Chapter three Geography form four

Transport, communication and trade

Objectives:

At the end of this chapter , the learner should be able to :

 Define transport and communication

 Describe the types of transport and communication
 Explain the main problems facing transport
 Differentiate between transport and communication
 Explain the trade and types of trade
 Discuss the factors which influence transport and communication

Definition of transport

Transport is the act of moving people and goods 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.

Definition of communication

Communication is a process of conveying information from one person to another .

Communication is also the process of transferring information between individuals, groups
and places in a given time.

Definition of trade

Trade is the buying and selling or exchange of goods and services between people , firms
or countries.

Contrasting Transport and communication

Instr. Mustafe Osman AL- Nuur School Form Four Geography 1

 Transport Communication

 Deals with the movement of  Deals with the movement of

physical items and people. information.
 Involves only the physical item  Involves non physical carriage
 Uses vehicles , air plane and  Uses computers , telephone ,
ships satellites and TVs
 Takes a long time  Transmission of information is
immediate because of modern
technology

The roles of Transport and Communication

 Transport facilitates trade and commerce by carrying goods from areas of production
to areas of consumption.
 Transport is essential for the movement of passengers 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.
 Transport brings positive changes in the life of the people and thereby enhancing
their economic conditions
 Transport help conveying heavy and bulky goods within shorter period of time
 Many people are employed in the transport and communication sectors.
 Settlements develop where transport routes meet .
 Transport promotes international understanding among different ethnic people.

Factors Influencing Transport and Communication

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

THE MODES OF TRANSPORT

Water transport

Instr. Mustafe Osman AL- Nuur School Form Four Geography 2

 Land transport Air transport

Road ways Rail ways Oceanic Inland Domestic International

Land Transport

This includes all movement of people and goods on dry land. The most commonly used
modes on land transport are human , use of animals, roads, railways and pipelines.

Types of Land Transport

1. Human and Animal Transport

Movement of people from one place to another carrying light goods on their back, hands or
shoulders or by using hand carts, trolleys, bicycles or motorcycles.

Use of domesticated animals like cattle , camel, donkey , horse and even dogs to carry
goods and people on their back or pull loaded carts

Advantages of Human and animal transport

 cheapest and can be used by all people since no fuel is used
 Safe due to few accidents
 Lack of pollution
 Flexible and carried goods without good network
 It is convenient in that it's ready available
Disadvantages of Human and transport
 Goods can be stolen or destroyed by wild animals
 Slow and time consuming
 Cannot transport large quantities of goods
 Can cause congestion on busy urban roads which delay other transport types
.
2. Road Transport
This the most widespread means of land transport. It means of transportation of people
and goods by motor vehicles on roads.

Types of Roads

Instr. Mustafe Osman AL- Nuur School Form Four Geography 3

 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 seasons

Trans-Continental Highways in Africa

 Great north road connecting Cape Town and Cairo through Tanzania, Kenya, Sudan
and Ethiopia.
 Trans-Africa road from the port of Mombasa to Dakar in Senegal through East and
Central Africa.
 Dakar-Djamena Highways through Core De Ivoire, Nigeria and Chad.
 Trans-Sahara high way from Lagos to tripoli through Algeria

Advantages of road transport

 flexible
 Faster compared to human and animal transport
 Is cheaper compared to railwaylines
 Available every time
 Easily repairable when damage by using it
Disadvantages of road transport
 Traffic congestion and jams in urban areas
 Expensive over distances
 Vehicles can carry only limited number of people and goods
 Prone to accidents
 Causes environmental pollution.

3. Railway Transport

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

Advantages of railway transport

o Very suitable for carrying of bulky and heavy goods
o It is cheap means of transport
o It is less affected by poor weather conditions
o Accidents are minimal
o Railway follow a regular timetable hence help people to plan their movements
o It is very economical to run a large train

Instr. Mustafe Osman AL- Nuur School Form Four Geography 4

 o The stations have ware house facilitates for the storage of the goods
Disadvantages of railway transport
 It is slow means of movement especially of perishable goods.
 It is not flexible
 It is unevenly distributed
 There is use of varied gauges
 It depends on other means of transport

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- Uganda Railway runs from Mombasa to Kisumu. It has an extension from
Nakuru through Eldoret to Malaba then through Tororo 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.
 Political differences which led to mistrust and hostility which works against effort to
construct railway jointly.
 Countries have railways of different gauges making connection to be difficult.
 Countries lack sufficient capital to establish railways.
 Mountainous landscape and swampy terrain which hinder the development of rails to
link the countries

Problems Which Kenya Experiences in the Rail Transport

 Competition from other modes of transport which are cheaper and flexible
 Frequent accidents from derailments due to inadequate servicing which has led to
high maintenance
 High maintenance and expansion costs causing little expansion of rail lines
 Mismanagement of rail services leading to deterioration at lower income.

4. Pipelines

Instr. Mustafe Osman AL- Nuur School Form Four Geography 5

 Pipeline transport means of movement of fluid or gas products such as water, gas and
oil through pipes from one place to another.
Advantages of Pipelines
 Constant supply and flow of the commodity
 It is reliable and convenient for transporting
 Low operating costs
 It doesn’t pollute the environment except in cases of leakages which are rare.
 Minimum labor
Disadvantages of pipelines
 Pipelines are expensive to construct and to lay down
 Accidents can lead to excessive wastages
 In flexible: they remain in one position
 It can transport only one type of commodity
 Insecure: it can be sabotaged if they run across several countries

Water Transport

Water transport is one of the oldest means of transport which can be classified into inland
and sea transport. it operates on a natural track and hence does not require huge capital
investment in the construction and maintenance of its track except in the case of canals.

Advantages of water Transport

 It is quite cheap
 The route is free.
 It accommodates vessels of any dimensions
 The accidents are very minimal
 There is no traffic congestion
Disadvantages of water transport
 Bad for perishable or time sensitive goods
 It is a slow means of transport
 It is not very flexible
 Not all countries have access to the sea
 Port congestion may lead to delay in delivery

Air transport

Instr. Mustafe Osman AL- Nuur School Form Four Geography 6

This refers to the movement of goods and people using aircraft like aero planes, helicopters,
airships and hot-air balloons.

Advantage of air transport

 It is an efficient and fast means of transport
 It is the most comfortable means of passenger transport
 It is a relative flexible means of transport
 It is not limited by physical feature
Disadvantage of air transport
 It is very expensive
 Establishing a well equipped air port is very high.
 Less carrying capacity than ocean transporters
 Airport requires high trained personnel
 Not good for large bulky items
 Aircraft have become a target of hijacking and terrorist attacks

Communication

Communication is about sending and receiving information or massage from one person to
another through using shared symbols

Types of communication

There are three main types of communication. These are verbal, written and audio-visual
communication.

1- Verbal communication: is communication by the word of mouth e.g. telephone, face to

face and radio.

2- Written communication: is communication by writing e.g. letters, Magazines,

newspapers and journals.

3- Audio-visual communication: is communication by using combination of sounds, signs

and pictures e.g. Gestures, beating drums, smoke, shouting in special way, television

Roles of transport and communication in economic development of Africa

o Development of trade:

Instr. Mustafe Osman AL- Nuur School Form Four Geography 7

 Because buyers are to move to markets, traders are able to move market centers
where products are in high demand and order goods for sale without necessary going to
the supplier which reduces transport cost and hence increases profits.
o Development of infrastructure:
by making tourist attractions accessible.
o Promotion of industrial development:
Establishment of industrial of more industries since areas with good transport and
communication networks are likely to attract investor to set up industries and finished
goods are able to reach consumers.
o Employment:
Many people are employed in transport and communication sectors e.g. drivers,
mechanics, engineers, and journalists etc.

Problems facing transport and communication in Africa and their solutions

Problems Solutions
 Some countries are land locked  Develop good relation with neighboring
countries with ports and seas
 Rugged relief with mountains  Construction of passes and tunnels
through mountain
 Shortage of navigable rivers  Widening and deepen of river channels
through dredging and dams
 Vandalism of communication facilities  Prosecution of people who commit this
such as telephone and their cables crime
 Lack of adequate capital  Make partnership with rich donors and
HIC
 Political instability  Make peace and dialogues

Trade

Trade refers to the buying and selling of goods and services. It involves transfer or
exchange of goods and services for money or money's worth.

Types of trade

1. Local trade

Instr. Mustafe Osman AL- Nuur School Form Four Geography 8

This type of trade is also known as domestic, local or home trade. It involves the buying and
selling of goods with in a country’s border. internal trade can be further sub-divide into two
groups.

 Whole sale trade: it involves buying in large quantities from producers or

manufacturers and selling in lots retailers for resale to consumers. the wholesaler is a
link between manufacturer and retailer.
 Retail trade: It involves buying in smaller lots from the wholesalers and selling in
small quantities of the consumers for personal use.

2. Regional trade

Regional trade: is trade between countries that found in the same geographical region. For
example, the trade that goes on between Somaliland, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania is
regional trade.

3. International trade or foreign Trade

This type of trade is also referred to as external or foreign trade. It is conducted between
two or more countries. It enables a country to acquire goods which it does not produce.
International trade is subdivided into more groups .
o Export Trade:
selling of goods and services to foreign countries. Examples of major exports from
Somaliland are livestock, frankincense gun and gum Arabia.
o Import Trade:
Buying of goods and services from other countries. Examples of Imports to
Somaliland are crude oil, vehicles, electronics, sugar, skilled labor, fertilizers, rice,
vehicle parts and e.t.c
o Entrepot trade :
when goods are imported from one country and then re-exported after doing some
processing, it is called entrepot trade
o bilateral Trade:
Exchange of goods and services between two countries .
o multilateral Trade:
Exchange of goods and services between many countries.
Balance trade:

Instr. Mustafe Osman AL- Nuur School Form Four Geography 9

 is the difference in value between a country’s visible export and imports. It
comprises two types:
Adverse of balance of payment : is when value of visible imports exceeds that of exports
Favorable balance of payment: is when value of visible exports exceeds that of visible
imports.
Factors influencing Trade
 Difference in natural resources
 Large population which provide market for goods.
 Demand of goods
 Supply of goods
 Adequate and efficient transport and communication
 Trade restrictions
 Trade blocks or economic unions
 Existence of financial facilities
 Peace and stability
Significance of trade
Employment
Revenue
foreign exchange
development of settlements,
Development of infrastructure
Development of industries
The role of regional trading blocks
Here we will look at four regional blocks or economic union as following below:
a. COMESA
b. ECOWAS
c. EU
d. SADC
The common market for eastern and southern Africa ( COMESA). It was established in
1994.
Objectives of COMESA
 To reduce and eliminate trade barriers on selected commodities to be traded with
member states.
 Abolish restriction in administration of trade among member countries
 Fostering relations, peace and political stability for member states.
Achievements
 Increased volume of trade

Instr. Mustafe Osman AL- Nuur School Form Four Geography 10

  Free movement of goods among member countries due to elimination of trade
barrier
 Improvement of transport and communication
The southern African development community ( SADC). It was started as southern African
development co-ordination in 1980.

Objectives

- Promote regional integration

- Eradicate poverty
- Facilitate trade and economic liberalization
- Promote and maximize utilization of natural resources and effective protection of
environment

Achievements

 Promotion of regional industries based on domestic and regional raw materials

 Reliability and development of regional transport and communication

The economic community of west African states ( ECOWAS) . it was establish in 1976 by
treaty of lagos.

Objectives

o Promote mutual trade by eliminating trade restriction among members.

o Create a monetary union
o Impose uniform tariffs for imports from non-member countries
o Promote free movement of people to and from member countries by eliminating visas.

Achievements

- Free movement of goods among member states

- Development of schools to train people on peace keeping
- Promotion of trade in the region through the peace achieved
The European union ( EU) was formerly inaugurated in 1993 and has headquarters in
Brussels in Belgium.

Instr. Mustafe Osman AL- Nuur School Form Four Geography 11

Objectives:

- Promote co-operation in economic , trade ,social , security and judicial matters

- Implementation of economic and monetary union.
Achievements

- Free trade among members as a result of abolishing trade barrier

- Free movement of factors of production which include capital and labor.
- Signing of many trade agreements between EU and other countries

The end

Instr. Mustafe Osman AL- Nuur School Form Four Geography 12