This Data Surprise resource is designed to spark curiosity and critical thinking in Year 8 Geography students by presenting unexpected or thought-provoking data about landscapes and landforms. Each “data surprise” appears as a short table showing contrasting facts, statistics, or risks — often highlighting a contradiction, such as why people live in hazardous environments or how natural features can be both beneficial and dangerous.

1. Volcano
Proximity
• Prompt: These are all active or potentially
dangerous volcanoes — yet millions of people live near
them. Why?
VOLCANO ERUPTION
HISTORY
POPULATION
LIVING WITHIN
30KM
Mount Vesuvius
(Italy)
Last erupted
1944
3,000,000
Mount Merapi
(Indonesia)
Erupts
frequently
2,500,000
Popocatépetl
(Mexico)
Active 25,000,000
Mount Vesuvius
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2. Prompt: These are all active
or potentially dangerous
volcanoes — yet millions of
people live near them. Why?
• Despite the danger, many people live near
volcanoes due to the benefits the landscape
offers. Mount Vesuvius, for example, is near
Naples, an economically vital city with fertile
volcanic soil that supports agriculture. In
Indonesia, Mount Merapi is surrounded by dense
farming communities that depend on rich volcanic
soils for growing crops. In Mexico, Popocatépetl is
just 70km from Mexico City — one of the largest
urban areas in the world. Proximity to jobs,
transportation hubs, and fertile land outweighs
the risks for many. Additionally, infrequent
eruptions or early warning systems may give
residents a false sense of security. The economic
and cultural attachment to these regions often
means relocation isn’t feasible or desirable, even
when the risk of disaster is well known.
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3. Coastal
Erosion Rates
• Prompt: Why do some coastlines erode
faster than others — and what are the
consequences for people living nearby?
Coastline Country Erosion
Rate
(m/year)
Holderness UK 2.0
Gold Coast Australia 0.4
Louisiana
Coast
USA 8.5
Louisiana Coastline
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4. Prompt: Why do some
coastlines erode faster than
others — and what are the
consequences for people
living nearby?
Coastal erosion varies widely depending on geology,
wave energy, and human activity. The Holderness
Coast in the UK is one of Europe’s fastest-eroding
coastlines due to its soft clay cliffs and powerful North
Sea waves, resulting in losses of 2 meters per year. In
contrast, the Gold Coast in Australia has more
resistant sand dunes and extensive coastal
management, including sea walls and dune planting,
keeping erosion to around 0.4 meters per year.
Louisiana's coastline, however, suffers extreme
erosion (up to 8.5 meters/year) due to land
subsidence, sea level rise, and the destruction of
wetlands from oil and gas canals. Communities in
such areas face the threat of property damage,
relocation, and economic losses. Governments often
invest heavily in shoreline protection to safeguard
homes, tourism, and infrastructure, though these
efforts may only delay the inevitable in the most at-
risk zones.
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5. Mountain
Heights vs.
Population
• Prompt: Why do some of the world’s tallest or most
iconic mountains have people living nearby, while
others don’t?
Mountain Height
(m)
Population
Within 50km
Mount
Everest
8,848 20,000
Mount
Kosciuszko
2,228 5,000
Mount Fuji 3,776 2,000,000
Mount Fuji
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6. Prompt: Why do some of the
world’s tallest or most iconic
mountains have people living
nearby, while others don’t?
Mountains can be barriers or magnets for
human settlement. Mount Everest is the tallest
mountain in the world, but its harsh climate and
steep terrain make it inhospitable. Only around
20,000 people live within 50km, most in small
Sherpa villages relying on trekking and
mountaineering tourism. In contrast, Mount
Fuji — though much smaller — is located in
Japan’s densely populated Kanto region near
Tokyo. Over 2 million people live nearby, partly
due to the mountain's religious significance and
proximity to fertile plains. Mount Kosciuszko,
the tallest in Australia, lies within a protected
national park and is relatively isolated, limiting
development. The habitability of mountain
regions is shaped more by accessibility,
elevation, and regional population density than
by size alone.
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