Topographical features of Pakistan

MAY 2014
3 (a) Study the map Fig.5
(i) Name the towns A, B and C [3]
A – Quetta
B – Peshawar
C – Gilgit

(ii) Name one of the passes D, E and F shown

on Fig. 5, and name the country that it links to
Pakistan. [2]
D – Khojak pass – Afghanistan
E – Khyber pass – Afghanistan
F – Khunjerab pass – China

(i) Name the smallest and largest province by

area. [2]
 Smallest – KPK
 Largest – Balochistan

(b) Choose two of the factors given below and explain how they cause a low population
density in Balochistan. RELIEF CLIMATE INFRASTRUCTURE SECURITY
[6]

Relief
 Mountainous
 Too steep / uneven for irrigation / building / agriculture
 Difficult to construct transport routes
 Long journey times
Climate
 Extremely dry / arid / desert
 Really hot in summer
 Very cold in mountains
 Too dry for farming
 Shortage of water
Infrastructure
 Lack of / poor named infrastructure
 Lack of / poor roads for access to food / essential supplies
 Lack of / poor roads for trade / industrialisation / communication
 Lack of power / electricity / telecommunications / water for homes / businesses / schools
Security
 Tribal warfare / insurgencies / terrorism / bombings
 Threat to homes / livelihood
 Danger of death
 Hinders education
 Prevents investment / industrialization

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Nov 2013
(d) (i) Study Photograph C.
Name three attractions to tourists shown in the
photograph. [3]
 Valleys
 Rivers/rapids
 Mountains/hills
 Greenery/lush vegetation/meadows/pastures
 Forest/trees
 Terraces
 Tracks/trails

(ii) Explain how local people can gain income from tourism in mountain areas. [3]
 Making/sale of crafts
 Opening shops in village
 Guides (on tracks/trails)
 Named services e.g. hotels/restaurants
 Named transport services
 Offering accommodation in own home
 Construction of tourist facilities

Nov 2011
4 (a) Study Photograph B (Insert).
(i) What are the animals shown in the photograph? [1]
 Sheep / goats

(ii) Describe the topography (relief) and vegetation of the area shown in the photograph. [3]
Topography (res. 1)
 Flat
 Gently sloping,
undulating
 Small ridges
Vegetation (res. 1)
 Sparse
 Scattered / uneven
 (Small) bushes, scrub,
trees, thorny

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2059/02/M/J/22

 U = Safed Koh/Spin Ghar/Waziristan Hills

 V = Karachi [2]

(ii) Suggest two reasons why it may be difficult to develop a large airport on the Balochistan
Plateau. [2]
hilly/mountainous
uneven land topography/rough/rugged/rocky
desert/sandy/lack of water/hot/dry/arid/barren
sparsely populated/low population/far from large settlements
lack of labour/workers
lack of customers/lack of demand
local resistance
remote/difficult to access/few roads/no roads
partial/poor/no electricity/power supply
partial/poor/no communications/phone/internet
expensive/not cost effective to build

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  X Kharan or Y Thal

(ii) Using Fig. 2.1 only, describe the location of the desert named in (a)(i) above .[3]

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(iii) Study Fig. 2.2 (Insert), a photograph of part of the Thar desert. Using Fig. 2.2 only, state
two features of the desert shown. [2]

 sandy soil/sand/sand dunes

 ridges/depressions/undulating/rolling/uneven/crescentic dunes/curved dunes
 flat land in distance
 dry/arid/barren/infertile land/lack of rain/water
 sparsely vegetated/low/lack of vegetation/scanty vegetation
 bushes/shrub/scrub/trees
 large/vast area
 (small) settlements/village/houses

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Summer 2023

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(ii) Add a dot and the letter K onto Fig. 1.1 to show the location of Karachi . [1]

(iii) Using Fig. 1.1 only, what is the approximate length of Pakistan’s coastline? Circle the
correct answer.

500 km 1000 km 1500 km [1]

(iv) Name the rivers labelled X and Y on Fig. 1.1.

X: River Hub (Hab)
Y: River Ravi [2]

(b) Suggest four ways in which rivers are important to Pakistan. [4]

 source of water/create reservoirs (domestic use/people to drink)

to provide a source of food/fish (to eat)
for transport (people/goods)
to provide nutrients/alluvium to the soil/flood plain/mangroves
for farming/agriculture/irrigation (of fields/crops)
for livestock/cattle/buffalo to drink/bathe/cool down
fish farming/commercial fishing/aquaculture
named manufacturing industry e.g. cement/textiles
for cooling in power stations/industry
habitat for wildlife/biodiversity/ecosystems
afforestation projects
to produce hydel/hydroelectric power/electricity
to add to scenic beauty to the area (for tourism)
for leisure activities/named example e.g.
boating/swimming/photography/fishing
for employment in a named industry e.g. fisherman/farmer

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(c) (i) Study Fig. 1.2 (Insert), a photograph showing part of the Karakoram range.
Describe the natural features of the landscape shown. [4]

 mountain(s)/mountain range
high/tall
steep (slopes)/sloping
valley(s)
peak/pyramidal peak/arete
snow/ice/frozen
rugged/jagged/sharp/rocky/barren/(bare)rock/scree/moraine
gullies
glaciers/tongues of ice/rivers of ice
confluence

(ii) Explain two ways in which the natural topography shown in Fig. 1.2 influences human
activities. You should develop your answer. [4]

mountains/steep slopes/rugged terrain/uneven land/fast flowing rivers make building

settlements/roads/railways/telecommunication lines difficult; routes are forced to follow valleys/or use
high passes/embankments/cuttings/tunnels/bridges (dev) so transport and communications are limited
(dev) so construction is more expensive (dev)

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rugged landscape discourages development of large-scale industries; as
there is not enough flat land to build on (dev)
so most people work in small scale/cottage industries (dev)

high/mountainous areas experience extreme cold/heavy snowfall/are

frozen through winter so roads blocked/cut off; people cannot travel to
markets (dev)
people spend some of the year indoors/can’t work outside (dev)

bare rock/scree/thin/barren soils so there are few or no farming

opportunities/cannot grow crops; so there is transhumance/seasonal
migration (dev)
so food is scarce/has to be transported to the area (dev)
so farming activity is limited to valleys where landscape is flatter/soils are
deeper/fertile (dev)

glaciers/meltwaters feed the rivers so fresh water is provided for farming

lower down in the valley; meaning a variety of crops can be grown (dev)

Natural landscape/mountains/slopes attract tourists to visit;

which provides employment opportunities (dev)
so local people provide accommodation/tours/make souvenirs (dev)
to photograph the scenery/for trekking/skiing/climbing (dev)
which encourages government to build services/transport infrastructure in
the area (dev)

steep slopes/v shape/narrow valleys are ideal for developing hydel power
stations; so can produce renewable electricity for industry/homes (dev)
which creates employment for local people (dev)

Note: Influences can be positive or negative.

Note: 1 mark for simple point and a further mark for the development of the
point. 1 mark for second simple point and a further mark for development of
the second point.

Note: Max. 2 marks if no development. 2 @ 2 marks

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Winter 2023

Name the province labelled V and the two cities labelled W and X on Fig. 1.1. [3]

V = Balochistan
W = Quetta
X = Gwadar

(ii) Using Fig. 1.1 only:

– state the straight‑line distance between city X and city W.

640 (km) (Accept 620–660)

– state the direction of city X from city W.

south west or SW [2]

(iii) Identify the line of latitude labelled Y on Fig. 1.1.

Tropic of Cancer / 23.5 °N (accept 23.0 °N–23.9 °N or 23 °N) [1]

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(iv) Using Fig. 1.1 only, describe the location of the mountains labelled Z .[3]

• western/south-western part of Pakistan

• • near border with Afghanistan/near international boundary/near to a province level boundary
• • in eastern/central part of the province
• • near to Kharan Desert
• • between 26°–30 °N and 66°–67.5 °E
• • between the Kharan Desert and the River Indus
• • direction from any other feature located on the map (Max 1) E/SE of Kharan Desert/Iran
W/SW/NW of India/River Indus S/SE of Afghanistan N/NE of Arabian Sea
• • distance from any other feature named on the map (Max 1) 20–420 km from Kharan desert
100–500 km from Arabian Sea 80–400 km from the River Indus

(b) (i) Define and give an example of ‘natural topography’. [2]

• the surface/physical features of the land/landscape

• • the forms and features of the land’s surface
• • the terrain
• •crater/desert/floodplain/hill/lake/mountain/pass/peak/plain/
plateau/ravine/ridges/river/trough/valley or any other named physical feature, e.g.

mountains:
Western Mountains, Safed Koh Ranges, Waziristan Hills, Sulaiman Range, Kirthar Range
North-Western Mountains, Hindu Kush
Northern Mountains, The Karakoram, The Himalayas, Central Himalayas, Lesser Himalayas, The
Siwaliks, Salt Range

plateaux:
Balochistan Plateau, Potwar Plateau

passes:
Kurram Pass, Khyber Pass, Lawarai Pass, Shundur Pass, Khunjerab Pass, Babusar Pass

valleys:
Swat, Chitral, Dir, Gilgit, Hunza, Baltistan, Murree & Gallies, Kaghan

deserts:
Kharan Desert, Thar Desert, Thal Desert

rivers:
Indus, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Sutlej, Kabul, Hab, Dasht
Indus Plain – Lower & Upper

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(ii) Explain two ways deserts restrict agricultural activities in Pakistan. You should develop
your answer. [4]

climate is dry/rainfall is very low/scarce/lack of water; so not many varieties of crops can grow there (dev)
cannot adapt to the extreme climate conditions
• extreme heat/hot climate makes working/living conditions very difficult; hence there are few settlements for
workers (dev) few markets to sell goods to
• very few towns/sparse population; so there is little demand for growing many crops in these areas
• strong winds/moving sand; crops would be constantly buried/covered in sand
• soils are infertile/lack nutrients/rocky/rugged/barren land; they do not contain any alluvium/would need a lot of
fertilisers for crops to grow
• little vegetation to provide shade/shelter from winds; plants can be scorched/crops damaged by winds/fodder
has to be provided
• pests (such as locusts) are prevalent; which means they would destroy the crops grown/pesticides would be
needed
• deserts are remote/inaccessible; so it is difficult/expensive to transport crops to other areas to sell/to markets
• growing crops in deserts would be very costly; because they would need irrigation systems
• sand is difficult to drive farm machinery/vehicles over; which makes using equipment difficult

Note: 1 mark for simple point and a further mark for the development of the point. 1 mark for second simple
point and a further mark for development of the second point.

Note: Max. 2 marks if no development.

(c) Suggest four ways, other than agriculture, that deserts can be used by people.[4]

mining/drilling/extraction (of sand/gas/oil/coal/other minerals)

• location of solar panels/solar farms/for solar power
• location of brick kilns/factories/manufacturing/cottage industries
• power lines/communication masts/roads/railway building
• building settlements
• military training/military bases
• people can follow a traditional/nomadic lifestyle
• waste disposal sites
Tourism/leisure purposes (max 2)
• tourist attractions/hotels/desert safari/wild camping/glamping/camel rides/hot air
ballooning/photography/hiking/trekking/climbing/quad biking/sand boarding/extreme sports/camel racing/rally
driving

(d) To what extent is building additional motorways and major roads in all areas of Pakistan

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essential for its future economic development? Give reasons to support your judgement and
refer to examples you have studied. You should consider different points of view in your
answer. [6]

Content guide

Building additional motorways and roads in all areas is essential for future economic development because:
• would allow ease of movement for people/goods/raw materials to previously inaccessible areas/regions
• would allow opportunity for the exploitation of minerals/raw materials which would otherwise be too
expensive/inaccessible to extract
• would encourage business opportunities to be more widespread across the country rather than focussed in the
major towns and cities
• could prevent/reduce rural to urban migration as people would be more able to commute
• business corridors could be set up
Building additional motorways and roads in all areas is not essential for future economic development because:
• there is no need to build roads in all areas of Pakistan due to uneven population distribution, low demand in
some regions makes cost unreasonable
• it is expensive to build roads and railways in the northern areas due to extreme temperatures and steep slopes
• businesses want to locate in or near to main towns and cities which already have roads
• investment would be needed in rural areas to encourage business to locate/re-locate there, alongside new roads

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