(a) What is meant by the term hinterland?
(b) Highlight with specific examples, the importance of sea ports in the economy of Nigeria
(c) State any four problems of port development in Nigeria
Explanation
(a) Hinterland refers to the area of land that can be served by a particular sea port
(b) The importance of sea ports in the economy of Nigeria include:
(i) Sea ports like Apapa port serves as a point where imported and exported goods come in or move out of the country respectively
(ii) Sea ports generally like Port Harcourt and Apapa ports generate , revenue for the government
(iii) Sea ports generally provide employment for many people
(iv) Sea ports bring people together for the exchange of ideas and culture
(c) Four problems of port development in Nigeria are:
(i) The Deposition of sand, silt, clay at the delta and along the coast makes port development a problem
(ii) The nature of the coastline poses a problem as most coastlines are not suited for the development of ports
(iii) Shallow nature of the coasts; Most of the coasts in Nigeria are very shallow and this makes it difficult for large vessels to sail to the coast
(iv) Fluctuations in ocean tides: There is fluctuation in tides (rise in the volume of water in the ocean) along the coasts as there are occasions of high tides and other occasions of low tide Sokoto Plain