Geography Flashcards
an alphabetical list of words, objects or places with page numbers, usually found at
the back of a book, to help you find that item in a book
an Index
A street map has two features to help you find things:
˜ grid lines drawn on the maps to form grid squares
˜ an index at the back.
The point where the
streets cross each other is called
an intersection.
vertical and horizontal lines drawn on a map in a grid shape.
Grid lines:
the squares (sometimes rectangles) on a map formed by grid lines
Grid squares:
using numbers and letters on the grid lines to refer to a specific place on a
Grid reference:
rough drawing that looks like a map.
Sketch map:
Most maps contain four conventions to make them easier to use. The conventions are:
- A title
- A map key and symbols
- A scale
- A north direction arrow and the four cardinal points
a watch that tells the time with hands
Analogue Watch:
Dividing an angle in two equal parts
Bisecting
What would you find in the central of a town?
Shops, banks, post office, hotel
Why would you find agriculture away from town?
There is more space / larger land
Describe what a residential area is and where would you find it.
Residential area is an area where there are lots of houses where people live.
You would find it surrounding the central of town. (close to shops, etc)
Describe what an industrial area is and where you would find it?
An industrial area is where manufacturing takes place in factories.
You would find it away from the residential area and central town but still close enough to travel as people would need to travel their to work.
What is a word scale.
It states and explains what the scale on a map is.
Eg. One cm represents 1 km
Explain the word “direct”
Going straight from one place to another on the shortest route
Explain what a “large scale map” is
a map where the area has been scaled down less.
Smaller features of an area will be shown on a large scale map.
an example is a street map of a suburb or a map of the school.
a scale might be 1cm represents 100m
Explain what a small scale map is
a map which shows a larger area and therefore has been scaled down a lot.
small scale maps will have less detail and will not show street names.
an example is a map of South Africa
A scale might be 1cm represents 100km
How would you measure the actual distance of places when reading a map of a route that is not direct or the roads are curved.
By laying a piece of string on the roads on the map and measuring the string.
a rough calculation or a good guess of the amount or value of something.
Estimate:
lines drawn on a map that show degrees north or south of the Equator.
Lines of latitude
lines drawn on a map that show degrees east or west of the Prime meridian,
which is the zero degree line
lines of longitude
When you give a reference for a place, you always start with the number of degrees ____________________, then the number of degrees __________
north or south
West or east
What are the layers of the earth?
The Crust
The Mantle
The Outer and Inner Core
What shape is the Earth?
A spheroid
What is the thinnest layer of the Earth?
The Crust
What is the crust made of?
Hard rock
How thick is the crust?
6km (found in the ocean)
to 60km thick (in the mountains)
What temperature does the Crust reach
About 1200 Deg C
What is the Moho?
The boundary between the crust and the mantle
How thick is the mantle?
2900km thick
What is the mantle made of?
The top layer is made of hard rock
The remainder is made of semi-molten rock
Why does rock move in the mantle?
Temperatures of 5000 Deg C cause Convection currents to move the rock in the mantle
What are convection currents?
Circular movements of material in the mantle
What does ‘molten’ mean?
Heated to a very high temperature so that it becomes a liquid
What are minerals?
Natural substances found in rocks
What is the core made of?
Probably minerals, iron and nickel
How thick is the core?
SOLID inner core is 1400km
LIQUID MOLTEN outer core is 2000km
What is the temperature of the core?
5500 Deg C
Why is the inner core solid
From the very high pressure
person who studies rocks and the movements and structure of the Earth
Geologist
huge pieces of the Earth’s crust, sometimes with a whole continent on the plate.
Plates
the movement of large plates making up the Earth’s surface.
Plate tectonics
What is Divergent movement? - ,
plates move away from one another in opposite directions
What happens where two plates move away from one another?
new land is constructed on the crust
What is convergent movement -
Plates move towards one another
What happens where two plates move towards one another?
land is ‘lost’ or destroyed as one plate goes under the other
back into the mantle.
What is Transform movement -
In certain places, plates slide past one another,
A volcano is a sign that…..
the Earth’s crust is weak
In the Earth’s mantle it is so hot that some rocks melt and become
a thick flowing substance called
magma.
Magma that has erupted is called
lava
Name and describe the 3 types of volcanoes.
- Composite Volcanoes
- Cinder Cone
- Shield Volcanoes
- Active volcanoes that erupt almost all the time.
- Dormant volcanoes that are ‘resting’. They have erupted in the past
but are inactive. - Extinct volcanoes are ‘dead’. They have not erupted for many years
but can suddenly erupt violently.
Which continent is the only continent to not have some kind of volcanic activity?
Australia
In 79 BE; which volcano erupted, burying the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Tons of volcanic ash and
mud buried people and houses, and 4 000 people were killed.
Vesuvius in Italy
What is the Ring of Fire and where is it?
The “Ring of Fire” is a string of underwater volcanoes and earthquake sites around the edges of the Pacific Ocean.
Explain what volcanic vents are
the place at the Earth’s surface where lava flows, lava bombs and fragmented rocks are erupted. Volcanic gases are also emitted at vents.
The point under the ground where the earthquake starts is called ….
the focus
What is the epicentre?
the point directly above the focus on the surface of the Earth
(Where the earthquake starts)
Most earthquakes happen along ….
faults
that are cracks in the Earth’s surface.
After the main quake, there are usually ….
several aftershocks or smaller earthquakes
What is a tremor?
a slight or mild earthquake that usually causes little or no damage.
What are the effects of an earthquake?
*Injury and loss of life:
*Clean water supplies can be destroyed and dirt and sewerage can lie around, leading to the spread of disease.
*Displacement of people whose homes have been destroyed.
*Damage to infrastructure:
(Roads, railway lines, pipelines and services such as electricity,
water, gas, sewerage and telephone lines)
* Broken electrical wires and gas and fuel tank leaks can cause fires.
* Tsunamis:
* Economic damage
* Pressure on hospitals and medical and rescue services.
There are two important reasons why earthquakes cause more damage in some communities than
in others. The amount of damage is related to:
How well the buildings are made
The rescue plans and rescue equipment available
What is a seismograph?
It is a scientific instrument which measures movement of Earth’s surface
What is the Richter scale?
Geologists use the Richter Scale to measure how strong an earthquake is.
How do we prevent or reduce earthquakes?
It is impossible.
Scientists can warn of the possibilities of an earthquake and safety measures can be put in place.
In what ways can the impact of earthquakes be reduced?
a) Making stronger buildings.
b) Height restrictions of buildings in high risk areas.
c) Gas and water pipes as well as electricity cables are well protected.
d) Developing earthquake and tsunami warning systems
e) Having emergency plans that shut down dangerous industries such as power stations and gas supplies.
f) Training rescue workers to help survivors.
What is famine? :
shortage or lack of food
to be taken away from a dangerous area
Evacuation:
A camp set up for homeless people due to a disaster
Refugee camp:
What are the environmental effects of flooding?
soil erosion
rivers burst their banks
land flooded
trees, plants and animals die
dams overflow, washing away
land
What effects on humans does flooding cause?
injury and loss of life
no safe drinking water
famine
diseases, for example cholera
displacement of people, homes
washed away, homelessness
flood orphans
evacuation
refugee camps
What are the economic effects of flooding?
damage to fields
damage to buildings
damage to infrastructure (e.g. roads, bridges, power
lines, and railway
lines washed away)
loss of property
loss of crops and farm animals
looting and theft
high cost of repairing and rebuilding
forced closure of farms, mines and factories
Why do people live next to rivers?
- They use river water for drinking, washing and cooking.
- They need water to keep their soil fertile and make their crops grow.
- They do not have money to live in areas where there is no risk of floods.
What is channelisation of rivers? –
making river courses deeper, wider and straighter
What are Levees?
Long earth mounds along a river’s banks to stop flooding by controlling flow of water
How can good farming help prevent flooding?
controlling erosion, contour ploughing,
not overstocking land with too many animals,
not cutting down all the natural vegetation).
Why should we look after wetlands (vlei areas and marshes) to prevent flooding?
They are natural ‘flood controllers’ since they act like sponges.
They support diverse wild life
Allows water to be returned to the soil during dry periods
Filters sediments, nutrients and pollutants
