GEOGRAPHY

Grade 12
LEARNER SUPPORT

Revision Term 3

ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY
OF SOUTH AFRICA

This revision program is designed to assist you in revising the critical content and skills
covered during the 3rd term. The purpose is to prepare you to understand the key
concepts and to provide you with an opportunity to establish the required standard and
the application of the knowledge necessary to succeed in the NCS examination.

Geography revision booklet Grade 12 Term 3

CONTENT
What must I know to get 40%, 50% and 70% 3

1 Structure of the economy 4

2 Agriculture 5
3 Mining 6
4 The secondary sector 7
4.1 Types of industries 7
4.2 Industrial regions of South Africa 8
4.3 Strategies for industrial development 9-10
5 The tertiary sector 11
6 The informal sector 12

Activities
Activity 1 : Structure of the Economy 13
Activity 2 : Primary activities 14
Activity 3 : Secondary activities 15
Activity 4 : International trade 16
Activity 5 : The informal sector 17
Activity 6 : Concepts 18

Geography revision booklet Grade 12 Term 3

 What must I know to get 40%, 50% and 70%

40% (30 marks per question) 50% (38 marks per question) 70% (53 marks per
MUST HAVE THIS BASIC ADD THE FOLLOWING question)
KNOWLEDGE ADD THE FOLLOWING
ECONOMIC SECTORS ADD THE FOLLOWING ADD THE FOLLOWING
• Define Primary, secondary, tertiary SECONDARY SECTOR AGRICULTURE
activities • Characteristics of heavy, light, raw • Products
material orientated, market
AGRICULTURE orientated, footloose, ubiquitous MINING
• Distinguish- small and large scale and bridge industries. • Products
farmers
• Discuss favourable/unfavourable ECONOMIC SECTORS STRATEGIES FOR INDUSTRIAL
factors • Define quaternary sector. DEVELOPMENT
• Discuss sector’s contribution to SA • Issues: centralisation and
MINING economy decentralisation
• Discuss favourable/unfavourable
factors AGRICULTURE
• Discuss the contribution to SA
SECONDARY SECTOR economy
• Discuss/identify actors industrial • What is food security? Reasons?
development
• Discuss favourable/unfavourable MINING
factors/ of • Discuss contribution of mining to
• Gauteng SA economy.
• Port Elizabeth – Uitenhage
STRATEGIES FOR INDUSTRIAL
TERTIARY SECTOR DEVELOPMENT
• Contribution What are IDZ’s and SDI’s?
• Role Richards Bay SDI
I Platinum SDI
NFORMAL SECTOR Saldanha Bay IDZ
• Define informal sector
Why so many people involved INTERNATIONAL TRADE
Challenges • Imports and Exports
• Advantages and disadvantages

QUESTIONS GEOGRAPHERS ASK EXAMPLE OF EXAM QUESTION (Urban Settlement)

1 What is it? Define informal sector.
2 Where is it? In what province is the Port Elizabeth-Uitenhage industrial region situated?
3 Why is it where? Discuss the factors that influenced the location of the industries.
4 What does it look like? Describe the characteristics of heavy industries.
5 What is the impact? Discuss the role of mining on the economy of South Africa.
6 How can it be managed? Discuss ways in which food insecurity in South Africa can be managed.
Ask these questions when you prepare any topic in Economic geography of South Africa. Questions 5 and 6
are usually the paragraph type questions(4x2=8). Remember that you cannot study Geography PARROT
STYLE!! The questions are not set in that way.

Geography revision booklet Grade 12 Term 3

1. STRUCTURE OF THE ECONOMY

Geography revision booklet Grade 12 Term 3

2. AGRICULTURE

Geography revision booklet Grade 12 Term 3

3. MINING

Geography revision booklet Grade 12 Term 3

4. THE SECONDARY SECTOR

4.1 TYPES OF INDUSTRIES

Type (What is it?) Characteristics (What does it look like?) Examples
Light industries • Light weight raw materials Electrical goods, clothing,
• Light machinery food processing.
• Little air pollution and noise
Heavy industries • Large quantities of raw materials Steel, oil refining, ship
• Heavy machinery building.
• Large amounts of air pollution and noise
Raw material orientated Located close to source of raw materials Iron and steel industries
Market orientated Located close to the customer Cheese processing
Footloose industries Location not determined by the access to Software- and research
markets or raw materials. companies
Ubiquitous industries Can locate anywhere Cell phone companies
Bridge industries Located between the raw materials and the Oil refinery
market.

CONTRIBUTION OF THE FACTORS AFFECTING THE

SECONDARY SECTOR TO THE LOCATION OF AN INDUSTRY. Why
ECONOMY OF SA is it there?
• Raw materials: How close are the raw
materials to the industry
• Markets: Consumers to buy the product.
Domestic and international
• Water: Needed for the processing of raw
material and for cooling of machinery
• Transport: Between the industry, raw
material and the market.
• Energy: A reliable source of electricity
IMPORTANCE OF INDUSTRIAL needed.
DEVELOPMENT IN SOUTH AFRICA • Labour: Skilled and unskilled workforce
• Exports earn foreign exchange. must live in the area.
• Provides more and higher paid employment. • Government policies: Subsidies or tax
• Develops more skills which leads to the incentives to locate industries in certain
development of new technology. areas.
• Industrial growth stimulates growth of other
services and facilities.

FACTORS FAVOURING FACTORS RESTRICTING

INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT IN SA INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT IN SA
• Wide range of raw materials. • Large distances between SA and foreign
• A well-developed infrastructure. markets increase transport costs.
• Availability of cheap, flat land. • Shortage of skilled labour.
• A large skilled and unskilled labour force. • Labour strikes
• Access to domestic and international • Water and electricity shortages.
market. Harbours for export • Air pollution

Geography revision booklet Grade 12 Term 3

5. THE TERTIARY SECTOR

THE TERTIARY SECTOR

What is the contribution of What is the role of
What is the tertiary sector? the tertiary sector to the transport in the
economy of South Africa? economy of South
Africa?
The tertiary sector provides services to
people. • Provides employment • Provides access to
• Contributes to the GDP. different locations
See graph • Opens access to new
Contribution of the tertiary sector to • Higher income earned in markets
the economy of South Africa tertiary sector leads to • Increases domestic and
higher standard of living international trade
• Knowledge used to improve • Develops of less
other sectors developed areas in the
• Lawyers, engineers, country
doctors etc create • Reduces costs in many
employment economic sectors
• Development in agriculture • Improved business
and industries leads to the efficiency
development of services.

INTERNATIONAL TRADE
What is international trade? What are What are the advantages of What are the
imports? What are exports? international trade? disadvantages of
international trade?

International trade: The exchange of

goods and services between countries
• Disposal of surplus goods • Dependence on
Imports: Goods that are • Optimal use of natural developed countries
brought into a country. resources • Local production can
Exports: Goods that • Access to foreign currency suffer
are shipped out of a • Larger variety of goods • Local industries
country available overshadowed
• Better quality of goods • Rich countries may
• Closer ties between influence political
countries matters in other
• More exchange of technical countries
knowledge • Rivalries amongst
• Development of transport nations
and communication
• Increase in salaries
• Increase in employment
• Competition, both
internationally and locally

Geography revision booklet Grade 12 Term 3

6. THE INFORMAL SECTOR

Key questions:
• Define informal sector.
• Describe the characteristics of the informal sector.
• Why so many people in the informal sector?
• Challenges people face in the informal sector.
• What can be done to improve the informal sector?

Geography revision booklet Grade 12 Term 3

REVISION ACTIVITIES

REVISION ACTIVITY 1 : STRUCTURE OF THE ECONOMY

To complete this activity, you must know and understand how to work with graphs and statistics. . Expect
a question regarding data handling and the application of content with regard to data in this section.

The pie chart below shows the contribution to the GDP of South Africa in 2017

1 Define GDP.

2 Give an example of each of the following. Give a reason for your answer:
2.1 Primary activity
2.2 Secondary activity
2.3 Tertiary activity

3 What percentage did trade contribute to the GDP of South Africa in 2017?

4 Which of the sectors, mining or trade was the largest contributor to the GDP of South
Africa in 2017?

5 With regard to the graph, do you think that South Africa is a developing country? Give
two reasons for your answer.

Geography revision booklet Grade 12 Term 3

REVISION ACTIVITY 2 : PRIMARY ACTIVITIES

The table below shows South Africa’s position on the global food security index

SOUTH AFRICA’S POSITION ON THE GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY INDEX 2012-2016

2.1 Describe the change in South Africa’s food security index score from
2012 to 2016. (1x1) (1)

2.2 State the change in South Africa’s world ranking in terms of the food
security index from 2012 to 2016. (1x1) (1)

2.3 When is a country considered to be food secure? (1x2) (2)

2.4 Explain the positive impact of having food security in South Africa. (2x2) (4)

2.5 Write a paragraph of approximately EIGHT lines in which you analyse

the reasons for South Africa’s low security index. (4x2) (8)

Geography revision booklet Grade 12 Term 3

REVISION ACTIVITY 3 : INTERNATIONAL TRADE

Exam cartoon questions require that you carefully read each aspect of the cartoon, including labels and
captions. It is also very important to note different types of symbolism. You should ask yourself, “What is
the message of the cartoon?”

Refer to the cartoon in the figure below showing the role of international trade in the South
African economy.

ROLE OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

4.1 What is international trade? (1x1) (1)

4.2 Name the product that is being imported into South Africa in large
quantities (1x1) (1)

4.3 Which government department is represented as the referee in the

cartoon? (1x1) (1)

4.4 Explain why the cartoon suggests that the fight cannot be nice, clean
and fair. (1x2) (2)

4.5 Name ONE way in which cheap imports negatively impact on the GDP
of South Africa (1x2) (2)

4.6 Why are cheap imports allowed into South Africa despite its negative
impact on the economy of South Africa? (2x2) (4)

4.7 Suggest TWO possible measures to reduce South Africa’s dependence

on cheap imports. (2x2) (4)

Geography revision booklet Grade 12 Term 3

REVISION ACTIVITY 4 : THE INFORMAL SECTOR

The questions below are based on informal trading.

5.1 Define the term informal trading (1x1) (1)

5.2 What is the total worth of the South African food market? (1x1) (1)

5.3 What percentage of the figure stated in QUESTION 5.2 is accounted

for by the formal trade market? (1x1) (1)

5.4 Give TWO reasons for the high turnover (amount of goods sold) that
spaza outlets in townships experience. (2x2) (2)

5.5 Write a paragraph of approximately EIGHT lines and explain why 85% of
informal traders are foreigners (4x2) (8)

Geography revision booklet Grade 12 Term 3

REVISION ACTIVITY 5 : ECONOMY OF SOUTH AFRICA CONCEPTS

Terminology is the key for understanding Geography. You need to understand these concepts in order to
be able to understand the question and to have the necessary vocabulary to answer the questions.

Give the correct definition/description for each of the following concepts.

Concept Definition/Description
1
Primary sector

2
Secondary sector

3
Tertiary sector

4
Quaternary sector

5 Food security

6 Food insecurity

7
Small-scale farmers

8
Large-scale farmers

9
Heavy industry

10
Light industry

12 Raw material orientated

industries
13 Market orientated
industries
14
Footloose industries

15
Ubiquitous industries

16 International trade

17
Exports

18
Imports

19
Bridge industries

20 Industrial development
zone
21 Spatial development
initiatives
22
Informal sector

Geography revision booklet Grade 12 Term 3

Geography revision booklet Grade 12 Term 3