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Unit notes and practice questions

Grade 11 Geography unit 3: Natural resources and conflicts over resources

Everything here is for unit 3 of the Grade 11 Geography textbook: what the chapter covers, the short notes, practice questions with their answers, and the lesson video where one exists.

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3
Cards
10
Practice questions on unit 3
58–95
The textbook pages for unit 3

What unit 3 covers

  1. 1.The functions and management of land
  2. 2.Resources under pressure
  3. 3.Land resource depletion and degradation
  4. 4.Transboundary rivers
  5. 5.Regional cooperation for sustainable use of transboundary rivers
  6. 6.Potential and actual use of water in Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt
  7. 7.Conflicts over resources

Short notes for unit 3

The cards filed under this chapter on the Grade 11 Geography page. Open one at a time.

YearSignatory PartiesCore Terms and Allocation
1929UK and EgyptEgypt claimed natural and historic rights over Nile waters
1959Egypt and SudanAllocated 55.5 BCM to Egypt and 18.5 BCM to Sudan
1999Nile Basin Riparian StatesEstablished Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) for equitable utilization

When you use it

Use to review key bilateral and multilateral agreements and water allocations across the Nile River basin.

Watch out

The 1959 agreement exclusively allocated water between Egypt (55.5 BCM) and Sudan (18.5 BCM), completely ignoring upstream countries.

Drafted from Grade 11 Geography, page 59 onwards, then checked twice before it went up

ParameterResource Categories
RegenerationRenewable, Non-renewable
OriginBiotic, Abiotic
Current use and future availabilityStock, Flow
Distribution and volumeUbiquitous, Unique, Common, Rare
Stage of developmentPotential, Actual, Conditional

When you use it

Use when identifying how natural resources are grouped based on regeneration, origin, distribution, and stage of development.

Watch out

Renewable resources can still be exhausted if the rate of consumption exceeds their rate of natural regeneration.

Drafted from Grade 11 Geography, page 59 onwards, then checked twice before it went up

Major (Underlying) CauseProximate CauseDirect Consequence
Rapid population growthIntensive cultivation, Deforestation, OvergrazingFarmland fragmentation, soil erosion, biomass loss
Climate changeDroughts, Torrential rainsDesertification, flooding, dam siltation
Rough topographySteep slopes, Low depressionsTopsoil removal by fast runoff, waterlogging
Improper land usePloughing up and down slopes, Over-irrigationNutrient depletion, salinization, erosion
Government policyTenure insecurityResource depletion, low investment in conservation

When you use it

Use to distinguish between root driving forces (underlying causes) and direct physical activities (proximate causes) that degrade land resources.

Watch out

Do not confuse underlying causes like population growth with proximate causes like deforestation and overgrazing.

Drafted from Grade 11 Geography, page 59 onwards, then checked twice before it went up

Practice questions on unit 3

10 multiple-choice questions written against this chapter, each with its answer and the reason. Try one before you open the answer.

Question 1

Which of the following is classified as an inexhaustible renewable flow resource?

  1. A.Sunlight
  2. B.Coal
  3. C.Petroleum
  4. D.Metallic minerals
Show the answer and why

Answer: A Sunlight

Why

Sunlight, wind, and atmospheric oxygen are inexhaustible renewable resources that exist as flow resources, whereas coal, petroleum, and minerals are non-renewable.

Question 2

What is the soil conservation practice of planting a line of trees to break wind speed and reduce wind erosion called?

  1. A.Mulching
  2. B.Shelterbelts
  3. C.Terracing
  4. D.Inter-cropping
Show the answer and why

Answer: B Shelterbelts

Why

Shelterbelts refer to the planting of trees along a line to break the speed of blowing wind and decrease its erosive power.

Question 3

According to the textbook, which transboundary river travels through the territory of the largest number of nations (19 nations)?

  1. A.The Danube
  2. B.The Nile
  3. C.The Amazon
  4. D.The Congo
Show the answer and why

Answer: A The Danube

Why

The Danube river flows through 19 nations, which is the largest number of riparian countries for any river listed in the text.

Question 4

In which city was the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) first signed by ministers of water resources on 22 February 1999?

  1. A.Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
  2. B.Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania
  3. C.Cairo, Egypt
  4. D.Khartoum, Sudan
Show the answer and why

Answer: B Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania

Why

The Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) was signed on 22 February 1999 in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania.

Question 5

What proportion of the world's arable land and soils has been destroyed by soil erosion according to the textbook?

  1. A.Nearly 10%
  2. B.Nearly 20%
  3. C.Nearly 33%
  4. D.Nearly 50%
Show the answer and why

Answer: C Nearly 33%

Why

The textbook states that nearly 33% of the world's arable land and soils have been destroyed by soil erosion.

Question 6

According to the text, approximately how many hectares of forested land have been converted into other land uses each year globally over past decades?

  1. A.About 3 million ha
  2. B.About 8 million ha
  3. C.About 13 million ha
  4. D.About 25 million ha
Show the answer and why

Answer: C About 13 million ha

Why

About 13 million hectares of forested lands have been annually converted into other land uses at the global level.

Question 7

According to the textbook data, which country has an annual per capita water use of about 830 cubic meters, which is below the 1700 cubic meters threshold proposed by WHO?

  1. A.Ethiopia
  2. B.Sudan
  3. C.Egypt
  4. D.Uganda
Show the answer and why

Answer: C Egypt

Why

Egypt has an annual per capita water use of about 830 cubic meters per person per year, compared to 1,666 for Ethiopia and 1,981 for Sudan.

Question 8

Which of the following is classified as a form of physical soil degradation in the textbook?

  1. A.Crusting and compaction
  2. B.Salinization
  3. C.Loss of soil biota
  4. D.Acidification
Show the answer and why

Answer: A Crusting and compaction

Why

Physical soil degradation includes crusting, compaction, and depth reduction. Salinization and acidification are chemical forms, while loss of biota is biological.

Question 9

According to the textbook, around 80% of the total land area of how many countries lies within international river basins?

  1. A.21 countries
  2. B.30 countries
  3. C.44 countries
  4. D.145 countries
Show the answer and why

Answer: C 44 countries

Why

Around 80% of the total area of 44 countries lies within international basins (20 in Africa, 13 in Europe, 7 in Asia, and 4 in Latin America).

Question 10

Which regional organization was established by a 1986 treaty to transfer water from the headwaters of the Orange River to the Pretoria-Witwatersrand Vereeniging region?

  1. A.Kagera Basin Organization (KBO)
  2. B.Lesotho Highlands Development Authority (LHDA)
  3. C.Zambezi River Authority (ZRA)
  4. D.Southern African Power Pool (SAPP)
Show the answer and why

Answer: B Lesotho Highlands Development Authority (LHDA)

Why

The Lesotho Highlands Development Authority (LHDA) was created by Lesotho and South Africa in 1986 to transfer water from the Orange River to industrial regions in South Africa.

The app holds 12 questions on this unit, marked as you go. These are the first 10.

The textbook pages for unit 3

Unit 3 runs from page 58 to page 95 of the Ministry of Education edition.

Ministry of Education edition, English, 254 pages

Download the PDF

All Grade 11 Geography short notes

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