WASSCE Geography past questions and answers

In Von Thünen's model, Zone B (the second ring) is devoted to forestry and firewood production. In the 19th century, wood was heavy and expensive to transport, so it needed to be grown close to the city. Zone A (innermost) is for market gardening and dairying (perishable goods), Zone C is for crop farming (grain), and Zone D (outermost) is for ranching/livestock. The model assumes a flat plain with uniform soil fertility and a single central market.

Concentric closed contour lines with values increasing towards the centre indicate a hill. The highest contour (500 m) is at the centre, confirming the land rises to a peak. A depression would show hachured lines pointing inward.

The climate graph shows that the tallest rainfall bar is in June, reaching approximately 200 mm. Kumasi, located in the forest zone of Ghana, experiences a double-maxima rainfall pattern with the major peak around June during the main rainy season. September shows a secondary peak.

At a scale of 1:50,000, 1 cm on the map represents 50,000 cm (= 500 m = 0.5 km) on the ground. Therefore 6 cm on the map = 6 x 0.5 km = 3 km actual distance. The scale bar confirms each segment is 1 cm = 0.5 km.

Arrow B rises from the ocean/water surface upward toward the clouds, representing evaporation — the process by which liquid water is heated and converted to water vapour, which then rises into the atmosphere. Arrow A shows precipitation (rain falling), C shows rainfall on land, and D shows surface run-off flowing from land into the water body.

In a settlement hierarchy, the city sits at the top of the pyramid. It has the largest population, the greatest number and range of services (hospitals, universities, government offices, shopping malls), and the highest threshold population needed to sustain those services. As you move down the hierarchy from city to town to village to hamlet, the number of settlements increases but the range of services decreases.

The O Horizon (organic horizon) is the topmost layer of a soil profile and consists mainly of decomposed and decomposing organic matter (humus), leaf litter, and other organic debris. The A Horizon (topsoil) also contains humus but is primarily a mixture of mineral particles and organic matter.

Steepness on a cross-section is shown by the gradient (angle of slope). Point B is located on the steepest gradient — the line rises very sharply from about 150 m to nearly 350 m over a short horizontal distance. Point C is the summit (flat), while A and D are on gentle slopes.