The Leys School
Cambridge
13+ Scholarship
Revision Guidance for Scholarship Examination in January 2016
Now that the scholarship examination is nearly upon us, it is important that
you know exactly what to revise.
Time: Your examination paper lasts 40 minutes.
Structure of the paper:The paper is divided into two parts:Section A – the map based section(usually you would spend 15 minutes on this
section).
Section B – the thematic section (usually you would spend 25 minutes
answering ONE question in this section).
Although Section A is map based and tests your map skills, there could be
questions on river features and processes, coastal features and processes,
settlement (sites, hierarchies and urban land use) and Economic Activities.
Together with Tectonic Processes, these topics will form the main part of your
revision for Section B as well.
Below is a revision List for your scholarship examination.
Make sure you know and understand the concepts and you are able to use
appropriate examples.
Please note!!! Due to the lack of time before your scholarship examination in
January, we will not be looking at environmental issues but you have an A4
revision sheet on the Yorkshire Dales which can act as back up to your main
revision topics.
Remember to look at the November trial paper you completed for comments
and areas you can improve on.
Section A: Map Sills
Remember to revise:‘Map Skills - the essentials!’
 Use four and six figure grid references to identify features on the map.
 Identify compass directions (16 point)
 Identify simple relief features on a map e.g. a slope, a hill, a valley, a
river etc.
 Work out the straight line distance between two points as well as being
able to measure the distance along a winding road, river, railway etc.
(use the straight edge of a piece of paper for the latter).
 Work out the range of height between two points on the map using
contour lines or spot heights.
 Describe the land use of a part of the map – can be a whole host of
things including coniferous/non-coniferous woods, ind est indicating
industrial estate, housing, roads/railways, quarry, hotel, caravan and
camping etc.
 Identify reasons for the location of settlements – along a flat part of a
valley, near a river for water, near woods for fuel (early settlement
factors), near roads/railway lines/ports (settlement growth!), nodal
points (particularly for Market Towns), away from flooding from a large
river. See notes below for settlement:-
What is a settlement?
Settlements come in different sizes, types and locations. You can learn about
the history and function of a settlement by studying its shape and size, its
placement in the landscape, and its situation in relation to surrounding
features.
If you group and classify settlements according to their size and shape, the
result is a settlement hierarchy.
Sign at Southampton Docks
A settlement is a place where people live. A settlement may be as small as a
single house in a remote area or as a large as a mega city (a city with over 10
million residents).
A settlement may be permanent or temporary. An example of a temporary
settlement is a refugee camp. However, a temporary settlement may become
permanent over time. This has happened to many refugee camps that have
been built in conflict zones.
The reason a settlement was developed or built can be thought of as
its function. For example, the settlement of Southampton is a port.
Settlement characteristics
Settlement site and situation
The piece of land upon which a settlement is built is the settlement site.
There are many reasons why a site might be chosen for the development of a
settlement and some factors will be more important than others. How many
features can you spot in the map of Southampton below?
Some common site factors include:
Wet point sites - these have a good water supply. Many settlements grew
around wet point sites, eg villages in the South Downs.
Dry point sites - these are away from the risk of flooding, eg Ely in
Cambridgeshire.
Defensive sites - often found on higher ground so that in the past enemies
could be seen from a distance, eg Corfe Castle, Dorset, or in the loop of a
meander, eg Durham.
Aspect - settlements are often found on the sunny side of a deep valley. This is
common in settlements in the Alps.
Shelter - from cold prevailing winds and rain.
Gap towns - Lincoln is found in a gap between two areas of higher ground.
Resources - important for industry, eg villages such as Aberfan in the Welsh
valleys is close to coal reserves.
Bridging point - settlements with 'ford' in their name often grew around a
fording point or bridging point, eg Watford is found on the River Colne.
Trading centres - often settlements grow where natural route ways and rivers
meet, which helps the development of roads, railways and canals.
The importance of many of these functions diminish as technological advances
enable people to overcome difficulties.
The situation of a settlement is its position in relation to the surrounding
human and physical features, many of which will have an impact on the
settlement's type, size and function.
With modern settlements, remember that decisions about location
and situation have been made by planners, but that their priorities may differ
from those that determined the location of a historical settlement like
Southampton. For example, a modern settlement does not need to be close to a
river because drinking water is now piped to our homes and waterways are no
longer important for transport.
Settlement functions
Most large settlements in MEDCs are multifunctional and perform a range of
functions such as retail, education and industry.
When settlements first started to grow, most had only one distinct function,
and others developed as the settlement grew.
Examples of functions
Port - the original function of cities such as Liverpool and Southampton. Both
are still ports, but this function has diminished in importance and they are now
multifunctional.
Market town - Watford was originally a market town, and although it still
holds a regular market, it is now a thriving multifunctional centre.
Resort - Southport was a popular Victorian seaside resort, although it now has
many functions and is a commuter settlement for Liverpool.
Natural resources in the area enabled Sheffield to develop as an important
centre in the iron and steel industry. Although steel is still produced, its
prominence has declined and Sheffield is a thriving multifunctional city.
Settlement hierarchies
If we group and classify a number of settlements according to their size and
shape, the result is settlement hierarchy.

Pyramid showing relationship between population and services
As you move up the hierarchy, the size of the settlement and the distance
between similar sized settlements increases. As you can see from the diagram
above, there are more cities than conurbations, more towns than cities and
more villages than towns.
The number of services that a settlement provides increases with settlement
size.
Small settlements will only provide low-order services such as a post offices,
doctors and newsagents. Large towns, cities and conurbations will provide low
and high-order services such as leisure centres, chain stores and hospitals.
Larger settlements and conurbations have a much larger sphere of
influence than smaller ones. This means they attract people from a wider area
because of the facilities they offer. Cities such as London have a global sphere
of influence, whereas a small hamlet or village may only have a sphere of
influence of a couple of kilometres.
Services such as department stores selling high order goods have a higher
threshold than those selling low order goods such as newsagents. This means
they need a higher number of people to support them and make them
profitable, therefore they will only be found in larger settlements. It also means
that there are fewer big department stores than small newsagents.
The range of a service or product is the maximum distance people are prepared
to travel to purchase it. The range of a newspaper is much lower than an item
of furniture for example.
 Identify reasons for the location of land use such as industrial estates,
airports, sea ports, retail parks, business parks etc. – flat land for space
and expansion, near urban area for source of labour, not too near an
urban area as to cause too much disruption, near transport routes for
bringing supplies/raw materials in and transporting finished products to
other towns/cities, away from potential flooding of large rivers etc.
 Identify different types of economic activity on a map e.g. Primary
(farm, Quarry, Coalmine, fishing port ), Secondary (Ind for Industry, Wks
for Works , Ind Est for Industrial Estate), Tertiary (PO for Post Office,
Hotel, Leisure Centre, Museum, Shopping Centre etc.).
 Describe the course of a river on a map from the source (where land is
higher indicated by tighter contour lines), through the middle stage
(where land becomes gentler indicated by wider contour lines) to the
final mature stage (where the land is virtually flat indicated by very wide
spacing in contour lines on a map). Please note that you may be asked to
describe the changing shape of the channel as well as the changing
shape of the valley. You may be asked to describe and explain features
along the course of the river – ‘V’ shaped valley, Waterfall, Gorge,
Meander and Floodplain.
 Identify which way a river is flowing on a map – look at spot
heights/contour heights along the course of the river; the river will
always flow from the higher points towards the lower points.
 Identify general symbols (your map will probably come with a key but it
would be useful to know the more common symbols):-
 Identify coastal features in case you get a map extract which includes
coastline – headlands, bays, beaches, spits etc.
Rivers
 How rivers erode the landscape, transport eroded material (load) and
deposit this material.
 Changes in the river channel and valley shape from the source of the
river, through the middle stage and onto the mouth of the river (i.e.
small, narrow channel in a ‘V’ shaped valley at the source; wider, deeper
channel in a larger, gently sloping valley during the middle course; very
wide, shallow channel in a wide, flat floodplain near to the mouth of the
river as it enters the sea).
 Describe and explain the formation of V shaped valleys, Waterfalls (in
the upper course), Meanders (in the middle course) and Floodplains and
Deltas (in the lower course).
BE PREPARED TO DRAW DIAGRAMS EVEN IF THE
QUESTION DOES NOT ASK FOR DIAGRAMS!!!!
 How do people use rivers? – How does man benefit from running
water? We benefit in a number of ways including using water
domestically and at work (Treated water from Reservoirs used in the
home and in Industry), transporting raw materials and goods in boats
and ships along rivers (e.g. the Rhine in Germany is still used for
transporting coal in river/canal barges), producing Hydro-electric power
from Dams (e.g. the Aswan Dam in Egypt), using attractive parts of the
river as a focus for Tourism (e.g. pubs and cafes along rivers benefit from
people walking dogs etc. and, finally, rivers are areas of leisure for
millions of fishermen throughout the world.
 Problems created by rivers – principally Flooding. What damage can a
river bring to rural and urban (town/city) areas in particular (your recent
case study on the 2007 flood in Bangladesh would be useful here – you
completed an assessment piece on it! You also completed a Google slide
show on the Somerset Floods of 2013/14).
Remember to look through the revision sheets on
Rivers – ‘Rivers – the Essentials!’
 How can the threat of flooding and the damage caused by flooding be
reduced? – methods include building Levees, flood gates across roads
etc., Dams to limit the flow (e.g. Aswan Dam), sandbags, not building on
floodplains and looking at alternative ‘soft’ engineering methods. See
notes below:-
A river floods when the discharge is too large for the channel to hold
- it bursts its banks
Flood Hydrographs
Hydrographs are used to
show the relationships
between precipitation an
d the amount of water in
the river -discharge.
Hydrographs are used to
predict whether a river is
likely to flood.
Discharge is measured in
Cumecs (cubic metres of
water per second).
Lag Time is the delay
between maximum
precipitation and peak
river discharge.
Short Lag Times are
caused by steep slopes,
impermeable rock,
sparse vegetation and a
small drainage basin.
Long Lag Times are
caused by gentle slopes,
permeable rock, dense
vegetation and a large
drainage basin
The Causes of Flooding

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

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Precipitation - Heavy rainfall over a long period results in
saturated soil and surface run-off
Flash Flood - Hot dry areas where the land is baked hard causes
flooding if there is an intense burst of heavy rainfall - water
cannot infiltrate and results in rapid run-off.
Snowmelt - When temperatures rise and snow melts the stored
precipitation is released as run off as infiltration will be low as
the ground is still frozen.
Deforestation - When trees are cut down this reduces
interception, transpiration and utilisation by the trees. This
results in increased run-off
Urbanisation - When land is urbanised vegetation is removed
and the land is covered in concrete and tarmac. Storm drains
are used to transfer the water from the surface of the land to
the river which increases the chance of flash floods.
It is important to know about general causes and effects of flooding
from above and below but it is also very important to revise your case
studies - One should be from an MEDC and one from an LEDC - For
case study information refer to your Bangladesh and Somerset Case
studies or you can use the links below (Ctrl + click on the images):-
Bangladesh
Mississippi
Buildings and
property washed
away or
damaged by
water and mud
Crops ruined and
farmland saturated
for months
afterwards
preventing new
planting
People and
Animals can
drown in fast
flowing water
IMPACTS OF
FLOODING
Transport can be
interrupted airports can be
closed, road and
rail networks
submerged and
river traffic
closed down.
Sewage contaminates
drinking water supply
and causes diseases
such as cholera &
typhoid
Economic impacts on
individuals,
industries,
insurance
companies
and
governments
Positive
impacts of
flooding
include deposition of
fertile silt,
washing away
of pollutants
and
replenishing
groundwater
Flood Control
Hard Strategies

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

Dams - built in the upper river valley and are designed to store
water and therefore control the discharge of the river.
Levees - This increases the height of the river banks and
therefore the river can contain more water.
Straightening Meanders - This increases the speed of the river
to remove water from affected areas.
Spillways - These are overflow channels which allow rivers to
flood areas of unused land or areas which do not cause much
damage.
Afforestation - This is the planting of trees which increases
interception, evapotranspiration and reduces run off.
Soft Strategies




Flood Warning Systems -This enables people time to remove
possessions and evacuate areas.
Sandbagging - This attempts to flood proof homes and buildings
as a last resort.
Insurance - This spreads the cost of the flood damage.
Flood Plain Zoning - This tries to organise the flood defences in
such a way that land that is near the river and often floods is not
built on. This could be used for farming. The areas that rarely
get flooded therefore would be used for houses, transport and
industry.
Coasts
 Processes of Weathering - Physical (Freeze/Frost shattering, onion-skin),
Chemical and Biological weathering.
 Wave formation – Constructive and Destructive Waves.
 Mass Movement – cliff collapse.
 Processes of erosion along the coast – Hydraulic Action, Abrasion,
Corrosion and Attrition.
 Processes of Deposition along the coast – Longshore Drift.
 Wave formation – Constructive and Destructive Waves.
 Coastal landforms and processes – the formation of Caves, Arches,
Stacks, Stumps and Spits.
 Coastal protection – Hard and Soft Engineering options.
Make sure you revise ‘Coasts – the Essentials!’ sheets.
Weather and Climate
 Microclimate – what is it?
 Causes of temperature and rainfall variations from place to place in the
British Isles the main temperature and rainfall patterns in the British
Isles the influence of latitude (how far North and South of the Equator),
altitude (how low/high), relief (which direction a slope faces – North
colder/South warmer), prevailing (usual) winds (from the SW in the UK
bringing warm, moist air), distance from coast and the basic impact of
the North Atlantic Drift.
 The Water Cycle – make sure you know what each component (e.g.
precipitation) means.
 Rainfall – relief, convectional, frontal. How to draw or annotate a
diagram and explain the formation of different types of rainfall.
 Differences in the European Climate – now this one is not in the
Common Entrance syllabus but there have been questions on this in ‘The
Leys’ scholarship paper. For this purpose, here is a quick summary of
what you need to know:Much of the west is affected by the
North Atlantic Drift which warms
western Europe in winter and brings
lots of rain in winter and a
considerable amount in summer to.
Much of western Russia and
Scandinavia are affected by Polar
Continental air masses which brings
dry cold air.
Places further north in Europe are
colder due to Latitude – distance
from the Equator.
Much of inland Europe can become
bitterly cold during Winter because
the warming affect of the Atlantic
cannot reach these areas.
Mountainous areas in Europe such
as the Alps and Pyrenees are colder
than lowland areas.
Much of southern Europe
experience long, hot summers due
to Tropical air masses coming north
from the Sahara.
Make sure you also revise:‘Weather and Climate – the Essentials!’
+
‘Weather and Climate of the British Isles- QUICK REVISION
SHEET’
Settlement – see notes above (in the map work section)
 Site, Function and Situation of a settlement. Relief of land which a
settlement is built on. Each settlement has attractive site features e.g.
flat land to build and expand, near to a river for easy access to drinking
water and transport for early settlers etc.
 Settlement patterns – nucleated, linear and dispersed.
 Settlement Hierarchy – the ordering of settlements based on size of
population and the amount of low, middle and high order services
available. The Hierarchy ranges from thousands of smaller settlements
(Hamlets with few services) to just a few cities and conurbations.
 Urbanisation and Urban Land Use – Urbanisation means an increase in
the proportion of people living in urban areas compared to rural areas.
An urban area is a built-up area such as a town or city. A rural area is an
area of countryside.
As a country industrialises, the number of people living in urban areas
tends to increase. The UK and many other MEDCs urbanised during the
18th and 19th centuries. People migrated from rural areas (due to the
mechanisation in farming) to urban areas where there was employment
in the new factories. The area of cities known as the inner city developed
during this time as rows of terraced housing were built for workers.
Today the UK is a mostly urban society, with 90 per cent of the
population living in towns or cities.
On a global scale, urbanisation is taking place rapidly, particularly in
LEDCs.
Although the UK is an urban society, more and more people are choosing
to live on the edge of urban areas - with many relocating to the
countryside. This is called counter-urbanisation.
Urban Land Use – Urban Land Use models (for MEDCs and LEDCs):-
MEDCs
LEDCs
Tectonic Processes
 The global distribution of earthquakes and volcanoes.
 How the three main types of Rocks – Igneous, Sedimentary and
Metamorphic – are formed.
 The structure of the earth and what moves the Tectonic Plates (i.e.
Convection Currents in the Mantle).
 The four different types of Plate Boundaries – you need to know how to
draw the Destructive Boundary in particular.
 The causes of earthquakes and Volcanoes.
 Advantages and Disadvantages of Earthquakes and Volcanoes.
 The reasons for the different impacts of Earthquakes and Volcanoes
throughout the world (differences between MEDCs and LEDCs very
important).
 Man’s responses to Earthquakes and Volcanoes both in LEDCs (the
Developing World) and MEDCs (the Developed World).
 An example both of an earthquake and a volcano to show the nature,
causes, environmental and human effects, and human responses - one
example from an MEDC (Mount St Helens in the USA) and one from an
LEDC (The Asian Tsunami of 2004 – yes the Tsunami was caused by an
earthquake).
Make sure you also revise:‘Earthquakes and Volcanoes – the Essentials!’
+
‘Case Study of a Volcanic Eruption in an MEDC - Mount St. Helens’ (A4
revision sheet)
+
‘Case Study of an Earthquake event in an LEDC - the Asian Tsunami 2004’ (A4
revision sheet)
Economic Activities

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
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Employment structure.
Reasons for the location of an industry.
Globalisation.
Case study of a changing industrial area – the Swansea Valley:-
What affects changes in the location of manufacturing?
The location of secondary industry has always been effected by factors such as




materials
energy
labour markets
transport and land ( space and whether it is flat enough)
These factors are still influential but some less so and some new ones have become more
important
TNCs some of which have a bigger turnover than the total GDP of a medium-sized country, are the most
influential in deciding where new industry should be located. Their prime motivation is to find the
cheapest places to work from, so making the most profit from the factory that they can
Governments can also influence where factories are located. If they have a low tax regime and can supply
cheap educated labour that are controlled by strict labour laws, then these are all + points. If they make
sure that the road, port and airport system is good, this helps too.
So the availability of the right sort of labour is also very important. For mass production of goods that
require simple process, large scale cheap labour is very important. But for higher-tech production, cost is
not the main issue, but high skill and access to modern technology is far more important. This is why,
despite losing a lot of mass production industry in the UK, we are still 6th most important country for
industrial output in the world.
But certain other factors have slipped down the pecking order:
Transport - is fast and efficient to anywhere in the world and so is not a bonus to any particular place.
And in consequence, being close to the market is rarely an issue with possibly the exception of a product
like bread that needs to be freshly made and thus must be close to the market.
Communications ( as in telecoms) are good nearly everywhere - even LEDCs have good mobile phone
networks, this too is no longer important.
Energy, mostly supplied by electricity, is also almost universally available.
A nearby source of materials is now rarely an issue, unlike in the early days of the Industrial revolution see South Wales below:-
But again there is an exception or 2.
Where the raw materials are easily damaged, like soft fruit for example, then jam and preserve makers
do tend to be located near the where the fruit is produced e.g. Wilkins of Tiptree in Essex or Baxters in
Perthshire, Scotland.
A few industries still tend to be near their source of raw materials where the raw materials are very
bulky. One such is cement works
Using a case study of recent employment changes within an area of an
MEDC
The Early Iron industry – South Wales 1800 onwards
Here is a map showing the location of the original iron works in South Wales.
Notice the concentration in the NE portion of the map.
Below are 3 maps that show 3 of the resources necessary for iron ore to be made into
iron.
Most of the iron works are within the coal field, and also close to the source of rocks
that contain iron ore. There are a few exceptions, but most of them are within boating
distance of ore – except for that little anomaly right in the centre – we can only guess
what that one is! Limestone was available throughout the area as a rock but could
only be easily quarried in particular locations.
But do remember coal was used as a raw material as well as a fuel source.
Some coal seams reached the valley sides, and were consequently a very safe and easy source of coal.
But by the mid-1800s these sources of coal had run out and it became necessary to dig down to reach
new coal seams. The easiest way to reach them was to build a mine at the bottom of the deep river
valleys.
Mining was a dirty and dangerous job and in the early part of the 1800s women and children worked
underground alongside the men. The work was done by hand with a pick and shovel. Pit ponies dragged
the coal back to the shaft to be brought up to the surface. The ponies spent all their working lives
underground, only being brought to the surface when they were too old to work.
Accidents were common, either from roof collapses or gas explosions. On several occasions hundreds of
miners were killed. Spending money on safety sometimes seemed less important for the coal companies
than making good profits. Around 3,000 miners died in accidents between 1850 and 1914.
Notice from the diagram below that the coal seams in south Wales are quite narrow and at different
levels. The mine shafts had
to follow the coal seams as
they went up and down.
At first coal was used
mainly in the iron industry.
But south Wales coal was
of such high quality that it
became popular all over
the world. By the middle of
the 1800s two major
developments in transport
provided a great boost to
the industry.
A rail network was built
throughout
Britain and
Europe - the
steam trains
ran on coal
and south
Wales coal
was in much
demand. The
rail network
made it
easier to transport coal to the rest of Britain. Railways in far away British colonies such as India and in
Africa used coal from Wales.
Ships switched from sail to steam power. As early as 1851 the British navy decided that Welsh coal was
the best coal for its ships. Navies and merchant ships around the world used coal from south Wales.
In the early 1800s canals were used to transport coal from the valleys down to the dock. But when rail
replaced canals the industry really took off.
Railways from the Rhondda valley and other
coal-mining
valleys ran
fairly short
distances
down to the
booming
docks at
Cardiff,
Newport
and
Swansea.
Notice how
the river
valleys
naturally
provided
routes down
to the coast.
By 1870,
50% of the
coal was being exported overseas.
The basic physical geography of south Wales
had given the region a great advantage over
other coal-producing areas. The river valleys
gave transport routes and the steep valleys
made it easy to mine down to the coal.
Coal mining depended on hard, physical labour.
The industry was hungry for workers. The
boom in the south Wales coal industry
attracted people to move to the area from
other parts of Wales and from the rest of
Britain.
The Rhondda valleys became the centre of the
coal industry. In 1860 they had a population of
around 3,000 people.
This had jumped to 160,000 by 1910. People
migrated from the rural parts of Wales, but
also in great numbers from Ireland, Scotland and England.
The English speakers far outnumbered the Welsh speakers. The south Wales coalfield became a "melting
pot" of different cultures and people.
The mining valleys developed their own unique culture. Strong communities grew up with people sharing
the hardships that mine work brought. By and large the coal companies did little to help their workers.
There were frequent disputes over pay and conditions. The miners formed unions to try and look after
their interests and improve their pay and conditions.
Faced by conditions of poor quality housing, outbreaks of disease and the grinding hard work and danger
of mining, communities organised themselves to make things better. The mining communities of the
south Wales valleys became famous for their strength, and for their choirs, chapels, clubs and rugby
teams!
Summary of the factors that helped industry flourish in South Wales
Raw materials: coal, limestone, ore-bearing rocks
Fuel: coal
Market for the coal: railways, shipping, the navy, factories were cola powered as well, export to Africa
and India
Labour: many people who lacked work from all over Britain. Once there, they formed into strong and
effective communities that supported each other and had generations of skilled.
Transport links:
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river/canals for barges to transport coal and iron
from 1841 trains arrived in the valleys
new deep water ports at Cardiff, Swansea and Newport
1914 – what next?
The period up to the First World War was the boom period for the south Wales coalfield. Coal production
had reached its peak and the industry continued to make profits. At times there had been periods of
depression when the price of coal had fallen and miners had lost their jobs or had their pay reduced. But
the industry always seemed to be able to bounce back.
But things were starting to change. Just as steam had replaced sail in ships, steam was now being
replaced by oil. Other countries were producing more of their own coal and didn't need to import it from
Wales.
But its dependence on coal was very real. 70% of its production was exported. The whole area, mining
settlements and the docks, depended on coal. But demand for coal was falling and there were few other
industries in south Wales. Iron and steel making, and the manufacture of other metals, were also in
decline because other countries had developed their own industries.
The 1920s and 1930s were decades of economic depression and poverty in the coalfields. In 1934
unemployment rates of 60% were recorded in parts of the south Wales coalfield. People started to move
away. Between 1931 and 1939, 160,000 people migrated from south Wales to look for work in the new
industries being developed in other parts of Britain.
The decline continued after the Second World War up until the present day. The coal industry was
nationalised in 1947 - that means it was taken over by the government. To modernise the industry,
machines were needed instead of manual workers. However, many of the coal seams in south Wales
weren't suited to the use of modern mining machinery.
Impact of closures
At its peak nearly 300,000 miners had been employed in the coal industry. In 1945 there were 125,000
miners working in 135 pits in south Wales. By the early 1980s that had shrunk to 22,000, and by the early
1990s to below 1,000.
Whole communities were devastated when their pit closed. Families lost their income and without the
miners' wages, shops and businesses lost trade. People moved away to look for work, and those who
stayed found it hard to find a decent job.
Ever since the 1930s the government has been trying to attract new industry to the valleys. The Welsh
Development Agency continues this work today. But the valleys offer few attractions as a location for
modern factories.
New companies setting up in Wales over the last 20 years or so have chosen locations near the M4,
rather than in the narrow, built-up former mining settlements such as the Rhondda valley.
Today, the visible signs of the coal industry have largely been removed. Collieries have been replaced by
supermarkets and small industrial units; the old slag heaps of waste rocks have been landscaped and
planted with grass and trees. But the scars on the community are slow to heal, and most former mining
communities face a range of social and economic problems.
Geographers at Cardiff and other universities have recently conducted a study of former mining
communities in several coalfield areas in Wales and England.
Besides those already mentioned, the researchers found social problems (poor school attendance, family
breakdown, teenage pregnancy among others) and health was a bit issue that still hangs over the valleys
today. Those who worked in the mines are plagued by emphysema (chronic chest complaint) and those
who have had few life chances since have been brought up with a poor diet and obesity is a big issue here
too. Petty crime and drug abuse is also a big problem. The housing, old and Victorian or new and built
post war are of poor quality; cold and damp being a major problem and environment that exacerbate
conditions like asthma and brochettes in children. The people live there have a poor image of themselves
and their environment. It feels like a rundown, no hope sort of place. As the researchers say ‘ There is a
poor image of the area.’
The steel industry:
But not all the industries died at once, and the steel industry kept going longer. Now, steel works (as
against iron works) need a lot of water for cooling and other processes. New steel works were integrated
– a lot of different processes on one site – need a lot of space. They also involve bulk materials both as
inputs and of products produced, so the sites of the old ironworks were not any good. Besides the raw
materials that the old ironworks had been based had run out long ago. The raw materials by and large
had to be imported, so near to the coast was a better place for the steel works to be for a number of
reasons. Can you think of 3 of the main one?
Here is one sit of a steel works – Margam Works at Port Talbot
Close to the motorway for internal transport
A big dock for importing raw materials
A large labour force nearby that was used to hard manual labour
Plenty of water for cooling
Plenty of flat land for an integrated steel works
But since the 1980s, even steel works have moved to LEDCs, where the materials are closer and the costs
much lower. Also there is a ready market in many of them in the form of the car industry.
But Wales has not given up!
While the deep mines have now all closed, Ffos-y-Fran in Merthyr Tydfil, an open cast mine has recently
open to the consternation of many of the local residents. Admittedly it has provided much needed jobs in
an area of high unemployment but:
It is within 100s of metres of housing
It has permission to operate from 7am to 10pm and until 5pm Saturdays – this noise can be heard in the
local houses and some people say they cannot sleep until it stops
There is a lot of dust in the air
Merthyr Tydfil has among the worst health in Wales and the dust makes it worse
It is ugly
It will be there for the next 15 years
Opening when it did in 2005, it rather contradicts the government policy of pulling out of fossil fuels for
electricity
The company say that they are removing coal from the area closest to the houses first and will then
landscape that area quickly
The question has to be, should we be investing in large scale coalmining any more?
But the Welsh development Agency is trying to raise the image and the aspirations of Wales. They want
to encourage new high tech footloose industry into the area. In the 1980s some ‘white goods’ (kitchen
stuff like cookers, fridges, washing machines etc)manufactures did move in providing low paid assembly
jobs, but many of these have now moved elsewhere, such as China and the Far East or Eastern Europe
where bigger profits can be made. But the Welsh Assembly is trying to encourage green, low carbon
activities and have several schemes that they hope will encourage new ideas to blossom and grow.
.
Sustainable technology in the motor trade for example
Wales is now focusing on sustainable technologies and its academic capability is recognised as providing
leading Research and Development in relation to low carbon vehicle technology.
Wales' focus on sustainable transport goes beyond vehicle technologies to encompass all associated
issues such as:



integrated transport
energy storage
future fuel/charging infrastructure technologies & related transport planning
Wales is recognised as a European Leader in Research & Development of low-emissions technology.
Access Wales – another example of innovation
Access Wales is a new pilot project that offers hi tech and knowledge based companies the opportunity
to test the market before making any long term decision about expanding into new markets. Access
Wales is a new service from International Business Wales- the trade and investment arm of the Welsh
Assembly Government and participating businesses will have access to the Assembly Government’s fully
integrated business support service.
Qualify for free desk space for up to 12 months in a choice of 15 high tech innovation centres but a
unique package of benefits tailored to the needs of emerging technology companies.
This free service includes fast, straightforward access to information, advice and support on grants and
finance, property, innovation support, technology, marketing assistance, sourcing suppliers and skills
development.
In addition companies are also eligible for specialist business support from professional consultancy
partners worth in the region of £10,000.
This covers areas such as business strategy, market and competitor intelligence, sales consultancy,
Intellectual Property, recruitment, HR and training, health and safety as well as access to local business
networks.
The 15 innovation centres each specialising in particular aspects of hi-tech business such as digital media,
performance engineering, sustainable technologies, opto-electronics, biosciences, IT and software, and
bioscience. The desk spaces offered come equipped with telephones and high speed internet connection
and are typically located within open-plan shared business units with access to shared facilities such as
reception services, meeting rooms and conference facilities.
Tourism
The industrial heritage is becoming big business. Although tourism tends to be a low paid occupation, it
does make use of the skills and local knowledge.
For example
the Big Pit at Blaenafon - underground trip
Rhondda Heritage Park offers underground experience and period village street.
Ironwork
 Case study of a TNC (Trans National Company) – Nike.
 Case Study of a modern industry in the UK – The Toyota car plant in
Derby.
You have A4 case study sheets on the above.
Make sure you also revise:‘Economic Geography – the Essentials!’
As a back up to the above topics read through:‘Environmental Issues - the essentials!’
+
‘The Yorkshire Dales National Park Sustainability Case Study A4’
It is important for you to adopt an effective way to revise which suits you.
Given my experience to date, I find that those students using a card system
tend to fare better in examinations. This is where the student writes key
points/draws diagrams from his or her notes/revision guide onto a small card
(size of a postcard) and revises these.
 It is impossible to revise everything so you have to be smart – identify the
key points!
REMAIN CALM AND GOOD LUCK!