2.2.

1 Curriculum Content of the Compulsory Part

1. Opportunities and Risks — Is it rational to live in hazard-prone areas?

This module examines three major types of natural hazard — earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis. In examining the spatial patterns of
these natural hazards and why such patterns exist, students are led to explore the concepts of plate tectonics and to understand how plate
movements resulting from internal earth processes create mountain systems, some large-scale landform features and tectonic hazards around the
world. With this understanding, students examine how and why the impact of these tectonic hazards vary greatly from place to place, and
consider the complex decision-making process that makes some people decide to remain in hazard-prone areas. Through this, students gain an
appreciation and respect for the rationale behind the different choices made by people in the same situation.

Guiding Questions Explanatory Notes Concepts Skills and Suggested Learning Activities
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1. What has happened to areas with  Natural hazards commonly found in Location and spatial  Collect and study newspaper clippings about
active tectonic activities? areas with active tectonic activities distribution tectonic activities and summarise their impact on
2. What areas have been frequently (including earthquakes, volcanic Place and region people’s lives and their responses to them.
affected by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis)  Search for updated information and statistics from
eruptions and tsunamis?  Global distribution patterns of these Natural hazard the Internet and plot a map (paper or using GIS)
3. What spatial patterns exist in these natural hazards People-environment to show the spatial distribution of earthquakes,
natural hazards?  Relationship between the distribution interrelationship volcanic eruptions and tsunamis in the world.
4. Why are there such patterns? How is it pattern of these natural hazards and  Identify the common distribution patterns of these
related to the global distribution of that of tectonic activities natural hazards.
plates and plate boundaries?
Guiding Questions Explanatory Notes Concepts Skills and Suggested Learning Activities

5. What and where are the major plates  Brief description of the internal Plate tectonics  Use a map overlay or GIS to show the
and plate boundaries? structure of the earth Natural hazard relationship between plate boundaries and the
6. What are the related landform features  The names and types of major plates global distribution of geological hazards.
found at plate boundaries? How are and plate boundaries in the world, as Location and spatial  Draw a concept map to show the relationships
they formed? well as their location distribution among the major endogenetic processes, plate
7. How does plate movement create  The major landform features at plate movement, the formation and distribution of
natural hazards that develop with these boundaries (fold mountain, island major tectonic landform features and the
features? arc, ocean trench, volcano, distribution of tectonic hazards.
8. Why are some earthquake and mid-oceanic ridge and rift valley)  Visit Ma Shi Chau to identify various geological
volcanic zones far away from plate and their formation features related to faulting and folding in Hong
boundaries?  The relationship between plate Kong.
movement and natural hazards  Identify on a map some earthquake and volcanic
 Earthquake and volcanic zones far zones which are far away from plate boundaries.
away from plate boundaries, e.g. hot  Explain their spatial locations with reference to
spots information on the Internet or in books.

9. What are the effects of earthquakes,  Effects of earthquakes (primary and Natural hazards  Discuss and present the effects of earthquakes,
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volcanic eruptions and tsunamis? secondary effects), volcanic People-environment volcanic eruptions and tsunamis in groups.
10. How do these natural hazards affect eruptions and tsunamis on human interrelationship  Display and analyse the major measures which
the lives of human beings? beings and the environment have been used to reduce the impact of natural
11. What has been done to reduce the  Measures used to reduce the effects Impact of technology hazards.
impact of these natural hazards? of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions Limitation of technology
and tsunamis (e.g. monitoring,
predicting and warning systems for
natural hazards, various disaster
mitigation and preparation strategies,
land use zoning)
 Effectiveness of the above measures
Guiding Questions Explanatory Notes Concepts Skills and Suggested Learning Activities

12. Why are less developed areas more  The reasons for less developed areas Natural hazard  Select and study two contrasting case studies of
vulnerable to these natural hazards being more vulnerable to natural Region earthquakes / volcanic eruptions / tsunamis from
than more developed areas? hazards than more developed areas the Internet / newspapers, one from a less
13. Should people move away from (e.g. literacy level and awareness of Degree of damage and level developed area and the other from a more
hazard-prone areas? the people, and socio-economic and of development developed area.
14. Why do some people still live in technological gaps) People-environment  Compare and contrast the vulnerability of these
hazard-prone areas?  The advantages and disadvantages of interrelationship two areas in facing hazards and explain their
15. Is their choice rational? people living in hazard-prone areas differences.
 Summarise information about the advantages and
disadvantages of living in hazard-prone areas.
 Decide whether or not it is rational to live in
hazard-prone areas with reference to a case study.

 Appreciate the interdependence between human beings and the natural environment
Values and attitudes  Appreciate the beauty of nature
 Show concern for those affected by natural hazards
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Time allocation: 24 hours

Case / Specific Examples: No specific case is required but teachers are requested to quote appropriate examples from around the world, in particular the Asia-Pacific
region.
2. Managing River and Coastal Environments: A continuing challenge
This module aims at introducing how the work of fresh and sea water creates a variety of fluvial and coastal environments. Through the study of
the work of water and the resulting landform features, students should be equipped with the basic understanding of the interaction of various
physical factors in shaping the surface of our Earth, and the management issues that arise from increasing human interference in fluvial and
coastal environments. Teachers should also aim at ensuring that students have a thorough understanding of the geographical concepts related to
erosion, transportation and deposition, such that they can transfer and apply these concepts to the study of landforms in other environments.

Guiding Questions Explanatory Notes Concepts Skills and Suggested Learning Activities

1. Where does water  A brief introduction of hydrological cycle: characteristics, Hydrological cycle  Draw a diagram of hydrological cycle to highlight
come from and go? stores and transfers the key components, including inputs, outputs, flows
and stores.

2. How does water  Features of a drainage basin, including watershed, source, Drainage basin  Delimit the boundary of a river basin on a map.
shape the landform in mouth, channel network Fluvial process and  Annotate photographs to describe the characteristics
a drainage basin?  Major erosional, transportation and depositional processes landform of the different parts of a river.
3. What are the major  Factors influencing the above processes  Draw cross-sections to illustrate the features of
landform features  Major landform features, including gorges, waterfalls and rivers.
created by the work rapids, meanders and associated landform features, flood
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of running water? plains, levees, braids and deltas (using appropriate

examples of the Mainland, e.g. Chang Jiang)

4. How does water  Wave generation and characteristics (constructive and Coastal process and  Identify coastal features shown in maps.
operate along coasts? destructive waves) landform  Construct annotated diagrams to illustrate the
5. What are the major  Major erosion, transportation and deposition processes formation of coastal features.
landform features  Factors influencing the above processes  Use appropriate forms of presentation (e.g. tables,
created by the work  Major landform features, including sea cliff, sea cave, sea diagrams, statistical charts) to explain how coastal
of wave? arch and stack, wave-cut platform, beach, spit and bar, processes of erosion and deposition are influenced
tombolo by various marine, atmospheric and geological
factors.
Guiding Questions Explanatory Notes Concepts Skills and Suggested Learning Activities

6. How do human  Human activities on river and coastal environments: e.g. People-environment  Use GIS, aerial photographs and/or satellite images
activities influence drainage, reclamation and recreation interaction to analyse the change of fluvial and coastal
river and coastal  Impact and consequences: e.g. flooding, erosion and mass Conflict environments over time owing to human activities.
environments and wasting, pollution, and disturbance / damage to the  Conduct a field visit to a river or a coastal area in
what are the resulting ecosystem Management Hong Kong to observe and identify the various
consequences?  “Hard” and “soft” management strategies e.g. management strategies implemented.
7. How does the channelization, building breakwaters, land use zoning,  Survey people’s views on the management of river /
management of river beach nourishment. coast in Hong Kong.
and coastal systems  Management issues, including evaluation of methods and
pose a continuing strategies used, and their possible impact
challenge for people?

Values and attitudes  Appreciate the beauty of nature

 Be aware of the changing nature of our physical environment and its possible impact on human activities
 Recognise the need for sustainable management of our physical environment
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Time allocation: 24 hours

Case / Specific Examples: River and coastal environment in Hong Kong
3. Changing Industrial Location – How and why does it change over space and time?

Location change is a characteristic of industry in the 21st century. The study of various factors influencing industrial location, and particularly
those leading to changing location, remains an important topic in Geography. This module aims to study the factors affecting industrial location
using the iron and steel industry and the information technology industry as examples. The iron and steel industry serves as a typical example for
studying the location of an industry through time. The location of this industry has experienced several major changes as a result of
technological breakthroughs. These changes in location have mainly been due to the replacement of one dominating factor by another, although
the production is still being concentrated on a particular site (single-point production). Location changes have brought new industries to some
areas and “rust belts” to others. The study of the location of the information technology industry introduces another group of location factors, in
particular human resources, and research and development, in addition to the traditional ones such as power, raw materials and market. In
general, the location of the information technology industry is not dominated by any particular location factor and its production site is not
confined to a particular city or region (multi-point production). This industry has been developing towards a transnational enterprise model
characterised by cross-regional or cross-national production.
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Guiding questions Explanatory notes Concepts Skills and Suggested Learning Activities
1. Where was the manufacturing  Location of Hong Kong manufacturing Location and distribution  Use map overlays, GIS or other representations to
industry of Hong Kong located industry in the past decades (1950s– Industrial relocation show the changing location pattern of the
in the past? Where is it now? 1970s) manufacturing industry in Hong Kong and the
2. Is the same phenomenon  Relocation of the Hong Kong Zhujiang (Pearl River) Delta Region.
happening in other industrial manufacturing industries to the Zhujiang
regions? (Pearl River) Delta Region – name and
locate the major manufacturing centres in
the region
Guiding questions Explanatory notes Concepts Skills and Suggested Learning Activities
3. Where are the major iron and  Distribution pattern of the iron and steel Location and distribution  Collect information on the iron and steel industry
steel industrial centres in China? industry in China Industrial system in China.
4. Why are they there?  Major factors affecting the location of  Draw maps to illustrate the location of the iron and
industry, e.g. raw materials, power, Location factor steel industry.
market, labour, technology, transport, Spatial association  Overlay transparencies of the location of the iron
government policy and land and steel industry and the location of power and
 Factors affecting the location of the iron raw materials (or using GIS) to identify the
and steel industry in China, with a location factors for this industry.
specific focus on government policy  Interpret information from maps, graphs, data or
diagrams to derive the location factors of the iron
and steel industry.
5. How has the location of China’s  Changing location of the iron and steel Change over time  Locate the new iron and steel plants on the map
iron and steel industry changed industry in China, including the shift Impact of technology and describe the changes in location pattern.
over time? from the coast to the interior and the  Group discussion: Causes of industrial inertia.
6. Why do some plants still stick to tendency to be located near large urban Government policy
their original locations? centres Industrial inertia
 Role of technology and other factors,
especially government policy in leading
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to such changes
 Reasons for industrial inertia in the iron
and steel industry
7. Why does the same group of  Location of the US IT industry Location and distribution  Collect information on the IT industry in the US
factors not influence the location  Factors affecting the location of the US Location factor  Draw maps to illustrate the location of this
of the US IT industry? IT industry, especially research and industry.
8. What determines its location development, labour quality and  Contrast the main location factors of iron and steel
there? agglomeration economies industry and information technology industry using
various appropriate presentation modes (such as
tables, graphs and computer presentations).
 Field trip to Cyberport / Hong Kong Science Park
to look at the factors which favour the development
of the IT industry in these areas.
Guiding questions Explanatory notes Concepts Skills and Suggested Learning Activities
9. What impacts have globalisation  Location of manufacturing industry and Location and distribution  Browse through the Internet to search for examples
and technological advances had headquarters of the US IT industry Globalisation of the multi-point location of the IT industry.
on the location of manufacturing  Multi-point and transnational production  Using an example of an IT industry collected from
industry and its mode of in the IT industry Change over time different sources of data, summarise the reasons for
production?  Definition of globalisation its changing location and mode of production, and
 The effect of globalisation and present these reasons to the class.
technological advances on its location
and mode of production
10. What are the likely social,  Impact of changes in industrial location Socio-economic impact  Organise the first- and second-hand materials
economic and environmental and mode of production, e.g. flow of collected in order to analyse the impact of
impact of changes in industrial technology, changes in employment industrial relocation on workers and society.
location and modes of structure, impact on economy, etc.  Group discussion: Discuss the types of measures
production?  Measures taken to alleviate the problems that can be adopted and evaluate the possibility and
11. What can be done to alleviate the caused by this changing mode of effectiveness of carrying them out.
problems caused by this production and changes in industrial
changing mode of production location, e.g. retraining of labour, an
and changes in industrial improved social security system, and the
location? development of other industrial /
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economic sectors
 Possibility of carrying out these
measures
 Effectiveness of these measures and
problems encountered when carrying
them out.

 Recognise the efforts human beings have made in the development of modern industry
 Appreciate the far-reaching impact of technological development
Values and attitudes
 Recognise the trend of globalisation
 Understand and show concern for problems caused by the changes in industrial location

Time allocation: 24 hours

Case / Specific Examples: China’s iron and steel industry and the US information technology industry.
4. Building a Sustainable City — Are environmental conservation and urban development mutually exclusive?

Like many cities in the Asia-Pacific region, Hong Kong has grown rapidly with a high urban population density. It is also a city with serious
environmental problems. This module examines the reasons why a city like Hong Kong keeps on growing and the problems which result from
such growth. It also focuses on how the economic prosperity and vitality of a city can be maintained without sacrificing its environmental quality
based on the concept of “sustainable development”. This module will equip students with a basic understanding of the concept of sustainable
development and the possible ways of developing Hong Kong into a sustainable city. They will also learn about the price for developing Hong
Kong into a sustainable city.

Guiding Questions Explanatory Notes Concepts Skills and Suggested Learning Activities

1. What is wrong with our growing city?  Brief description of urban problems in Urban problem  Collect photographs showing the
2. Why do cities keep growing? Hong Kong (e.g. housing problems, Change over time environmental conditions of a growing city,
transport problems and pollution) identify the urban problems shown in them,
 Definition of urban growth and Location
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and evaluate their impact on the people living

urbanisation Place in the city.
 Causes of urban growth and urbanisation  Analyse the census data and a map showing the
Urban growth
(e.g. natural increase of urban population, urban area of Hong Kong in different time
rural-urban migration, reclassification of Urbanisation periods.
areas previously defined as rural,  Investigate with secondary data in the library
changing employment opportunities, and and explain why there was rapid urban growth
economic and transport development) and urbanisation in Hong Kong over the past
few decades (i.e. causes of change).
Guiding Questions Explanatory Notes Concepts Skills and Suggested Learning Activities

3. How does the internal structure of a city  Urban growth, urbanisation and the Location  Identify on a map of Hong Kong one old urban
change as it grows? related change in the internal structure of Place / inner city district (e.g. Wan Chai) and one
4. What are the processes involved in such a city rural area in the New Territories several
a change?  Cycle of urbanisation, suburbanisation, Change over time decades ago (e.g. Tsuen Wan). Conduct
counter-urbanisation and reurbanisation Internal structure of a questionnaire surveys to investigate how these
 Processes involved in urban growth and city two places evolved with urban development.
development, including urban decay,  Conduct a survey on the land use and urban
urban sprawl and encroachment, urban Competition and problems of the area near the school.
redevelopment and renewal succession
Urban encroachment
Urban renewal

5. What problems does a growing city  Problems arising from a growing city: People-environment  Visit the two areas mentioned above and
bring?  Housing: insufficiency, substandard interrelationship identify the urban problems in these areas.
6. What solutions are there for these conditions Urban problem  Discuss and present in groups:
problems?  Movement: traffic congestion  the types of conflicts related to solving
7. What kinds of conflict will be created  Environment: waste, pollution, and the Conflict urban problems in Hong Kong; and
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when solving the above problems? environmental health of the Sustainable  the methods for dealing with these
8. In what ways and with what success are inhabitants development conflicts.
these conflicts being dealt with?  Measures to alleviate or solve the urban
9. Why is the concept of “sustainable problems, including:
development” helpful in dealing with  Provision of public housing and
these conflicts? building of new towns
 Urban planning
 Environmental conservation measures
 Conflicts arising from solving urban
problems
 Sustainable development and methods to
solve the conflicts arising from urban
problems
Guiding Questions Explanatory Notes Concepts Skills and Suggested Learning Activities

10. What would make a sustainable city?  Definitions of “sustainable development Sustainable  Browse the information on the Internet and
11. What are the characteristics of such a and a “sustainable city” development summarise the characteristics or indicators of a
city?  Characteristics of a sustainable city Environment sustainable city.
12. How can we make a city “sustainable”?  Methods of developing a city into a  Re-design the development of a selected area
13. What is the price for developing a sustainable one, e.g. better and careful Change over time in Hong Kong based on the sustainable
sustainable city? planning of the city, regenerating and indicators compiled from various sources and
re-imaging the city construct a land use map using appropriate IT
 Price for developing a sustainable city tools (e.g. GIS).

14. Is environmental degradation a necessary  Relationship between urban development, Change over time  Conduct a role-play to demonstrate how
evil for improving living standards in a socio-economic development, living People-environment different stakeholders perceive the need to keep
growing city? standards and environmental conditions interrelationship a balance between environmental conservation
15. How should we choose? Can we afford  Consequences of not developing a city in and urban development.
not to choose a sustainable future in the a sustainable way in the long run (i.e. Sustainable  Discuss in groups the consequences of not
long run? aggravation of urban problems and the development choosing a sustainable future in the long run.
impact on human beings and the Environment Use a type of graphic organiser to organise the
environment) main points being discussed.
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 Show sensitivity to the development of the surrounding environment

Values and attitudes  Show concern for the problems caused by urban development
 Develop a sense of responsibility and willingness to take action in protecting and improving the urban environment

Time allocation: 24 hours

Case / Specific Examples: Hong Kong (Teachers can consider making reference to some other examples of sustainable cities in the world in addition to Hong
Kong.)
5. Combating Famine — Is technology a panacea for food shortage?

This module focuses on the issue of famine as a basis for geographical enquiry. Through exploring the causes of famine and why it occurs in
some regions and not others, students develop a basic understanding of how various agricultural factors shape farming characteristics and
determine farming yields. From this basic understanding, students can examine the extent to which famine is a naturally or human-induced
disaster. The two case studies chosen for this topic allow students to identify how different factors lead to significant variation in the agricultural
characteristics of regions with similar natural environmental settings. They also enable students to examine the role and influence of technology
in agriculture, and the positive and negative effects of using agricultural technology in raising yields and combating the food shortage problem.

Guiding Questions Explanatory Notes Concepts Skills and Suggested Learning Activities

1. Why do some regions have surplus food  The availability of food supplies is Location and distribution  Select and record information from print
production whereas others are suffering from uneven and does not match demand on Spatial association sources, audio-visual and computer
famine? a global scale technologies, maps and photographic
 Global patterns of food production Region
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2. What is “famine”? records to describe and define key issues

3. Where do most famines occur? What are the and consumption in relation to Spatial variation and problems related to famine.
similarities found in regions frequently population  Read and draw maps (using GIS) from
People-environment
affected by famine?  Global contrasts in diet and food atlases or statistical data to highlight the
interrelationship location of areas suffering from famine.
consumption
 Patterns of trade in food  Draw diagrams and graphs (e.g. bar, line,
 Definition of “famine” pie, scatter) using appropriate computer
 Causes of famine in relation to software to illustrate the spatial distribution
economic, technological, social and of food availability based on statistical data
physical conditions collected from various sources.
 Compare patterns from mapped data to
identify how the interaction between
physical and human environments affects
food production and consumption.
Guiding Questions Explanatory Notes Concepts Skills and Suggested Learning Activities

4. What are the factors that affect agricultural  Physical, economic, social and Agricultural system  Use graphic representations to display the
production in an area? How do these factors political factors affecting agriculture Agricultural factor major physical and human factors that
shape the characteristics of farming in an (especially agricultural production and affect agriculture.
area? agricultural characteristics) Interaction

5. Where is Sahel? Where is Southern  Location of Sahel and Southern Location  Correlate aerial photos / satellite images
California? What are the characteristics of California Place with maps and use the evidence to
their natural environments?  Characteristics of the physical recognise the main characteristics and
6. What are the agricultural characteristics of environments of Sahel and Southern patterns of different agricultural activities.
nomadic farming in Sahel? What are the California, in particular climate, soil,  Summarise the similarities and differences
agricultural characteristics of irrigation vegetation cover and relief in the characteristics of nomadic herding
farming in Southern California?  Agricultural characteristics of and irrigation farming by means of graphic
nomadic farming in Sahel and representation (e.g. using input-output
irrigation farming in Southern model).
California, with a specific focus on the
differences in their technological,
economic, political and socio-cultural
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aspects

7. Why are agricultural characteristics so varied  Factors affecting agricultural Spatial variation  Design a questionnaire for interviewing
even in similar natural environmental settings? characteristics in Sahel and Southern Interaction between local farmers about how the natural
8. How true is it to say that human factors are California, emphasising how the same physical and human environment and technology influence
becoming more and more dominant than set of factors operates so differently in factors agricultural activities.
physical factors in influencing agriculture? creating such variation
 The diminishing role of physical Physical system
factors in influencing agriculture, Human system
particularly in more developed areas
 The growing importance of human
factors, especially technology, in
influencing agriculture
Guiding Questions Explanatory Notes Concepts Skills and Suggested Learning Activities

9. To what extent can technology help to  Modern farming methods, e.g. the use Impact of technology  Rank the desirability of various
increase agricultural production and alleviate of chemicals, irrigation, draining and Change over time technological solutions for overcoming
food shortage? Is genetically modified food a their effects on farming yields farming constraints.
possible way out?  A brief overview of the possible Limitation of technology  Summarise the positive and negative
10. Have we really overcome most of the farming environmental, economic and social Resource management in effects of technology on agriculture from
constraints imposed by the natural (including health) implications of agriculture the information collected from various
environment? What price do we have to pay genetically modified food sources.
for this “success”?  Consequences of misuse and overuse Sustainable agricultural  Role-play stakeholders to enhance
11. Is it possible for us to minimise the negative of agricultural technology, e.g. development understanding of the current and alternative
impact of using technology in agriculture, and reduction of bio-diversity, habitat loss, practices for raising food production and
at the same time produce enough food for land degradation, soil erosion, their impact on the environment.
everyone? chemical pollution of land and water  Conduct a field visit to an organic farm in
courses, and the impact on the rural Hong Kong.
landscape
 Measures taken to ensure sustainable
agricultural development, e.g. multiple
cropping, water and soil conservation
25

methods, and organic farming

 Appreciate the limitations of agricultural technology

Values and attitudes  Be aware of the advantages and disadvantages of technology
 Show concern about the difficulties encountered by people in other areas

Time allocation: 24 hours

Case / Specific Examples: Nomadic herding in Sahel and irrigation farming in Southern California
6. Disappearing Green Canopy— Who should pay for the massive deforestation in rainforest regions?

Tropical rainforest is a biome with the greatest number of plant and animal species. It is characterised by its complexity in structure and in the
function of its ecosystem, and yet it is also a fragile ecosystem under threat. As such, tropical rainforest is a good illustration for demonstrating
the concept of an ecosystem. In studying this module, students will understand the structure and function of a tropical rainforest ecosystem under
threat. People-environment interrelationship is examined with particular reference to the loss of forest as a result of human action. The module
also demonstrates how disturbance of one component of an ecosystem disturbs the equilibrium of the system. Through this study, students
develop a sense of environmental protection and understand the need for sustainable development.

Guiding questions Explanatory Notes Concepts Skills and Suggested Learning Activities

1. What is happening to tropical  Global distribution of tropical rainforests Deforestation  Collect information from the Internet and
rainforests?  Deforestation in rainforest regions – rate and Location and other sources about the destruction rate of
conditions distribution tropical rainforest.
 Interpret related graphs and figures.
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 Construct maps to show the distribution of

the tropical rainforest and its destruction
rate using GIS or other IT tools.

2. What would a tropical rainforest  Definition of an ecosystem Ecosystem  Read climatic graphs.
look like before large-scale  Abiotic components and biotic components of a Abiotic and biotic  Extract information from photos and
deforestation? tropical rainforest ecosystem components pictures.
3. Why does it look like that?  Links and interrelationships between abiotic and  Field trip to Hong Kong Park or Tai Po
4. What is the evidence for saying biotic components, such as the influence of abiotic Spatial association Kau Nature Reserve to look at the
that tropical rainforest is a components on the characteristics of biotic Ecological equilibrium characteristics of some tropical and
complex but fragile ecosystem? components sub-tropical plants.
Energy flow
 Energy flow in a tropical rainforest ecosystem  Use graphic representation to show the
 Nutrient cycling in a tropical rainforest ecosystem Nutrient cycling interrelationships between abiotic and
biotic components.
Guiding questions Explanatory Notes Concepts Skills and Suggested Learning Activities

5. Why are tropical rainforests all  Types of destruction in the tropical rainforests Human interference  Extract relevant information from photos
over the world disappearing at a  Reasons for such destruction – economic Scale of development and pictures.
faster rate in recent times? development, agricultural development and  Role play: How different parties can
population growth develop the potential of tropical
rainforests.

6. What is the impact of large-scale  Impact of large-scale deforestation in tropical People-environment  By looking at graphs and newspaper
deforestation in tropical rainforests on climate, biosphere and lithosphere at a interrelationship cuttings, assess the impact of deforestation
rainforest regions? local and global scale Scale of impact of tropical rainforests on the local and
7. How will it affect the local and  Socio-economic impact on the local community and global natural environments.
global environments? other places in the world  Through a case-study investigation,
8. How will it affect the indigenous evaluate the kinds of socio-economic
people? impact on both the local community and
9. How will it affect our lives in people far from this place.
Hong Kong?

10. How can tropical rainforests be  Measures to protect tropical rainforests, such as Environmental  Discussion: Ask students to give
27

prevented from disappearing? afforestation, regulation on logging activities, conservation and suggestions on the measures that can be
11. Will the protection of tropical setting up of national parks and natural reserves management used.
rainforests hinder the  Roles played by different parties, including native Conflict of interest  Debate: “As the tropical rainforest is very
development of the local people and local dwellers, government officials, valuable, we should, by all means and at
economy? private developers and environmentalists, in Sustainable all costs, protect it.”
12. Can we strike a balance? developing and protecting rainforests development  Discussion: How to compromise between
13. What price has to be paid to  Problems of developing and protecting rainforests, development and conservation?
protect tropical rainforests, and such as conflict of interest among different parties
who should pay? (e.g. native people, local dwellers, private
developers and environmentalists), the great debt
borne by less developed countries and weak
government control
 Possible compromises between development and
conservation and the consequences of different
decisions made
 Sustainable development of tropical rainforests
 Appreciate the interdependence of human beings and the natural environment
Values and attitudes  Show concern for the problems caused by deforestation
 Develop a sense of responsibility and willingness to take action in protecting the tropical rainforests

Time allocation: 24 hours

Case / Specific Examples: No specific cases are required but teachers are advised to quote appropriate examples from around the world
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7. Climate Change — Long-term fluctuation or irreversible trend?
This module introduces the issue of climate change as a typical example of the interaction between humans and the natural environment. The
focus of the issue is on whether climate change, in particular global warming, is just a longer term climatic fluctuation. This module leads
students to examine the evidence to investigate whether climate change is an irreversible phenomenon. In addition to studying the causes and
impact of climate change at a global scale, this module also has a second focus on local climate change, mainly the combined influence of global
warming and urbanisation. The investigation of the issue will also ensure that students acquire a basic understanding of the elements and
associated patterns of the local and global climate. Moreover, they should be able to understand better how human activities affect our natural
environment, and how resulting changes of the natural environment in turn affect us.

Guiding Questions Explanatory Notes Concepts Skills and Suggested Learning Activities

1. What is weather? What is  Definition of ‘weather’ and ‘climate’ Weather and climate  Read and interpret climatic graphs.
climate?  A brief introduction of climate at local, national Pattern  Identify climatic characteristics and distribution
2. How is our climate like? and global scale. Change over time patterns from climatic maps and graphs.
3. What evidence is there to prove  Evidence showing our climate is changing all  Collect climatic data of Hong Kong by visiting
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that our climate is changing? over the world: e.g. sharp increase of mean the Hong Kong Observatory Resource Centre and
global temperature in recent decades, heat interpret the trend of Hong Kong’s climate
waves and unusually warm weather, sea-level change over a long period of time.
rise and coastal flooding, the melting of  Construct thematic maps showing global climatic
glaciers, more frequent extreme weather zones using GIS or other software programmes.
conditions  Collect evidence from various sources, including
the Internet, to illustrate that the global climate is
changing.

4. What is global warming?  Greenhouse Effect: the mechanism and the role Long-term trend  Debate the issue “Global warming is a long-term
5. Is global warming a long-term of human activities (e.g. deforestation, burning Climate change fluctuation of temperature”.
fluctuation of temperature, or is of fossil fuels, garbage burning, emission of Interaction between  Use a concept map or other graphic organisers to
our Earth really heating up? chlorofluorocarbons, agriculture) in enhancing physical and human display the causes of global warming.
6. What are the causes of global the process systems
warming? Is global warming a  Natural and human causes of global warming People-environment
natural or human-induced  Supporting and opposing arguments for global interrelationship
climate change at global scale? warming is an irreversible trend
Guiding Questions Explanatory Notes Concepts Skills and Suggested Learning Activities

7. Is our climate also changing at  Urban growth and development leading to local Microclimate  Use data loggers / measuring meters / apps and
a local scale? variations in climate, focusing on heat island Urban climate software programmes in the field to collect data
8. How is the climate of our urban effect Heat island effect of microclimate.
areas different from our rural  Effects of urban growth and development on Spatial variation  Use GIS or other computer software to plot the
areas? Why is there such a microclimate, in terms of atmospheric data collected from a urban climate fieldwork
difference? composition, temperature, sunshine, onto a digital map.
9. What are the effects of urban precipitation, humidity and wind  Construct a map to show the spatial variation of
growth and development on the  Observed climate change in Hong Kong microclimate in an urban area.
climate of our city?  Construct a scatter diagram to show the
correlation between an element of urban climate
(e.g. temperature) and the distance from the urban
centre.

10. What will be the impact of  Consequences of climate change, focusing on Interdependence  Use GIS or other computer programmes to
climate change? How will it winners and losers around the world, e.g. impact between human and simulate the impact of climate change, e.g. the
affect our lives? on sea level, flood frequency, new farming physical environment flooding of coastal regions as a result of sea-level
11. What can be done about it? opportunities, health risks, climate prediction International rising.
12. Why is it so difficult to reach a becoming more difficult, and extreme weather cooperation  Study the potential impact of climate change on
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global agreement to deal with events Individual interest and one country, including predicting the
climate change?  Mitigation and adaptation measures at local and common good consequences of global warming and evaluating
global levels Conservation its plan for prevention and control of the negative
 A brief review of the complexities of reaching a Sustainable impact.
global agreement, in particular the conflicting development
views and roles of key players

 Show concern for the impact of climate change on the global environment
Values and attitudes  Be aware of the consequences of the interactions between human activities and the natural environment
 Recognise the existence of uncertainty in explaining long-term change

Time allocation: 24 hours

Case / Specific Examples: No specific cases are required, but teachers are advised to quote appropriate examples from around the world for studying climate
change at a global scale, while for local scale, teachers should consider using Hong Kong and the neighbouring region as examples.
2.2.2 Curriculum Content of the Elective Part

1. Dynamic Earth: The building of Hong Kong

This elective is for those students with a strong interest in geology and geomorphology. It aims to provide a conceptual framework and a better
understanding of geology and geomorphology contained in the Compulsory Part of the curriculum.

The structure of this elective is based on the processes involved in shaping the Earth’s surface. The focus is on a general understanding of the
geology and geomorphology of Hong Kong and how the major internal and external processes shape its overall physical landscape. The
management of geological resources and geological hazards are discussed in order to relate this knowledge to students’ daily lives and help them
to apply it.

Topics Guiding Questions Explanatory Notes Concepts Skills and Suggested Learning Activities
1. Earth’s  How should we look  Earth systems: interaction between the Earth as a system  Use graphic organisers to show the
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structure and at the Earth as a atmosphere, the lithosphere and the Earth structure relationship between different elements in the
processes system? hydrosphere Earth system and rock cycle.
 What is the overall  The internal structure of the Earth and Plate Tectonics  Use diagrams to illustrate the internal
structure of the crustal movement Crustal movement structure of the Earth.
Earth?  Rock cycle and formation (volcanism,  Identify the major plates in the world map.
Rock cycle
 How is rock formed? sedimentation, metamorphism)
Topics Guiding Questions Explanatory Notes Concepts Skills and Suggested Learning Activities
2. Physical  What is the general  Geomorphology and geology of Hong Landform  Interpret different geological and relief maps
landscape of geomorphology and Kong Rock type to describe the distribution of various rock
Hong Kong geology of Hong - Overall landform distribution types, geological features and relief of Hong
Kong? - Rock types and their distribution in Geological feature Kong.
 What are the major Hong Kong Spatial distribution  Identify major geological features in Hong
landform features in - Major geological features (folds and Spatial association Kong from photographs or diagrams and
Hong Kong? faults) in Hong Kong describe their characteristics.
 Modification of Hong Kong landscapes by Pattern  Conduct field trips to some of the geological
urban development Impact of sites in Hong Kong to identify these
urbanisation geological features.
 Overlay the map that shows urban
development with the relief map (or use GIS)
to show how urban development has modified
Hong Kong’s landscape.
3. Processes  What are the major  Internal processes including: Internal process  Overlay different maps (or use GIS) to show
shaping the internal and external - Folding External process the relationship among geomorphology, rock
physical processes shaping the - Faulting types and geological features.
- Volcanism Spatial association  Use diagrams to explain how the internal and
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landscape of present physical

Hong Kong landscape of Hong  External processes including: external processes have shaped Hong Kong’s
Kong? - Weathering physical landscape.
- Erosion
- Mass wasting
Topics Guiding Questions Explanatory Notes Concepts Skills and Suggested Learning Activities
4. Management  How can people  Geological resources – Reclamation Geological resource  Gather information to understand the types of
of geological manage the materials Geological hazard reclamation materials and their distribution.
resources and geological resources - Sources of materials and their  Group discussion: Environmental impact
geological and geological distribution People-environment brought about by extraction of reclamation
interrelationship
hazards hazards in Hong - Environmental impact of the extraction materials.
Kong? of reclamation materials Interaction between  Interpret the climatic graphs, and relief and
- Local example: Hong Kong physical and human geological maps of Hong Kong to explore the
International Airport factors causes of landslides.
 Geological hazard – Landslides  Interpret the relief map of Hong Kong (or use
- Causes of landslides in Hong Kong, GIS) to find out the sites where landslides
including natural and human factors. may occur.
- Slope management and landslide  Conduct a field trip to Sham Wan to identify
prevention, e.g. strengthening slopes, the measures that have been adopted to
restricting development on slopes, prevent landslides from happening again.
maintaining slopes, regular checking of
slopes
- Local example: Sham Wan Landslide
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 Appreciate the beauty of nature

Values and attitudes
 Appreciate the interdependence of human beings and the natural environment.

Time allocation: 24 hours

Case / Specific Examples: Hong Kong
2. Weather and Climate

This elective is for those students with a strong interest in weather and climate. It aims at providing a more academic and systematic foundation
for students’ further study pursuit in this field.

This elective introduces three fundamentally important properties of the atmosphere, namely heat, moisture and motion. By using Hong Kong
and other places in the Mainland as examples, students learn about the basic weather elements and how climate varies with location and time.
They also study the interrelationship between climate and human activities, specifically about how climate influences human activities and how
human responds to these influences.

Topics Guiding Questions Explanatory Notes Concepts Skills and Suggested Learning Activities

1. Control factors  What are the  Energy in the atmosphere Climatic system  Construct annotated diagrams to show
of the climatic major control - Energy budget Energy budget how the global circulation system works.
system factors of the - Factors affecting insolation Atmospheric  Construct a map using appropriate IT tools
climatic system? - Global temperature distribution pattern circulation (e.g. GIS) to outline the major climatic
 How does the  Atmospheric motion zones.
Humidity and
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operation of these - The tri-cellular model

condensation
factors result in - Global pressure pattern
global climatic - Planetary wind systems Climatic zone
pattern?  Moisture in the atmosphere
- A brief introduction of humidity and
condensation
- Types of precipitation
- Global precipitation distribution pattern
 Major global climatic zones
Topics Guiding Questions Explanatory Notes Concepts Skills and Suggested Learning Activities

2. Climate of  How and why  Factors affecting the climate of a location Climatic factors  Collect various types of climatic data of
China does the climate  An introduction of the climate and the major Location and different places from the Internet.
of different places climatic zones of China distribution  Construct a climatic graph.
vary?  North-South and East-West variation of climate Pattern  Interpret climatic graphs and climatic data
 How and why in China: causes and characteristics to explain the climatic conditions of a
Monsoon
does the climate  Seasonal occurrence of weather systems in Hong place.
of a place varies Kong and the Zhujiang Delta Region: formation Spatial variation  Interpret weather charts to describe and
over time? and impact Weather system explain the weather of a place.
- Cold fronts  Identify seasons and weather systems from
- Typhoons weather charts.
 Construct annotated diagrams to show the
formation and characteristics of weather
systems.

3. Relationship  What kinds of  A brief introduction of the major types of Weather hazards  Collect information about the major types
between weather hazards weather hazards (e.g. floods, droughts, People-environment of weather hazards found in China and
weather hazards occur in China? sandstorms, typhoons, cold surges and heat interrelationship summarise their impact on human
and human  What is the waves) and their distribution in China. activities.
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activities impact of weather  Causes and impact of drought in North China Environmental  Use GIS or other IT tools to construct map
hazards on human  Strategies adopted to combat droughts in North management overlay to show the relationship between
activities in China, e.g. water transfer projects, improved strategy physical factors (e.g. relief, rainfall
China? farming methods, water conservation projects, distribution, temperature distribution) and
 How do people proper water management the occurrence of weather hazards.
respond to these  Evaluation of the effectiveness of these strategies  Identify the distribution patterns of
hazards in China? weather hazards from thematic maps.
 Discuss the strategies that can be adopted
to combat weather hazards and evaluate
their effectiveness.
 Appreciate the beauty of nature
Values and attitudes  Show concern for those affected by weather hazards
 Develop a better understanding of China through the enquiry study of weather hazards

Time allocation: 24 hours

Case / Specific Examples: Hong Kong and the Mainland
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3. Transport Development, Planning and Management

This elective is for those students with an interest in knowing more about transport geography, and for those who want to broaden their scope of
study. It has an academic focus and provides a foundation of knowledge for further studies in related fields. By providing students with a basic
understanding of transport planning and management, this elective is also career-related and offers a more direct pathway for those who wish to
plan ahead in terms of career development.

This elective aims at providing an introduction to the development of an urban transport system. It covers fundamentals in the geographical
analysis of transport. The main focus is on studying the relationships of transport development, problems, planning and management, as well as
their interrelationships with urban spatial forms and development. Local and national examples are used to explain the mechanism and dynamics
of transport systems.

Topics Guiding Questions Explanatory Notes Concepts Skills and Suggested Learning Activities

1. The  What are the core  Transport systems: demand, nodes, Transport system  Describe the transport patterns and major transport
development elements of a linkages, networks, locations, flows, Node, linkage, modes in Hong Kong based on the information and
of transport transport system and and terminals network and flow data collected from the websites of the Transport and
and logistics major transport  Transport patterns (including personal Housing Bureau and Transport Department.
in Hong patterns? travel and freight transport) Transport pattern  Plot the routes and networks of two airline companies
Kong  What are the major  Distance, transport cost, modal choice with Hong Kong International Airport as their hub /
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Transport cost
transport modes in and modal competition origin on world maps for comparison.
Modal choice and
Hong Kong?  Unimodal transport and multimodal  Choose an area near your school/home to conduct a
competition
 How have Hong transport traffic flow investigation, which includes counting
Kong’s transport  Major transport modes in Hong Kong Location and the number of different types of vehicles passing
system and logistics (including water transport, rail distribution through designed checkpoints with mobile devices
developed? transport, road transport, air transport, Change over time and present and analyse the data collected with
pipelines) and space suitable cartographic (e.g. flow lines, bar charts and
 The development of Hong Kong as a pie charts) and statistical methods (e.g. frequency
transport and logistics hub in the table, mean, median and mode).
Zhujiang Delta Region  Conduct a survey on modal choice with survey apps.
 Visit a logistics company in Hong Kong and / or
browse the website of the Hong Kong Logistics
Development Council to understand more about the
development of logistics in Hong Kong.
Topics Guiding Questions Explanatory Notes Concepts Skills and Suggested Learning Activities

2. Transport  What are the transport  The relationship between transport, Environment  Collect news articles on Hong Kong’s transport
problems in problems in Hong energy and environment People-environment problems from various sources and summarise the
Hong Kong Kong?  Traffic congestion, traffic accidents, interrelationship causes, effects and possible solutions in tabular form
 Why are there such car parking and environmental / using a concept map.
problems? problems (e.g. noise pollution, air Transport problem
pollution, visual impact, effects on
ecosystems)
 The causes of transport problems in
Hong Kong (e.g. lack of planning in
the past, high concentration of
population and economic activities)

3. Transport  How does the Hong  Improvement of transport Transport planning  Conduct an investigation to study the transport
planning and Kong government infrastructure in Hong Kong (e.g. Traffic management planning and traffic management measures of a
traffic cope with the provision of additional road capacity) chosen area in Hong Kong, which includes:
management transport problems?  Expansion and improvement of public Sustainable - Identify and take photographs of the measures
development
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in Hong To what extent are transport in Hong Kong (with GPS locations);
Kong these measures  Various measures involved in Transport - Using mapping apps or software programmes
effective? managing road use in Hong Kong innovation to present relevant data collected; and
 What are the transport  Development of a sustainable transport - Evaluate the effectiveness of the measures.
innovations adopted system in Hong Kong
by the Mainland? To  Effectiveness of the transport planning
what extent can these and traffic management measures in
innovations be used in Hong Kong
Hong Kong to solve  Transport innovations adopted by the
its transport Mainland (e.g. bus-rapid transit (BRT),
problems? Maglev train and high speed railway)
and the feasibility of implementing
them in Hong Kong to solve transport
problems
Topics Guiding Questions Explanatory Notes Concepts Skills and Suggested Learning Activities

4. Transport  What are the  Evolution of transportation (including Urban  Construct a simple connectivity matrix (or
development interrelationships transport modes, routes, networks) and morphology geographic accessibility and potential accessibility)
and urban between transport urban forms, including the space/time Commuting to show the accessibility of different nodes or
morphology development and urban relationship of one-hour commuting locations in a region.
forms? with different transport modes Accessibility  Choose a MTR station in Hong Kong to conduct a
 To what extent the  Impact of transport on urban land use Distance decay fieldwork to investigate the impact of
concepts of (e.g. nodes and linkages, land rent “transit-oriented development” on the transport
Urban and
“transit-oriented theory, distance decay) development and internal structure of the area near
transport planning
development” help to  The impact of “transit-oriented the chosen station.
develop a better urban development” on the transport and Transit-oriented
and transport urban development of Hong Kong development
environment in Hong (TOD)
Kong?

 Be aware of the importance of transport and logistics development in Hong Kong.

39

Values and attitudes  Show concern about the problems caused by transport development, and appreciate the effectiveness of various transport planning and
traffic management measures in alleviating the problems.

Time allocation: 24 hours

Case / Specific Examples: Hong Kong and the Mainland
4. Regional Study of Zhujiang (Pearl River) Delta

This module, which focuses on studying the socio-economic and environmental aspects of the Zhujiang (Pearl River) Delta Region, provides an
opportunity for students to apply geographical concepts (e.g. region, change, people-environment interaction) and knowledge (e.g. factors
affecting agricultural and industrial location, land use pattern, urban expansion) developed in the Compulsory Part of this curriculum in an
integrative manner. The aims of this study are to study the significant changes and development that occurred in the region in the past decades,
and to examine how the natural environment of the region is being affected and how the issue can be managed and resolved.

In developing lesson plans for this elective, teachers should ensure that their designs enable students to achieve the curriculum objective of
‘acquiring knowledge and understanding’ of the region. Teachers are also reminded that in-depth regional study in Geography provides a good
opportunity for students to develop and apply both subject and generic skills, as well as to cultivate values and attitudes.

Topics Guiding Questions Explanatory Notes Concepts Skills and Suggested Learning Activities
1. Zhujiang (Pearl  Where is Zhujiang (Pearl  Location of Zhujiang (Pearl River) Location  Prepare a 10-minute computer
River) Delta as a River) Delta? Delta: site and situation Region presentation to briefly introduce the
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region  What is a ‘region’? Why is  The environmental and major environmental and
Zhujiang (Pearl River) Delta socio-economic characteristics of socio-economic characteristics of the
regarded as a region? Zhujiang (Pearl River) Delta as a Zhujiang (Pearl River) Delta Region.
region
Topics Guiding Questions Explanatory Notes Concepts Skills and Suggested Learning Activities
2. Changing  What changes can be observed  Changes and development in Change over time  Construct maps (GIS as a tool for map
agricultural and in agriculture and agriculture and manufacturing Development making) to show the distribution of
industrial manufacturing industries since industries of Zhujiang (Pearl River) various types of agricultural and
development the 1980s? Delta Factors affecting industrial activities to be found in the
 What are the reasons for such - Agriculture: from subsistence to agricultural and region.
changes? export-oriented and internal industrial  Use map overlay to identify the
consumption development changing agricultural and industrial
- Manufacturing: from pattern in the region over a period of
labour-intensive to capital and time.
technology intensive  Draw a series of divided bar charts
 Reasons for such changes and showing the changing pattern of
development different types of industries developed
in the region.
3. Changing land  What changes can be observed  Changing land use pattern since the Settlement pattern  Identify the changing land use pattern of
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use pattern in the land use pattern since the 1980s: from rural-agricultural Urban expansion Zhujiang (Pearl River) Delta Region
1980s? dominant to urban-industrial and urban growth from a series of satellite images taken
 What are the reasons for such dominant Spatial interaction over a period of time.
changes?  Urban expansion as a result of  Conduct a group project to study
economic development and urban villages-in-the-city found in Shenzhen
growth or Guangzhou.
 A brief introduction of the resulting
features of urban expansion: city
clusters and villages-in-the-city
Topics Guiding Questions Explanatory Notes Concepts Skills and Suggested Learning Activities
4. Change,  What are the consequences of  Environmental pollution in Environmental  Conduct a field trip to one of Hong
development and the above changes and Zhujiang (Pearl River) Delta: degradation Kong’s inner city industrial districts of
the natural development on the natural causes, types, spatial distribution Pollution Hong Kong (e.g. San Po Kong, Kwun
environment environment? and variation over time Conservation Tong) to study environmental
 What have been and should be  Impact: e.g. social costs (health, Environmental degradation caused by industrial
done to alleviate the problem? quality of life), economic loss (costs management activities.
for “clean-up” programmes, moving
away of firms and companies) and
the impact on Hong Kong (air and
water pollution)
 Management strategies: e.g.
legislation, prevention, control,
treatment, education (alternative life
styles) and cross-border cooperation
42

 Appreciate the inter-connectedness between Hong Kong and its neighbouring Zhujiang (Pearl River) Delta Region.
Values and attitudes
 Show concern for the problems that affect both Hong Kong and other parts of the Zhujiang (Pearl River) Delta Region.

Time allocation: 24 hours

Case / Specific examples: Zhujiang (Pearl River) Delta