Geography 2006 Jamb Examination

Nitrogen-fixing organisms convert atmospheric nitrogen \(N_2\), which plants cannot use directly, into nitrates and ammonium that enrich the soil.
These compounds become available for plant uptake, improving soil fertility and supporting ecosystem productivity.
Without nitrogen fixation, most ecosystems would struggle to maintain plant growth due to nitrogen limitations.

Climax vegetation develops gradually through succession, requiring long periods for species replacement and stabilisation.
Soil conditions strongly influence the types of plants that can survive, as nutrient availability and structure shape vegetation patterns.
Thus, soil partnered with time plays the key role in the evolution of climax vegetation.

Spruce is widely used in the paper and pulp industry because it has long fibres that produce strong, high-quality pulp.
Hardwoods like ebony, teak and mahogany are dense and unsuitable for large-scale pulp production.
Softwoods such as spruce have the ideal fibre characteristics for paper manufacturing.

A barometer measures atmospheric pressure, which is essential for weather forecasting and understanding air mass movements.
Thermometers measure temperature, wind vanes measure wind direction, and anemometers measure wind speed.
Therefore, only a barometer is appropriate for pressure measurement.

Laterite soils are rich in iron and aluminium oxides formed through intense leaching under tropical climatic conditions.
The characteristic reddish colour comes from high iron content.
Other soil types do not show such concentration of these compounds, making laterite the correct match.

Greenhouse gases trap heat in the troposphere, enhancing the natural greenhouse effect and raising global temperatures.
This warming influences climate patterns and environmental systems worldwide.
Other listed effects may occur later, but the most direct immediate result is global warming.

Plutonic rocks form when magma cools slowly deep within the Earth's crust, producing coarse-grained textures such as granite.
Volcanic rocks cool rapidly at the surface, metamorphic rocks form through heat and pressure, and sedimentary rocks form from deposited materials.
Thus, coarse-grained deep-seated igneous rocks are plutonic.

Hurricanes are intense tropical cyclones characterised by very low pressure, strong winds, heavy rainfall and destructive storm surges.
They are far more hazardous than thunderstorms and are not comparable to Chinooks, which are warm winds, or tsunamis, which are seismic sea waves rather than atmospheric storms.
Therefore, hurricanes represent the most hazardous type among the options.

The carbon cycle involves major exchanges between organisms and the atmosphere, especially through respiration, photosynthesis and combustion.
Although carbon also exists in the hydrosphere and lithosphere, the most active and rapid exchanges occur in the atmosphere.
This makes the atmosphere the most prevalent zone for the carbon cycle.

Côte d'Ivoire has abundant forest resources that provide extensive stands of timber suitable for commercial logging.
The presence of efficient waterways enables the movement of bulky logs from forested areas to processing centres and ports.
This combination supports large-scale lumbering activities.