CIGAAL SECONDARY SCHOOL GEOGRAPHY FORM 4

CHAPTER 3: TRANSPORT, COMMUNICATION AND TRADE

Objectives: At the end of this chapter students should be able to:

 Describe the different types of transport and communication.

 Explain the main problems facing transport and communication.
 Differentiate between transport and communication
 Explain the types of trade.
 Explain the role of transport and communication
 Describe factors influencing transport and communication

Definition of Transport

 Transport is the act of moving items and people from one place to another.
 Transport is also the carrying of goods and people from one point to another over a given
time and under specified costs.
 Transport is important in the migration of people e.g. workers, tourists etc.

Definition of Communication

 Communication is the process of transmitting or exchanging information among people.

Definition of Trade

 Trade refers to buying and selling of goods and services.

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CONTRASTING TRANSPORT AND COMMUINCATION

TRANSPORT
 Deals with movement of items and people.
 Involves only the physical carriage
 Uses vehicles ,airplanes and ships
 Takes long time
ROLE OF TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATION
COMMUNICATION
 Deals with the movement of information.
 Involves non physical carriage
 Uses computers ,telephones ,satellites etc
 Transmission of information is immediate because
of modern technology.

 Transport facilitates trade by carrying the goods from producer to consumers.

 Good from the areas with surplus are shifted to those areas which are deficient in those items.
 Movement of people from one place to another in search of job, education and emergency
through transport facility.
 Communication keeps us informed about the world’s events and trends.
 It brings in positive changes in the life of people and thereby enhancing their economic
conditions.
 Many people are employed in the transport and communication sectors.
 Settlements develop where transport routes converge.
 Promotes international understanding among different ethnic people.

FACTORS INFLUENCING TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATION

 Existence of sets of places with supply and demand for goods and services.
 Market also influences transport and communication.
 Roads, railways and airports also influence efficient or inefficient transport and
communication.
 Politics where by the government may ban use of certain means of communication.

MODES OF TRANSPORT

Modes of transport refer to the way or manner in which goods or people move. The common
modes of transport are:

1. Land transport
2. Water transport
3. Air transport

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1. LAND TRANSPORT

Definition

 This includes all movement of people and goods on dry land. One type of transport that
involves movement of people and goods on land. The most commonly used means on land
transport are human porter age and use of animals, roads, railways and pipelines.

TYPES OF LAND TRANSPORT

A. Human and Animal Transport

 Movement of people from one place to another carrying light goods on their back
,hands ,shoulders or by using hand carts ,trolleys ,bicycles or motor cycles. Use of
domesticated animals to carry goods and people on their back or pull loaded carts. E.g.
cattle, camel, donkey, horse and even dog.

Advantages of human and animal transport
 It is the cheapest
 Safe due to few accidents
 Lack of pollution of environment
 Flexible and carried goods without road network
 It is convenient in that it is readily available
Disadvantages of human and animal transport
 Goods can be stolen or destroyed by wild animals.
 Slow means of transport or time consuming
 Cannot transport large quantity of goods.
 They can cause congestion on busy urban roads
which delay other transport types.

B. ROAD TRANSPORT
 This is the most widespread means of land transport. It means of transportation of people and
goods by motor vehicles on roads.

Types of roads

a) All weather roads –which are used all year round i.e. tarmac and Murom roads.
b) Dry weather roads-which are used reliably during dry season.

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c) Motor able trucks-used by people on foot and by vehicles on dry season.

Trans -continental highways in Africa

 Great North road connecting Cape Town and Cairo through Tanzania, Kenya, Sudan and
Ethiopia.
 Trans –Africa highway from the port of Mombasa to Dakar in Senegal through East and
central Africa.
 Trans –Sahara high way from Lagos to Tripoli through Algeria.
 Dakar –Djamena highway through Core De Ivoire, Nigeria and Chad.

Advantages and disadvantages of road transport

Advantages Disadvantages
 Faster means of transport compared human and  Traffic congestion and jams.
animal transport.
 Cheaper compared to railways  Sometimes expensive over long distances when
carrying bulky goods.
 Available every time  Vehicles can carry only a limited number of
people and goods.
 Easily repairable when damaged by still using it.  Accidents which kill millions of people
worldwide.
 Flexible  Make pollution on the environment.

C. RAILWAY TRANSPORT

Definition

 Rail way transport refers to the means of transportation of people and goods using trains
or rails.
 Railway lines were developed at the beginning of the 19th century during the industrial
revolution.

Examples of Railway Links in Africa

 Tazara railway –connects Zambia Copper Belt with the sea port of Dare-salaam.
 Benguela railway –runs from Zambia copper Belt to Angola.
 Kenya and Uganda railway-runs from Mombasa to kisumu to Kampala.

Why There Are Few Railway Links among African Countries

 Administration by different colonial governments who constructed railway links only

within areas of their jurisdiction.

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 Political differences which led to mistrust and hostility.

 Lack of capital to establish railways.
 Mountainous landscape
 Countries have railways of different gauges making connection to be difficult.
 High maintenance and expansion costs.
 Wars and civil wars
 Poverty

Advantages of Railway transport Disadvantages Railway

 Less expensive compared to road transport
 It can carry a large number of people and
bulky goods in one trip
 No congestion or jam
 Passenger trains are comfortable because of
having facilities like accommodation,
dining and hotels.
 Safer than motor vehicles
 Employment opportunities
 Very slow means of transport
 Expensive to construct as much iron and
steel are needed to the lines
 Trains cannot use rails while they are
under construction
 Lack of flexibility
 Are affected adversely by terrain like
steep slopes
 Monopoly

D. PIPELINES

Definition

Pipeline transport means movement of mainly fluid or gas products such as water, gas oil
through pipes from one place to another. In Kenya the main oil pipeline extends from Mombasa
through Nairobi to Kisumu and Eldoret where there are main oil deposits.

Advantages of Pipelines Disadvantages of pipelines

 No delay at all  Can transport only one type of commodity
at one time
 Low operating costs  Insecure : can be sabotaged if they across
several countries
 Minimum labour is required in operating  If burst can lead to severe land or water
pipelines pollution
 Not affected by bad weather  Inflexible: they remain permanently in one
position
 It doesn’t pollute the environment in cases of
leakages which are rare
 Convenient amounts of commodity

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2. WATER TRANSPORT

Definition

Water transport is the cheapest and the oldest mode of transport. It operates on a natural truck
and doesn’t require huge capital investment in the construction and maintenance of its truck
except in the case of canals.

 It involves movement of goods and people over water ways /water bodies.

Types of Water Transport

Water transport can be classified into two:

A. Inland Water Transport

 This involves the movement of goods and people over inland waters.
 The main means of inland water transport include: navigable rivers, lakes and
canals
B. Ocean Transport

Ocean transport is indispensable for foreign trade.

It has brought

Ocean transport includes:

I. Coastal Shipping
It is one of the most important means of transport for carrying goods from one part to another in
a country. It is cheaper and quick mode of transport and is most suitable for carrying heavy,
bulky and cheap goods like coal, iron ore etc to distant places. But it can serve only limited
areas.

II. Overseas shipping

There are three types of vessels employed in the overseas shipping:

Liners

Liners are the ships which have regular fixed routes, time and charges. They are usually a
collection of vessels under one ownership.

Tramps

Tramps are the ships which have no fixed routes. They have no set rules or rate schedule.
Usually they do not sail till they have full cargo. They can be chartered by exporters and are
ready to sail anywhere and at any time.

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Tankers

Tankers are the vessels which are specially designed to carry oil, petrol and such other liquids
.they have a large capacity.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Water Transport

Advantages of Water transport Disadvantages of water transport

 It is the cheapest form of transport for large
bulky goods
 It uses natural routes
 It accommodates vessels of any dimensions
 The accidents are minimal
 There is no traffic jams
 May be very expensive
 It is slow means of transport
 Not all countries have access to the seas
e.g. Ethiopia
 Port congestion may lead to delay of
delivery

Problems facing water Transport in Africa

 Lack of political cooperation which makes it difficult to have joint construction.

 Inadequate capital to establish navigation system.
 Low volume of goods which makes some parts uneconomical.
 Insecurity –sea pirates along the coast of Somalia
 Lack of navigable rivers due to rapids and waterfalls.
 Sea storms which interferes with navigation

IMPORTANT CANALS OF THE WORLD

1. The Zuez Canal

This canal is 160 km long and it connects the Mediterranean and Red sea. It has no lock the
movement of ships through it is therefore very easy. It is an important cargo transported through
this canal was oil from the Persian Gulf region to North –West –Europe.

2. The Panama Canal

This canal joints the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean. It is 80 km long and it has
three sets of locks which makes the movement of ships through it slower than through the
zuez canal.
3. The St. Lawrence seaway
The construction of a series of deep water canals and locks on the St. Lawrence was
completed in 1960 to enables ships of up to 10,000 tons to reach the great lakes from the
Atlantic Ocean.

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4. AIR TRANSPORT
 It involves movement of people and goods from one place to another by using by planes.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Air Transport

Advantages Disadvantages
 It is the fastest mode of transport  Expensive to travel
 Comfortable  Requires high trained personnel
 Low risk of damage  High –risk accidents
 Fixed time schedules  Air piracy risks
 No physical barrier like mountains  Affected by bad weather
 Safety  Limited carrying capacity

TYPES OF COMMUNICATION

 Communication is the process of transmitting information from one person to another.

Types of communication include:

1. Verbal or oral communication- communication by word of mouth e.g. telephone, face to

face and radio.
2. Written communication –communication by writing .e.g. letters ,magazines, newspapers
and journals
3. Audio –visual communication-communication by using a combination of sounds, signs
and pictures. E.g. gestures, beating drums, smoke shouting in a special way, television etc.

TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICES

Communication over a distance using cables or wireless communication

1. Telephone – converts sound into electronic signals and back to sound waves at receiving
end.
2. Facsimile ( fax) – send information through telephone lines by converting written
information into electric signal and back to written at the receiving end.
3. Internet –global network of communication

Role of Transport and Communication in the Economic Development of Africa

1. Development of trade because buyers are able to move markets where production is high
demand.
2. Development of infrastructure by making tourist attractions accessible.
3. Promotes international understanding among people from different parts of the world.
4. Source of employment opportunities to millions of people in Africa.

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5. Promotes industrial development since areas with good transport and communication
network attract investors to establish industries.
6. Settlement develop where transport routes converge
7. Transport opens up remote areas for exploitation of natural resources.
8. Transport and communication are sources of revenue for the governments in Africa e.g. tax
levied on air time, license fees charged when one wants to start TV or radio station.

PROBLEMS FACING TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATION IN AFRICA AND

THEIR POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

Problems
 Some countries are land locked
 Regions having rugged relief and mountains
 Shortage of navigable rivers
 Vandalism of communication facilitates such as
telephones and their cables.
 Lack of adequate capital
 Political instability
 Communication experiences language barriers due
to many ethnic groups
 High cost of travelling due to high cost of fuel
TRADE
Solutions
 Developing relations with neighboring countries
with ports and seas.
 Construction of passes and tunnels through
mountains.
 Widening and deepening of river channels
through dredging and dams
 Prosecution people who commit this crime
 Make partnership with rich donors in order
finance establishment of communication
infrastructure
Set peace mission and dialogues
 Adaption of major international languages like
French and English
 Management and conservation of energy to save
on the available resources and alternative sources
of energy

Trade is buying and selling or exchange of goods and services.

Types of Trade

A. Domestic /internal /home /local

Buying and selling of goods within a country’s borders. It’s classified into:
1) Whole sale trade –purchasing of goods in bulk from producers and selling them to
retailers.
2) Retail trade – buying goods from wholesalers and selling them to individual
consumers.
B. Regional Trade
-Trade between countries found in the same geographical region.

C. International Trade

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 Exchange of goods and services at global level. It’s classified into:

1. Export trade –selling of goods and services to foreign countries. e.g a trader from India
sells his goods to a trader located in China.
2. Import trade –buying of goods and services from other countries. e.g a trader from India
purchase goods from a trader located in China.
3. Bilateral Trade –exchange of goods and services between two countries.
4. Multilateral Trade –exchange of goods and services between many countries.
5. Visible Trade –trading in tangible goods.
6. Invisible trade –trading in services.

Balance of Trade

-Difference in value of countries visible exports and imports. It’s of two types:

 Adverse Balance of payments: value of visible imports exceeds that of visible exports.
 Favorable Balance of Trade: in which value of visible exports exceeds that of visible
imports.

Balance of Payment
Difference in value between visible and invisible exports and imports.

Factors Influencing Trade

 Difference in natural resources which countries to trade one another.

 Large population which provides market for goods.
 Demand of goods and supply.
 Adequate and efficient transport and communication.
 Trade restrictions can encourage or discourage trade.
 Trading blocks or economic unions promotes regional trade among member states.
 Existence of financial facilities like Banking and insurance system.
 Trade can only take place between countries only when they are in good terms.

Significance of Trade

 Employment opportunities
 It is a source of revenue for the government by charging sales tax such as V.A.T on
manufactured goods
 Foreign exchange
 Leads to development of settlements
 Leads to development of industries
 Leads to development and improvement of transport infrastructure such as roads and
railways

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 Distribution of resources

Problems Facing Trade

 Local manufactures suffer unfair competition from foreign firms.

 Inadequate transport and communication
 Unexpected trade restrictions are sometimes imposed on exports.
 There is ignorance about African people because they believe that goods from overseas are
of superior quality so they prefer imported goods instead of local ones.
 Agricultural exports are sometimes affected by climatic variation, diseases and pests
leading to low production.
 In adequate capital which lowers the volume of business.

Role of Regional Trading Blocks

A trading block is an association of trading nations which agree to abolish trade restriction
among them in order to widen the market for goods and services in their regions.

African Regional Trading Blocks

1. The Common market for Eastern and Southern Africa ( COMESA)

 It was established in 1994 to replace preferential trade area ( P.T.A)
 It has 22 member states e.g. Kenya ,Uganda Ethiopia ,Zambia Zimbabwe ,Namibia etc

Objectives of COMESA

 To reduce and eliminate trade barriers among member states.

 Abolish restrictions in administration of trade among member states.
 Raise standard of living within member states.
 Promote goods being produced in the member states.
 Fostering peace and stability among member states.

Achievements of COMESA

 Increased volume of trade.

 Increased accessibility to markets in member countries.
 Free movement of goods among member countries.
 Improved of transport and communication facilities.
 Increased political and economic cooperation among member states.

2. Southern African Development Community ( SADC)

 It started as Southern African Community (SADC) in 1980 in Lusaka Zambia.

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 It has 14 member states e.g. Tanzania, DRC, S.Africa ,Zambia ,Zimbabwe

,Mozambique etc.

Objectives of SADC

 Encourage self-reliance among member states.

 Promote and defend peace and security.
 Promote regional integration.
 Eradicate poverty.
 Facilitate trade among member states.
 Utilize natural resources and their protection.

Achievements of SADC

 Promotion of regional industries based on domestic/regional

 Development of transport and communication among member countries.
 Poverty was reduced and standard of life improved.

3. Economic Community of West African States ( ECOWAS)

 It was established in 1976 by treaty of Lagos.
 It has headquarters in Lagos Nigeria.
 It has 15 member states e.g. Nigeria, Liberia, Ghana, Benin, Guinea, Sierra Leone
etc.

Objectives of ECOWAS

 Promote mutual trade by eliminating trade restrictions among members.

 Create a monetary union.
 Impose uniform tariffs for imports from non member countries.
 Give special treatment to goods imported from member states.
 Promote Free movement of people without Visa

Achievements of ECOWAS

 Brought peace to troubled regions like Liberia and Sierra Leone.

 Promotion of trade in the region
 Development of schools to train people on peace keeping e.g. the National War
College.
 Free movement of goods among member states.

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The European Union (EU)

 It is an organization of European countries dedicated to increased economic integration

and cooperation among members.
 It was formerly inaugurated in1993 and has head quarters in Brussels in Belgium.

Objectives OF EU

 Promote cooperation in economic, trade, social, and judicial matters.

 Implementation of economic and monetary union.

Achievements of EU

 Signing of many trade agreements between EC and other countries.

 Free trade among members as a result of abolishing trade barriers.
 High agricultural production.
 Free movement of factors of production which include capital and labour.

Problems Facing Regional Trading Blocks

 Civil wars taking place in some countries affecting trade between countries.
 Political differences among leaders of member states.
 Some countries produce similar goods.
 Free trade affects local industries as the imported goods without taxes are usually
cheaper than locally produced goods.
 Free trade denies country’s revenue.
 Poor transport and communication limits inflow of goods and services.

WORK TO DO

1. Explain why transport is a necessity?

2. Name five means of transport?
3. Explain Why is communication is necessity of life?
4. Name four means of communication?
5. What are the means of mass communication?
6. Explain role of transport and communication in the developments of Somaliland country?

GOOD LUCK

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