Paper 2 - Section A, Urban Issues And Challenges

Question 1

What are the main causes of urbanisation

Answer 1

1. Natural increase (births minus deaths)
2. Migration (the movement of people from one area to another)

Question 2

What is urbanisation

Answer 2

The increase in the proportion of people living in towns and cities

Question 3

How large does a city have to be before it is classed as a mega city

Answer 3

10 million people

Question 4

What are some examples of push factors from rural to urban areas

Answer 4

• lack of employment
• limited schooling
• lack of investment
• lack of government support

Question 5

What are some pull factors from rural to urban areas

Answer 5

• employment opportunities, higher wages
• access to public utilities (sewage, piped water and electricity)
• government support

Question 6

What are push factors leading to counter urbanisation (urban to rural areas)

Answer 6

• noise pollution
  -crime
• traffic congestion
• lack of garden

Question 7

What are pull factors leading to counter urbanisation

Answer 7

• bigger houses
• more scenery
• less noise pollution

Question 8

Why is there a rise in counter urbanisation in more developed countries

Answer 8

People believe it will improve their quality of life eg more green spaces

Question 9

How does natural increase lead to growth in urban areas

Answer 9

• increase in birth rate, could be due to lack of contraception and education about family planning
• lower death rate, improved medical facilities helps lower infant mortality and higher life expectancy due to better living conditions and diet

Question 10

What is population growth

Answer 10

The difference between birth and death rate, when the birth rate is higher than death rate

Question 11

Where is Lagos located

Answer 11

It’s situated on the coast of Nigeria and has the countries biggest city and port

Question 12

What is the change in population from 1950 to 2020 in Lagos, Nigeria

Answer 12

Since 1950, the population has grown from 0.3 million to approximately 13.5 million in 2020

Question 13

Why is Lagos’ population growing exponentially

Answer 13

1. Migration - 7 million people from 1990-2004 moved to Lagos from rural/poor regions
2. Natural increase - Lagos has a youthful population (half the population is under 25) and this results in more births than deaths per year

Question 14

What are the rural push factors to move to Lagos

Answer 14

• poor wages in agriculture
• climate change causing droughts in northern Nigeria
• mechanisation of agriculture => less jobs
• land degraded due to over farming

Question 15

What are urban pull factors for Lagos

Answer 15

• job opportunities in industry (oil, car manufacturing and food processing) which is better paid than farming
• more schools, healthcare and other services than in village
• urban lifestyle
• nollywood glamour

Question 16

What is the regional importance of Lagos

Answer 16

• city is a transport hub with an airport and port providing raw materials for local industries
• home to 10% of Nigeria’s population
• generates highest money earned of all states in Nigeria
• provides hospitals, schools, employment, leisure and recreation opportunities

Question 17

What is the national importance of Lagos

Answer 17

• Nigeria’s centre of trade and commerce
• approx 80% of Nigeria’s industry is based in Lagos
• generates approx 30% of Nigeria’s GDP
• centre of Nigeria’s film industry

Question 18

What is the international importance of Lagos

Answer 18

• the main financial centre of West Africa
• Lagos has one of the highest standards of living in Nigeria and Africa
• it’s Apapa port is the 5th busiest in Africa
• city has been a venue for major sporting events (African cup of Nations football tournament)

Question 19

What social opportunities has urban growth created in Lagos

Answer 19

• healthcare
• education
• employment

Question 20

How has urban growth created social opportunities of health care in Lagos

Answer 20

• Nigeria has 1 doctor per 5000 people (1:600 is the recommended by the World Health Organisation) could imply overrun hospitals, long waiting times and decreased chance of survival
• Healthcare isn’t always free so poor people have terrible access to healthcare but the rich people can pay for it
• there is more chance of getting healthcare in Lagos than rural Nigeria

Question 21

How has urban growth created the social opportunity of education in Lagos

Answer 21

• in Nigeria 10.5 million children aged 5-14 are not in school even though primary education is free and compulsory (some may not have access to schools or there aren’t enough)
• there are more schools and universities in Lagos than other areas
• educated people are more likely to find work in Lagos’ growing industries like finance and film

Question 22

How has urban growth created social opportunities for employment in Lagos

Answer 22

• more jobs are available in Lagos than anywhere else in Nigeria
• even if people can’t find work in the formal economy, they can find work in the informal economy (eg a street vendor or recycling waste and paying no tax)

Question 23

What is the formal economy

Answer 23

The type of employment where people work to receive a regular wage, pay tax and have certain rights (eg sick pay and paid holidays)

Question 24

What is the informal economy

Answer 24

Employment outside the official knowledge of the government, paid cash in hand, unreliable and no rights

Question 25

What are the consequences of urbanisation in Lagos

Answer 25

- gap between rich and poor is widening - over 60% of Lagos’ population live in squatter settlements or slums like Makoko - most people living in the slums work in the informal economy and live on less than $1.25 a day

Question 26

Why is Lagos a great location for industry

Answer 26

- coastal location is good for fishing and has a port for imports + exports - has a major international airport - arrival point of 80% of flights to West Africa - good transport connections, roads and railway links connect Lagos to other cities - central business district, central part of city where most shops and businesses are located

Question 27

What are the positives of the the Olusosun rubbish dump in Lagos

Answer 27

- there are shops, restaurants, bars, cinemas and a mosque at the dump - without the dump a lot of reusable items would go to waste, people in Lagos can save money by buying recycled goods

Question 28

What are some of the negatives of the Olusosun rubbish dump in Lagos

Answer 28

- natural gases build under the decomposing waste, often leads to fires which are hard to extinguish - workers build their homes out of discarded materials - Olusosun is a huge landfill site near the heart of Lagos, the city has grown around the site

Question 29

What environmental issues does urban growth in Lagos cause

Answer 29

- huge population creates 9000 tonnes of waste a day - waste disposal and emissions aren’t regulated leading to water and air pollution - traffic congestion is really bad, and there is limited public transport and poor links to city centre => worsens air quality

Question 30

What are the social benefits of the Makoko floating schools

Answer 30

- up to 100 students will be educated for free - school was built by unskilled local workers, and the skills they learnt can help them improve their homes - school also used for local community meetings and activities

Question 31

What are the economic benefits of the Makoko floating schools

Answer 31

- education improves local children’s job prospects - school provides jobs for teachers - schools success encouraged the government to to launch a regeneration scheme for Makoko

Question 32

What are the environmental benefits of the Makoko floating school

Answer 32

- built using locally supplied materials, construction didn’t harm local environment and repairs would be easy - schools buoyancy allows to adjust to different and protect children from floods - school runs on solar power - school collects rainwater to meet its water needs

Question 33

What are the problems of living in a squatter settlement

Answer 33

- densely populated due to shortage of available lands, in Makoko homes extend into the water and built on stilts - homes made of flimsy materials (tin sheets and wooden planks) - lack basic facilities and sanitation

Question 34

How can we reduce traffic congestion in Lagos

Answer 34

- integrated transport system would encourage people to use public transport and reduce dependence on cars - a more efficient road network, eg separate bus lanes would make journeys quicker - better walking and cycling facilities, would reduce congestion by encouraging more people to avoid using cars

Question 35

How can we reduce water pollution in Lagos

Answer 35

- regulating water vendors to create new rules they have to follow, eg can’t sell dirty water which would increase water quality - new boreholes or wells must have a licence and illegal digging of wells and boreholes is a criminal offence, wouldn’t lower water table unsustainablity and help stop people drinking unclean water