, but it lies close to active volcanoes. Should the town keep growing? Give one geographical argument for and one against, and suggest one way to make growth safer.
Tip
In an exam, "explain the importance of geography" questions want a use plus an example: "Geography helps plan land use, for example keeping Kigali's wetlands free of houses to reduce flooding." One use with an example earns more than three uses without one.
Practice
Remember
Sources and credits
The lesson text, diagram, tables, worked example and practice are written by Ganzaa. Census figures are from the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (2022 census).
This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
