Compare the North Central Highlands with the Cross River Plain under the following headings:
(a) Relief and drainage
(b) People and settlement
(c) Economic activities
Explanation
(a) Relief and Drainage:
(i) The North Central Highlands is a highland area while the Cross River Basin is a lowland area
(ii) Average height of North Central Highlands is 750m while the Cross River plains is 120 -180m
(iii) In the two areas, isolated hills and ridges are found
(iv) North Central Highlands has radial drainage pattern while Cross River plains has dendritic patterns of drainage
(v) North Central Highlands is well drained while the Cross River plains has a lot of swampy clay depressions
(b) People and Settlement:
(i) Both areas are inhabited by many ethnic groups
(ii) North Central Highlands have Hausa Fulani, Birom Angas, Kaje, etc while the Cross River plains have lgbo, lbibio, Ekoi, Efik, Ukelle, etc
(iii) In both regions, there are areas of dense population and areas of sparse population
(iv) In Cross River plains settlements are mainly on the interfluve while in North Central Highland settlements are mainly in the plain and foot of the hills
(v) Nucleated and dispersed settlements in both areas
(c) Economic Activities:
(a) In both areas, crop farming is the most important occupation and the food crops include rice, yam, soya beans, guinea corn and maize
(b) In Cross River plains cash crops include oil palm and rubber while for the North Central Highlands they include cotton, groundnut and wheat
(c) The mining is important in North Central Highlands while petroleum mining is important in Cross River plains. Local crafts in North Central Highlands include brass work, leather works and clothes dyeing while in Cross River plains they include cane and raffia work. In Cross River plains people carve on wood but in North Central Highlands they carve on calabash.