Map Reading and Interpretation

Read relief, drainage and human features on a topographic map extract, draw a cross-section, explain how people use the land the map shows, and reduce or enlarge a map to a new scale.

2

Relief in Africa and the World

Locate Africa and compare its size and population with the other continents, describe the major relief forms of Africa and of the other continents, and explain how relief shapes climate, vegetation and human activity.

3

Soils in Africa and the World

Explain how climate, organisms, relief, parent material and time form soils through weathering, humification and leaching, and describe the major soil types of Africa and of the other continents and how people use them.

4

Climate in Africa and the World

Explain what controls climate and read climate graphs; describe the climate types of Africa and the tropical, temperate, arctic and mountain climates of other continents from real station data; and explain how climate shapes the way people live and work.

5

Vegetation of Africa and the World

Describe the vegetation types of Africa and of the other continents, explain how climate, relief and soil decide where each grows, study Rwanda's forests and parks, and assess how people use and change vegetation.

6

Drainage in Africa and the World

Describe drainage basins and drainage patterns, locate the major rivers and lakes of Africa and the world and explain how lakes were formed, assess the value of rivers, lakes, wetlands, oceans and seas, and analyse the threats to clean water in Africa, with Rwanda's own catchments as examples.

7

Population in Africa

Describe and explain Africa's population distribution, density and structure, analyse population growth and its control, explain the types, causes and effects of migration, and propose solutions to Africa's population problems, using Rwanda's 2022 census as a case study.

8

Urban Settlement in Africa

Describe the characteristics and functions of urban centres, explain the causes, effects and solutions of rapid urban growth in Africa, and study Kigali and Rwanda's secondary cities, Cairo and Johannesburg as case studies.

9

Agricultural Systems in Africa

Compare Africa's farming systems, from shifting cultivation, bush fallowing and smallholder farming to plantations, the green revolution, irrigation and livestock farming, study cotton in the lower Nile valley, rubber in West Africa and dairy farming in Kenya, and evaluate how farming affects Africa's development.

10

Forestry in Africa

Study Africa's forests and how they are exploited, from selective felling in the Congo Basin to softwood plantations in South Africa and Rwanda, examine the problems loggers face and the causes, effects and control of deforestation, and evaluate how forestry can support sustainable development.

11

Fishing in Africa

Locate Africa's major fishing grounds off Morocco, South Africa, Angola and Nigeria and explain why cold currents make them rich, compare the types of fish and the methods used to catch them, from purse seines to the sambaza boats of Lake Kivu, and assess the factors, importance, problems and future of fishing for sustainable development.

12

Mining in Africa

Locate Africa's main minerals, from Copperbelt copper and Witwatersrand gold to Botswana's diamonds, Niger Delta oil and Rwanda's tin, coltan and tungsten, explain the methods and factors of mining, examine its problems and how to make it sustainable, and analyse its impact on Africa's development.

13

Power and Energy in Africa

Compare Africa's sources of power, from hydroelectric dams and geothermal steam to solar, wind and the methane of Lake Kivu, explain the factors that favour power production, assess the importance and problems of power supply, and evaluate the Aswan High Dam in Egypt and the Akosombo Dam in Ghana as case studies.

14

Industrial Development in Africa

Classify industries and locate Africa's major industrial areas in South Africa and the Nile valley, explain the factors behind industrial location and the importance of industry, study industrial development in Egypt, and assess the problems, solutions and prospects for industry in Africa and Rwanda.

15

Transport, Communication and Trade in Africa

Compare Africa's modes of transport and the factors behind them, weigh the importance and problems of transport and communication, explain the types and problems of trade, and evaluate how regional groups such as the EAC, ECOWAS, COMESA and ECCAS drive Africa's development.

16

Tourism in Africa

Locate Africa's major tourist areas, explain the physical and human factors behind tourism, analyse its contribution to development using RDB data for Rwanda, and evaluate the problems tourism faces and how it can be made sustainable.

17

Agricultural Case Studies in Developed Countries: Netherlands and USA

Explain how the Dutch made farmland from the sea and why horticulture and dairy farming thrive on the polders, describe the agricultural regions, systems and agribusiness of the USA, and assess the factors, challenges and solutions of farming in both countries for lessons on sustainable development in Rwanda.

18

Industrial Development Case Studies of Japan and China

Locate the industrial regions and major industries of Japan and China, explain the factors behind their industrial growth, and assess the importance, problems and prospects of industrialisation in both countries and the lessons they hold for Rwanda.

19

Tourism Case Study of Switzerland

Describe Switzerland's location, relief and tourist attractions, compare the factors behind tourism in Switzerland and Rwanda, and evaluate the importance, problems and solutions of Swiss tourism as lessons for Rwanda's own tourism.

Units