TRANSPORT

Transport refers to the physical movement of people and commodities from one place to another. Transportation is vital to the development of any nation's economy. For example, it influences the exploitation of natural resources and moving manufactured goods to markets, which are key factors in economic competition.

Types of transport

There are four main forms of transport»

1. Road transport

2. Water transport

3. Railway transport

4. Air transport

ROAD TRANSPORT

Roads are the most universal form of transport and they vary from one kind to another. They range from forest paths to the latest motorways. On these roads move all forms of automobiles that are powered by the internal combustion engine e.g. cars, buses, coaches, trucks, vans, trailers, taxis and others .. The following case studies will help us to illustrate road transport.

The Trans-African Highway

The Trans African Highway is about 6,500 kilometers long and runs from Mombasa in Kenya through Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo and Central African Republic to Lagos m Nigeria. It links the east coast of Africa to the West Coast.

THE TRANS AFRICAN HIGHWAY

Benefits of the Trans-African Highway

1. Trade has been stimulated between West Africa and East Africa. Prior to this, trade between Eastern, Central and West Africa was very negligible but now it is increasing. Commodities transported between Kenya, Uganda and eastern Democratic Republic of Congo includes fish, machinery, vehicles, tea, petroleum products, palm oil and others.

2. Land locked countries such as Uganda and the Central African Republic now have an easy access to the sea. The Trans-African Highway for example links Uganda and eastern Democratic Republic of Congo to the coast at Mombasa.

3. Exploitation of natural resources has been stimulated e.g. forests and minerals in Democratic Republic of Congo and fish from Lakes George and Edward in western Uganda.

4. The highway has encouraged the growth of trading centers and towns, which acts as a nodal point e.g. Nairobi, Kampala, Tibati, Mamfe and others.

5. The Trans-African Highway has stimulated the growth of agricultural activities along its length. For instance, agricultural products from the Central African Republic (C.A.R) such as coffee and tea as major cash crops while other crops include cassava, maize and sweet potatoes can now be easily marketed where the road passes.

6. The highway has led to industrial development allowing easy acquisition of raw materials and the distribution of manufactured goods. In Kenya industries dealing in grain milling and creameries greatly use this road while in the C.A.R industries producing oil based on cottonseed, peanut, and sesame oils are common.

7. The highway has encouraged political and economic co-operation among the states of Kenya, Uganda, DRC, Cameroon and others through 'which the road passes.

8. The highway has encouraged tourism, which benefits the region as a whole. Along the Mombasa-Nairobi road lies two national parks divided by the road; Tsavo West and Tsavo East with thousands of animals including buffaloes, gazelles, giraffes, hippopotamuses, impalas, leopards, lions, black rhinoceroses and others.

9. The highway has encouraged the spread of new ideas in agricultural, industrial and other sectors through the interaction of people.

Despite the benefits of the Trans-African highway, some obstacles are still faced some of which include»

1. Some sections of the road are not under tarmac making the use of the road difficult especially during the wet seasons.

2. High costs of maintenance have to be incurred by the individual countries. However, wide spread poverty affects development of this highway.

3. There are still numerous 'missing links' in the network where tracks are impassable after rain or hazardous due to rocks, sand and sandstorms. In a few cases, there has never been a road of any sort, such as the 200 km gap between Salo in the Central Africa Republic and Quesso.

4. Political differences between the states reduce the effective use of the road e.g. periodical boarder closures between Uganda and Kenya, refusal of entry at various boarder points etc.

The Great North Road

The Great North Road which also known as the Pan African Highway was a vision of the British Empire for a road that would stretch across the continent from Cape Town to Cairo, running through the British colonies of the time. The road today links some of the most important cities on the continent including Cape Town, Johannesburg, Pretoria, Harare, Lusaka, Arusha, Nairobi, Khartoum and Cairo. The road is of great importance in the promotion of international trade and carries traffic than any other route in Africa, Other benefits of the road include stimulation of industrial and agricultural sectors, easier exploitation of natural resources, diffusion of ideas and others.

However, the road remains a somewhat elusive idea, and there is no continuous all weather route, especially between Kenya and Egypt. It is also not feasible to drive even off-road vehicles between Sudan and Egypt as the tracks are closed, they have to go by boat on Lake Nasser or the Red Sea from Port Sudan.

The Pan American Highway

The Pan-American Highway was designed to link together all the countries of North America from Alaska to those of South America in Argentina. However, today alternative routes have been added and there is no single road which can be identified as the Pan-America highway. Of the whole stretch only 54 miles remains to be built in Colombia and Panama. The highway is very useful in the promotion of trade, tourist, industry and regional co-operation.

RAILWAY TRANSPORT

This is the second most important mode of transport. In future, it is likely to become the main mode of long distance transport for both cargo and passengers. Railways are the cheapest carriers of bulky goods over long distances. Apart from their importance as cargo carriers, railways play a very important role in passenger transport. In many developed countries, railways are far the most efficient form of transport for commuters who have to come into large cities each day because they do not contribute to traffic jams.

Railways in North America

The continent of North America has the most extensive railway network in the world with over 300,000 km in USA, 93,000 km in Canada and the rest in Central America.

Canada is dominated by two privately owned railway companies namely the Canadian Pacific (CP) Railway and the formerly government-owned Canadian National (CN) Railways, which was privatized in 1995. Both railroads extend east and west, roughly parallel to the U.S.-Canada border, and serve almost every major city in Canada. CN is Canada's largest railroad; its track network extends :from coast to coast. CN serves the major Canadian ports on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts and the Great Lakes. Other railroads in Canada run in generally north and south direction.

The Ontario Northland Railway

This is a road from North Bay to Moosonee, Ontario, on James Bay. The Algoma Central Railway, located in Ontario, runs: from Sault Ste. Marie to Hearst. Be: Rail stretches from North Vancouver, British Columbia, to Fort Nelson in northeastern British Columbia. In addition, to the above, modern commuter rail services are provided in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and other major towns.

Major Railway Lines in North America

In USA, Amtrak the National Railroad Passenger Corporation maintain extensive subways or commuter railways, in many cities such as New York City, Washington, D.C., Chicago, and the San Francisco-Oakland area of California.

Importance of railway transport in North America

1. The railroads play an important role in transporting commuters to work in the large cities. F or example, thousands of people per day are transported by railroads between New York City and neighboring suburban areas and people in the San Francisco and Los Angeles metropolitan regions.

2. Railways or railroads especially the intercontinental railways have been 'instrumental in opening up of vast empty lands in the interior e.g. the Prairies Provinces and Rocky Mountain States of Canada.

3. Transportation of bulky raw materials imported to the interior e.g. oil, coal, iron ore, metals, timber. and construction of materials from ports such as New York.

4. Transportation of bulky manufactured commodities to the ports for export. For example, wheat from the Prairie Provinces is partly transported by railway to the ports of Halifax, Vancouver, Churchill and Montreal for export.

5. The railway routes link the main cities especially in the east-central USA, southern Canada, south of the Great Lakes and on the Atlantic seaboard. Winnipeg City in Canada for example is connected by rail with the U.S. cities of Chicago, Illinois, and Saint Paul, Minnesota. Several major railroads link the cities of California with urban centers in other states to the east. Los Angeles for example is linked to San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Santa Fe and EI Paso.

6. The transcontinental lines follow on east-west direction linking the main centers of settlements in the east or Atlantic coast and on the west coast or Pacific coast.

7. Railways are used in transportation of commodities within the countries. The Pas to Churchill railway transports fuels for aircraft and ships to the Hudson Bay area. In the Texas State, of the goods transported by rail in 2001, 34% were chemicals and 22% nonmetallic minerals.

8. Facilitation of mineral exploitation e.g. iron and steel at Pittsburgh, magnetite near New York, hematite and limonite ores at Birmingham and others minerals in the Great Lakes regions. Freight lines still carry large amounts of coal and other heavy goods in and out of Pittsburgh. The Pas to Churchill railway provides access to and from the mineral-rich areas of the Canadian Shield.

9. Promotion of industrial development. Railways help in the distribution of manufactured commodities to other centers from the main industrial regions of Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Detroit, Michigan and Birmingham. In addition, railways purchase industrial products such as rail stock, locomotives, wagons and other equipment produced in the industrial centers of Chicago, New York and Kansas.

10. Various employment opportunities have been generated due to railway transport such as those in administration, traffic controllers, ticketing staff, mechanics, and others in transport companies such as in Canadian Pacific (CP) Railway, Canadian National (CN) Railways and the National Railroad Passenger Corporation. In addition, employment opportunities are generated in industries producing railway equipments and wagons such as in Kansas and communication equipment in Ottawa.

11. Growth of ports e.g. Prince Rupert is the western terminus of the northern lines of Canadian National Railway's transcontinental freight business and VIA Rail's passenger service. Other ports include Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco.

12. Railways have led to the promotion of regional and international understanding and cooperation e.g. both major Canadian lines have major corporate holdings and rail operations in the United States. eN owns the Grand Trunk: Western from Detroit, Michigan, into Chicago, Illinois.

13. Railways have promoted agricultural production. Wheat produced in the Prairies of Canada is transported by railway to the ports of Vancouver, Churchill and Prince Rupert for export to Europe and Asia.

14. The intercontinental railway lines stretching from the Atlantic coast to the Pacific coast have promoted tourism. Tourism are made to view the varied relief and landforms, vegetation types, drainage features and the country side as the move. The Appalachian Mountains, the Great Plains and Canadian Cordillera among others.

15" Railways have generated revenue to the respective governments through taxes imposed 011 railway companies such as Canadian Pacific (CP) Railway, Canadian National (CN) Railways, National Railroad Passenger Corporation and others. Income is also derived from taxing incomes of workers in the railway sector.

16. Railways facilitate the development of other forms of transport. Foe example, wheat from the Canadian Prairies exported via the eastern route is first transported by railway to the Port of Duluth before being transshipped to the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway.

Trails-Siberian Railway or Trans-Siberlan Railroad

The Trans-Siberian Railway is a network of railways connecting Moscow with the Far East Provinces, Mongolia, China and the Sea of Japan. In particular, the railway connects the St Petersburg with the Pacific Ocean port of Vladivostok. It crosses various towns such as Kirov, Sverdlovsk, Omsk, Novosibirsk, and St. Petersburg. The line has a series of interconnecting railway lines the Baikal-Amur. Mainline line which extends north of the Trans-Siberian Railroad across eastern Siberia to the Pacific coast. At 9,288 km, it is the third-longest single continuous railway service in the world.

Importance of the Trans-Siberian Railway

1. It has stimulated the growth of towns along its length. Novosibirsk is the largest city and one of the chief industrial centers of Siberia found along this line. Others include Chelyabinsk, Omsk, Krasnoyarsk, Irkutsk, Khabarovsk, and Vladivostok.

2. It has facilitated the exploitation of natural resources e.g. forests in the Urals and southern Siberia, oil in western Siberia and iron ore from Karaganda.

3. It has encouraged the development of the agricultural sector in the region. The Trans-Siberian Railway gave a great boost to Siberian agriculture, facilitating substantial exports to central Russia and Europe. It influenced the territories it connected directly, as well as those connected to it by river transport. For instance, Altai Krai exported wheat to the railway via the Ob River.

4. It has stimulated the growth of industries because of easy acquisition of raw materials e.g. iron are for the iron and steel industries, timber for the saw mills and pulp and paper industries. and wheat for the food processing industries. It has stimulated the development of ports e.g. Vladivostok and Leningrad.

6. The railway line has promoted trade between Russia and other European and Asian counties. Today the Trans-Siberian Railway carries about 20,000 containers per year to Europe, including 8,300 containers from Japan. This is a fairly small amount, considering that for all means of transport combined Japan sends 360,000 containers to Europe per year. Thus, there is potential for growth, and the Russian Ministry of Transport planned to increase the number of containers shipped on the railway to 100,000 by the year 2005 and satisfy the passage and cargo needs of 120 trains per day.

7. The railway line attracts many foreign tourists thus earning the country foreign exchange.

Important features along the line include many remarkable bridges, the longest being Khabarovsk Bridge built in 1916.

8. The railway line has promoted international co-operation between Russia and other countries benefiting from the line such as China, Japan and many European countries.

9. It has been an important aid to settlement in the empty interior lands of Siberia. Overall, the region is sparsely inhabited, with an average population density of two persons per sq km. The population is concentrated mainly along the Trans-Siberian Railroad.

10. The railroad is a source of revenue through taxing of railway companies that use it e.g. the Trans-Siberian Express train.

11. The railway line has provided employment opportunities to a number of people such as mechanics, railroad maintenance staff, traffic wardens, ticketing staff, and others. The . incomes derived have helped to improve the people's standard of living.

12. The Trans-Siberian Railroad railway line is the backbone of Siberia's transportation system partly because constructing roads on permafrost is very difficult.

13. It serves as the most important east-west link for goods and passengers in Siberia.

14. The Trans-Siberian line remains the most important transportation link within Russia; around 30% of Russian exports travel on the line.

15. It is linked to other modes of transport thus facilitating their development e.g. water transport at the port of Vladivostok.

Railway transport in Africa

In Africa, only South Africa has a true railway network directly comparable with those in Europe and North America. The poor development of railway transport in Africa is attributed to the following reasons.-

1. Railways have to bear heavy overhead expenses and running costs irrespective of the amount of traffic carried. Many African countries are too poor economically to build their own railway lines.

2. Large areas of Africa are still uninhabited making it very uneconomical to construct railway lines through them. For example, large areas of Democratic Republic of Congo, Chad, Mali, Egypt and others are largely un-habited.

3. Political factions prevent the economic and sensible planning of railway networks. For example, the use of the railway lines running between Mali and Senegal was severed when those two countries broke politically. Alternatively, routes had to be used through Ivory Coast.

4. Colonial legacy of separation such that railways laid were of different gauges hence making it difficult to connect. For example in Sierra Leone and Guinea which were deliberately built on different gauges to prevent them from joining Futa Jalon plateau under the British. Today however,' these lines are being re-aligned:

5. Physical barriers such as highlands in Ethiopia, Rwanda and Burundi, dense forests like in Congo basin arid lands like the Sahara and Namib Desert hinder the construction of railway lines.

6. Limited trade is carried out among the African countries because they produce more or less the same commodities. The railway lines therefore tend to link the countries to the coast rather than with the other.

7. Frequent tropical thunderstorms, which wash away vital sections of railway lines.

8. Lack of adequate relevant technology in the construction and maintenance of railway lines.

9. Limited skilled manpower needed in the construction of railway lines.

However today there are signs of more rational planning of railways in African countries. Examples of such railways include the Benguela railway, which runs through Angola to the Katanga-Zambia copper belt, Tanzam railway from Zambian copper belt to the sea at Dar-es-salaam and the Uganda-Kenya railway.

Railway transport in South Africa

South Africa has the most developed railway network on the African continent with over 13,000 mile s of railway lines. Some railway line sare electrified e.g. Durban to Johannesburg is one of the longest electrified lines in the world.

RAILWAY NETWORK IN SOUTH AFRICA

Importance of railway transport in South Africa

1. Railway transport has facilitated the exploitation of minerals particularly gold in the Witwatersrand, diamonds in Kimberly, coal in Transvaal among others. The railway lines are well positioned near the mines hence making minerals exploitation and transportation to the processing easy.

2. Large quantities of goods produced in South Africa are exported e.g. iron and steel, coal, chemicals, pulp and paper and food products from manufacturing centers such as Johannesburg, Pretoria and Vereeniging. Similarly, large quantities of goods are also imported such as machinery and equipment, motor vehicle parts" chemicals, crude oil, clothing and textiles through the ports of Durban, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town. The railway lines play an important role in the promotion of this trade.

3. Many railway lines link the interior to the coast. The use of railway in importing and exporting commodities has led to the development if ports such as Durban, Port Elizabeth, East London and Cape Town. These ports are connected to leading towns of the Orange Free State and Transvaal,

4. Promotion of agriculture. The railway lines enable large quantities of agricultural crops to be produced and marketed easily and cheaply. Large commercial farms produce maize (com), wheat, sugarcane and hay e.g. the sugar plantations in Natal Province.

5. Railways have stimulated the development of manufacturing and service industries.

Durban and Pretoria are important centers of building and repairing of locomotives. The railways have contributed to easy access to raw materials and facilitation of the distribution of goods throughout South Africa.

6. Source of government revenue through taxes imposed on the workers in the railways as well as income derived from landlocked countries such as Swaziland, Lesotho and Botswana for using the South African railway system.

7. Railway junctions have developed into urban centers e.g. Germiston town near Johannesburg. Similarly Durban, Per Elizabeth and East London have developed rapidly being railway terminals.

8. Apart from the road and air transport, the tourist industry also depends on the well-developed railway system to link the tourist attraction features. It has thus contributed to the development of the tourist industry.

9. Generation of employment opportunities to many people working in the railways such as traffic wardens, ticketing staff, mechanics, administrators and others at various stations and sub-stations in Durban, Johannesburg, and Cape town.

10. Promotion of tourism through linking the various tourist attraction centers thus earning the country foreign exchange. Attractions include the scenic beauty of the Cape wine region, the Drakensberg and the mountains of Mpumalanga, as well as national parks and game reserves.

11. The railways have strengthened co-operation between South Africa and her neighbours such as Swaziland, Botswana and Lethoso through their use ofthe South African railways.

12. They have opened up remote areas of the interior e.g. the Middle Veld which is part of the larger Kalahari Basin that extends north to Botswana and Namibia and contains the southernmost portion of the Kalahari Desert.

13. Railways have facilitated the development of'other forms of transport e.g. goods are transported to the ports of Durban and East London before being transshipped to water transport for export.

14. Rail ways are used foe movement of labour to the town centers for work. In the larger cities such as Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg, commuter railways are largely used for commuting to work by blacks.

Shortcomings of railway transport

Railway transport is slow especially over long distances hence unfit for the transportation of perishable commodities.

Double costs have to be incurred of loading and unloading at the railway terminals. The terrain limits railway transport. The lines therefore avoid steep gradients.

Rail way transport has led to the growth of ports and urban centers with associated problems such as congestion, unemployment, traffic jams and others at Durban and Johannesburg.

Pollution of the atmosphere occurs through the emission of smoke from the diesel engines.

Sometimes accidents occur due to collision, derailing, human era and others leading to loss of lives.

Profit repatriation by foreign. companies operating railway services.

Loss of vegetation cover especially forests due to the need to construct railway lines.

The Tanzam or Tazara Railway

The Tazara also called the Uhuru Railway, from the Swahili word for Freedom, was built between 1970 and 1975 by the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority hence the abbreviation to 'TAZARA'. The railway line is found in Tanzania and Zambia runs from Kapiri Mposhi in Zambia to Dar-es-salaam in Tanzania and covers a total distance of 1,860 km.

The railway was built with Chinese finance and technical assistance and was commissioned in 1975. The major aims of the railway were:-

To provide Zambia with an alternative route to the sea for export of her mineral and other products. As a landlocked country, Zambia was reliant on neighbouring countries for access to the sea. The civil strife in three of these countries had closed key routes to the coast for much of the period since independence. At that time, most imports and exports were handled by the railway that linked the country with the ports of South Africa and Mozambique via Zimbabwe. The Benguela railway to Lobito in Angola was too long for economic use. Thus, the railway line was to specifically to eliminate Zambia's economic dependence on Zimbabwe and South Africa.

To open up remote parts of Southern Tanzania, which were productive but largely, lacked transport systems.

Benefits of the Tanzam railway

The railway line has provided land locked Zambia with a reliable access to the sea through a sister state Tanzania. Minerals such as copper and cobalt are exported via, this line thus earning the country foreign exchange.

The railway line has opened up remote areas of Southern Tanzania and the productivity of the region has increased. For example, production of sugar and rice in the Kilombero valley has greatly increased.

The railway line has strengthened political and economic ties between Zambia and Tanzania.

The railway line has stimulated the exploitation of minerals particularly copper from the Copper Belt of Zambia, as well as coal and iron from Southern Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo minerals such as Soda ash are also exported via this route.

The importation and transportation of heavy machinery and bulky oil imports to Zambia and the interior of Tanzania has been made easier.

Stimulation of industrial growth has occurred since both the raw materials and manufactured goods can easily be acquired using railway transport. The industrial developments along the line include a hydroelectric power plant at Kidatu and a paper mill at Rufiji.

The development of the Tanzam railway has provided employment opportunities to traffic controllers, administrators, drivers, technicians and causal labourers among others.

The railway line has contributed to the growth of Dar-es-salaam Port as more and more import and the port handles exports,

The railway lines have stimulated the growth of trading centers and towns along its length.

Towns served by Tazara railway include Kapiri Mposhi, Sertenje, Mpika and Kasama in Zambia while those in Tanzania include Tunduma, Mbeya, Mlimba and Kidatu.

Promotion of tourism in Zambia and Tanzania due to improved accessibility which earns the countries foreign exchange.

Encouraged settlement along its course

Stimulated the development of other transport routes like water transport at Dar es Salaam.

Shortcomings of the Tanzam railway

1. Railway transport has led to the growth of ports and urban centers with associated problems such as congestion, unemployment, traffic jams and others at Dar es Salaam, Mbeya and Kasama.

2. Railway transport is slow especially over long distances hence unfit for the transportation of perishable commodities.

3. Double costs have to be incurred of loading and unloading at the railway terminals,

4. Pollution of the atmosphere occurs through the emission of smoke from the diesel engines.

5. Sometimes accidents occur due to collision, derailing, human era and others leading to loss of lives.

6. Profit repatriation by foreign companies operating railway services.

Problems facing Tazara railway

1. Periodic congestion of shipping at Dar-es-salaam testifies to the inability of the railway to cope with increasing flow of cargo or traffic. Handling facilities are largely inadequate.

2. Serious delays usually occur making it ' unsuitable for perishable commodities. For example, sometimes it takes one month from Kapiri Mposhi back to Dar-es-salaam.

3. Frequent breakdowns in sections of the railway line especially in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania occur due to very heavy rainfall.

4. The railway has never been profitable and more recently it has suffered from competition from road transport such as the Transcaprivi Highway and Walvis Bay Corridor to Namibia and the re-orientation of Zambia's economic links towards South Africa after the end of apartheid.

5. Political changes in southern Africa have lessened the need to use northern routes. In 2005 the governments of Tanzania and Zambia agreed to privatize Tazara due to a serious fall in traffic from and a decision is likely to be made in 2008.

WATER TRANSPORT

This is an important form of transport in many parts of the world. The two greatest advantages of water transport are that it uses existing routes e.g. rivers, seas and lakes, and it is the cheapest form of transport for large bulky loads. There are various: types of water transport. Rivers and lakes form important inland waterways e.g. the Amazon River in South America and the Congo River in the Democratic Republic. Canalized rivers have: been greatly modified to overcome various problems. They may be improved by the construction of dams or barrages e.g. the St. Lawrence Seaway in North America and the Rhine River in Europe. Large lakes like Victoria are an important inland waterway linking the three East African states of Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.

Ocean transport represents the cheapest means of haulage across water barriers that separate producers from consumers' kilometers apart. The oceans offer a free highway traversable in all directions with no maintenance costs as in roads, railways or canals.

Case studies of important inland waterways

1. Europe

Important inland waterways in Europe include the Rhine waterway, Rivers Rhine, Danube, Meuse, Weser and Thames. There are also various canals such as Dortmund-Ems, Lippeseite, Rhine-Heme, Main and others.

2. North America

Important inland waterways in North America include the St. Lawrence Seaway, the Missouri-Mississippi complex, The Great Lakes, River Colorado" R. San Joaquin and the Mohawk-Hudson waterway. There are also canals such as New York State Barge Canal and Delta Mendota canal.

3. Africa

Important inland waterways include the Upper Niger and its tributary the Benue, the Congo River, Nile River, Zambezi River and lakes such as Victoria and Tanganyika. There are also canals such as the Suez Canal.

The Rhine Waterway in Europe

The Rhine is the most important waterway in Europe. It flows through Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands. It is navigable from the North Sea to Basel in Switzerland a distance of 800 km The river is linked to the various tributaries, such as the Neckar, the Main, Moselle, Ruhr, Emscher and Lippe rivers. The waterway has been greatly improved by the construction of several canals such as Dortmund-Ems canal, Rhine-Heme canal and Lippesseite canal.

In 1992 an important canal link to the Danube River was completed, through the Main River, which opened up shipping between the North Sea and Black Sea. The Rhine drains an area noted for its mineral, industrial, and agricultural wealth, and has been open to international navigation since 1868. Modem technology now allows 24-hour navigation on the Rhine and the transport of heavier loads, including coal, iron ore, grain, potash, petroleum, iron and steel, timber, and other commodities.

Importance of the Rhine waterway

1. The Rhine waterway is used for importing large quantities of commodities for Switzerland, Germany, Netherlands and France. Up stream cargo-traffic comprises of iron ore, coal, crude oil, cotton wool and foodstuffs such as wheat, -meat and dairy products.

2. The waterway is used to transport large quantities of commodities for export thus promoting international trade. Downstream cargo thus comprises of chemicals, fertilizers, textiles, machinery, watches, confectionaries, automobiles particularly from Switzerland and Germany.

3. The Rhine waterway has reduced transport costs as compared to road and railway transport because of the reduction in distance.

4. The waterway has encouraged cheap transport for heavy and bulky commodities such as coal, iron ore, petroleum, gravel and other products.

5. The waterway has encouraged the rapid development of industries. The growth of industries in the Rum: industrial complex is partly attributed to the availability of cheap water transport used for both importation of raw material and exportation of manufactured commodities. The major industries found along the Rum River include iron and steel, engineering, motor vehicle, chemicals, textiles and others.

6. It is not only the need of cheap transport that industries such as the chemical industries are located near the Rhine River but also because they need large quantities of water particularly for cooling purposes.

7" The waterway has stimulated the growth of ports and towns particularly Basel, Dusseldorf, Rotterdam, Mainz, Bern and others. Rotterdam for example is one of the busiest ports in the world. Duisburg is the home of Europe's largest inland port representing an inland hub to the sea ports of Rotterdam, Antwerp and Amsterdam.

8. The Rhine waterway is a uniting factor in the region. It has helped to create political togetherness among the countries of Switzerland, Germany, Netherlands and France.

9. The waterway has provided a better mode of transport than roads and railways which cannot compete with it.

10. The Rhine waterway has opened up markets for a wide variety of commodities produced in Switzerland, Germany, Netherlands and eastern France. It has also opened up various sources of raw material e.g, iron ore from Lorraine via the Mosel.

11. Land locked states such as Germany and Switzerland now have an easy access to the sea.

12. The waterway has led to the development of tourism" The river together with its tributaries offer scenic beauty and as well as being a mode of transport for the tourists. Other attractions along the waterway include the numerous locks and canals e.g. Rhine-Mosel canal

13. The waterway has promoted agriculture through increased accessibility of farming regions such as the Rhine Valley in Germany to large towns along the rover such as Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, and Mainz.

14. Various employment opportunities have been created not only in transport but also other sectors as well.

15. The waterway has stimulated the exploitation of natural resources e.g, minerals and power resources in the Rum region.

16. The waterway is a source of revenue through taxing of ships and other vessels that use it.

Short comings of the Rhine waterway

1. The Rhine water way is one of the busiest in the world. There are therefore delays due to congestion.

2. The river 1,320 k:m long is navigable for some 8001 k:m up to Basel. After this point, the highlands characterized with waterfalls and rapids limit its use.

3. The river carries large quantities of load, which are deposited in the lower parts of the river. This leads to silting making constant dredging necessary before use. This results into high costs of maintenance.

4. The waterway limits the size of vessels used on the route e.g., which are the largest vessels a float cannot be used.

5. The Rhine is liable to flooding especially in spring when the winter snows begin to melt and in early summer when glacier melt-water comes down from the Alps.

6. Down stream from Mainz, fog sometimes causes delays.

7. Pollution of the region through oil spills and gas emissions from ships and other water vessels.

8. Destruction of aquatic life such as shrimps along the seaway.

9. Encouraged the growth of urban centers and their associated problems.

The St. Lawrence Seaway in North America

The St. Lawrence Seaway is the common name for a system of canals that permits ocean-going vessels to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great lakes as far as Lake Superior. It stretches for over 3,760 Km from Duluth on Lake Superior to the estuary of the St. Lawrence below Quebec, The seaway is the most important waterway in North America and it is shared by USA and Canada.

Like the Rhine, the waterway was improved over its navigable length. Its natural barriers such as rapids, waterfalls, gradient differences and shallow stretches of the liver were all overcome by an extensive system of canals and locks. Canals such as the Soo and WeIland were constructed to avoid some of these obstacles. The WeIland Canal for example with eight locks links Lake Ontario (surface elevation 74m) to Lake Erie (surface elevation 173m), bypassing the formidable barrier of Niagara Falls.

Importance of the St. Lawrence Seaway

The seaway is used to transport heavy and bulky raw materials such as wheat to Europe, iron ore, and food products to industries in Montreal, Prescott, Ogdensburg, Cornwall and Kingston, as well as finished products such as chemicals, textiles, vehicles, heavy machinery and others to Europe , Africa and Asia. The sea way is thus very important in the promotion of the import-export trade.

The Seaway has encouraged effective exploitation of natural resources e.g. iron ore at Schafferville, coal from Pittsburgh, asbestos from the fold, and other minerals. Upstream shipments consisted mainly of iron ore from Quebec and Labrador to ports on the Great Lakes. Hydro electric power is now being produced from the various water falls and dams e.g. at the Beauharnois installation on the St. Lawrence River in Quebec, the Iroquois (Iroquois) Darn at Ontario and the Long Sault Dam near Massena in New York State. The enormous production of hydroelectric power has encouraged the development of industries e.g. the aluminum industries and other mentioned earlier. The power is also used for domestic purposes hence raising the people's standard of living.

The Seaway has contributed to rapid development of industries such as pulp and paper, textiles, engineering, boat and shoe industries, electrical and chemical industries at Montreal, Quebec and other centers.

The Seaway has greatly contributed to the development of ports and towns such as Buffalo, Cleveland, Chicago, Duluth, Montreal city and Quebec.

The Seaway has led to the removal of trade barriers. The Seaway allows ocean going ships to proceed direct to the Great Lakes without transshipping their goods. This also reduces the transport costs.

The Seaway has opened U.S.A and Canada to the world market. This enables the two countries to get raw materials from a wide variety of sources and also distribute the manufactured commodities to a wide market.

As earlier mentioned Canada and U.S.A share the seaway. This has created political togetherness of the two countries.

The Seaway with numerous waterfalls, dams and locks are of tremendous scenic beauty thus contributing to the expansion of tourism. These include the Niagara Falls, Sault Marie, Soo and St. Lambert canals. In addition, the seaway provides significant entertainment and recreation such as boating, camping, fishing, and scuba diving.

The Seaway has promoted agricultural development in the interior e.g., wheat, barley and com from the Prairies of Canada are exported to Europe via the Seaway.

The waterway provides the cheapest and most convenient mode of transport in the region.

Sources of water for domestic and industrial purposes. Textiles and garment making industries for example are popular in Montreal and use large quantities of water in mixing of dyes.

Source of revenue to the governments of Canada. and U.S.A. from tariffs levied.

The Seaway forms a natural boarder between U.S.A. and Canada.

Flooding and its related problems have been solved as dams, canals, and lock systems regulate the flow of water. THUS the St. Lawrence has avoided the huge floods that have devastated the Mississippi, Missouri, and Ohio River systems in recent years.

Settlements have been encouraged along the Seaway.

The Seaway has generated many employment opportunities for the people of U.S.A. and Canada as transporters, traffic wardens, ship building and repair and others.

The seaway has attracted settlement a long its way. The St. Lawrence region is one of the most densely populated areas of Canada and USA.

Shortcomings of the seaway

The Seaway has led to the growth of urban centers with the associated problems such as congestion, unemployment, high crime rate etc.

High costs of maintaining the seaway e.g dredging to solve the problem of silting. The period of dredging also limits its use.

Decline in fishing activities due to destruction of wetlands, fish habitats and fish populations as a result of dredging and blasting as well as pollution of the water.

Congestion on the seaway due to too many ships. This also results into delays and time wastage.

The width and depth of the seaway limited the size of vessels to be used on the route. The size of vessels that can traverse the seaway is limited by the size of locks. Channel depths and limited lock sizes mean that only 10% of ocean-going ships can traverse the entire seaway.

The seaway has many locks, which are used to adjust the level of the water to improve navigation. These result into delays in movement.

The seaway enables ships to sail further inland. This has resulted into the decline in importance of New York port and loss of revenue from goods in transit.

Increased risk of pollution from oil and chemical spills as a result of enormous increases in cargo size as well as from the industries which have developed along the seaway.

The St. Lawrence Seaway is ice-bound for the three to four months in a year. This greatly limits its use during these months. Ice-breakers have to be used during the month when the sea water is frozen.

Continuous silting of the Seaway calls for construct dredging, which is costly. The period of dredging also limits its use.

Containerization has resulted into reduced employment opportunities.

Despite these problems the Seaway handles traffic greater than any other commercial waterway in the world.

Problems faced in the utilization of inland water transport in North America and Western Europe

Physical factors

The waterways freeze during winter and this limits their use during this season. The St. Lawrence Seaway for example is frozen during winter from November to March.

Flooding of the rivers especially during summer. The Rhine River for example floods especially in spring when the winter snow begins to melt and also in early summer when glacial melt water comes down from the Alps.

Presence of rapids, waterfalls and cataracts along the river channels. For example the Niagara Falls and rapids such as the Lachine along the St. Lawrence Seaway. The Rhine River is only navigable up to Basel. Beyond this point there are many waterfalls and rapids in its upper section especially in the Alps of Switzerland.

The rivers meander in their lower courses making navigation difficult in many ways. The Mississippi river for example meanders through its flood plain for about 1,600 kilometers from the confluence of the Ohio at Cairo falling approximately 10 cm per kilometer. The material eroded upstream is deposited on the river" s bed in this section hence making it shallow. The shallow depth limits the size of vessels it can handle. Also due to meandering, the length of the route is greatly increased.

Presence of narrow valleys and fast flowing rivers especially in the highland regions, making navigation very difficulty e.g. The Rhine section in the Alpine region of Switzerland.

Foggy conditions cause poor visibility and accidents. For example, the dense fog occurring especially at the mouth of the St. Lawrence River is a great menace to shipping. Fog is also a problem in the lower sections of the Rhine River.

The nature of banks or shores is so straight, which limits the development of ports and harbours.

Some rivers flow through very unproductive and under populated regions, which limits their use.

Silting of rivers and canals. Human factors

Apart from water transport, there are other forms of transport such as rail, road and air. Water transport therefore faces competition from other forms of transport.

Water transport is slow in nature. This makes it unsuitable for perishable commodities such as fruits, vegetables and others.

The rivers such as the Rhine and the St. Lawrence Seaway carry large quantities of cargo each year. This often results into congestion and delays. Other delays are caused by several locks, which are used to adjust the water level especially along the St. Lawrence Seaway.

The damming of rivers to produce hydro-electric power.

High costs of maintenance of the waterways. These include costs of dredging, construction of locks and barrages, stabilizing river banks and others.

Solutions to the above problems

1. Use of ice-breaker vessels in winter.

2. Consumers stockpile goods in summer months to avoid shortages when the seaway is frozen in winter.

3. Use of roads, rail and air transport in winter when waterways are frozen.

4. Constant dredging to overcome the problem of silting.

3. Construction twin locks instead of single locks. This allows a two-way traffic hence reducing delays and congestion.

4. Construction of canals to by-pass waterfalls and rapids.

The Suez Canal

The Suez Canal is an artificial waterway running north to south from the Gulf of Suez to Port Said at Mediterranean Sea. It was constructed in 1869 and it is an important route linking the Far East with Europe. The canal is 195 km long. The minimum bottom width of the channel is 60 m and ships of 16 m draft can make the transit. The canal can accommodate ships as large as 150,000 dead weight tons fully loaded. It has no locks, because the Mediterranean Sea and the Gulf of Suez have roughly the same water level.

LOCATION OF THE SUEZ CANAL

The canal provides a shortcut tor ships operating between both European and American ports and ports located in southern Asia, eastern Africa, and Oceania. Most of the canal is limited to a single lane of traffic, but several passing bays exist, and two-lane bypasses are located in the Bitter Lakes and between Al Qantarah and Ismailia. A railroad on the west bank: runs parallel to the canal for its entire distance.

Importance of the Suez Canal

1. It has promoted trade between Europe and the Far East commodities heading for Europe via the canal include oil, cotton, tea, coffee, sugar, rubber, tin, dates, silk, spices, tobacco, hides and others. While commodities from Europe to the Far East include mainly manufactured goods such as textiles, chemicals, paper, automobiles and fertilizers.

2. The canal reduces transport costs because of reduced distance. For example distance saved between London and Mumbai (Bombay) compared with Cape route (via South Africa) which is 6,437 Km.

3. The route has opened up a large market for manufactured commodities from Europe such as machinery, chemicals and electronics from countries like Italy, France and Spain and large market for raw materials such as petroleum and grains from the Far East.

4. The Suez Canal has provided water transport, which is cheap for carrying heavy and bulky commodities.

5. Easy access to raw materials and distribution of manufactured commodities has led to the development of industries. Many European nations make use of this shortcut to their Afro Asian markets.

6. The waterway has encouraged the development of ports e.g. at Suez, and those on the Mediterranean such as Port Said, Marseilles, Genoa, Venile, Athens, Gilbrar and Algeria.

7 Revenue is earned amounting to millions of dollars annually from tolls by countries such as Egypt.

8. The canal facilitated the exploitation of natural resources. However today oil is transported by long distance pipelines from the oil fields to the Mediterranean terminals for shipment to Europe.

9. The canal has created employment to a number of Egyptians in various fields.

10. Source of government revenue to Egypt hence earning the county foreign exchange.

11. Tourist attraction which earns the country foreign exchange. Shortcomings of the Suez Canal

12. The depth and width of the canal limits the size of vessels used on the route. The waterway can only accommodate ships of around 150,000 tones capacity only.

2. The waterway is seriously affected by political insecurity in the Middle East as a whole e.g. as a result of the Arab-Israel war in 1967, the canal was closed to all traffic and only re-opened in 1975.

3. The canal faces a problem of silting and costly dredging operations have to be carried out.

4. Pollution of the water from oil spills from ships and other vessels using the canal.

5. It has contributed to the growth of towns such as Port Said and Suez with associated problems of congestion, unemployment and slum development.

Water transport in Africa

Generally in Africa water transport has not been well developed. Many rivers in their natural state do not make good modem routes for the following reasons

1. Few rivers are navigable throughout their length. They are interrupted by waterfalls, rapids and floating vegetations along their courses. The Nile River for example has five major waterfalls and rapids such as Owen Falls, Bujagali Falls; Karuma falls and Murchison F alls, Other rivers are Zambezi with Victoria Falls and 'Congo River with Stanley Falls.

2. The seasonal occurrence of rainfall in most of Africa often results in highly variable river flows. A river may have virtually no discharge in the late dry season followed by severe flooding in the rainy season. For example although the Niger River is 4,200 Km in length, it is subjected to marked seasonal fluctuation in the water level.

3. Many rivers are too short, too shallow or too swift to be useful for navigation. This is typical of the rivers flowing from mountain regions such as Ethiopia, Kilimanjaro, and Rwenzori.

4. Many rivers, which would be capable of carrying much trade, flow through sparsely populated areas cog. River Congo.

5. Rivers tend to meander in their flood plains making the distance covered by the river much longer than a similar journey by land.

6. Some rivers flow across empty and in hospitable . lands so that they are of little economic significance.

7. Large rivers like the Nile are subjected to silting especially near their mouths. This leads to shallowing of their channels.

8. Lack of adequate capital to develop port facilities.

9. Political differences which -limits the use of the rivers. The Gambia for example is one of the most navigable rivers in Africa. Unfortunately its usefulness has been greatly reduced

by the existence of political division between Gambia and Senegal, which has resulted in the river being divorced from its natural hinterland.

10. The volume of traffic being handled is so small that it does not warrant injection of large sums of money to develop ports and other facilities.

11. Low level of technology to develop ports and related facilities. Water transport in the Democratic Republic of Congo of the rivers in tropical Africa, the Congo is of particular importance for navigation. It has much more even flow than most tropical rivers. Of the river's 4,350 km length, 2,700 Ian are navigable. Ubangi River is the Congo's chief northern tributary, while the Kasai is its main southern tributary. Other rivers feeding the Congo are the Luvua, Aruwimi, and Lomami. The lower Congo River is navigable for ocean going vessels as far as the port of Matadi, some 130 km from the sea. Kinshasa is the busiest river port.

Water transport has been difficult to develop in the DRC because of:

· Various waterfalls and rapids along the river courses. Around Kisangani for example, a chain of seven steep waterfalls extends for 100 km making the river un-navigable.

· Many rivers, which are capable of carrying much trade, flow through sparsely populated areas; The Congo River centered in a great tropical forest extending some 600 Ian north of the equator and a similar distance south of the equator. Most of such areas are thus sparsely populated.

· The rivers tend to meander making the distance covered by them much loner than a similar journey over land.

· Lack of adequate capital to develop port facilities.

· The rivers flow through in hospitable land so that they are of little economic significance.

· Floating vegetation like the water hyacinth.

Problems facing the transport sector in the DRC

· The country is too big to be effectively served by road and railway network.

· The country experiences an equatorial type of climate with heavy rainfall washing away vital sections of railway lines and making roads too muddy to be used.

· The presence of waterfalls and rapids along river courses and their tributaries thus making river transport difficult.

· Transhipment is costly due to costs incurred in loading and unloading from railway to water and vice versa.

· Problems resulting from transhipment such as delays and damage to the goods.

· The thick impenetrable rainforests are difficult to clear and make construction of roads and railways difficult and costly

· Dependence on other countries for import and export of goods e.g. goods from eastern Congo are largely imported and exported through Uganda and Kenya.

· Poor planning of transport services.

· Lack of adequate capital to develop. Transport routes and facilities.

· Low levels of technology.

· 'Political instability caused by civil wars.

Steps being taken to solve the problems facing the transport sector in the DRC

· Since large areas are covered by impenetrable rainforests, air transport for both domestic and international connections is being developed.

· Government policy to be linked to other countries of Africa e.g. through the Trans-Africa Highway.

· Containerization of the ports and harbours for effective handling of goods and reduce delays.

· Building of railway lines e.g, from Maunda to Matadi to avoid expenses of transhipment.

· Development of other ports e.g. at Banana to establish a straight link between Shaba and Zaire port.

· Restoration of political stability through peace talks and other means.

AlR TRANSPORT

Air transport began with the invention of the aero plane in 1903 by the Wright brothers. It takes various forms:- airstrips, gliders, commercial planes, military air crafts, helicopters and now jumbo jets.

Advantages of air transport

· Passengers and freight can be transported at great speed.

· Because of great speed, there is great saving of time, which is important especially for top civil servants and business executives.

· Air transport is relatively independent of physical barriers, e.g. mountain ranges, forests, deserts, swamps and deltas.

· Generally, there is freedom of movement in the air, though there are some countries that for political reasons refuse to allow the planes for certain countries to fly over their territory.

· It is ideal for the transportation of light and expensive freight e.g. jewellery, bullion, mails and highly perishable commodities.

· They link up remote and inaccessible areas with developed and settled parts e.g. parts e.g. in the outposts of Siberia, Africa, Canada and Australia.

· Air transport, especially helicopters, is ideal for rescue work, r.e. for the dispatch of medical supplies, food and trained personnel for relied work in disaster areas.

Disadvantages of air transport

1. It is rather expensive for most people.

2: Aero planes have a limited carrying capacity.

3. Air transport is highly susceptible to interruptions by bad weather e.g. thick fog, ice and snow and storms.

World air routes

1. North America

By far the greatest amount of air traffic is found in U.S.A, where both international and internal flights are very numerous. Speed over great distances and the generally high standards of living, which ensures a large potential market for air services, are the main advantages of air travel in North America. Apart from passengers transport to American airlines, the main goods moved by air include printed matter, mail, small machinery, electrical parts, films, optical instruments, personal baggage and drugs. Liquor, fresh fruits and vegetables, and goods of small size of high value, requiring speedy transport use air transport.

United States alone is served by about 9,000 air terminals, has over 50,000 registered passengers traffic and over one third of its freight. The country is served by four large air corporations, the United Airlines, Trans- World Airlines, Pan American Airlines, and Eastern Airlines, besides more than 45 domestic air carriers. The biggest airports are those of New York, Chicago, Washington D.C, Los Angles, San Francisco, Atlanta, Boston and Miami. Planes take off from these terminals every few minutes. In Canada, the largest airlines company is the Trans-Canada Airline, with Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver as the busiest air terminals.

2. Europe

After the United States, the greatest volume of air traffic is found in Europe, especially at London, Paris, Rome, Madrid, Shannon (southern Ireland), Berlin, Warsaw, Vienna, Geneva and Moscow which are linked by international and trans-continental airlines to all parts of the world. European airways probably account for about a fifth of the world's air traffic. Passengers from all corners of the globe land every minute at some airport in Europe, either in connection with commerce, industry, conferences or tourism. Planes leave Rome airport every three minutes because of its excellent focal position for international air flight to and from Asia, America, Africa, and South America. London's Heathrow airport is the busiest in the world. The volume of mail and freight amongst the European countries themselves is also large because of their well established industrial and agricultural development.

Most of the European countries have their own national airlines, the most important of which include British Airways, KLM (the Dutch airline), Lufthansa (of Germany), Air Italia, Air France, and SAS (jointly operated by the Scandinavian countries - Norway, Sweden and Denmark). Of the European airlines, British Airways has the most extensive operations, with branches ail over the world, especially in Commonwealth countries.

The role of transport in economic development

L Transport facilitates the development of .internal trade. This is because it involves the physical movement of goods from areas of production to areas of consumption. Given the fact that markets for goods are not usually located at the same place as areas of production, transport must be involved.

2. Large quantities of commodities produced in developing countries are exported as law materials to the developed world e.g. coffee, beans, cotton, tobacco, cocoa beans and others. In return, the import large quantities of manufactured goods such as foot wear, machinery, petroleum products, vehicles and others from the developed world.

3. In order to carry out business and day-to-day work, transport is involved. In many urban centers, workers live several kilometers away from their places of work. They therefore have to commute daily to their places of work by bus, taxi, personal vehicles, trains and other modes of transport.

4. Transport systems facilitate industrial development as they enable easy acquisition of raw materials and distribution on manufactured goods. Industrial development has therefore been linked to areas with well-developed transport systems.

5. The development of the transport sector has generated employment opportunities to a number of people these include; bus and taxi drivers, mechanics, engineers, traffic controllers and those engaged L."1 the construction and maintenance of transport systems.

6. Transport systems lead to the generation of revenue to the respective countries. The revenue is derived from licensing of vehicles, vehicle imports, taxing of the workers'

incomes from the transport sector, taxing in insurance companies, which offer insurance to vehicles and others.

7. Towns and trading centers tend to develop in areas where various transport systems meet and hence become nodal centers.

8. The exploitation of minerals, forests and fisheries resources have all depended on well developed transport systems. E.g. the development of the fishing industry in Japan, Norway and Canada has been based on the well-developed water transport.

9. Transport routes enhance governance since fast transport is needed to execute administrative missions by both the central and regional governments.

10. The development of transport routes promotes Regional Corporation e.g. the Rhine waterway that promotes cooperation between Switzerland, Germany and Netherlands, the St Lawrence Seaway which has promoted corporation between USA and Canada and the Tanzam railway which has promoted corporation between Tanzania and Zambia.

11. Important tourist attraction sites such as those found in Egypt, South Africa, California in USA, Switzerland and other areas are all accessed by one mode of transport or another.

12. Agriculture is the backbone of many developing economies and its development largely depends on the development of transport sector. This is for easy acquisition of firm inputs, marketing of produce and services of extension workers.

13. Transport helps communities to interact with each other. This encourages the spread of new ideas of technology necessary for development.

Negative contributions of the transport sector

The transport sector leads to the pollution of the air, water and land. The high vehicles number in the cities and towns lead to the emission of the large quantities of carbon dioxide gases into the atmosphere from their exhaust pipes. Ships and other water vessels pollute the water from oil spills, which endangers the life of fish and other aquatic life as well as affecting the quality water supply.

No transport system is immune of accidents. Many accidents occur on highways involving collision of vehicles, over-turning of vehicles, capsizing of boats, plane crashing and others. All these lead to loss of life and property.

Construction of transport routes involves the displacement of people and loss of property and investments. During the expansion of highways, construction of canals and widening of rivers, many people ere displaced and a number of buildings demolished.

The development of transport routes encourages illegal trade in form of smuggling. This is particularly the case over water bodies that are shared by various countries for example Lakes Victoria, Albert and Edward. Frequent reports suggest high rates of smuggling of cigarettes, petroleum products and others from Kenya and tanzania across Lake Victoria to areas such as Bugiri, Mayuge and Busia. Others farms of smuggling occur across Malaba and Busia boarders.

The construction and maintenance of transport routes requires large sums of money e.g. construction of tarmac roads and railway lines. In addition, they require the use of high skilled labour and technology. All these are in limited supply especially in the developing countries. The money is got from world and regional bodies such as World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the East African Development Bank while technology is got from on foreign companies for the construction and maintenance of transport routes e.g. Stirling from Italy, Spencon from India. This therefore reinforces the problem of dependence of foreigners and organizations in terms of loans, which have to be re-paid at high interest rates, skills and technology.

Transport highways are 'disease spread arteries' from a source region to another. The Trans-African Highway in Uganda was the line of spread of AIDS since the first victims were reportedly those in the stop over towns and trading centers.

The development of transport routes facilitates rural-urban migration, which leaves the rural areas mores more impoverished with limited labour for the production of food and cash crops.

Areas with development transport and communication line often attract various economical activities. In Uganda, the central region in wen served with road and other modes of transport which has made it more developed them other regions such as northern Uganda.

Likely examination questions

1. Assess the contribution of either the Rhine waterway or the St. Lawrence Seaway in the promotion of international trade.

Comment on the economic importance of the following:-

(a) The Tanzam railway.

(b) St. Lawrence Seaway.

Discuss the problems facing the development of transport routes in Africa.

4. Discuss the importance and limitations of either arr transport in a developed or developing country.

5. Assess the role of road transport in the economic development of tropical Africa.

6. Assess the importance of railway transport in the economic development of anyone tropical country.

7. Write short notes on any of the following»

(a) Trans-Siberian railway.

(b) Trans-African railway.

(c) Tanzam railway.

Using the map above.-

8.(a) Explain and account for the pattern of the railway net work in North America.

(b) Comment on the volume of trade handled by the various seaports in North America.

9. With specific examples, examine the factors, which affect transport development in either Western Europe or South America.

10. Assess the role of transport to the economy of either developed or a developing country.

11. Examine the contribution of the St. Lawrence Seaway to the development of either Canada or the. United States of America.