(a)      Draw an outline map of Nigeria. On the map, mark and name;

1. latitudes 5oN, 13oN and longitude 8oE;
2. one area with rainfall of about 600mm;
3. one area with rainfall between 2000mm and 3050mm;
4. one town in each of the areas in (ii) and (iii) above.

This was not a popular question among the candidates and many of those who answered the question could not draw good maps and locate the required latitudes and longitude.  If candidates form the habit of practising map drawing, they would master the art.

Furthermore, many of the candidates who attempted the question could not describe the rainfall pattern over Nigeria.  The expected answer include:

• rainfall not uniformly distributed;
• decreases in amount and duration from the coast inland;
• coastal areas receive over 3000mm of rainfall spread over 8 – 10 months;
• extreme North received less than 250mm of rainfall spread over 3 - 4 months;
•   high altitudes create islands of higher rainfall of between 1500mm – 2000mm annually e.g. Jos Plateau;
  

• double maxima rainfall regime in the south in the months of June and October;
• single maximum rainfall regime in the North in September;
• two main seasons (rainy and dry seasons);
• onset of rainy season usually heralded by thunderstorm and lightening;
• rainfall may be so heavy as to cause destructive floods;
• onset of rains may be delayed creating drought conditions even to the South;
• heaviest rainfall occurs in the South West;
• rainy season follows the seasonal migration of the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone.