Only very few candidates answered this question and the performance of those who answered it was generally poor.  Many of the candidates that answered the question could not draw maps of West Africa and were unable to accurately show and name two areas of sparse population density.  The location of a town in areas of sparse population density was also difficult for some candidates.  Adequate preparation before the examination and the practice of the art of map sketching will help the candidates to perform better.

The (b) and (c) parts of the question were poorly answered by most candidates who attempted the question.  The ways in which sparse population could be an advantage include:

-               abundant resources;
-               low crime rate;
-               free flow of traffic;
-               low pressure on social amenities;
-               ease of planning;
-               surplus land for agriculture;
-               high standard of living;
-               high per capita income;
-               low government expenditure.

The problems of sparse population are:

-               Waste of agricultural output;
-               deterioration of infrastructure;
-               underutilization of human and natural resources;
-               few labour force;
-               disincentive to government in planning;
-               low market demand for manufactured goods;
-               low revenue to government;
-               slow down in the rate of development.