Case Studies and Topographical Skills

Question 1

What is the Boreal Forest case study and its absolute and relative locations?

Answer 1

Whistler, 50°7’15”N, 122°57’16”W, 125KM north of Vancouver

Question 2

What is the peak of Whistler’s mountainous region and total area?

Answer 2

Peak of 2182m and area of 240.490KM squared

Question 3

How many permanent residents are there in Whistler and what are the main economic activities?

Answer 3

10,000 permanent residents, main activities are tourism, recreation and logging

Question 4

What is the temperate forest case study and what are its most important geographic characteristics?

Answer 4

Black Forest, most important geographic characteristics are climate, scale, flora and fauna

Question 5

What are the most relevant natural and human processes in the Black Forest?

Answer 5

Seasonal change and urbanisation

Question 6

What is the relative location of the Black Forest?

Answer 6

South-West Germany, 760KM south-west of Berlin

Question 7

What is the grassland case study and how many countries does it contain?

Answer 7

Sahel region in Africa, contains 10 countries

Question 8

What is the climate and average precipitation in the Sahel?

Answer 8

Semi-arid climate, 100-600mm of precipitation per year

Question 9

What are the average temperatures during summer and winter in the Sahel?

Answer 9

36-42°C in summer and 27-33°C in winter

Question 10

What is the soil like in the Sahel?

Answer 10

It is laterite and has a high clay content, but there is heavy leaching in the rainy season

Question 11

What is the tropical rainforest case study and who is it named after?

Answer 11

The Daintree Rainforest, named after Richard Daintree, an Australian geologist and photographer

Question 12

What is the absolute and relative location of the Daintree Rainforest?

Answer 12

16°12’0”S, 145°24’0”E, 1500KM north-west of Brisbane, 100KM north-west of Cairns

Question 13

What types of species does the Daintree Rainforest contain?

Answer 13

90% of Australia’s bat and butterfly species, over 12,00 species of insects

Question 14

Which animal is endangered in the Daintree Rainforest?

Answer 14

Southern Cassowary

Question 15

What is eutrophication?

Answer 15

Excessive richness of nutrients in a lake or other body of water

Question 16

What are the human impacts on the Daintree Rainforest?

Answer 16

Mining, dams, logging and climate change

Question 17

What was the desert case study and what was the size and area of this desert?

Answer 17

Great Sandy Desert, Northern Territory, 2nd largest desert in Australia, 284,993KM squared

Question 18

What is the climate like in the Great Sandy Desert?

Answer 18

It is a hot, dry desert, but monsoonal rains occur from September to April

Question 19

What is temperature range during summer and winter in the Great Sandy Desert?

Answer 19

37-42°C in summer and 25-30°C in winter

Question 20

What is the vegetation like in the Great Sandy Desert?

Answer 20

It is dominated by spinifex and is sparsely populated

Question 21

What was the tundra case study?

Answer 21

Greenland, an autonomous country within the Danish Realm

Question 22

What does Greenland contain?

Answer 22

The Jakobshavn glacier, with a population of 4,530 people

Question 23

What are easting and northing lines on a map?

Answer 23

Eastings are vertical grid lines and northings are horizontal grid lines

Question 24

What are area and grid references?

Answer 24

Area references are four-figure numbers and grid references are more detailed six-figure numbers

Question 25

What are examples of natural and human features on a topographic map?

Answer 25

Natural features include mountains, rivers, and valleys, whereas human features include roads, dams and cities

Question 26

What are contour lines used to determine?

Answer 26

The height of the land

Question 27

What do cross-sections demonstrate?

Answer 27

The shape of a feature viewed from the side

Question 28

What does elevation refer to?

Answer 28

The height above or below a fixed reference point

Question 29

What is the aspect on a topographic map?

Answer 29

The compass direction that a slope faces