igcse geography international migration case study

Cambridge IGCSE Geography

Website by Paul Christmas

Updated 25 April 2024

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• Paper 1 - Case Studies

This page provides a quick link to revision pages on the case studies. They are currently being added.

Case Study  - Bangladesh - Over Population

This page provides a case study summary for overpopulated Bangladesh. It includes what you need to know, how it will be assessed and a revision quiz on the case study facts.

Case Study  - Australia - Under Populated

This page provides a case study summary for underpopulated Australia. It includes what you need to know, how it will be assessed and a revision quiz on the case study facts.

Case Study  - Nigeria - Population Change

This age provides a case study summary for population change in Nigeria. It includes what you need to know, how it will be assessed and a revision quiz on the case study facts.

Case Study  - International Migration - India to Qatar

This is a revision page to support students with the international migration case study. It provides a summary of the key knowledge needed for describing the migration of people from India to Qatar

Case Study  - A Densely Populated Area - Niger Delta

This is a revision page on the case study, the Niger Delta which is a densely populated area. It includes summary notes and a revision quiz

Case Study  - A sparsely Populated Region - Western Australia

This is a revision page on the case study Western Australia - a sparsely populated area. It includes summary notes and a revision quiz

Case Study  - Settlement Hierarchy

This page is a revision page for a settlement hierarchy case study, based in Belgium. It features all you need to know and a short revision quiz to help remember it all.

Cas e Study - A City Case Study - Brussels

This is a revision page on the city case study of Brussels. It provides a clear summary of the case study and revision quiz

Case Study  - Lagos - A Rapidly Growing City Experiencing Problems

This is a case study revision page on Lagos. Lagos is a rapidly growing city experiencing migration to it. It includes summary material on the causes of its growth and the problems this brings. The page...

Case Study  - Strategies to Improve LEDC Cities

This is a summary page of the ways cities attempt to improve living conditions. It provides a description and evaluation of each method. It is supported with a revision quiz.

Case Study - Sulawesi Earthquake

This is a revision page for the Sulawesi earthquake. It covers the location, causes and impacts of the earthquake as well as elements of management. To support the management of earthquakes an alternative...

Case Study  - Nyiragongo Eruption 2021

This page provides a summary of the Nyiragongo case study, covering all possible questions, complete with a revision quiz.

Case Study - The River Dijle - Leuven

This is a revision page on the River Dijle and the benefits of living near it. It also covers the reasons why Leuven is at risk of flooding and what is being done to manage the risk of flooding in Leuven....

Case Study - Lyme Regis

This is a revision page for Lyme Regis. It develops the opportunities of living in Lyme Regis and covers the hazards and risks it faces as well as the efforts to manage the coastline. It also includes...

Case Study - The Mojave Desert

This page provides a summary of the Mojave desert and includes a revision quiz

Case Study - The Amazon Rainforest

This is a revision page for the Amazon Rainforest case study. It provides a syllabus link, sample exam questions a summary of the case study and a revision quiz.

Case Study - The Operations and Impacts of one TNC- Shell

This is a revision page summarising the TNC case study on Shell. It covers all possible questions and provides a useful revision quiz.

Case Study - A Subsistence Farm - SW Kenya

This revision page summarises the case study based on a subsistence farm in Southwest Kenya. It also has a revision quiz to support

Case study - Food Shortage - Madagascar

This is a case study page on Madagascar, covering a country that has suffered food shortages. It develops the pattern of hunger in the country and its causes. It also includes a revision quiz on the case...

Case Study - The Arenberg Science Park

This revision page provides a summary of the case study Arenberg Science Park. It includes details on factors explaining the location distribution of this industrial zone.

Case Study Page - Tourism in Iceland

This is a revision page on tourism in Iceland. It covers the growth of tourism and the reasons for the growth. The advantages and disadvantages of this growth and the ways Iceland is attempting to manage...

Case Study - UK Energy Supply

This is a case study revision page for the UK energy supply. It covers key aspects of the course content, including non-renewable, renewable and nuclear energy

Case Study Page - China Water Supply

This is a case study page for the water supply in China. It covers major infrastructure investments such as dams, the South to North Water Transfer Scheme and Sponge Cities

Environmental Risks - Model Essays

This page provides several model essays based on past exam questions linked to economic activity and environmental risks. The exam board often uses exam questions that are explicitly linked or clear in...

Geography Revision

GCSE, AS and A Level Geography Revision

CIE IGCSE Geography – Revision Notes & Study Resources

CIE GCSE Geography mapping file. Download our comprehensive teaching resources and revision toolkit today. Use the mapping table to align with the CIE examination board. Updated and aligned to the new 2020 specification.

Congrats, you’re almost there – in just a few weeks you’ll be taking your IGCSE Geography exams and then the world will really be your oyster! As the exams get closer though, what lies ahead may start to overwhelm you a little. But don’t worry all the help you need is right here! We’re here to tell you about your next steps and to reassure you that this is your time to shine! First thing’s first – you need to write a well-structured and thorough revision plan. The sooner you get that out of the way the better you will feel. This is because once you have a good plan then all that’s left to do is follow it carefully. Here is all you have to know in order to do that well and also how we can be of help.

(I)GCSEs are fairly standardised forms of examination. This is largely done in order to give everyone an equal chance at success. However, because there are different exam boards there are also small differences between how you’ll be assessed depending on your exam board. This is very important to bear in mind when planning your revision as there are optimal ways to prepare for different types of exams. The unique thing about OCR exams is that you can select whether you will have a coursework component or not. The sooner you do that the sooner you can focus on either completing that coursework or on preparing for three written exam papers as opposed to only two. You’re advised to choose carefully based on what kind of assessment you prefer (with limited wording but not time limit or under timed conditions).

About the Board

CIE, or the Cambridge Assessment International Education board, is one of the oldest examination boards in the UK. It was first created as a division of the University of Cambridge in the 19th century. Today it remains under the wing of the University of Cambridge as it continues to offer secondary school certifications. The CIE IGCSE Geography course is assessed as a ‘linear’ and not ‘modular’ subject. This means that you’ll be tested on everything you’ve learned at the end of the course and not throughout it. It does not, however, mean that you shouldn’t pay attention throughout the course!

How long will the course take to complete?

The CIE board specifies that the IGCSE Geography course is designed for about 130 guided learning hours. When you are likely covering 10-12 other subjects for your (I)GCSEs this usually means that the course will take two academic years to complete. However, it is possible for it to take more or less time depending on the circumstances.

Is any prior knowledge required?

While there is no requirement as such of prior knowledge, the CIE board does recommend that those who are starting the IGCSE Geography course have studied a geography curriculum at earlier stages of education (Key Stage 3 or equivalent). This course does, however, assume basic mathematical skills.

What will I study?

The CIE board breaks down the subject content of IGCSE Geography into three broad themes: population and settlement; the natural environment; and, economic development.

Within population and settlement, you will study population dynamics, migration, population structure, population density and distribution, settlements (rural and urban) and service provision, urban settlements, and urbanisation. Meanwhile, within the natural environment, you will study earthquakes and volcanoes, rivers, coasts, weather, and climate and natural vegetation. Finally, within economic development, you’ll study development, food production, industry, tourism, energy, water, and environmental risks of economic development.

What is the examination process like?

Much like the subject content, the examination process is also split into three parts. Firstly, all candidates are required to take Paper 1 (Geographical Themes) which will last 1 hour and 45 minutes and be worth 45% of your final grade. Next, all candidates must sit Paper 2 (Geographical Skills) which will last 1 hour and 30 minutes and be worth 27.5% of your final grade. Finally, candidates can choose whether the third component of their assessment (worth 27.5% of the overall grade) is coursework or a written paper. If it is coursework, then the student must write a centre-based assignment of up to 2,000 words. Otherwise, the student must take Paper 4 (Alternative Coursework) which will take 1 hour and 30 minutes and require students to answer two compulsory questions, completing a series of written tasks.

To get the very based grades in your CIE IGCSE Geography exams, you should be studying for two to three hours each day. This is the amount of time which is considered ideal as it strikes the balance between working long enough to delve into topics properly, but not working so long that you risk burnout. To make the best possible use of your two to three hours, set your phone and any distractions like the telly aside for that time. Instead, keep them as a treat for yourself after the end of a hard day’s work. You’ll soon see yourself becoming more efficient!

Another way to stay efficient during revision season is to switch between revision techniques as you go along. Don’t just read or just take notes. Instead, spend some time doing flashcards then switch over to mind maps and then back to reading. That way your brain will stay active throughout and retain the greatest amount of information. As exam day gets closer start reading past papers – these will help you get a sense of what to expect on the big day. They’ll also give you a chance to test yourself under timed conditions which will leave you feeling much more relaxed about the exam itself. Don’t forget you have an ally in all of this – we’re here to help you succeed! To do that we have lots of engaging prep material for you. So let us begin!

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The Geography Study School

Geographically on par for your a star.

• Agriculture
• Case Studies
• Energy, water and the environment
• Industrial systems
• Map Skills-Paper 2
• Paper 4: Alternative to coursework
• Plate tectonics
• River processes
• Weather, Climate & Ecosystems
• Recommended Resources
• Option G: Urban Environments
• Populations in Transition
• Changing space-the shrinking world
• Contact and Copyright

Overpopulation in Bangladesh

Lack of resources, poor infrastructure and under-developed technology coupled with the high population have been responsible for decreasing the carrying capacity of the region.

Problems of overpopulation:

Overpopulation in Bangladesh resulted in overcrowded areas with traffic congestion as there are too many vehicles on the the roads, especially in cities such as Dhaka. Vehicle emissions, industrial discharge and burning of fossil fuels have resulted in air pollution , while the ground water has been polluted due to arsenic. Furthermore, shortage of food lead to overcultivation on the flood plains of the Ganges river , causing lower yields and soil exhaustion. Another major problem is the widespread deforestation for firewood on the slopes of the Himalayas.

The capital of Bangladesh, Dhaka, also suffers from severe housing shortages due to mass urbanisation.

Canada: Underpopulation

Canada is regarded as an underpopulated country as the carrying capacity is much higher than the current population. The 35 million people in Canada can not fully exploit the available resources and technology.

Problems of underpopulation in Canada:

• Labour shortage: 32% of Canadian employers are encountering difficulties in hiring workers due to a lack of applicants
• Services (eg. schools, hospitals and transport) close down as there are not enough customers.
• Less innovation and development (lee brain power)

Canada has tried to promote immigration to maintain the fairly high standard of living, but in the previous decades less people are migrating to Canada, than during the 1950’s and 1960’s.

• relaxing immigrant policies and visa requirements to encourage migration
• Pro-natal goverment support to increase the birth rate eg. subsidies and parental leave programmes
• allow pensioners to continue working

China: One Family One Child Policy

Anti-natal population policy

China is world’s most populous country with more than 1.3 billion people in 2014. Representing 20% of the world’s people, China suffers from extreme overpopulation.

China became overpopulated since 1960 because of:

• social/cultural desire to have a son
• economical bonus: men could work in the field
• children considered to be social security
• politics: stronger China against America
• previously poor medical infrastructure- high infant mortality rate
• flood 1959-1962: 20 million died

In 1965 the birth rate had grown to 40 births per 1000 until politicians realised the growing problem and launched the One Family One Child Policy in 1979.

Positive consequences of the policy:

• better education and skilled workforce
• average fertility reduced to 1.7
• low urban poverty

Negative consequences of the policy:

• female foeticide
• forced abortion
• abnormal sex ratio/ imbalanced
• more divorce: desire to have a boy
• lack of working population to support old dependents
• girls abandoned, killed, in orphanage

Exceptions to the policy:

• Han-Chinese allowed a second child
• rural areas
• ethnic minorities

Germany: Pro-natal population policy

In Germany, the fertility rate is well below replacement level, having dropped to 1.38 births per woman in 2012. Birth rates have been falling for many years, and the youth plus the immigrants will be unable to support  Germany’s ageing population.

For this reason, Germany has adopted several measures that attempt to encourage families to have more children:

• paid maternity leave and parental leave
• tax breaks to tax payers that have children
• eliminating fees for kindergarden
• free schooling

  Japan: Population distribution in a densely populated country

With a population of around 130 million (2015), and a population density of 336 people per km² (2015),  Japan is one of the most densely populated countries in the world.

Uneven population distribution

Sparsely populated rural areas: very few people live on the mountainous slopes in the centre of Honshu island and the south of Shikoku island, because of:

• Lack of flat land for cultivation
• Thin, infertile and acidic soils
• Extreme climate: long cold winters with heavy snow
• Remoteness and isolation: transport and communication are difficult
• Few jobs available (only in forestry/ primary sector)

Densely populated rural areas : many people live on the flat valleys and gentle slopes of Honshu and Kyushu islands because they:

• provide fertile land for cultivation and thus, have attracted many farmers
• attract commuters who work in the cities through the high standard of living and services such as out-of-town shopping malls and sports facilities.

Densely populated urban areas: many people live in towns and cities along the coast, especially on Honshu island, in the conurbation of Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka; because of:

• flat land with mild winters
• good service provision like universities and technologically advanced hospitals and health facilities
• good transport facilities such as the Port of Tokyo to facilitate the import of raw materials and the export of manufactured goods

Canada: A Sparsely populated country

With a population of around 35 million (2015), and a population density of 3.87 people per km² in 2013, Canada is considered a sparsely populated country.

Canada is sparsely populated due to the following reasons:

• many mountainous areas eg. Canadian Rockies close to the west coast
• permafrost in the Northern areas (high latidtudes) so land is too cold for agriculture
• snow and ice make transport difficult, especially in less developed areas (ie. the inner provinces of Canada)

Canada: Population distribution

The population of Canada is clustered in the Southern areas; because, the cold Arctic climate makes cultivation impossible and it is rather unpleasant to live in those cold areas. Also, more people live in Eastern areas, since the West has mountainous areas such as the Canadian Rockies that are too steep to farm on easily and challenging for construction and transport.

Russia: Population decline

Russia has a population growth rate of -0.3%. This has been caused by factors like:

• high death rate of 13 deaths per 1000, particularly due to alcohol-related deaths
• low fertility rate of 1.6 children per woman
• high rates of abortion
• low levels of immigration
• underuse of health facilities, resulting in rising costs
• education cannot be sustained in all areas (particularly sparsely populated)
• resources not fully exploited, leading to lower GDP
• lack of workers may result in economic recession
• pro-natal population policies, eg. financial support for parents who choose to have a second child
• robotisation/development of tertiary sector to prevent lack of workers

Uganda: High population growth rate

Uganda has a population growth rate of more than 3% due to its high birth rate of 44 births per 1000 people per year. This has been caused by factors such as:

• low socio-economic status of women
• low educational levels, especially among females
• early marriage
• low use of contraception due to limited access and poverty
• political statements encouraging more babies as some areas in Uganda have a low population density

Problems of high population growth:

• Health sector faces human and infrastructural shortages
• Primary education could not be sustained in all areas
• Insufficient employment opportunities, especially for poorly educated
• Threatens agricultural modernisation as population pressure increases deforestation, soil erosion and land degration
• Pressure on resources, especially in urban areas

Solutions to reduce population growth:

• Widespread availability of contraception
• Universal access to education, jobs and health care and female emancipation
• Promotion of scientific and technical development (tertiary sector)
• Promotion of new modes of production (modernisation and commercialisation of agriculture)
• Growth with equity/sustainable development

For more information visit: Population growth rate in Uganda

Uganda: Youthful population

In 2014, 48.7% of Uganda’s population were young dependents under the age of 15.

• high fertility rate (many children per woman) and high birth rate
• high infant mortality rate encourages more births so some will survive
• children considered social and economic asset

• few old dependents that have to be supported
• possibly a large workforce in future
• Overpopulation if growth is not regulated, resulting in overcrowding, construction of shanty towns, lower standard of life, increased pollution, depletion of resources and food shortages (which encourage deforestation resulting in soil exhaustion and lower yields), as wells as future unemployment
• Stress on tax payers to support young dependents and finance development of necessary infrastructure

United Kingdom: Ageing population

The percentage of elderly dependents (+65 years) has increased by 3% from 15% in 1980 to 18% in 2014.

• Elderly people can share skills and knowledge to train the younger generation
• Elderly people promote the development of grey economies (such as health care, specialised facilities, other facilities desired by elderly, etc.)

An increase in the percentage of elderly dependents is a strain on the working population as higher taxation is required to support the pensions of the elderly and to fund services such as health care and specialised homes. Government-funded pensions may have to shrink to cover everybody, leaving many people with less to spend (and some in poverty). In contrast, services for younger people , such as schools, are underused . These services may then have to close (eg. Woodly School in North Yorkshire which shut in 2012 due to a lack of students). As a result, some people may be left unemployed. Also, there are not enough economically active people, causing a lack of workforce and making it harder to defend the country.

HIV/AIDS: Botswana

Botswana is a landlocked country, north of South Africa. UNAIDS estimates that 400,000 people in Botwana live with HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus).

HIV/AIDS is transferred through bodily fluids. In Botswana, this occurs mainly during sexual intercourse or from mother to child during pregnancy. AIDS can also spread via contaminated blood transfusions or contaminated needle use (usually in drug users).

As a LEDC country Botswana is particularly vulnerable to HIV because of:

• poor sex education (people are unaware of the consequences of unprotected sex)
• low availability of contraception: many people have unprotected sex
• low status of women: women can not disapprove of unprotected sex, as they are perceived as child bearers
• low availabilty of medical treatment and testing: many people are unaware that they are infected so the disease spreads easily
• poverty: few people can afford anti-retroviral drugs to control the severity of the symptoms

Consequences of HIV/AIDS:

• High death rate and lower life expectancy, especially in economically active population
• Falling birth rate due to abstinence (fear of becoming infected), so people have less children
• Decreased labour pool reduces agricultural and industrial output, causing food shortages and poverty, thus preventing economic growth
• AIDS education programme: used mass media to reach 500,000 students and teach them about HIV/AIDS
• Offering free condoms to population
• Improvements in HIV testing and anti-retroviral drugs in government clinics

For more information visit: https://www.patana.ac.th/Secondary/Geography/IB/Population/AIDs%20Botswanna.htm

Syria to Germany: International Refugee Migration

Approximately 13 million Syrians are escaping the war between the Assad regime and non-state armed forces, 800,000 of which have come to Germany so far.

Many are fleeing from barrel bombings and shootings that have destroyed their houses and killed family members. Also, the refugees are attempting to avoid political persecution, as the goverment has arrested and tortured civilians who they think could be working against them. Others are emigrating to prevent being abused by radically religious groups such as IS, who have trained child soldiers and organised kidnappings and extrajudicial executions .

Many seek asylum in Germany, because the country provides economic stability as the current unemployment rate is low, and many sectors will be looking for suitable workers as Germany’s population continues to age. Besides, Germany is perceived as a country that protects and promotes human rights, offering food, shelter and language courses to refugees .

Rural Settlement (LEDC): Korodegaga village

Korodegaga village – near Addis Ababa in Ethiopia – consists of nine small hamlets with 1400 people in total.

The area was first settled in th 20th century because of:

• water supply from two rivers
• flat, fertile soil for cultivation
• extensive forests for building and firewood

Services provided include: a grain mill, mosques and schools. Villagers walk to the neighbouring towns of Dera and Bofa to access a local market and shops.

Braunschweig: Settlement size and service provision

Braunschweig is a district in Lower Saxony, Germany, with a population of around 250,000 inhabitants. The majority ofinhabitants live in the city of Braunschweig, which has the best provision of services (more than 20 schools, 5 hospitals, and a dense network of public transport, which includes, busses, trains and trams). In contrast, the village of Querum, which is also part of the district of Braunschweig, has a population of around 6000 inhabitants only has one doctor’s surgery, and one primary school, as it does not have the threshold population to support higher-order services.

Rural settlement (MEDC): Hötzum, Lower Saxony, Germany

Hötzum has a population of around 900 people. Its function is mainly residential, with most people working in the nearby cities of Braunschweig and Wolfenbüttel.

Map  by: OpenStreetMap und Mitwirkende Source: OpenStreetMap Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0 Mapicons by: Nicolas Mollet Source: Maps Icons Collection Licence: CC BY SA 3.0

The area was first known to be settled by farmers in the 11th century and by the 18th century, the village had 4 arable farms, a shepherd and 6 horsefarms.

The area was initially settled because of:

• water supply from the Hötzumerbach and the Feuergraben
• flat, fertile land for arable and pastoral farming
• extensive forests which provided many logfelling opportunities

Currently there are very few services available (only a church, a community hall, a sports field and a volunteer fire brigade), but villagers can access the neighbouring village of Sickte for basic services and the cities of Wolfenbüttel and Braunschweig for all other needs.

Urban settlement: New York

Currently, New York is the largest city in the US, with a population of around 8 million people.

Site and situation:

• at a sheltered, natural harbour formed by Hudson river, which provided safe, deep anchorage and an extensive waterfront for the development of docks
• Hudson river allowed for transport and communication
• rocky ridge on Island of Manhatten allowed for easy defence

CBD’s:

• Downtown Manhatten: Wall Street (finance district of New York)
• Midtown Manhatten: tourist district, including Fifth Avenue (shopping), Broadway (theatre), hotels, Empire State Building, Chrysler and United Nations Buildings

Urban problems:

• Urban sprawl (middle class moves to the outer areas and lower-income families move into the inner city): due to population growth, relocation of businesses to suburbs for cheaper land and better accessibility
• Poverty and unemployment : around 1 million citizens receive welfare support due to unemployment and poor education caused by a decline in the clothing and harbour induestries in the 1980’s
• Urban decay and housing problems
• Racial conflicts due to a large number of immigrants that become trapped in poverty
• Air pollution as there are too many cars that release toxic exhaust fumes
• Traffic congestion as there are too many vehicles on the road and due to bottlenecks linking various New York Islands
• Water pollution from oil spills

Solution schemes:

• Reduction in air pollution by fitting catalytic converters to the exhausts of diesel city busses and developing a biodiesel plant in Brooklyn to distribute biodiesel to filling stations in the city.
• Reducing energy consumption by using more efficient street light and traffic lights, using renewable energy sources (wind, underwater turbines) to power homes and public buildings
• Waste management plan using barges and trains to export 90% of the city’s waste

Employment structure: Netherlands

Employment in the Netherlands is shifting more and more towards a service-based economy, while the proportion of people working in the primary and secondary sectors is at an all-time low.

While just under 7% of the workforce was employed in agriculture in 1970, this number has dipped to just under 2% in 2020, as machines and new technology have replaced the need for manual labour. Employment in industrial manufacturing and production has also fallen, in this case from over 35% to around 15% of the workforce. This comes as the country outsourced much of its manufacturing to China and East-Asia, and focussed more on highly specialist and complex services. Today, the country is home to several world-leading universities including TU Delft and the University of Amsterdam, and boasts many SaaS start-ups and software companies in urban areas like Amsterdam and Rotterdam. The growth of the tertiary sector may also be explained by favourable tax policies that encourage large service-dominated businesses to relocate to the Netherlands, along with a progressively more skilled workforce, as the number of university graduates has increased substantially between 1950 and 2020.

Squatter settlement in Rio de Janiero

Rio de Janiero is the second largest city in Brazil and has a population of 6 million people, of which nearly 17% – 1 million people- are favela-dwellers, living in the slums (called favelas) due to the extremely uneven distribution of wealth.

There are many problems for the shanty town inhabitants:

• Landslides: As the flat land in Rio de Janiero is inhabited by wealthier communties, most favelas are constructed on the mountainous slopes, where landslides are a common occurence (particularly due to excessive deforestation for firewood)
• Housing is made from scrap material which is vulnerable to flooding
• No clean water supply can lead to diseases such as typhoid, cholera or TB
• Sanitation is undeveloped or non-existent, eg. in Rocinha sewage flows down a large channel in the middle of houses. This allows disease to spread and may attract mosquitoes which are responsible for sicknesses such as malaria
• No proper electricity supply leads to dangerous tapping of electricity from the city’s power net
• Illegal activities and high crime rates due to many drug dealers, gangs and murderers

Slum upgrading strategies include :

• Increasing property rights (providing favela residents with titles to their home)
• Improving access to electricity and clean drinking water
• Local trash collection scheme: a bag of trash can be exchanged for a gallon of milk
• To reduce likelidehood of crime and improve education: toyguns can be exchanged for  comic books

Change in land use and resulting conflict: Stuttgart

In the German city of Stuttgart, the rail network is being redesigned as part of the urban development project Stuttgart 21. The construction of new rail tracks means that some of the surrounding land which was previously used for housing and agriculture is now being used for transportation purposes. This has caused significant conflict between proponents and opponents of the projects. Those in favour of the project argue that it aids urban development, as the new transport network with a high-speed railway track improves economic and social mobility. Meanwhile, those opposing the project argue that it damages the environment by contaminating groundwater, destroys historical monuments and devalues private property in the vicinity of the new railway line. Additionally, they point that the project blocks other transport network extensions in the state of Baden-Württemberg. Because of these different perspectives, Stuttgart 21 is so controversial that it has sparked regular, sometimes even violent, protests in the city.

Volcano: Eyjafjallajökull, Iceland, 2010

Image from: http://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfmvn=372020.

Eyjafjallajökull is a stratovolcano in Iceland, located approximately 125 km SE of the capital Reykjavik. It is found along the Mid-Atlantic ridge, where new earth crust is created.

Lava eruptions in March 2010 were followed by an explosive eruption on April 14th 2010.The lava flows damaged many homes and roads and services were disrupted due to evacuation measures.

Flooding was caused as glacial ice melted and torrents of water were flowing down the slopes of the land. Also, ash covered large plots of agricultural land, damaging the crops.

The massive ash cloud blocked air traffic in large parts of Europe for several days, leaving tourists and business people stranded at their destinations.

Immediate responses included an emergency evacuation of more than 800 people. Longterm responses are the reconstruction of damages houses and roads and research on the effect of ash on air planes.

Earthquake: Haiti, 2010

On the 12th of January 2010 a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti, the epicentre of the quake being merely 15 km SW of the capital city, Port-au-Prince.

Stress building up along the conservative margin between the North American Plate and the Carribean plate was released by slippage along the fault running parallel to the plate boundary south of Port-au-Prince. The major earthquake was followed by several aftershocks up to a magnitude of 5.0 on the Richter scale.

The earthquake resulted in approximately 230,000 deaths (massive loss of life), destruction of 180,000 homes and around 5,000 schools. It left 19 million cubic metres of debris in Port-au-Prince and many services were badly disrupted or destroyed. A major secondary effect was widespread chlora due to polluted drinking water.

Haiti suffered so much because of the widespread poverty that left more than 80% of the population in poorly constructed, high density concrete buildings. Lack of stable goverment and medical infrastructure limited search and rescue efforts. Furthermore, the earthquake had a shallow focus, resulting in severe ground shaking, and the epicentre was located close to the densely populated capital.

Short-term responses to the earthquake included search and rescue efforts, as well as the the import of food, water and shelter from the USA and Dominican Republic. Longterm responses included reparation of three-quaters of the damaged buildings. Besides, migration was common as people moved away to stay with their families. Also, people received cash or food in exchange for public reconstruction work and the World Bank pledged $US100m to support the reconstruction and recovery.

Tropical storm: Katrina, 2005

Hurricane Katrina was one of the deadliest hurricanes ever to hit the United States.

How did Katrina form?

• Levees failed to resist the force of the waves, causing 80% of New Orleans to become flooded
• More than 1000 people lost their lives
• Half a million houses were damaged in the Gulf Coast region
• Services in New Orleans were badly disrupted: no electricity, gas and sewage system for 6 months after the event
• $ 10.5 billion of immediate financial aid for the victims
• In the first two weeks after the storm, the Red Cross had brought 74,000 volunteers who provided shelter to 160,000 evacuees
• International aid from over 50 countries
• Rebuilding levees destroyed by Katrina

Tsunami in the Indian Ocean, 2004

On December 26th 2004, a tsunami occured in the Indian Ocean.

The tsunami was the direct consequence of a 9.0 magnitude earthquake that was caused by tension along the subduction zone of the Indo-Australian and Eurasian plates. This rupture triggered massive waves that reached an altitude of up to 30m.

The tsunami resulted in 250,000 deaths, with 170,000 fatalities in Indonesia alone. 13 countries were affected by the powerful waves, and an estimated total of 2 million people have been displaced, as their houses have been destroyed.

Created by Cantus

Short term responses included search and rescue efforts in the local communities, while internationally, people sent donations to help those in need.

An early warning system has been developed to predict future tsunamis in the Indian Ocean.

Coastal problems and opportunities: Wadden Sea Islands

The Wadden Sea provides a large diversity of fish species and other seafood animals, making fishery an important industry for the local communities. Besides, tourism is well established in the area, with around 800,000 visitors annually on the Dutch island of Texel alone.

By Aotearoa (Own work)  CC-BY-SA-3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

However, the area is threatened by storm tides, particularly in fall and winter, which may cause floods that damage the unique ecosystem. Furthermore, the continuous eastward shift of the islands has eroded their westmost regions, endangering settlements such as West-Terschelling, which may submerge in future.

Coastal management strategies to protect the islands include dune grass planting and dune fencing. The newly planted grass traps and hold sand thereby reducing coastal erosion and encouraging the formation of new dunes. This makes the islands less vulnerable against erosion from storm surges.

Coral reef: Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier reef is located along the Pacific shores, where water temperatures are above 20°C. The reef grows in shallow areas (not more than 60 m deep) in the Coral sea, off the Australian coast, east of Cairns. It grows in clear water that is free of sediment so sunlight can pass through.

The Great Barrier reef is threatened by global warming, which increases coral bleaching. Besides, declining water quality (due to agricultural run-off from the rivers of North-Eastern Australia and oil from ships in discarded in the Coral Sea) pollutes the ecosystem. Also, overfishing destroys food chains and disbalances the symbiotic relationships. Furthermore, tourists may destroy parts of the reef when they go diving or reef-walking.

Management strategies:

The Australian government has made the Great Barrier reef a protected area by declaring it a marine park. The GBRMPA (Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority) is the ogranisation who looks after the reef and protects it from human threats while allowing sustainable development to take place. The Marine Park Authority gives out permits for fishing, diving and more and has boats patrol the area to prevent illegal activity. Tourists are educated about how their trip affects the reef and they are not allowed in certain sensitive areas. Also, fines of up to US$ 1 million can be forced on companies that pollute the fragile ecosystem.

Pollution in the North Sea

The North Sea is polluted by oil spillages from tankers in the Thames estuary washing out their tanks. As a result, oil clogs up the gills of fish, casuing them to die. Spillages also pollute the beaches along the British coast (eg. near Essex), which reduces the number of tourists. Besides pollution occurs through the disposal of untreated sewage from large urban areas such as Rotterdam, possibly possessing a human health risk along the Dutch coast. Also, pollutants from industrial waste in the Rhine river may be washed into the sea.

By Halava CC BY-SA 3.0

A spit: spurn head, holderness coast, uk.

Spurn head  is a sand and shingle ridge that extends from the headland south of Easington. It has been formed along the Holderness coast under the influence of prevailing winds from the North which result in wave refraction. Subsequently, longshore drift transports the coastal sediments, which deposit in the sheltered mouth of the Humber estuary.

Spurn Head, Holderness Coast

Ynyslas Dunes, Wales, UK

The Ynyslas Dunes in Wales have been formed by deposition, which occured as energy of winds blowing from Cardigan Bay was reduced. Westerly onshore winds picked up dry sand from the wide beach at the estuary of the Dovey (Dyfi) river. Obstructions on the beach caused a sheltered area. Maram grass colonised dunes and trapped further sand.

Bangladesh: Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta

The Ganges Delta in Bangladesh is the most populous river delta in the world. Around 30% of its population work in agriculture, as rice cultivation is well developed due to the fertile soils. Also, fishing is very prominent, as the distributaries are colonised by shrimps. However, the Ganges Delta is threatened by floods, especially from heavy rainfall during the monsoon season and icewater runoff from the slopes of the Himalaya.

Image of Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta from NASA

Water supply: colorado river basin.

The Colorado river originates from the Rocky Mountains, passing through 7 states before reaching Mexico. It is estimated that 40 million people rely on water from the 2,300 km long stream for domestic, agricultural and industrial purposes. Many dams and canals have been built to control this extreme demand; therefore, the Colorado river is one of the most controlled rivers in the world.

By Shannon, CC BY-SA 4.0-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0

In 1922, the Colorado River Compact was introduced to divide the water supply between the states of the Upper and Lower Basin of the river, with each group being allocated 9.25 trillion litres of water each year. In 1944, a treaty was introduced to guarantee 1.85 trillion litres to Mexico.

Despite all these management agreements, problems over the river’s resources have arisen, because:

• River was commited to deliver 20.35 trillion litres per year, but only brought about 17.25 trillion litres anually
• Evaporation from lakes has remove 2.5 trillion litres, and even less during periods of drought
• Demand for water has increased, due to population growth and more irrigation for farmland.

Environmental problems:

• Alluvium becomes trapped behind dams (eg. Hoover Dam), damaging the delta and wetland ecosystem at the mouth of the Colorado river
• Salinity has increased in the lower basin, altering the ecosystem
• Reduction in the population of fish, shrimps and sea mammals

Resource management strategies:

• Reducing leakage from broken pipes
• Use of grey water in domestic homes
• Domestic conservation
• Improving irrigation (using drip irrigation) or growing crops with a lower demand for water
• Extraction water from ground water supplies
• Desalinisation of water from the Pacific ocean

(Information from: Greenfieldgeography )

China: Three Gorges Dam

The Three Gorges Dam is located near Yichang on the Yangtse River in China. It is approximately 180 m high and 2.3 km wide and has taken almost 17 years to construct.

The dam has protected 10 million people from flooding and its 32 generators provide energy for 60 million people (each generagtor produces as much energy as a small nuclear powerplant), enabling China to reduce its dependency on coal. It also allows shipping above the Three Gorges and has 6-folded the water traffic capacity. Also, the dam has created many jobs.

  Model of the Three Gorges Dam

However, the dam meant that 1 million people had to be moved to accomodate the reservoir and power stations. The Three Gorges Dam also interferes with aquatic life, being a major threat to the White Flag Dolphin, which is already at risk from extinction. Furthermore, the large masses of silt transported by the Yangtse deposit behind the dam, which reduces the storage capacity of the reservoir. Besides, the dam lies on a fault line and could be badly affected by an earthquake.

Central European floods 2013

Extreme flooding in Europe began after heavy rainfall in May and early June 2013. Precipitation at the northern rim of the Alps exceeded 300mm over four days. This, along with an already high soil moisture from the wet spring weather, gave rise to severe flood discharges in the Danube and Elbe rivers. Many dykes failed due to the pressure from the water masses, worsening the situation. Flash flooding was recorded in Warsaw as a result of a heavy thunderstorm.

25 fatalities have been recorded due to the 2013 floods. Thousands of people were evacuated in Germany, the Czech Republic and Austria. The total devastation amounted to 12billion €, with crop losses acounting for 1billion € worth of damage.  River traffic was blocked for several weeks and many railway lines were closed due to flood damage and landslides.

By Honza Groh (Jagro) (Own work) CC BY-SA 3.0

Short-term responses included search and rescue efforts and emergency evacuations. Members of the Red Cross built shelter camps for displaced residents. Military soldiers established sand bag walls to control the Elbe and Danube rivers and protect buildings in areas such as Dresden and Passau. In some rural regions, levees were destroyed to allow the water to escape onto flood plains and prevent uncontrolled damage downstream.

The governments of Germany, Austria and the Czech Republik are investigating into longterm measures to reduce the aftermath of future floods. Suggestions include reducing construction activities on flood plains and creating spillways to divert part of the flow in case of high discharge. Some dykes will be raised and stabilised to protect particularly vulnerable regions.

2011 East African Drought

The 2011 drought in Ethiopia,Djibouti, Kenya and Somalia was caused by the La Nina phenomenon, an ocean current in the Pacific which increased the intensity of westerly winds in the Indian ocean, pulling moisture away from East Africa and towards Australia and Indonesia.

• Most crops failed and 60% of cattle perished due to a lack of water
• Severe food crisis: lots of people suffer from starvation or malnourishment
• Thousands fled to refugee camps in hope of food aid from other countries, but many people died of starvation or disease en route

India: Thar Desert, Rajastan

The Thar Desert is dry as hot air rises at the equator and cools. The moistureholding capacity decreases; it rains. As the air moves away from the equator by advection, it cools and sinks at the tropics (where the desert is located). The sinking air warms up and its moisture-holding capacity increases, so the area is very dry. With the low humidity, there are few clouds to reflect the sunlight and as there is no evaporative cooling, most of the sunlight warms the ground surface, creating hot temperatures.

Vegetation:

Low precipitation and temperatures of up to 53°C result in scattered vegetation that has adapted to the extreme conditions. For instance, the Ber tree has a rapidly developing taproot system to survive in drought conditions. However, exept for a few trees, the desert is home to thorny bushes and shrubs. These have spiky leaves to reduce rates of evapotranspiration. Xerophilious grass has a small surface area to reduce water loss. Some species als remain dormant during long dry spells.

The Thar Desert is threatened by excessive irrigation which leads to salinization. Therefore plants can not take up water from th soil, as the soil has greater concentrations of solute than the roots. Soil quality is also decreasing as manure is used as an alternative fuel for firewood rather than to sustain nutrient-rich, fertile soils. Furthermore, population pressure results in overcultivation and overgrazing, especially around cities like Jodhpur and Jaisalmer, damaging the natural vegetation. The desert environment is also threatened by tourist attractions such as dune bashing. The toyotarisation disturbs animals, kills vegetation and creates dust stroms. Also, tourists may dump waste in the desert, poisoning flora and fauna.

Tropical Rainforest in Borneo

Borneo has experienced the fastest tropical rainforest clearance in the world. While 94 % of the island’s land was covered by forest in 1950, less than half of it remains today (44.5% in 2010).

The rainforest has been cleared for the following reasons:

• to boost Malaysia’s economy by exporting timber for furniture and paper production
• population pressure : Indonesia’s transmigration programme caused people to move from overcrowded islands as Java to relatively sparsely populated areas as Kalimantan
• to build palm oil plantations
• HEP : forest clearance to provide space for a reservoir in Sarawak (Malaysian Borneo)
• coal mining in Kalimantan

By T. R. Shankar Raman (Own work) CC BY-SA 4.0

Effects of clearance:

• atmospheric pollution – burning of forest releases enermous masses of ash and smoke
• global warming due to the release of Co2 from burning forests and reduction in carbon sink (as burnt trees do not absorb CO2 by photosynthesis)
• loss of biodiversity : loss of plant species through deforestation
• destruction of habitat: some species (eg. orang-utans) are unprotected due to lower forest cover
• loss of soil fertiliy : soil degration due to soil erosion and leaching
• Afforestation/reforestation and selective logging
• Promoting rainforests as destinations for ecotourism , enabling the undisturbed environment to create a source of income for local people without it being damaged or destroyed
• World-wide initiatives including debt-for-nature swaps: debt relief for retaining rainforests

Tourism in Lanzarote

With more than 2 million visitors annually,  tourism represents the major pillar of Lanzarote’s economy

• Climate: average water temperature of 20°C, and average air temperature of 21°C, very little rainfall and 8.5 hours of sunshine each day
• Numerous luxury and package hotels on beaches eg. Playa Blanca
• Jameos del Agua: an underground lagoon in a lava tube
• Timanfaya National Park
• El Golfo: an emerald green lake situated at the base of a crater on the west coast of the island
• Cueva de los Verdes
• Cactus Garden by Cesar Manrique
• Since the 1980’s , package holidays have created a source of income to promote the development of basic infrastructures, such as the extension of the airport runway to allow for international flights
• Employment opportunities in tourist industries eg. hotels, gastronomy, transport, tour guides

Disadvantages:

• Import leakage to fulfil tourist demands such as food, because only few types of vegetation can thrive on Lanzarote’s arid, volcanic soils

  Ecotourism in Belize

With 245 000 tourists annually, in 2007, over 25% of all jobs were in tourism, which made up over 18% of Belize’s GDP.

Primary and secondary attractions:

• Mangrove swamps
• Mountain pine forests and tropical rainforests
• Archaeological sites eg. Mayan civilization
• Wildlife reserves eg. Coxcomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary

How tourist demands are managed:

• Belize Tourist board, Ministry of Tourism and private sector
• Community Baboon Sanctuary to preserve forest habitat and howler monkeys: sustainable farming to increase yield and services for tourists

Problems/Threats:

• Waste dumping and financial leakage due to cruise tourism
• Overfishing
• Coral damage and eutrophication of freshwater from fertilizer runoff
• conserve world heritage site of barrier reef
• increase knowledge of country’s ecosystems through training programmes
• reduce concentration of tourists in specific areas
• support planning and development of a buffer zone
• stricter regulations on cruise ships to reduce waste dumping
• persuade cruise tourists to spend more time on land

Maldives: Tourism as a development strategy

The Maldives are located south-west of India in the Indian ocean and consist of more than 1000 islands.

Tourism accounts for 28% of the Maldives’ GDP and more than 60% of its foreign exchange receipts.

Natural attractions:

• sea-sun-sand combination

Man-made attractions:

• luxury resorts and suites eg. Taj Exotica Resort and Spa on South Male Atoll
• Grand Friday Mosque in Male attracts religious tourists
• Water provided by desalination of sea water
• Energy produced by generators
• Waste dumped in landfill sites or sea (this problem is addressed by the compulsory installation of incinerators, bottle crushers and compactors in all resorts)
• Import leakage due to poor agricultural potential and no economic minerals
• External shocks: sea-level rise, tsunamis, terrorism, etc.
• Depletion of natural resources and climate change

How tourism in damaging the natural environment:

On the Maldives, tropical coconut palms are destroyed for building hotels. Consequently, the ecosystem is threatened as food chains are destroyed or disrupted. For example, lizards loose their natural habitat. Animals are also scared away by traffic. Besides, a ferry from Male every 10 minutes pollutes the seas, threatening the corals. The reefs are also destroyed as tourists take samples home and leave litter on the beaches that may kill reef fish. The atmosphere is polluted by the incineration of waste.

• Encourage linkage between tourism and other sectors as construction, manufacturing and transport (multiplier effect)
• Encourage foreign investment in the development of new resorts
• Increase employment
• Encourage solar and wind power

Global warming management: Maldives

The Maldives are located in the Indian Ocean, only 1,5 m above sea level on average, with 80% percent of the land below 1m.

By Giorgio Montersino on Flickr Licence: CC-BY-SA-2.0

Global warming is a substantial threat to the Maldives, as an increase in temperatures leads to the melting of icebergs, causing sea level rise that may submerge the island group.

The Maldivian Government has built a 3m high sea wall that surrounds the island of Male, to protect it from flooding and preserve its beaches. The sea wall was funded by the Japanese government.

Also, the Maldives plan to be a carbon neutral country by 2019. In other words, they try to avoid adding Co2 to the atmosphere, as carbon dioxide is considered to be responsible for global warming. This should be accomplished by encouraging the development of solar and wind energy.

Fuelwood in Mali:

Image from: Flickr by M Poudyal on 6. April 2007

For local people: The large-scale deforestation that is required to  supply for sufficient energy is problematic, as this energy source is likely to run out if not enough trees will be planted. Besides, deforestation requires people to travel farther to collect enough fuelwood. Deforestation also exposes the soil (as trees cannot trap it) so soil erosion is likely to occur. Furthermore, the burning of fuelwood releases toxic gases which may be trapped in the houses, causing breathing problems or even carbon monoxide poisoning.

Environmental: The widespread deforestation has reduced the humidity of the already dry region, as less plants release water by evapotranspiration.  Also, less roots are anchored in the soil, so the soil is more likely to be eroded. Furthermore, soil salinization is increased, as the cut-down trees no longer provide shade for the soil and the hot temperatures-caused by the desert climate of the Sahel- draw water out of the soil. As an increased soil concentration is poisonous to a large variety of plant species, the natural vegetation will be less likely to grow, and crop cultivation may be hampered.

Two other case studies on fuelwood:

http://geography-student.blogspot.de/2012/06/fuelwood-issues-with-usage-possiblities.html

Geothermal energy in Iceland:

Iceland is located along the Mid-Atlantic ridge, a divergent boundary where heat from the core of the Earth rises to the surface. The energy produced from this heat equates to around 30% of Iceland’s electricity production.

Cold water is pumped down to the igneous rock layers, where it is heated by contact with the hot rocks. The hot water is then piped up and the heat energy is converted to electricity.

Positive aspects:

• emission-free
• sustainable and potentially infinite
• 3/4 of the population live near geothermal sources (in the south-west of Iceland, near Reykjavik)

Negative aspects:

• obstruction that consumes land
• visual pollution
• regional limitations
• may release dangerous underground gases

(More information on: http://www.markedbyteachers.com/gcse/geography/iceland-geothermal-energy-case-study.html )

Solar power in India

India is particularly suitable for solar power due its large mass of land and its tropical location. Besides, solar power is considered a successful means to address India’s development problems.

Advantages of solar power:

• safe and pollution-free
• great potential in rural areas that are isolated from the national electricity grids eg. Dharnai village
• can be used effectively for low power uses as central heating

Disadvantages of solar power

• ineffective in high latitude countries and cloudy areas
• high initial capital input
• less effective for high output uses

Future plans:

• establishing an airport that relies solely on solar power in Cochin
• developing 50 solar cities
• creating world’s largest solar power station in Madhya Pradesh

Wind energy in Germany

Around 9% of the energy produced in Germany comes from wind turbines located both on shore and off-shore (in the North Sea and Baltic Sea).

Wind farms have been built in Germany starting from the 1990s, when awareness of Co2 as a contributing factor to global warming increased.

Primarily, the government fostered the production of onshore wind energy, as technical challenges prevented off-shore farms. The onshore farms were recognised as a cheap form of renewable energy, which does not contribute to air pollution, global warming or acid rain. On the other hand, people did not want to live near wind farms, as these were considered a form of visual pollution.

This issue was resolved by the development of off-shore farms, which are also more productive as there is more wind out at sea. However, the required network capacities for transmitting the power generated in the North Sea to the large industrial consumers in southern Germany have not yet been constructed.

Energy Supply in China

China sources most of its energy from non-renewable sources, with coal-powered plants accounting for roughly 65% of the country’s energy supply in 2020, according to data from the International Energy Association . Renewable sources accounted for another 30% of the country’s energy mix. In China, hydropower is the most-widespread source of renewable energy, and the country boasts many dams, including the Three Gorges Dam, which is the largest dam in the world. Wind, nuclear energy and solar power are also becoming more important as the country aims to transition to cleaner and more efficient energy sources, following the president’s call for an energy revolution.

Plantation: Rubber farming in Malaysia

Plantations are large farms producing a single cash crop (monoculture).

• tropical climate (21-28°C,  around 2000mm rainfall)
• Chinese and Indian labour imported to increase labour force
• location: lower mountain slopes forming the backbone of Malay peninsula; near railway lines and main port

• Planting in germination beds
• Tapping 5-7 years after planting to collect latex
• Latex is coagulated using acid
• Raw rubber washed and rolled to remove acid ad moisture
• Rubber is dried and smoked for stabilisation

Extensive commercial farming: Canadian prairies

• deep, fertile Chernozem soils
• large expanse of flat land (nearly 2 million square kilometres) to grow wide variety of cereals such as wheat, oats etc. in the provinces of Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan
• able to use large machinery for harvesting
• below zero temperatures in winter break up soil to allow ease of ploughing
• good railway link to Great Lakes allowing export of cereal crops

Human inputs:

There is a very heavy reliance on machinery for ploughing, planting, spraying the crop and harvesting. A large proportion of expenditure goes toward machinery, chemicals and other equipment. Most of the work can be handled by just a few workers using machines such as combine harvesters and harrows. One or two extra helpers may be hired during planting or harvest time.

from: http://www.geoforcxc.com/economic-activities/wheat-farming-in-canada/

Intensive farming: Rice cultivation in Ganges Valley

• Alluvial (silt) soils
• Large labour force
• Temperatures: >21°C
• Monsoon rainfall and dry spells

• Bufallo manure for fertilising
• Weather conditions such as flooding or drought may threaten rice yields
• Monopoly of land: best farmland is owned by few wealthy people, other land owners struggle to cultivate rice in more difficult conditions, especially as they do not have the technology to increase soil fertility
• Little use of machinery and modern methods
• Food shortages: Overpopulation results in overcultivation on flood plains, leading to soil exhaustion and lower yields

Information from: http://geographyfieldwork.com/RiceFarm.htm

Pastoral farming in New Zealand

New Zealand is well known for its agricultural output from sheep farming and dairy farming.

Sheep farming inputs:

• Sheep were brought to New Zealand in the 1800s by British sailors. Initially, the sheep had few natural enemies, so their numbers increased rapidly.
• The sheep are also well adapted to the mild climate and the rich pasture, particularly on the mountainous slopes of South Island.

• Shearing to obtain wool

Sheep farming outputs:

• Meat: beaf and veel
• Sheep manure for fertilizing

Dairy farming inputs:

• Mild climate with high rates of precipitation
• Alluvial and volcanic soils on the flat planes of New Zealand

Dairy farming processes:

Dairy farming outputs:

Subsistence farming: Shifting cultivation in Amazon Rainforest, Brazil

Shifting cultivation is an agricultural practice in which areas of land are cultivated temporarily and abandoned as they become infertile. This allows the land to revert to its natural vegetation and is a sustainable farming technique. Shifting cultivation is mainly practised by indigineous tribes.

Subsistence farming in Lesotho

Lesotho is a landlocked country that borders South Africa. It relies heavily on subsistence farming, with an estimated 86% of the country’s population growing their own crops and maintaining livestock.

Subsistence farming is common in the lowlands northwest of Maseru, where the terrain is flat and thus suited for the cultivation of crops. In mountainous areas, many farmers also raise livestock to compensate for the lower yields from cultivation on mountain slopes.

Additionally,  subsistence farmers in vast parts of Lesotho raise livestock, which can be sold during drought years when crop yields are low. This provides food security for the farmer’s family.

Food shortages in South Sudan

In South Sudan, nearly 4 million people are severely affected by food shortages.

• Drought: Long-term decline in rainfall in southern Sudan (by 20% since 1970s)
• High population growth (4% in 2013) increases demand for food, so unsustainable farming practices such as overgrazing and overcultivation are used, resulting in land degradation and soil erosion
• Reliance on food imports from neighbouring countries: Uganda, Kenya and Sudan
• Civil war between government and rebel forces disrupts planting and harvesting and insecurity along transport routes has hampered the delivery of food and other humanitarian supplies

Water supply in Puglia, Italy

Puglia is one of the most water-scarce regions in Italy, and has very few fresh streams or natural rivers. Its aquifers are vulnerable to contamination by seawater, and so the area’s inhabitants b uilt a large aqueduct to tap into the fresh drinking water from an underground spring in the Campania region , located more than 160 km away. 

Today, cities in the Puglia region (such as Bari) still receive some of their water for domestic use from this original aqueduct. However, precipitation in the Campania region has become less frequent in recent years, and so less water is draining into the aquifer that feeds the acqueduct.

Therefore, Puglia also gets around 250 million cubic meters of water every year from the neighboring region of Basilicata . The local authorities have even considered piping water in across the Adriatic Sea from Albania, to help the region cope with supply shortages.

Soil erosion in Nepal

25% of Nepalese forest was removed between 1990 and 2005 and this trend continues at a rate of 3% per year.

Causes of land degradation in Nepal:

• Deforestation for fuelwood exposes soil to heavy monsoon rainfalls as there will be less vegetation to protect it, causing it to be washed away by extreme surface runoff. Besides, soil is not held together by tree roots, so it can be eroded by icewater runoff from melting glaciers.
• Soil dries out in areas of low rainfall and strong winds can then remove the loose particles
• Agricultural mismanagemnet: poor farming practises such as overcultivation and overgrazing (which deplete the soil’s nutrients) damage the ground vegetation and result in the compaction of topsoil
• Soil pollution through excessive use of persticides poisons bacteria and fungi and thereby disrupts symbiotic relationships

• Crop rotation prevents depletion of nutrients and replenishes soil fertility
• Contour ploughing rather than ploughing up and down the slopes to prevent rapid run-off, gully formation and loss of soil
• Fuelwood conservation: replacing trees where deforestation has taken place or is going to occur
• Environmental education: restrict tourist visits and demand larger fee for use of heating and cooking facilities; environmental education in schools

Transport risks and benefits: Expansion of Heathrow

Discussions about an expansion of Heathrow Airport, Europe`s busiest airport by passenger traffic, arose in 2006, and still, no final decision has been made, as supporters and opposition have been arguing about the benefits and disadvantages for 10 years.

Benefits of an expansion:

• Enhancing economic growth in the UK: Heathrow functions as a major transport hub for both business travellers and tourists, transporting around 70 million passengers annually
• Benefits for financial services industry in London and other independent firms eg. inflight catering, security services
• Better connectivity to other international cities, as more destinations can be scheduled
• Waiting times would be reduced as the airport operates at a lower capacity
• Construction provides up to 100,000 jobs

Disadvantages of an expansion:

• Increase in emission of greenhouse gases from additional flights
• Community destruction: removal of 4000 houses to make space for a runway
• Increased noise and air pollution in West London due to an increase in flights: roaring airplane engines and their exhaust fumes
• Impact on wildlife

High technology industry: Cambridge Science Park

Cambridge Science Park is a Europe’s largest centre for commercial research and development. It is located near Cambridge in the United Kindom, as Cambridge University provides a large supply of expert labour and allows for the sharing of technology. Besides, a large plot of land (152 acres/61.5 hectares) had been available for a low cost, as the facility is located outside of the urban area around London. Nevertheless, good transport facilities exist, including the M11 motorway link to London for the export of finished products and London Stansted International Airport which allows for worldwide trade.

Manufacturing industry: Pakistan’s Iron and Steel Industry

• flat, cheap land available at Pipri, near Gharo Creek
• near Port Qasim, which has a natural harbour to import raw materials and export steel
• close to market: steel-using industries in Karachi, such as tool making
• energy source from Pipri thermal power station and Karachi nuclear power station
• availability of cheap labour from Karachi
• along a railway: Karachi-Pipri-Kotri and metalled roads
• economic assistance from USSR: technical expertise and capital
• water required for making steel brought from Lake Haleji
• heating of ore to separate iron
• burning coke
• rolling into sheets and cutting into lenghts
• cast iron and pig iron
• gases: sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, hydrogen sulfide
• noise pollution from machinery disturbs wildlife
• visual pollution due to large, ugly factory buildings
• air pollution from burning iron ore, which releases carbon dioxide
• water pollution from contaminated cooling water, scrubber effluent and ships supplying raw materials
• depletion of freshwater supplies due to excessive requirement of water in production
• risk of fire and explosions

MNC: MC Donald’s

MC Donald’s is a company at the forefront of globalisation, with more than 35,000 outlets in 121 countries world wide. Founded in the United States in 1940, the company began as a barbecue restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald. Mc Donald’s employes nearly 2 million people to sell fast food.

• Each new store that is build creates jobs (eg. opening of Mc Donalds at Kennedybrücke in Vienna created 30 new jobs)
• Mc Donalds is involved in youth sports, local charities, and other inspiring events by donating via its charities.
• Salaries vary per country, and are generally low
• Sometimes considered to have poor working conditions

Facebook: A Transnational Corporation and its global links

Facebook is the biggest social network and social media platform in the world, connecting more than 2.8 billion people in the world.

Facebook has close links to businesses all of over the world, as it not only owns the messenger service Whatsapp and the social media platform Instagram, but also offers advertising space through its Facebook Ads service, and allows retailers and people to sell and trade goods in its market place.

In the past, Facebook has also come under fire for data partnerships with other TNCs including, but limited to, Amazon, Microsoft, Yahoo and Spotify. However, amidst privacy concerns, the company has had to reduce the strength of its global links, and is instead shifting towards a slightly more localised global approach.

Nonetheless, Facebook continues to maintain and develop strong global links through mergers and acquisitions, its headquarter location in Silicon Valley near other high-tech, and software firms, and its relationships with goverments and business networks all around the world.

Nike: A multinational company and its impact on less developed countries

Nike is a global sportswear company headquartered in Oregon in the United States. The company employs around 75.000 people around the world, with an additional 500.000 people working for companies to which Nike subcontracts most of its manufacturing in Eastern Asia.

Benefits for LEDCs:

• Nike factories create new jobs in countries like China, Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia, allowing poorer people to earn a wage. The standard of living for many people improves, increasing the ability to access food and quality housing.
• Nike has invested in and promoted the development of transport infrastructure in the areas near the factories. Better roads make it easier for the population to get around, and this has a positive ripple effect on other economic activity.
• Poor health and safety standards are a major threat to people employed in the factories.
• Short-term contracts and payment below the national living wage also have a devastating impact on the local community. For example, in one Cambodian factory that produced apparel for Nike, several women collapsed after working 10 hour days, six days a week , and they reported feeling hungry and exhausted.
• Natural resources such as oil are being overexploited, as they are required for manufacturing. This has a negative impact on the local environment.
• Factories are often footloose. This means Nike could relocate to another less developed area if the local conditions or government policies are deemed unfavourable – with a devastating impact on employment and the local economy.

You can find out more about Nike and its impact on LEDCs here .

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170 thoughts on “ Case Studies ”

October 18, 2021 at 3:54 pm

Thanks for sharing

October 18, 2021 at 9:39 am

can you give case studies for these both:- A country with a high rate of natural population growth A country with a low rate of population growth (or population decline

October 24, 2021 at 9:07 am

Hi Faiza, I already have both of them up on this page. Simply search for “Uganda: High population growth rate” and “Russia: Population decline” Best, Carina

October 24, 2021 at 5:43 pm

thank you very much…. your case studies are very useful…. I Love It ❤❤❤

October 10, 2021 at 10:54 pm

hey. I would like to thank you for the case studies they are really helpful. do you perhaps have a case study that explains why a TNC operates in many countries?

October 16, 2021 at 10:19 am

Hi Victoria, It’s always very hard to say why a certain TNC operates in many different countries, as the decision where to operate is usually made inside the company (and anyone who doesn’t work there can only guess).

That said, TNCs operate in many countries because being international gives them certain advantages, such as: (1) access to a larger potential market – if you operate in more countries, you can serve more customers (2) lower costs – outsourcing labour-intensive activities to countries with lower average wages reduces operational cost (e.g. for Nike, subcontracting manufacturing to Eastern Asian factories is cheaper than producing goods domestically in the US). (3) tax benefits – different countries have different tax rates for various things, so moving a TNCs production or headquarters to that area helps reduce the percentage of revenue that the TNC has to pay tax over. (4) diversification – operating in many countries helps the TNC spread and manage risk. Even if their product or service is no longer desired in one country, they may still be able to offer the same product/service in another market. This makes revenue more stable. (5) To compensate for a shortage of goods, labour or other resources. For example, Cisco outsources software and product development work to India due to the difficulty of finding enough talented developers in the US. (6) To provide 24-hour, 7 days a week customer service – Employing people across different timezones and countries allows TNCs to offer continuous customer support without having to pay a premium to employees for night-time shifts, or weekend-work. I hope this helps. Best wishes, Carina

October 31, 2021 at 2:58 am

Thank you very much

October 7, 2021 at 9:02 am

hey it me again. The case study for water supply should specific like : For a named area or country you have studied, explain how clean water is supplied for domestic use ? thanks in advance again

October 10, 2021 at 9:44 am

Hi Ansh, I’ve just added a case study on water supply for domestic use in the Puglia region in Italy. Hope this helps. Best wishes, Carina

October 7, 2021 at 8:53 am

hey, could u please add a case study for water supply ? Thanks in advance

September 9, 2021 at 3:51 am

Hi! I loved all these case studies, they are all really helpful.I would really appreciate it if you do a case study for this question: For a named example you have studied, describe the impacts of a transnational corporation (TNC) on an LEDC. Thanks in advance:)))

September 12, 2021 at 1:18 pm

Hi Disha, I have just added a case study about Nike and its impact on LEDCs. Hope this helps 🙂 Best wishes, Carina

September 3, 2021 at 3:31 pm

For an economic activity in a named area you have studied, describe how the environmental risks are being managed.

September 12, 2021 at 1:22 pm

Hi Bryan, For this question you can use the case study about tourism in the Maldives, our ecotourism in Belize. If you think anything is missing from those, let me know. Best wishes, Carina

August 27, 2021 at 3:05 pm

Please add case on coral reefs

August 28, 2021 at 2:50 pm

Hi chantel,

I already published a case on coral reefs, or specifically, the Great Barrier Reef

August 25, 2021 at 3:36 pm

How many place specific points are required in an IGCSE case study? Thank you for the case studies they are very helpful.

August 28, 2021 at 2:40 pm

Hi Supandi,

One place specific reference per case study is enough, but I always recommend providing two, just to be on the safe side.

Best wishes, Carina

August 25, 2021 at 3:31 pm

los estudios de caso son muy útiles. Gracias

August 28, 2021 at 2:41 pm

August 4, 2021 at 7:39 pm

Hello, I really like this. Could you please add Energy Supply in China?

August 8, 2021 at 2:44 pm

Hi kwabena,

I’ve just a case study on the energy supply in China.

Hope this helps and best wishes, Carina

July 18, 2021 at 11:09 am

hi…. do you perhaps have a case study on global links for a TNC thanks.

August 8, 2021 at 3:05 pm

Hi Tanatswanashe, I just added the case study about Facebook and its global links. Hope this helps, Carina

June 7, 2021 at 6:07 am

Hi, may i ask where did you get the information for the case study based on canada? like the source? Thank youu

June 8, 2021 at 7:23 pm

Hi amough, I got the information about underpopulation in Canada from a mix of sources, including: https://careers.workopolis.com/advice/help-wanted-the-10-hardest-jobs-for-canadian-employers-to-fill-in-2015/ and https://www.tvo.org/article/the-public-cost-of-a-low-population

June 1, 2021 at 4:15 pm

hi, your case studies are very helpful, but i am getting confused between the igsce an gsce case studies , and the case studies you wrote, should i write everything, for example about the volcano , should i write everything and if yes how can i write this in the space given, more space are needed. and can u please tell me the case study from the river lesson

June 8, 2021 at 7:18 pm

Hi Zubaida, All the case studies on the site are for the IGCSE syllabus, though of course many of them also fit the GCSE syllabi. You don’t have to write all the information, for each case study question, you just need 3 in-depth points that adress thr question + one place-specific reference. I’ve written more on how to answer 7 mark case study questions here: https://igcsegeography.wordpress.com/2016/04/03/score-7-marks-on-case-studies/

Oh and you can find out which case studies you need to study for the rivers section in the IGCSE syllabus.

I hope this helps, but let me know if you need anything else. Best wishes, Carina

May 2, 2021 at 10:03 pm

Hello, for this case study question: “For an economic activity in a named area you have studied, describe how the environmental risks are being managed.”

Is this referring to eco-tourism in Kenya and Belize or a different one? Love the case studies btw 😉

June 8, 2021 at 7:29 pm

Hi karanagrawal,

Yes, you can use the ecotourism case studies for that question.

April 28, 2021 at 7:41 pm

hi! thank you for this amazing website. Could you please help me to find the case study “an area where economic development is taking place and causing the environment to be at risk.”? Thank you so much!

April 29, 2021 at 3:03 pm

Hi Alina, You can find that case study in the comments section in the reply I wrote to tiego about two years ago. Simply search for the word environment in your browser, until you find this comment.

Hope this helps 🙂

Best regards, Carina

April 28, 2021 at 1:35 am

hi carina, thank u so much for your help, your notes have helped me so much during my revision.

i have a question, though: my teacher is only asking us to have half the amount of case studies you have published, so does that mean we won’t have enough case studies to be prepared for the exam? do we need to know all of the case studies mentioned above to be prepared?

my exams are next wednesday, so it would be super helpful to get a reply soon.

April 28, 2021 at 3:05 pm

Hi leia, You don’t need to learn all the case studies that I’ve published. I just like to include lots of examples so everyone will find what they are looking for. Especially because I know lots of students doing GCSEs also visit my site and they have slightly different case studies than IGCSE students. If you are taking your IGCSE geography exam with the CIE exam board, the following document lists all the case studies that you will need to know this year:

Click to access 414139-2020-2022-syllabus.pdf

I hope this helps and best of luck with your exams next week 🙂 Carina

April 17, 2021 at 11:07 am

Hello, a question do you have any case study for “An area where economic development is taking place and causing the environment to be at risk” Thank you!

April 29, 2021 at 3:02 pm

Hi Maria, Please take a look at the comment I wrote to tiego about two years ago. That includes a case study for an area where economic development is taking place and causing the environment to be at risk.

Hope this helps 🙂 Best regards, Carina

April 16, 2021 at 9:44 pm

Help me find this case study: For a named country, explain how and why the employment structure has changed over time.

August 8, 2021 at 3:21 pm

Hi anonymous, I’ve just added case study on the employment structure in the Netherlands. Hope this helps. Best wishes, Carina

April 10, 2021 at 5:30 am

hey ! thank you for your hard work. do you have a case study on the methods used to supply energy?

April 29, 2021 at 3:05 pm

Hi arbanah,

Yes, I do. In the comments section, I replied to Johnny who had the same question as you, and I included a case on energy supply in Germany there. Simply search for ‘importance of different energy sources in Lower Saxony’ and you should be able to find it.

Let me know if you need anything else, and best wishes,

April 6, 2021 at 11:10 am

Hi, Could you kindly provide some useful tips on how to answer a 7 mark geography question. It would be nice if you could give a specific answer on how can one achieve full marks (7/7) for these types of questions. As an example, I am writing the 7 mark question below:

For a named country or area you have studied, describe how energy is supplied. Name of country: Germany

Germany is located in western Europe. It has a population of 82.8 million. Germany is the largest consumer of electricity in Europe. Its main source of power production is coal which accounts for 45% of its energy consumption followed by nuclear(23%) and gas(14%), which are non-renewable. Germany produces energy through coal-fired power stations such as the schwarzes pump power station. Germany has large reserves of coal and gas. The drawback of using coal is the air pollution it causes. Germany also operates in the Isar Nuclear power plant which produces 15% of Bavaria’s electricity. The plant is very efficient as it needs a small amount of uranium to produce a large amount of energy, but there are some negative sides to this too. Radioactive waste is hard to dispose of. Germany has stated that by 2050 it might get its electricity fully from non-renewable sources.

I have another question: – Are the case studies on Z-notes good enough to achieve full marks on these questions.

Best Regards Shehryar

April 29, 2021 at 3:12 pm

Hi Sherry, I have written quite a detailed guide on how to achieve 7 marks in the case study questions here: https://igcsegeography.wordpress.com/2016/04/03/score-7-marks-on-case-studies/

I think your answer is already quite good, because you clearly include place-specific references and mention the most important sources of energy, but to get full marks, I would also mention the growing importance and use of renewable sources. For example, you could mention that because of the risks associated with nuclear plants and the environmental pollution of coal and gas, Germany is focussing on expanding its share of renewable energy supply. You could then say that Gemrany has been developing both on on-shore and off-shore windparks in the North, and is increasingly focussing on solar power by encouraging local citizens and companies to put solar panels and photovoiltaic cells on their rooftops.

April 1, 2021 at 7:28 pm

hi, thank you so much for this website, this is very helpful. and may I ask in case study questions, is it necessary to write some datas? for example if it asks you the problem of something and it contains high death rate, do we have to write what specifically is the death rate? thank you in advance!

April 5, 2021 at 12:16 pm

Hi Annie, You can only get the highest possible score on a case study question, if you provide what the markers call a ‘place-specific reference’. This doesn’t have to be population data like the death rate per sé, but could also be, for example: named parts or settlements in your chosen country, other population statistics, climatic data, specific details about the local infrastructure, etc. So if you know the specific death rate, that would help, but if you forget during the exam, feel free to refer to any other local or regional information that makes sense in the context of your exam question.

I hope this helps, but let me know if you need further clarification.

Best regards,

March 19, 2021 at 11:24 pm

Hi i appreciate every one of these they have helped me a great deal. i would like enquiries which case studies are: Location of industry Coastal erosion Population size and services

March 21, 2021 at 1:28 pm

Hi Esi, 1. The location of industry case study is called “Manufacturing industry: Pakistan’s Iron and Steel Industry” 2. For coastal erosion, please refer to the case study about the Wadden Sea Islands 3. The population size and services case study is called “Braunschweig: Settlement size and service provision” I hope this helps 🙂 Best regards, Carina

March 12, 2021 at 12:02 pm

Hi Carina, My name is Marisa, and i am a Geography teacher. Your compilation of case studies is so impressive and SO HELPFUL! I would love to use these in my class teachings as well and i hope you don’t mind? Thank you for doing this as this is the most challenging part of the Geo papers!

March 19, 2021 at 7:15 pm

Hi Marisa, I’m glad to hear that you like the case studies. Of course you can use them in your teachings! I want to help as many students as possible with this page and you are more than welcome to use or share all of the information. Best wishes, Carina

February 23, 2021 at 2:53 pm

Thanks a lot for this website; it is really helpful.

Can we have a case study for this: For a country you have studied, describe the positive and negative impacts of a named transnational corporation being located there. I wait for a favourable reply.

March 19, 2021 at 7:20 pm

Hi Rihanna,

Thanks a lot for getting in touch. You can use the case study about MCDonalds and apply the information there to the USA.

But let me know if you need more information 🙂

January 17, 2021 at 10:38 am

Hi, can you please check and update the 2-3 case studies which are not there according to the 2020-2021 syllabus? Here’s the link for the syllabaus: https://www.cambridgeinternational.org/Images/414139-2020-2022-syllabus.pdf Also, I would appreiate if you could do this ASAP as I’m giving my IGCSE paper in February 2021.

Thanks and Regards

January 24, 2021 at 12:43 pm

I have just gone through the 2020-2021 syllabus and I can’t find the 2-3 missing case studies that you are referring to. If you can let me know which ones you are missing, I will add or update them as needed.

December 24, 2020 at 7:41 pm

Please explain, For a named country you have studied, explain why it’s natural population growth is high. Which case study could this be??? Thanks

December 29, 2020 at 3:25 pm

For this case study, I would recommend using Uganda as an example. You can find more information about this in the high population growth rate case study.

November 14, 2020 at 7:23 am

Nice article.

October 19, 2020 at 8:08 pm

Hi please may you help me with a farming case study

October 24, 2020 at 10:23 am

Hi Michelle, I have alreadypublished a number of farming case studies including subsistence farming in Lesotho, pastoral farming in New Zealand, intensive farming in the Ganges river valley, rubber farming in Malaysia and extensive commercial farming in the Canadian prairies. But if you feel like a particular type of farming case study is missing, let me know and I’ll add it 🙂 Best wishes, Carina T.

September 16, 2020 at 1:07 pm

Nice content. Can we have a case study for this ?For a named urban area you have studied, describe a change in land use and explain why it has caused conflict.

October 24, 2020 at 10:17 am

Hi Jon, I have now added a case study on a change in land use and why it has caused conflict. All the best, Carina T.

August 26, 2020 at 2:13 pm

What case study is this? : For a named urban area you have studied, describe a change in land use and explain why it has caused conflict. Thank you very much!

October 24, 2020 at 10:18 am

Hi Tommaso, I have now added a case study on the change in land use & why it has caused conflict – it is the one about the city of Stuttgart. Hope this helps 🙂 All the best, Carina T.

August 22, 2020 at 3:21 pm

Hello, This website is amazing and great for revision!!! Thanks a lot! I wanted to ask, is it possible that you check a past paper I’ve done? Thanks in advance 🙂

October 24, 2020 at 9:53 am

Hi Ally, sorry for the delay in my reply. Sure, just send me an email at: igcsegeography[at]web.de, and I’ll check the past paper for you. Best regards, Carina T.

June 20, 2020 at 12:21 pm

For a named country or area you have studied, describe and explain the importance of different sources of energy

July 22, 2020 at 3:10 pm

Dear Johnny,

I’ve already mentioned a fair bit about wind energy in Germany. I’m now expanding on this by addressing the syllabus point you raised.

The importance of different energy sources in Lower Saxony, Germany:

The state of Lower Saxony in Germany relies on a mix of fossil fuels such as oil and gas as well as renewable sources like wind and solar power for energy supply. From 2022 onwards, the state will no longer use nuclear energy, as it decided this was too risky, and a threat to public health, in the aftermath of the nuclear disaster in Fukushima.

Instead, the government is expanding its use of renewable energy by creating onshore and offshore wind farms near the North Sea coast. Additionally, the state is encouraging the development of solar energy through financial incentives and has produced 3 billion kWh of energy from photovoltaic cells in 2015, with plans to further increase solar energy production. This is because the government considers solar energy to be more sustainable than fossil fuels, and because the sunny climate means that solar panels are source of massive energy potential.

The government is also seeking to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels, however, fossil fuels remain an important energy source in winter, when a lack of sunshine and wind may mean that renewable sources alone cannot meet the heightened energy demand.

All the best,

May 12, 2020 at 9:10 pm

make it a pdf with bookmarks its too long though rlly great content

January 21, 2020 at 8:56 am

Thank you very much for the case studies.Really the case studies are covering most of the topics.

Thanks a lot, PRAKASH.K

December 8, 2019 at 5:11 pm

Hey, THANK YOU of the amazing resources but could you also add a case study for uneven population distribution in Australia?

Thank you in advance!!:)))

November 3, 2019 at 6:46 pm

Thank you so much for your effort in putting this up to help us. It’s really been helping me in my geography classes, since it has case studies that the textbook doesn’t have. However, please could you include a case study on attempts to maintain, conserve or improve the natural environment in a country? That’d be great.

Thanks a lot,

November 4, 2019 at 6:18 pm

Dear Sarah,

there are lots of different examples you can choose to talk about where attempts have been made to maintain, conserve or improce the natural environment. Let me give you a case study from my local area:

Restoration of the Wabe River, Germany

The Wabe river flows through the city of Braunschweig and surrounding area. The river has previously been straightened to allow for straighter plots of land for the cultivation of crops. In recent years, the Wabe has been reconstructed to follow its original course. Specifically, logs have been fitted into the river banks at water level to reduce the flow speed of the water. This allows sediments to build up, which then provide suitable breeding space for a number of fish species local to the river. Additionally, trees, shrubs and grass have been planted on the banks of the river to protect wildlife living in the proximity of the river e.g. frogs and toads. The trees also provide shelter to larger animals e.g. rabbits, birds and wolves. Moreover, the area has been concerted into a special ecological zone, with restrictions on hunting, camping and other activities that might disturb the wildlife in the area.

Let me know if you have any questions,

October 30, 2019 at 6:04 am

hie can u put a case study referring to traffic congestion

November 4, 2019 at 6:27 pm

Hi Chantal,

here is my take on traffic congestion Bangladesh:

Traffic congestion is a major problem for the xity of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Insufficent transport infrastructure to cater to the high number of residents results in long delays and crowds as people try to get to work every day. This results in a huge loss of productivity for the local econonmy. Additionally, vehicle emissions contribute to elevated levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the air, which leads to air pollution and often causes smog. Noise pollution is also a major issue, which negatively affects the health and wellbeing of residents living along the main routes into the city.

I hope this helps and let me know if you have any more questions 🙂

August 25, 2019 at 8:29 am

these case studies are really helpful thank you 😊

May 10, 2019 at 2:32 pm

Thank you for the case studies..But can you please add a case study on energy supplies in a country or area. which consists of these points….1)importance of different types of energy 2)how energy is supplied

July 22, 2020 at 3:11 pm

Sorry Ananya for missing your comment. Please see my response to Johnny who asked me a similar question.

April 6, 2019 at 6:52 pm

Thank you so much for all your efforts, they have helped me so much with my revision.

Is it possible that you could include a case study on Settlement and service provision in an area?

Again, thank you so much for these resources!

April 10, 2019 at 11:52 am

Dear Diego,

For a case study on settlement and service provision in an area, feel free to adapt my case studies on a rural settlement (LEDC or MEDC), or to create your own.

In that case what you would need to do would be to choose an area (preferably where you live), and describe the settlement (e.g. population size, location) and it services, and how the two are linked.

But you asked for a case study, let me give you one in this comment 🙂

Settlement and service provision in an area: Braunschweig area

Braunschweig is a district in Lower Saxony, Germany, with a population of around 250,000 inhabitants. The majority ofinhabitants live in the city of Braunschweig, which has the best provision of services (more than 20 schools, 5 hospitals, and a dense network of public transport, which includes, busses, trains and trams). In contrast, the village of Querum, which is also part of the district of Braunschweig, has a population of around 6000 inhabitants only has one doctor’s surgery, and one primary school, as it does not have the threshold population to support higher-order services.

I hope this helps and all the best for your revision.

Regards, Carina

Like Liked by 1 person

November 15, 2018 at 8:54 am

hey, this is very helpful, thank you so much

September 7, 2018 at 3:47 am

Hi… Again May you please add a case study on AN AREA WHERE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IS TAKING PLACE CAUSING THE ENVIRONMEMT TO BE AT RISK. thank you, in advance

September 12, 2018 at 3:35 pm

Dear tiego,

I have not included a case study directly on economic development and its consequences on the environment; however, this part of the syllabus can be inferred from the case study on the tropical rainforest in Borneo.

Specifically, Borneo has been developing economically through the growth of the coal mining industry, which provides employment opportunities, as well as the export of timber for furniture and paper production. This, coupled with the expansion of palm oil plantations, has had damaging effects on the natural enviroment. Specifically, the growing timber market meant that more trees had to be felled to provide sufficient raw material for the industry. As a consequence, many forested areas were burnt, releasing enormous masses of smoke and thereby resulting in atmospheric pollution. The clearance of land for palm oil plantations has contributed to a reduction in biodiversity as a wide range of plant species was lost due to the establishment of a monoculture. Additionally, soil quality declined, not only due to the logging of trees which disrupted the soil nutrient cycle but also as a side effect of coal mining, as this involved the removal of the fertile topsoil layer.

I hope this explanation was clear and useful to you.

August 30, 2018 at 4:10 pm

Case studies are really very helpful, I would suggest to add more case studies. Thank You…

August 18, 2018 at 12:04 pm

Thank you so much! I found this site really helpful 😊👍.

Is it possible for you to upload a case study on High Rate and Low Rate of Natural Population Growth. It’s in the syllabus (code 0460) but not here!

August 23, 2018 at 9:05 am

Dear Fakiha,

For the case study on a high rate of natural population growth, please refer to the case study titled “Uganda: High population growth rate”, as Uganda’s population growth can be attributed to natural factors (birth rate – death rate, rather than migration).

For the case study on a low rate of natural population growth, please refer to the facts and statistics presented under the case study “Russia: Population decline”, as a low rate of natural population growth is causing Russia’s population to fall.

I’m sorry if the titles of my case study were slightly misleading, but I hope that this explanation clears any doubts/confusion you may. Please let me know if you have any further questions.

Best of luck,

August 12, 2018 at 9:37 am

hi may you please add a case studies on subsistance farming… it would really help. thank you, in advance

August 14, 2018 at 2:47 pm

I’ve added a case study on subsistence farming in Lesotho. Please let me know if you need any more info.

Good luck for your geography studies/revision.

May 29, 2018 at 2:11 pm

Thanks a lot for these. They’re very helpful but can you add a case study about urbanisation in Mumbai?

April 5, 2018 at 3:48 am

thank you for sharing such valuable information. I am a teacher and i would love to use these case studies in my class while teaching the topic Population

April 5, 2018 at 5:07 pm

Dear Sheta Mahadevan,

I’m honored that you appreciate my website, and the case studies in particular.

Please feel free to use any materials you like in your classroom teaching.

Please do not hesitate to e-mail me or leave a comment in case you have any questions or suggestions.

With best regards, Carina

February 1, 2018 at 5:08 pm

Hi, thank you so much for your useful website, is it possible to print the case studies for example?

February 12, 2018 at 7:08 pm

Yes, you can print the case studies by printing the entire page from the browser. That’s what ywere referring to, weren’t you?

November 1, 2017 at 3:06 pm

First of allI’d like to thank you for all these efforts you have made to develop this helpful website!

And can I please ask you about one thing: do we necessarily have to apply any specific references to the 5-mark questions?

Thank you in advance!

November 1, 2017 at 6:24 pm

Thank you very much for your nice words.

In response to your question, no it is not typically compulsory to discuss specific examples for the 5-mark questions (unless they ask you to do so, obviously). However, even just naming an example can help you to impress the examiner and then hopefully they may be more lenient on other questions where your answer wasn’t as good.

Hope this helps,

April 5, 2018 at 5:10 pm

It makes sense. And thanks a lot again!

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International Migration

Subject: Geography

Age range: 14-16

Resource type: Lesson (complete)

Last updated

15 April 2024

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IGCSE Cambridge

Theme 1: Population & Settlement – Migration

L2: What is international Migration? (Case Study)

Lesson 1 FREE:

This SoW is designed in detail and is both differentiated and engaging and allows you to move pupils through content efficiently. As a result, lessons can take around two periods to deliver and are sequenced to flow through this period comprehensively.

Made to the highest standard and constructed using current research, both dual coding and retrieval practices are at the heart of this unit. A colour scheme also runs throughout to ease both your delivery and students’ comprehension.

Theme 1: Population & Settlement – Population L1: What are the Characteristics of Migration? L2: What is international Migration? (Case Study) L3: What are the Causes and Effects of Internal Migration? L4: Migration Revision Lesson

Any questions please do feel free to get in contact: [email protected]

Best FREE Resources (The Geography Shop)

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• https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/bundler/12949461 (Cambridge International)
• https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/-12922653 (Israel & Palestine)
• https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-12485457 (What is Geography?)

I hope you find this SoW useful. If you have, I have created a series of resources.

Tes paid licence How can I reuse this?

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A bundle is a package of resources grouped together to teach a particular topic, or a series of lessons, in one place.

Migration IGCSE Cambridge

IGCSE Cambridge Theme 1: Population & Settlement – Migration L1: What are the Characteristics of Migration? Lesson 1 FREE: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-12736050 This SoW is designed in detail and is both differentiated and engaging and allows you to move pupils through content efficiently. As a result, lessons can take around two periods to deliver and are sequenced to flow through this period comprehensively. Made to the highest standard and constructed using current research, both dual coding and retrieval practices are at the heart of this unit. A colour scheme also runs throughout to ease both your delivery and students’ comprehension. Theme 1: Population & Settlement – Population L1: What are the Characteristics of Migration? L2: What is international Migration? (Case Study) L3: What are the Causes and Effects of Internal Migration? L4: Migration Revision Lesson Any questions please do feel free to get in contact: [email protected] Best **FREE** Resources (The Geography Shop) * https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/-12899088 (Climate Change SoW) * https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/-12899440 (Development SoW) * https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/-12638984 (Waste SoW) * https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/-12451443 (Britain Globalisation SoW) * https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/-12741793 (Local Area Investigation SoW) * https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/bundler/12949461 (Cambridge International) * https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/-12922653 (Israel & Palestine) * https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-12485457 (What is Geography?) I hope you find this SoW useful. If you have, I have created a series of resources. You can check them out here. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/TheGeographyShopOriginal

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Cambridge International example learner guide

Topic outline.

• Select activity Syllabus content - what you need to know about Syllabus content - what you need to know about

You will have three assessments:

• Two theory papers:
• Paper 1 (Geographical Themes)

Paper 2 (Geographical Skills)

• One practical assessment
• either Component 3 (Coursework)
• or Paper 4 (Alternative to Coursework).

Your teacher will be able to tell you whether you are doing coursework (Component 3) or taking Paper 4.

• If you are doing coursework, you will complete one assignment and take Paper 1 and Paper 2 in the examination.
• if you are not doing coursework, you will take three papers in the examination, Paper 1, Paper 2 and Paper 4.

Make sure you always check the latest syllabus, which is available at  www.cambridgeinternational.org .

• Select activity Command words Command words
• Select activity The flipcards below include command words used in ... The flipcards below include command words used in the assessment for this syllabus. The use of the command word will relate to the subject context.
• Select activity Example candidate response Example candidate response
• Select activity All information and advice in this section is spec... All information and advice in this section is specific to the example question and response being demonstrated. It should give you an idea of how your responses might be viewed by an examiner but it is not a list of what to do in all questions. In your own examination, you will need to pay careful attention to what each question is asking you to do.
• Select activity Question The question used in this example is from... Question  The question used in this example is from Paper 1 and is an example of a structured-answer question. Now let’s look at the question to see what the ‘command words’ for this question mean for your answer. (c) For a named country you have studied, describe the problems caused by over population. Describe is the command word in this question. This means that you state the main features of the problems caused by overpopulation. Using examples is an excellent way of supporting your descriptions.

• Select activity Example candidate response and examiner comments(c... Example candidate response and examiner comments (c) For a named country you have studied, describe the problems caused by over population. Name of country: Ghana Ghana is noted to be one of the top countries known to be overly populated. With this, we see that there is pressure on Ghana’s resources. The population of Ghana is very high and because of this water supply would reduce, there would be pressure on the electricity in Ghana because so many people in the country are using the power. Ghana’s government revenue would reduce. The government of Ghana would put in a bit of money to improve medication to new ones, rebuild hospitals, care homes, provide new and well trained doctors, re-construct roads bring more water from another place where there is no supply of water. Ghana has a high rate of crime due to overpopulation. When there is a crowded area people who are uneducated would want to cause a scene and steal and kill people. There is a high spread of so many diseases in Ghana. Diseases such as cholera due to the water we drink as a country and also people use dirty hands to eat. When there are crowded, immediately one person gets the disease it spreads to another person and moves on. The settlements in Ghana are congested. An example is Nima. Nima is very congested and the homes are all together and there is even no space for a car to park. Over-population brings about unemployment because there are a lot of people in the country. Over-population brings noise.
• Select activity Revision Revision
• Select activity Explore the advice below to help you revise and pr... Explore the advice below to help you revise and prepare for the examinations.  It is divided into general advice for all papers and more specific advice for Paper 1, Paper 2, and Paper 4.

Theme 1: Population and settlement

• Select activity 1.1 Population dynamics 1.2 Migration 1.3 Populati... 1.1 Population dynamics 1.2 Migration 1.3 Population structure 1.4 Population density and distribution 1.5 Settlements and service provision 1.6 Urban settlements 1.7 Urbanisation

Theme 2: The natural environment

• Select activity 2.1 Earthquakes and volcanoes 2.2 Rivers 2.3 Coast... 2.1 Earthquakes and volcanoes 2.2 Rivers 2.3 Coasts 2.4 Weather 2.5 Climate and natural vegetation

Theme 3: Economic development

• Select activity 3.1 Development 3.2 Food production 3.3 Industry 3... 3.1 Development 3.2 Food production 3.3 Industry 3.4 Tourism 3.5 Energy 3.6 Water
• Select activity Useful websites Useful websites
• Select activity The websites listed below are useful resources to ... The websites listed below are useful resources to support your Cambridge IGCSE Geography studies

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Geography Case Studies

All of our geography case studies in one place

Coastal Erosion

Use the images below to find out more about each case study.

The Holderness Coast

The Dorset Coast

Happisburgh

Coastal Management

Sandscaping at Bacton, Norfolk

Coastal Realignment Donna Nook

Coastal Realignment Medmerry

Coastal Deposition

Spurn Point

Blakeney Point Spit

Earthquakes

Amatrice Earthquake Case Study

Chile Earthquake 2010

Christchurch Earthquake

Haiti Earthquake

Japan Earthquake 2011

L’Aquila Earthquake

Lombok Indonesia Earthquake 2018

Nepal Earthquake 2015

Sulawesi, Indonesia Earthquake and Tsunami 2018

Taiwan (Hualien) Earthquake 2024

New Zealand 2016

Malaysia Causes of Deforestation

Malaysia Impacts of Deforestation

Alaska Case Study

Epping Forest Case Study

Sahara Desert Case Study

Svalbard Case Study

Thar Desert Case Study

Western Desert Case Study

Energy Resources

Chambamontera Micro-hydro Scheme

Extreme Weather in the UK

Beast from the East Case Study

Storm Ciera Case Study

Food Resources

Almería, Spain: a large-scale agricultural development

The Indus Basin Irrigation System: a large-scale agricultural development

Sustainable food supplies in a LIC – Bangladesh

Sustainable food supplies in a LIC – Makueni, Kenya

Landforms on the River Tees

Landforms on the River Severn

Indus River Basin (CIE)

River Flooding

Jubilee River Flood Management Scheme

Banbury Flood Management Scheme

Boscastle Floods

Kerala Flood 2018

Wainfleet Floods 2019

The Somerset Levels Flood Case Study

UK Floods Case Study November 2019

River Management

The Three Gorges Dam

Mekong River

The Changing Economic World

How can the growth of tourism reduce the development gap? Jamaica Case Study

How can the growth of tourism reduce the development gap? Tunisia Case Study

India Case Study of Development

Nigeria – A NEE

Torr Quarry

Nissan Sunderland

The London Sustainable Industries Park (London SIP)

Tropical Storms

Beast from the East

Hurricane Andrew

Cyclone Eline

Cyclone Idai Case Study

Typhoon Haiyan 2013

Hurricane Irma 2017

Typhoon Jebi 2018

Hurricane Florence 2018

Typhoon Mangkhut 2018

Urban Issues

Birmingham – Edexcel B

Urban Growth in Brazil – Rio de Janeiro

Urban Growth in India – Mumbai

Urban Growth in Nigeria – Lagos

London – A Case Study of a UK City

Inner City Redevelopment – London Docklands

Sustainable Urban Living – Freiburg

Sustainable Urban Living – East Village

Sustainable Urban Transport Bristol Case Study

Bristol – A major UK city

Volcanic Eruptions

Eyjafjallajokull – 2010

Mount Merapi – 2010

Mount Pinatubo – 1991

Sakurajima Case Study

Nyiragongo Case Study

Water Resources

Hitosa, Ethiopia – A local water supply scheme in an LIC

The South-North Water Transfer Project, China

Wakal River Basin Project

Lesotho Large-Scale Water Transfer Scheme

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