Key terms Flashcards
upland
area of relief above 400m
lowland
areas of land below 200m
relief
the shape and elevation of the land
high relief landscape
landscape with steep slopes and high elevation differences
low relief landscape
landscape with low gradient slopes and low elevation differences
relief rainfall
The process by which moist prevailing winds hit the upland areas (mountains/hills) and are forced to rise. As the air rises it Cools, Condenses forming Clouds and Rainfall (CCCR)
prevailing winds
the dominant wind direction
rain shadow
the dry eastern lowlands of Great Britain
water stress
pressure on water supplies caused by demand exceeding or threatening to exceed supply
housing shortage
when population growth exceeds house building
population density
the number of people per square kilometre
densely populated
many people per sq km
sparsely populated
few people per sq km
population distribution
the uneven spread of people across a country
arable farming
the growing of crops for food
pastoral farming
the raising of cattle for meat and milk production
urban area
built up area
Greenfield site
when housing is built on land that has never been used before
brownfield site
when housing is built on land that has previously been built on
immigrant
a person entering a country to live and work
emigrant
a person leaving a country to live or work
net migration
the annual difference between the number of immigrants and emigrants
population pyramid
a divided bar graph showing the age and gender of a population
young dependant population
children under 16 years
economically active population
working age people 16-65
elderly dependant population
old people over 65 years
baby boomers
high numbers of children born in 1946-1947 following the end of world war 2
demographic transition model
Theory of how population changes over time. Shown on a line graph showing how birth rates, death rates and total population changes over time as a country develops
birth rate
number of babies born per 1000 people per year
death rate
number of deaths per 1000 people per year
natural increase
when the birth rate exceeds the deathrata, so a natural population increase occurs
natural decrease
when the death rate exceeds the birth rate, so a natural population decrease occurs
fertility rate
average number of babies born per woman
life expectancy
the average number of years a baby is expected to live
ageing population
an increase in proportion over 65 years
grey pound
spending power of old people which boosts the economy
grey vote
political power of old people who vote in more elections and therefore are more able to influence the government
deindustrialisation
a period of factory closure and loss of manufacturing jobs
recession
when an economy shrinks (less GNI) for 2 quarters in a row (6 months)
government spending deficit
when a government spends more money than it receives in taxes
austerity
when a government reduces spending on schools, healthcare and social benefits
primary sector
industries collecting raw materials like farming and fishing
secondary sector
industries that manufacture products in a factory
tertiary sector
industries that meet the needs of people by providing services
economic hub
a small specialised centre of economic activity
unilateral
action taken by one country
bilateral
action taken by two countries working together
ultilateral
when three or more countries work together
united nations
193 countries working together for peace
G7
group of 7 most industrialised countries, excluding russia
EU
an economic and political group of 27 countries
NATO
a military alliance of 29 countries in North America and europe
OECD
36 Acs working together stimulate economic development and trade
conflict zone
a zone in which war is ongoing, disrupting daily life and economic activity
Cultural
to do with the beliefs and values of a particular group of people or society
Media
the industries that specialise in the communication of information and ideas. Digital or paper
Quarternary period
period of colder global climates starting 2.6 million years ago
Greenhouse effect
the trapping of out-going terrestrial radiation by greenhouse gases, causing rising temperatures
Enhanced greenhouse effect
A more powerful greenhouse effect caused by human emissions of carbon dioxide and methane
Global warming
the term for rising global temperatures since 1910
Greenhouse gasses
gases that trap out-going Earth radiation. e.g. CO2; methane
Ice cores
samples of ice drilled from ice caps, containing bubbles of ancient air, analysed to reveal past natural climate change
Glacial periods
cold periods when large ice sheets covered the land
Interglacial periods
the warm periods between glacial times. We are in the Holocene interglacial
Milankovitch cycles
Three time periods relating to the Earth’s orbit and axial tilt
Eccentricity
the changing pattern of the Earth’s orbit, from almost circular to elliptical, every 100,000 years, affecting the amount of solar radiation received by the Earth
Axial tilt
the changing pattern of the Earth’s orbit, from almost circular to elliptical, every 100,000 years, affecting the amount of solar radiation received by the Earth
Axial precession
a ‘wobble’ in the Earth’s spin, about every 22,000 years, that may cause temperature change
Solar radiation
the incoming radiation from the sun, heating the Earth
Sun spots
dark patches on the Sun, associated with solar flares. More sunspots = more solar energy
Terrestrial radiation
the out-going radiation (heat) from the Earth’s surface
Drought
a prolonged period of below average rainfall
Bottom-up development
a development scheme, funded by or carried out by NGOs in co-operation with local communities. Local scale
Child mortality
the number of children who die before the age of 5
Civil war
a war between citizens of the same country
Commodities
a raw material that can be bought or sold
Debt relief
the total or partial cancellation of debts owed by LIDCs
Development
an improvement in the quality of life
Gross national income (GNI) per capita
How much a country earns per person
Human development index (HDI)
a measurement of quality of life.
Industrialisation
the process whereby factories, and manufacturing increases and dominates
International aid
help that one country gives to another in times of need, taking the form of food, technology, money or advice.
Millennium development goals (MDGs)
UN targets for reducing extreme poverty bu 2015.
Natural resources
materials that occur in nature that can be sold/exported for money
Political unrest
riots and violence linked to who controls or governs
Poverty
when there is a lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money
Transnational company (TNC)
a large company that operates in more than one country
Top-down development
a development scheme, funded and carried out by government or a large international organisation like the Word Bank. National scale
Uneven development
the unequal distribution of wealth globally or within a country
Abrasion
the process by which pebbles grind along a rock surface, much like sandpaper
Attrition
the process by which this is when rocks that the river/sea is carrying knock against each other. They break apart to become smaller and more rounded
Backwash
The movement of water down the beach
Bedding plane
the surface that separates each successive layer of a stratified rock from its preceding layer
Biological weathering
rocks and land can be broken down by the action of living creatures
Built landscape
a landscape that has predominantly human created structures and infrastructure and how the land is used, roads, fences and pylons
Chemical weathering
Chemical reactions weaken rocks.
Fault
A crack in rock caused by movement in the crust
Fauna
Animals in an ecosystem
Floodplain
the flat area of land either side of a river channel forming the valley floor, which may be flooded
Flora
plants in an ecosystem
Freeze-thaw cycle
daily fluctuations of temperature either side of freezing point; when repeated they cause expansion and contraction of rock and weathering
Gabions
metal cages filled with rocks which can form part of a sea defence
Geology
Rocks, their formation, structure and composition
Geomorphic processes
processes that result in a change in the shape of the Earth
Glacial periods
historic cold periods associated with build-up of snow and ice and the growth of ice sheets
Glacial processes
processes resulting in the action of ice through the movement of ice or linked to cold
Glacier
a frozen river of ice formed by snow and ice accumulating in mountains or polar areas
Headland
an area of land that extends out to sea
Hydraulic action
an erosive process which involves the pressure of water hitting a surface along with compressed air in cavities, resulting in the removal of rock fragments
Igneous
rocks formed within the interior of the Earth from Magma or on the surface from Lava
Impermeable
a surface or substance that does not allow water to pass through it
Joints
a surface or substance that does not allow water to pass through it
Landform
a natural feature on the Earth’s surface
Levees
raised banks along a river that can reduce flooding. Can be formed naturally by repeated flooding and deposition or by human engineering
Longshore drift
the movement of sediment along a stretch of coastline as result of wave action
Meanders
a sinuous bend in a river that results from river erosion and deposition
Natural landscape
a sinuous bend in a river that results from river erosion and deposition
Oxbow lake
a crescent shaped lake that forms when a meander is cut off from the main river channel
