Geography: Chapter 7

Question 1

What is population size?

Answer 1

The population in an area or city.

Question 2

What is population density?

Answer 2

Number of people living in a unit area of land.
Population density = no. of people living in an area divided by the land area (usually km2)

Question 3

What are built-up areas?

Answer 3

Cities are built-up areas. The land surface is mostly covered
by buildings. Cities also have extensive infrastructure.

Question 4

What is infrastructure?

Answer 4

Buildings or equipment that provide basic services such as water, electricity, sanitation, telecommunications and transport.

Question 5

What is range of functions?

Answer 5

A range of functions includes government offices (administrative), offices, factories, shops (commercial), and education.
They also provide a range of amenities.

Question 6

What are amenities?

Answer 6

Facilities that allow people to live comfortably. It is different from infrastructure which is for basic services.

Question 7

What is the difference between urban and rural?

Answer 7

Urban: Large population size and high density, highly built-up, land surface is mostly covered by high-rise buildings, large range of functions and amenities.

Rural: Generally small population size, low density, limited infrastructure e.g. mud tracks instead of roads, limited range of functions, seems to be largely agricultural.

Question 8

Why do cities rely on rural areas?

Answer 8

Cities rely on rural areas for much of their food supply. Rural farmers bring their goods to markets in the cities to sell.

Question 9

Why do rural areas rely on cities?

Answer 9

Rural inhabitants also go to the city for amenities that are not available in the countryside or villages e.g.
* Specialized medical care
* University education
* Goods that are only found in certain shops in cities

Question 10

What opportunities can cities offer to inhabitants?

Answer 10

Cities can offer their inhabitants many opportunities to have a higher quality of life.
* Education and employment
* Good location for businesses and industries
* Technological innovation

Question 11

What are some educational opportunities in cities and how do they improve quality of life?

Answer 11

• Cities are centres for learning. Cities have many educational institutions like universities that enable people to gain education.
• Education -> useful knowledge and skills -> Employment -> Higher income -> able to purchase goods and services for higher quality of life

Question 12

Why are cities good locations for businesses and employment?

Answer 12

Cities have good infrastructure, large populations (therefore many workers and customers) and services available.

Question 13

Why are cities technologically innovative?

Answer 13

High concentration of skilled workers, education institutions and government funding encourages technological innovation.

Question 14

What is the impact of cities on inhabitants and the
environment?

Answer 14

• Health problems due to pollution
• Competition and depletion of natural resources

Question 15

Health problems due to pollution in cities

Answer 15

• Water and air pollution - cars emit gas, factories spill chemicals and release smoke, people litter in rivers or water bodies.
• Impact on health – heart stress, lung disease.

Question 16

Competition and depletion of natural resources in cities

Answer 16

• Cities have large environmental footprints.
• Deforestation due to land clearing for buildings.
• Water deficit due to increase usage of water supply and loss of catchment area.

Question 17

What are hazards?

Answer 17

Events that have a negative impact on people, the
physical (natural) and built environments, and the economy. It could be human-induced like oil spills, or natural hazards such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis and floods.

Question 18

How can hazards affect cities?

Answer 18

• Hazards in cities can quickly turn into disasters because of the
  high concentration of people and buildings in cities.
• If not managed properly, the human cost of injuries and deaths,
  and the economic costs of rebuilding, can be very high.

Question 19

What do you need to consider when building sustainable cities?

Answer 19

To build cities sustainably, we need to consider managing the natural
environment and improving the quality of life for all inhabitants.

Question 20

How do you manage the environment in sustainable cities?

Answer 20

1. Regulate use of natural resources: use wind farms, solar panels, renewable energy sources
2. Reducing pollution: water treatment plants (example in SG), air pollution laws (example in China)
3. Managing hazards: using better building materials, earthquake-resistant design, land use planning

Question 21

What is quality of life?

Answer 21

A person’s well-being, which is affected by several factors such as physical and mental health, independence, and relationships with others.

Question 22

What are some of people’s most basic needs in cities?

Answer 22

Housing: structures or buildings constructed to shelter people from weather elements such as extremely high or low temperatures and rain, and are places for rest and social gatherings.

Transportation: ways in which people and goods move from one location to another. Affordable transportation is important as it allows people to access their jobs, services like health and education, and amenities.

Question 23

How do you improve quality of life in cities?

Answer 23

A city needs to ensure that it is inclusive by considering the
needs of different groups of people. Some of the groups of
people we should look at are the elderly and people with
disabilities.

Question 24

What is universal design?

Answer 24

Designing a city that is inclusive and accessible for everyone, including children the elderly and people with disabilities.