This question was attempted by few candidates. The performance of the few candidates was poor. Their poor performance resulted from their inadequate knowledge of the location of the West Coast of South Africa and the factors responsible for the sparse population of the area.
Some wrote on factors of sparse population without reference to the West Coast of South Africa and some took the area to mean West Africa.
The candidates were expected to explain the factors which are responsible for the sparse population of the West Coast of South Africa with the following points:
- harsh climate-desert temperature ranging from 21°C to 40°C;
- presence of cold Benguela current leading to formation of fog and low precipitation;
- presence of kalahari/Namib deserts discourage farming/settlement;
- presence of few rivets for irrigation;
- falls in the rain shadow areas of Drakensberg mountain;
- poor soil which discourages farming;
- low commercial and industrial activities;
- poor development of infrastructure;
- pests and diseases;
- political instability.
