Understanding landforms
Marjorie Henry, Contributor

In the last lesson, I focused on description as I conti-nued to discuss sub- sections (g) and (h) of the map reading question from the last examination. Sub-section (g), which was discussed in the last lesson, was on description of vegetation. Sub-section (h) was on the description of landforms and will be the focus of today's lesson.

Let me restate the question. (h) Study the area along the south coast between Eastings 19 and 25. Describe.

TWO landforms

Generally, it is the shape of the contours and the spacing of them that you must use to guide you in identifying the landforms present on the map extract. Note the following in answering this question:

(i) You MUST use map evidence for the features found. The instructions are - STUDY the area along the south coast.

(ii) You are asked to describe the landforms identified and NOT to explain their formations.

The section of the map that was published has the area of the coastline from which you must describe the two landforms. When answering the question, you must first name the landform, describe it, and then give its location. The following landforms are identified on the map in the area specified:

(i) BAY - This is a wide open area with an almost circular indentation. The Limekiln Bay is a small bay found between Eastings 21 and 22. There is a large bay found between Eastings 22 and 25. This bay has a beach.

(ii) HEADLAND - An extension of the land jutting into the sea, for example, fort Thomas and Limekiln in grid 21 11.

Sub-sections (i) and (j) require the 'use of know-ledge', hence, the profile three of the question. Make special note of the key verb in both sub-sections. It is 'account' for. You must therefore offer some amount of discussion on the matter. Here is the task for (i) - Account for the distribution of track and footpath using map evidence only.

To answer the question you could ask yourself:

(i) Where are the tracks and footpaths found?

(ii) Why are they there?

Upon examination of the map, you will observe that the tracks and footpaths are found mainly on the gentler slopes and flat lands in areas of sugar cane cultivation.

They allow for easy access to the cane fields and also facilitate the harvesting of the cane. Those found on steeper slopes are fewer and are related to the relief of the land. The steep slopes and rugged terrain are deterrents to the construction of proper roads.

Please note that there is no need to describe the tracks and footpaths.

The next section of this question 1 is -

(j) From the evidence on the map, what physical features account for the growth of the settlement at Basseterre?

Please note that the question is asking for physical features and NOT man-made, hence, there is no need to mention such things as the presence of roads. Your approach to answering the question should be where you first identify the physical features present in and around Basseterre, and then state how these have led to the growth of that town. Map evidence show the following:

(i) Gentle relief of the area - this facilitates easy construction of buildings and roads.

(ii) A large, wide, sheltered bay with an absence of reefs and cliffs. The bay provides a harbour and therefore allows ships to come into the area. This further encourages trade.

(iii) Two rivers which provide a source of water supply. This also indicates that the land is well drained.

This concludes the discussion of Question 1. I will go on to another section of the question paper in the next lesson.

Marjorie Henry is an independent contributor.