Myanmar Matriculation Geography cheat sheet

Earth's structure: crust (5–70 km thick), mantle (to ~2,900 km), outer core (liquid iron-nickel), inner core (solid); the Mohorovičić discontinuity separates crust from mantle.

Plate boundaries: divergent (mid-ocean ridge, sea-floor spreading), convergent (subduction, ocean trench, volcanic arc), transform (lateral slip, e.g. San Andreas); earthquakes and volcanoes cluster along these margins.

Rock types: igneous (intrusive coarse-grained, extrusive fine-grained), sedimentary (layered, fossils, e.g. sandstone, limestone), metamorphic (heat/pressure, e.g. marble from limestone, slate from shale).

Weathering: mechanical (frost, exfoliation), chemical (carbonation dissolving limestone, oxidation), biological; erosion then transports the debris and deposition builds plains and deltas.

River landforms: V-shaped valley and waterfall in the upper course, meander and floodplain in the middle, oxbow lake and delta in the lower course; load size decreases downstream.

Climate controls: latitude, altitude (about 6.5 °C drop per 1,000 m), distance from sea, ocean currents, prevailing winds; Myanmar's monsoon arrives from the southwest between mid-May and October.

Tropical cyclone formation requires sea-surface temperature above about 27 °C, high humidity, low wind shear and 5–20° latitude; the Bay of Bengal is a frequent breeding ground.

Soil profile horizons: O (litter), A (topsoil, humus), B (subsoil, illuviation), C (weathered parent material), R (bedrock); leaching is strongest in high-rainfall areas.

Demographic transition stages: high birth/high death (stage 1), falling death rate (stage 2), falling birth rate (stage 3), low birth/low death (stage 4); natural increase = birth rate − death rate per 1,000.

Population density = total population ÷ area in km²; arithmetic density ignores arable land, so physiological density (population ÷ cultivated land) is a better measure of pressure on food.

Push factors drive migration away (war, drought, unemployment); pull factors attract (jobs, safety, services); the difference between immigration and emigration is net migration.

Settlement hierarchy: hamlet, village, town, city, metropolis; higher-order centres offer rarer, specialised services and have larger threshold populations and ranges.

Von Thünen model: perishable and bulky products (milk, vegetables) are farmed nearest the market, extensive grain and ranching farther out, because transport cost rises with distance.

Urban land-use zones: CBD (high rent, tall buildings, peak accessibility), inner-city residential, industrial zones near transport routes, suburbs; land value falls outward from the centre.

Primary activities extract (farming, fishing, mining), secondary manufacture, tertiary provide services, quaternary involve knowledge and research; economic development shifts employment from primary to tertiary.

Green Revolution inputs - high-yield varieties, irrigation, fertiliser, pesticides - raise output but increase cost, salinity risk and dependence on purchased seed.

Location: Southeast Asia, bordered by Bangladesh and India (west), China (north and northeast), Laos and Thailand (east); coastline on the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea; latitude roughly 10°–28°N.

Relief runs north to south: the northern highlands (Hkakabo Razi, 5,881 m, highest point), the Shan Plateau in the east, the central dry zone lowland, and the deltaic Ayeyarwady plain in the south.

Major rivers: Ayeyarwady (longest, navigable, delta at its mouth), Chindwin (chief tributary), Thanlwin (Salween), Sittaung and Mekong; the Ayeyarwady and Chindwin form the main inland waterway.

Climate: tropical monsoon, southwest monsoon May–October, northeast monsoon November–February; the Rakhine coast and Tanintharyi receive over 4,000 mm annually, while the central dry zone around Mandalay receives roughly 500–1,000 mm.

States and regions: seven states (Kachin, Kayah, Kayin, Chin, Mon, Rakhine, Shan) and seven regions (Sagaing, Magway, Mandalay, Bago, Ayeyarwady, Yangon, Tanintharyi), plus the Nay Pyi Taw Union Territory.

Agriculture dominates employment; paddy is grown mainly in the Ayeyarwady delta and Bago, while the central dry zone produces sesame, groundnut, cotton and pulses; Myanmar is a leading exporter of pulses.

Resources: natural gas (Yadana, Yetagun, Shwe fields), jade and ruby in the Mogok and Hpakant areas, teak in the northern forests, and fisheries; hydropower potential is concentrated on the Thanlwin and Chindwin.

Major cities: Yangon (largest city and former capital, chief port), Mandalay (cultural and commercial centre of Upper Myanmar), Nay Pyi Taw (capital since 2005–06), Mawlamyine and Pathein as regional ports.

Scale forms: representative fraction (1:50,000), statement (1 cm represents 0.5 km), and linear bar; convert by dividing the ground distance in cm by 100,000 to get km for an RF.

Large-scale maps (e.g. 1:25,000) show small areas in detail; small-scale maps (e.g. 1:1,000,000) show large areas with less detail; the larger the denominator, the smaller the scale.

Grid references: eastings are read before northings ("along the corridor, up the stairs"); a four-figure reference locates a 1 km square, a six-figure reference locates a 100 m square.

Contour rules: closely spaced contours mean steep slope, widely spaced mean gentle slope; contours never cross; V-shaped contours pointing uphill indicate a valley, pointing downhill a spur.

Gradient = vertical interval ÷ horizontal distance, expressed as a ratio or percentage; convert both to the same units before dividing.

Cross-sections are drawn by transferring contour heights along a straight line to a graph with the same vertical scale; vertical exaggeration = vertical scale ÷ horizontal scale.

Aspect is the compass direction a slope faces; in the northern hemisphere south-facing slopes are warmer and drier, influencing settlement and cropping patterns.

Map symbols: blue for water, green for vegetation, brown for relief, black for cultural features; a key or legend must be consulted before interpreting any map.

Interpolation estimates values between known points - for example, a point halfway between the 200 m and 300 m contours lies at about 250 m.

Mean = sum of values ÷ number of values; median = middle value when ordered; mode = most frequent value; range = highest minus lowest.

Bar graphs compare discrete categories, line graphs show change over time, pie charts show proportions of a whole (each sector angle = percentage × 3.6°), scatter graphs test correlation.

Population growth rate: natural increase plus net migration; doubling time is approximated by the rule of 70 (70 ÷ annual percentage growth rate).

Climatic graphs plot temperature as a line and rainfall as bars on the same month axis; a dry month is conventionally one with less than twice the mean monthly temperature in rainfall.

Reading a pyramid: a broad base indicates high birth rates and a youthful population; narrowing top indicates lower life expectancy; bulges record past migration or baby booms.

Fieldwork sequence: define the aim, form a hypothesis, choose sampling (random, systematic, stratified), collect data with instruments, record in tables, present graphically, analyse and conclude.

Sampling: a quadrat measures vegetation cover or frequency; a flow meter or float measures river velocity; a clinometer measures slope angle.

Correlation coefficient r ranges from −1 (perfect negative) through 0 (none) to +1 (perfect positive); causation must not be assumed from correlation alone.

Earth's internal structure: crust (5–70 km thick), mantle to about 2,900 km, liquid outer core, solid inner core; the Mohorovičić discontinuity separates crust from mantle.

Plate boundaries: divergent (mid-ocean ridge, sea-floor spreading), convergent (subduction, trench, volcanic arc), transform (lateral slip); earthquakes and volcanoes cluster along these margins.

Rock types: igneous (intrusive coarse-grained, extrusive fine-grained), sedimentary (layered, fossils, e.g. sandstone, limestone), metamorphic (heat/pressure, e.g. marble from limestone, slate from shale).

Weathering: mechanical (frost, exfoliation), chemical (carbonation dissolving limestone, oxidation), biological; erosion then transports debris and deposition builds plains and deltas.

River landforms: V-shaped valley and waterfall in the upper course, meander and floodplain in the middle, oxbow lake and delta in the lower course; load size decreases downstream.

Climate controls: latitude, altitude (about 6.5 °C drop per 1,000 m), distance from sea, ocean currents, prevailing winds; Myanmar's southwest monsoon runs mid-May to October.

Tropical cyclone formation needs sea-surface temperature above about 27 °C, high humidity, low wind shear and 5–20° latitude; the Bay of Bengal is a frequent breeding ground.

Soil horizons: O (litter), A (topsoil, humus), B (subsoil, illuviation), C (weathered parent material), R (bedrock); leaching is strongest in high-rainfall areas.

Demographic transition stages: high birth/high death (stage 1), falling death rate (stage 2), falling birth rate (stage 3), low birth/low death (stage 4); natural increase = birth rate − death rate per 1,000.

Population density = total population ÷ area in km²; physiological density (population ÷ cultivated land) measures pressure on food better than arithmetic density.

Push factors drive migration away (war, drought, unemployment); pull factors attract (jobs, safety, services); immigration minus emigration equals net migration.

Settlement hierarchy: hamlet, village, town, city, metropolis; higher-order centres offer rarer, specialised services and have larger thresholds and ranges.

Von Thünen model: perishable and bulky products (milk, vegetables) are farmed nearest the market, extensive grain and ranching farther out, because transport cost rises with distance.

Urban land-use zones: CBD (high rent, tall buildings, peak accessibility), inner-city residential, industrial zones near transport routes, suburbs; land value falls outward from the centre.

Primary activities extract (farming, fishing, mining), secondary manufacture, tertiary provide services, quaternary involve knowledge and research; development shifts employment from primary to tertiary.

Green Revolution inputs - high-yield varieties, irrigation, fertiliser, pesticides - raise output but increase cost, salinity risk and dependence on purchased seed.

Location: Southeast Asia, bordered by Bangladesh and India (west), China (north and northeast), Laos and Thailand (east); coastline on the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea; latitude roughly 10°–28°N.

Relief runs north to south: northern highlands (Hkakabo Razi, 5,881 m, highest point), Shan Plateau in the east, central dry zone lowland, deltaic Ayeyarwady plain in the south.

Major rivers: Ayeyarwady (longest, navigable, delta at its mouth), Chindwin (chief tributary), Thanlwin (Salween), Sittaung and Mekong; Ayeyarwady and Chindwin form the main inland waterway.

Climate: tropical monsoon, southwest monsoon May–October, northeast monsoon November–February; the Rakhine coast and Tanintharyi receive over 4,000 mm annually, the central dry zone around Mandalay roughly 500–1,000 mm.

States and regions: seven states (Kachin, Kayah, Kayin, Chin, Mon, Rakhine, Shan) and seven regions (Sagaing, Magway, Mandalay, Bago, Ayeyarwady, Yangon, Tanintharyi), plus Nay Pyi Taw Union Territory.

Agriculture dominates employment; paddy is grown mainly in the Ayeyarwady delta and Bago, while the central dry zone produces sesame, groundnut, cotton and pulses; Myanmar is a leading exporter of pulses.

Resources: natural gas (Yadana, Yetagun, Shwe fields), jade and ruby in Mogok and Hpakant, teak in northern forests, fisheries; hydropower potential is concentrated on the Thanlwin and Chindwin.

Major cities: Yangon (largest city and former capital, chief port), Mandalay (cultural and commercial centre of Upper Myanmar), Nay Pyi Taw (capital since 2005–06), Mawlamyine and Pathein as regional ports.

Scale forms: representative fraction (1:50,000), statement (1 cm represents 0.5 km), and linear bar; convert by dividing the ground distance in cm by 100,000 to get km for an RF.

Large-scale maps (e.g. 1:25,000) show small areas in detail; small-scale maps (e.g. 1:1,000,000) show large areas with less detail; the larger the denominator, the smaller the scale.

Grid references: eastings are read before northings ("along the corridor, up the stairs"); a four-figure reference locates a 1 km square, a six-figure reference a 100 m square.

Contour rules: closely spaced contours mean steep slope, widely spaced mean gentle slope; contours never cross; V-shaped contours pointing uphill indicate a valley, pointing downhill a spur.

Gradient = vertical interval ÷ horizontal distance, expressed as a ratio or percentage; convert both to the same units before dividing.

Cross-sections are drawn by transferring contour heights along a straight line to a graph with the same vertical scale; vertical exaggeration = vertical scale ÷ horizontal scale.

Aspect is the compass direction a slope faces; in the northern hemisphere south-facing slopes are warmer and drier, influencing settlement and cropping patterns.

Map symbols: blue for water, green for vegetation, brown for relief, black for cultural features; a key or legend must be consulted before interpreting any map.

Interpolation estimates values between known points - for example, a point halfway between the 200 m and 300 m contours lies at about 250 m.

Mean = sum of values ÷ number of values; median = middle value when ordered; mode = most frequent value; range = highest minus lowest.

Bar graphs compare discrete categories, line graphs show change over time, pie charts show proportions of a whole (each sector angle = percentage × 3.6°), scatter graphs test correlation.

Population growth rate: natural increase plus net migration; doubling time is approximated by the rule of 70 (70 ÷ annual percentage growth rate).

Climatic graphs plot temperature as a line and rainfall as bars on the same month axis; a dry month is conventionally one with less than twice the mean monthly temperature in rainfall.

Reading a pyramid: a broad base indicates high birth rates and a youthful population; narrowing top indicates lower life expectancy; bulges record past migration or baby booms.

Fieldwork sequence: define the aim, form a hypothesis, choose sampling (random, systematic, stratified), collect data with instruments, record in tables, present graphically, analyse and conclude.

Sampling: a quadrat measures vegetation cover or frequency; a flow meter or float measures river velocity; a clinometer measures slope angle.

Correlation coefficient r ranges from −1 (perfect negative) through 0 (none) to +1 (perfect positive); causation must not be assumed from correlation alone.