Professional Documents
Culture Documents
7 - Transport & Communication
7 - Transport & Communication
Definition
Transport is the physical carriage and movement of people and goods from one place to another
Communication is the process of transmitting/exchanging information from one person to another/between
persons.
Modes of transport
a) Road Transport
Involves travelling by walking on foot, using motor vehicles and bicycles
Is the most common type of transport in developing world and Africa
b) Railway Transport
Involves movement of goods and people using trains on rails
Railway lines established by the colonial governments in the 19th century to transport bulky raw materials
from the interior to the ports at the coast
(vi) Railway is the safest form of transport. The chances of accidents and breakdown of railways are minimum as
compared to other modes of transport. Moreover, the traffic can be protected from the exposure to sun, rain
snow etc.
(vii) The carrying capacity of the railways is extremely large. Moreover, its capacity is elastic which can easily be
increased by adding more wagons.
c) Water Transport
This is the movement of goods/people over water bodies e.g. lakes, oceans, rivers, seas, etc
Involves both marine (in seas & oceans) and inland (water bodies within continents e.g. lakes and rivers)
transport
River transport is not well developed in Africa. This is because of the following reasons: -
(i) Some of the rivers contain huge rocks/boulders/rock outcrops on their courses that reduce the navigable
distance
(ii) Presence of waterfalls and rapids along the courses of some of the rivers do not favour development of
river transport as they have increased velocity of river water/very steep
(iii) High siltation in the lower courses of some rivers make their channels shallow to suffice river
transportation
(iv) Most rivers have short and shallow navigable stretches thus discouraging development of transport in
them
(v) Some rivers flow in areas of low economic value/sparsely populated areas that have limited human
activities
Marine/sea transport is well developed in Africa. This is because it is used in import export trade
The major sea routes include: -
a) Trans-Atlantic Sea Route – southern and western coasts of Africa
b) Cape of Good Hope Sea Route – links eastern and southern Africa to Asia and Australia
c) Mediterranean – Asia Sea route – serves northern African countries
Advantages of water transport.
(i) Modern sea transport is a highly effective method of transporting large quantities of non-perishable
goods.
(ii) Water transport routes are free of restriction unlike railways where routes are restricted by land laws.
(iii) The mode of transport is free of congestion. Many ships can use route ways at the same since the
waterway is large.
(iv) There is no maintenance of waterways while in railways requires regular inspection and repairs.
(v) It is cheaper to use water transport for heavy and bulky goods being moved between countries which
are bordered by water masses than using trains.
(vi) Delicate goods are easily and safely transported by water.
(vii) Goods are transported either I large metal boxes called containers or in tankers. This protects the goods
in case of any accidents in the sea.
N/B
Containerization
Containerization involves packing goods on transit in standard-sized metal boxes that are sealed at the
port of origin and opened at the destination port.
It has the following advantages: -
(i) Safe and secure as the goods are transported while sealed thus limiting destruction due to weather
changes/theft
(ii) Relatively cheap (requires less labour).
(iii) Time saving in terms of loading and unloading as special cargo handling equipment can be used.
(iv) Takes little space because of regular shapes and standards thus allowing tight packaging of goods
(v) Easy to check the contents at port of entry. (Special, tamper proof locks).
d) Air Transport
Involves movement of goods/people in the atmosphere using aircraft e.g. airplanes/airships/balloons etc.
Is less developed in developing countries due to high operation costs and competition from alternative and
cheaper means of transport e.g. road
It is divided into domestic and international air transports. Domestic air transports goods/people within the
country’s borders while international air transports across countries/continents
Air transport is facilitated through airports – places where aircrafts land/take off and load/unload cargo
e) Pipeline Transport
Pipeline transport is the movement of fluid products e.g. gas, oil, petroleum and water through pipes from one
place to another.
Pipeline routes are practically unlimited as they can be laid on land or under water.
Steel pipes coated with bitumen and wrapped in protective fiberglass to prevent corrosion are used. The pipes
are welded together, and the joints carefully sealed to avoid leakage
Kenya pipeline company transports refined petroleum-based products like gas, jet fuel and petrol from
Mombasa to Nairobi and to Kisumu and to Eldoret
Pipeline companies e.g. Kenya Pipeline Corporation maintain vigilance along their lines to check for leaks and
repair them.
(ii) The cost of operating and maintaining pipeline is lower than that of other means of transport.
(iii) Unlike other means of transport pipeline is not affected by bad weather.
(iv) It is not affected by traffic congestion
(v) It does not pollute the environment except in cases of leakage which are rare
(vi) Pipeline can be used over varied surfaces.
(vii) Can be constructed through rough lands mountains and swamps where railways and roads cannot easily
pass.
Communication
Communication is the process of passing information from one person to another/places
The major forms of communication include: -
(i) Print media: - refers to means of written communication that are intended to pass information to many
people/public. They give information on current happenings/news, opinions, suggestions, advertisement
amongst others. They include newspapers, journals and magazines
(ii) Broadcasting services: - these include radio and television. They are also used to pass information to many
people/public.
(iii) Telephone services/mobile phones: - are provided by telephone and mobile service providers e.g. Safaricom, Airtel,
Telkom, etc. They have the following advantages
(a) They are relatively fast
(b) They have personal appeal/some especially mobile are portable
(c) They provide immediate/instant feedback
(d) Suitable for long distance communication
(e) They are relatively cheap to acquire/use/maintain
(f) Have the option of sending text message messages
(g) They have additional/auxiliary services e.g. games, calculator, internet, etc.
(iv) Postal and courier services: - these handle letters and parcels. They use modes of transport for delivery
(v) Facsimile/fax: - is the telephonic transmission of scanned-in printed material (text or images) usually to a
telephone number associated with a printer or other output device. The receiving fax machine reconverts the
coded image and prints a paper copy of the document.
(vi) E-mail: - refers to “electronic mail” it is used to send messages electronically through computers. The messages
are then transmitted electronically to the address of the recipient through the internet
(vii) Internet: - is a network of interlinked computers through telephone lines. It can be used to share information
between computers.
6. Most of the countries produce similar goods hence no need for transportation
(c) Airlines
Each country operates its own commercial airline
These airlines operate within Africa and beyond to Europe, Asia, Americas and Australia
The main airline axis in Africa is the Johannesburg – Harare – Nairobi – Cairo route
In Kenya, the major airline is The Kenya Airways. Kenya has four main international airports namely: -
i. Kisumu International Airport
ii. Eldoret International Airport
iii. Jomo Kenyatta International Airport – Nairobi
iv. Moi International Airport - Mombasa
(d) Waterways
The main waterways in Africa include rivers, lakes, canals and oceans that surround the continent
Canal waterways are not well developed in Africa with only two; Suez (Connects Mediterranean and Red
Seas) and Jonglei (Southern Sudan)
Lake transport is well developed in Africa with Lake Victoria providing a major inland transport routes
that connect many parts of East Africa such as: -
i. Kisumu, Homa Bay, Asembo Bay, Kendu Bay, Mbita and Muhuru Bay in Kenya
ii. Jinja, Port Bell, Entebbe and Bukakata ports in Uganda
iii. Musoma, Mwanza and Bukoba in Tanzania
Each East African country operates its own vessels on Lake Victoria
Lake transport also done in the following lakes; Albert, Chad, Malawi and Tanganyika
Africa is also connected to major sea routes of the world through the ports of Mombasa, Beira
(Mozambique), Durban and Cape (South Africa), Lobito (Angola), Douala (Cameroon), Lagos (Nigeria),
Accra & Takoradi (Ghana), Dakar (Senegal), Casablanca (Morocco), Alexandria (Egypt), Tripoli (Libya)
and Aden (Eritrea)
i. Limitations of topography/difficult terrain: - most African countries experience rugged relief with several steep slopes
due to volcanic mountains and the rift valley. This makes it difficult and expensive to establish transport routes
across such terrain.
ii. Uninhabited land due to harsh environment: - deserts e.g. Sahara, Namib, Kalahari, and arid and semi-arid lands in
north eastern Kenya are covered by sand dunes that discourage the construction of transport lines as they may
block/bury stretches of transport and communication lines. The harsh environment is also associated with low
population hence making construction of transport and communication lines uneconomical.
iii. Thick vegetation: - tropical rain forests e.g. at the Congo Basin have thick undergrowth and gigantic trees that make
it difficult to construct transport and communication lines. Also, the forests are habitats to disease causing
organisms hence lowly populated thus not economical to construct roads in such places.
iv. Shortage of navigable rivers: - most rivers in Africa are not navigable because they have numerous rapids and
waterfalls along their courses/have numerous rock outcrops/have fluctuating water levels due to seasonal rainfall.
All these reduce their navigability.
v. Civil wars/political unrest: - some African countries have experienced continued civil wars. During such wars,
transport and communication lines are always targeted for vandalism.
vi. Integrated traffic system: - different African countries have different traffic rules leading to lack of a unified transport
system within the continent e.g. driving on the left and right creates problems in inter country movement.
vii. Inadequate capital: - for development and maintenance of transport and communication systems
Case Study: A Study of the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway
The Great Lakes of America include Superior, Ontario, Michigan, Huron and Erie. All the lakes apart from
Michigan (is entirely in USA) occur on the border of USA and Canada.
The lakes together with the St. Lawrence River form the longest and busiest inland waterway in the world.
The waterway covers 3800km stretching from the mouth of St. Lawrence River on the Atlantic to Duluth Port on
Lake Superior.
The construction of the seaway enabled large sea vessels to go beyond Montreal further inland.
Role played by the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence sea way in the economies of USA and Canada.
a) Boast to trade. After completion, it has enabled the two countries to have accessibility to raw materials like iron ore
from Mesabi range west of Lake Superior, wheat and timber from the Canadian Prairies
b) It has led to industrial development in the area. The production of hydro-electric power in the dams along the sea way
has stimulated development of industries like grain milling, saw milling, paper and steel industries.
c) Improved navigation. It provides cheap means of transport along the 3800km stretch of sea way for both exports and
imports thus encouraging internal and external trade
d) Hydro-electric power production. The dams constructed along the route (like Iroquois, Beauharnais, Moses Saunders,
Niagara and Sault St. Marie) provide hydroelectric power for both domestic and industrial use
e) Development of towns. It has led to the growth of ports and towns like Montreal, Ottawa, Port Arthur, Duluth,
Prescott and Kingston along the route. These have become focal points for various economic activities.
f) Promotion of tourism. The sea way with some of the most beautiful and fascinating sceneries in the world is a tourist
attraction which generates income in the region. The Niagara Falls is a favorite site for tourists from all over the
world
g) Creation of employment opportunities. The sea way has created employment opportunities in the transport industry
and thus raised the standards of living of the people in the area.
h) The lakes and the dam area a source of water for both domestic and industrial use
i) The countries earn some revenue from charges levied on ships that use the route.
KCSE 1997 – Q8
The map below shows the transport- Africa highway from Mombasa to Lagos. Use it to answer question (a)
KCSE 1998 – Q3
(a) Give three reasons why road transport is used more than air transport in East Africa.
(b) In what three ways does Kenya benefit from air links with the rest of the world?
KCSE 1999 – Q4
(i) Name the towns marked X and Y which are served by pipeline
(ii) State two disadvantages of using pipelines as means of transporting oil
KCSE 2008 – Q8
Below a sketch of the map of the great lakes- St. Lawrence Seaway. Use it to answer question (a)
(a) Name
(i) The lake marked L
(ii) The waterfall marked M
(iii) The port marked N
(b) Explain three ways in which the great lakes St. Lawrence sea way has contributed to the economy of Canada and
the United States of America (U.S.A)
(c) Explain four factors that hinder the development of railway links among Africa countries
(d) (i) State two recent development that have taken place in Kenya to improve communication of information
(ii) Explain three problems facing telephone as a means of communication in Kenya
KCSE 2002 – Q4
Use the sketch map of Lake Victoria below to answer question (a)
KCSE 2004 – Q7
KCSE 2006 – Q1
KCSE 2007 – Q4
Below is a sketch map showing part of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Sea way. Use it to answer question (a).
(a) Name
(i) the port marked P.
(ii) the canal marked Q
(iii) the lake marked R
(b) State three ways in which the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Sea way has contributed to the growth of industries in
the region.
KCSE 2007 – Q9
KCSE 2010 – Q5
Use the map below to answer questions (a) (i) and (ii)
(a) Name: -
(i) The rivers marked E, F and G
(ii) The human made lakes H and J
(iii) Explain four measures which should be taken to improve inland water transport in Africa.
(b) State four ways in which communication contributes to economic development in Kenya
(c) Explain four problems facing railway transport in Africa
KCSE 2012 – Q9
(a) (i) Identify the three types of inland waterways used for transport in Africa.
(ii) Give four reasons why the government of Kenya is expanding pipeline transport.
(b) (i) State three advantages of railway transport.
(ii) State four conditions of roads in Kenya that may lead to motor vehicle accidents.
(c) The sketch map below shows the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway. Use it to answer question (c).
Name:
(i) The ports marked M and P
(ii) The lake marked N
(d) Explain four benefits of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway to the economies of USA and Canada
KCSE 2015 – Q9
KCSE 2016 – Q3
KCSE 2017 – Q5