Junior Cert Geography – Higher Level

1

Junior Cert Geography Exam Layout

Total Time = 2 hours

Section 1 – Folder = 20 short Questions = 20 - 25 minutes (60 marks)

Aim for 60/60 marks in the Short Questions

Section 2 – Long Questions = 5 Questions – Answer 3 Questions at least

1 long question = 25-30 minutes

3 x 30 = 90 marks

Typical Short Question.

Junior Cert Geography – Higher Level

2

Limestone – Sedimentary Rock – found in the Burren

Igneous Rock Example?

Metamorphic Rock Example?

Karst underground feature – Cave (with stalagtites and stalagmites) found in the

Burren. (See page 10 for a diagram)

Epicentre – strongest point of the earthquake on the surface

Focus – where the earthquake begins deep in the earth’s crust

Fault – the crack in the earth’s crust where plates collide

Two Countries where earthquakes happen? Japan & China

A method of reducing earthquake damage in an urban area (town) – stronger

buildings, e.g. buildings with reinforced wall and foundations. Early warning system for

residents.

Describe what happens in the diagrams to explain global warming.

Global

warming

CO2 – carbon dioxide, CH4 - methane

The greenhouse

effect is a natural

process. The

atmosphere keeps

the earth warm by

trapping reflected

heat. However,

human activities

mean the

atmosphere is

retaining more heat

than ever. This has

led to temperature

rises.

Junior Cert Geography – Higher Level

3

Hot Climate – Hot Desert Climate

Temperate Climate – Cool temperate oceanic

Cold Climate – Boreal (North Scandanavia)

Mediterranean Climate – Malaga in Spain. High Pressure in the summers

brings warm, dry settled weather. Cloudless skies – focus on temperature,

rainfall and hours of sunshine in summer. Winter – some low pressure so

more rainfall but mild temperatures in winter so not that cold. Use the chart

below in your answer. If a chart like this is on the exam paper, always use

the stats from it.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Jan

Feb

Mar

ch

Ap

ril

May

Jun

e

July

Au

g

Sep

t

Oct

No

v

De

c

Temperature & Rainfall in Malaga

Average Temperature(degrees celsius)

Rainfall (mm)

Latitude – distance from the equator. The farther a place is from the equator

the colder the climate. The equator is 0 degrees, so Brazil, which is on the

equator has a very warm climate all year round. Spain is 35 - 40 degrees

north so it is warmer than Ireland – 50 degrees north.

Distance from the Seas & Oceans – places near the sea have cooler

summers and warmer winters than inland areas, e.g. Bantry normally has

warmer winters that inland towns in Ireland (snow and ice are rare). Bantry

gets cooler summers than inland towns. The sea keeps heat longer and this

warms up places close to the sea in winter. In summer, the breeze from the

sea keeps coastal places cool.

Prevailing Winds – the prevailing wind (normal wind) in Ireland is the south-

westerly. This comes from the Gulf of Mexico and brings warms air. This

warm air picks up a lot of moisture (water vapour) and mixes with cold air

from the north - this results in rainfall in Irealnd.

Junior Cert Geography – Higher Level

4

Feature of River Erosion – Waterfall.

Draw a diagram and explain what happens in the diagram.

Use the following key words to help you write the paragraph. – Young

rive, erosion, hard rock & soft rock, hydraulic action (force of the water),

abrasion (stones), solution (chemicals), plunge pool

Feature of River Deposition – Floodplain

Flood plains form in the old stage. River is

wide and slow moving. Lots of meanders.

River deposits (leaves behind) mud on the

banks. After heavy rain, river can flood and

deposits alluvium (mud) on the fields around

the river. The alluvium is good fertilizer for

this land. Flood plains also have levees and

ox bow lakes.

One way people use rivers – Hydro-electricity – building dams on large

rivers to make electricity, e.g. Inniscarra Dam in Cork

One way people pollute rivers – allowing farm and animal waste to

leak into rivers, e.g. slurry run off from fields, leaking slurry tanks.

Junior Cert Geography – Higher Level

5

Labour Supply (workers)

Raw Materials

Transport Electricity &

Water

Markets

Factors that influence industrial

location. Take Pharmaceutical Industry

in Cork as example:

Labour – Cork city, educated workers

from UCC and CIT etc

Transport – Port of cork, airport,

motorway links to Dublin etc

Electricity & Water – power from power

station in cork. Kinsale Gas field for gas.

Water from local reservoirs

Conflict – Corrib Gas project in mayo. Many locals did not want the gas terminal

built on shore – too near houses and pipeline too dangerous. They wanted the gas

terminal built out at sea. Shell said there was no problem with the land based gas

terminal. Lots of protests. Gas terminal was built on shore.

2 Types of tourist regions – 1. Natural beauty (Scenery), 2. Sun Holiday areas (Malaga)

Positive effect of tourism – jobs, money, better roads, airports, construction etc, e.g.

Costa Del Sol in Spain

Negative effect – pollution from litter, sewage into the sea, pollution from traffic and

planes, higher house prices, e.g. Costa Del Sol in Spain

Developing Region – India

Three reasons why India is not rich –

1. Colonisation by Britain – India could not develop any industry – very few

factories built. India is catching up.

2. Poor Education levels – many Indian children cannot got the school as

there are not enough trained teachers and school buildings. In big cities,

many children live in slums where there are no schools.

3. Poor healthcare – the healthcare system is not good. Many slums have no

health centre. There are not enough doctors. Child mortality is very high

and live expectancy is lower than in Europe.

Junior Cert Geography – Higher Level

6

Pyramid A – Developed Country, e.g. Germany. Narrow bars at the bottom

means falling birth rate (small families)

Pyramid B – Developing country, e.g. India. Wide bars at the bottom means

large families – high birth rate.

Two contrasts – birth rates & death rates (Refer to the pyramids), e.g.

“We can see that the death rate in B is much higher because the bars get

narrow from 5 – 9 years – this means many children before 5 years of age.”

City in the Developing World – Caclutta in India. Two major problems in

Calcutta

1. Slums (Bustees) – many poor people (millions) live in slums because of

a lack of accommodation. Many people live in slums for years. Slums

have very few facilities, e.g. schools, hospitals, electricity.

2. Lack of clean water – leads to diseases such as cholera. Badly effects

young children. Water supply is polluted from poor sewage system.

Bilateral Aid – Aid from one country to another, e.g. Ireland gives aid to Uganda in

Africa. (Multilateral aid is from lots of countries to one country).

Advantages of Aid – helps to train doctors, nurses, teacher in developing countries.

Helps people to improve farms, start businesses, build roads, power lines etc.

Disadvantages of Aid – can be wasted in poor countries. Corrupt government

officials might steal this money and keep it for their own use, e.g. buying cars,

houses.

Junior Cert Geography – Higher Level

7

Information on how to draw sketch map of maps and photos is on the next

page.

Rural Settlement Patterns:

1. Linear – houses in a line along the road on the outskirts of a town.

Often on third class (yellow) roads

2. Dispersed – houses on their own in the countryside.

Tourist Attractions on the Map: Golf Courses, Boating activities, beaches,

lakes, tourist information, train station (access), crannog, megalithic tomb,

castle. (Symbols on the map are explained on the back of the map)

Always give a 6 figure grid reference and write a sentence to explain the

ones you mention.

Land use on photos

Industry (factories), Residential (housing) Farming (fields), Transport (train

stations, roads)

Give a location on the photo (left background, right middleground, centre

foreground etc)

Junior Cert Geography – Higher Level

8

Why did the town of Dingle develop at this location?

1. Port (grid reference)

2. Trasport – meeting point of roads (name the roads)

3. Flat land – widely spaced contour lines

Other reasons for non-coastal towns – rivers, bridging point over river, defence

(castle). Always try to give evidence from the map.

Junior Cert Geography – Higher Level

9

Junior Cert Geography – Higher Level

10

Karst Region in Ireland – The Burren, Co. Clare.

What is the Burren? An area of exposed limestone rock that is

being eroded by chemical weathering (carbonation) and

mechanical weathering (frost action).

Surface features are: clints (blocks of limestone) and grikes (cracks

in the limestone surface)

Undergound features: caves, stalagtites, stalagmites

Use the diagrams and key words to write a paragraph on the

Burren.