Key Terms

Question 1

Abiotic

Answer 1

Non living components of an ecosystem such as sunlight and water

Question 2

Absolute poverty

Answer 2

An economic indicator which measures, for a given area, the number of people who live below a certain level of income.

Question 3

Asian financial crisis

Answer 3

The Asian Financial Crisis saw the collapse of many Asian banks and the value of their stocks and shares in the late 1990s. Many countries were forced to restructure their economies and reduce their levels of debt.

Question 4

Arid and semi-arid

Answer 4

Refer to conditions where rainfall is less than 250 mm and 500 mm of precipitation per year respectively.

Question 5

Arête

Answer 5

A sharp ridge occurring between two corries/cirques or two glacial troughs.

Question 6

Arable

Answer 6

Refers to land which can be used for the growing of crops.

Question 7

Appropriate technology

Answer 7

Appropriate technology is seen as giving control of technology to individuals and communities at a local level rather than to the technocrats of large companies or governments; it is a people-centred technology.

Question 8

AONB

Answer 8

Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty which operates in England and managed by Natural England on behalf of the UK government with the aim of conserving and enhancing the natural landscape.

Question 9

Anticyclone

Answer 9

An area of high atmospheric pressure, characterised by descending air.

Question 10

Anthropogenic

Answer 10

Caused by human activities.

Question 11

Alpine

Answer 11

Found at high mountain altitudes.

Question 12

Alien species

Answer 12

Alien species are those that have been introduced to a region, sometimes by accident and sometimes deliberately.

Question 13

Albedo

Answer 13

A measure of reflectivity.

Question 14

AIDS

Answer 14

A disease of the immune system (acquired immune deficiency syndrome).

Question 15

Aid

Answer 15

Help in the form or Financial, personnel, loans, equipment and skills. Often referring to help given to developing nations.

Question 16

Agribusiness

Answer 16

Large scale farming aiming to maximise output and profit. It often consists of monocultures and factory farming of animals.

Question 17

Agenda 21

Answer 17

This came out of the Rio Earth Summit of 1992 and is summarised by the phrase “Thinking globally, acting locally”. It is a blueprint for environmental management of the Earth’s resources and encourages thinking and decision-making at a local level.

Question 18

Active volcano

Answer 18

One which is in the process of erupting or showing signs that an eruption is imminent.

Question 19

Active and Passive activities

Answer 19

Active leisure includes sport and also activities such as fell walking or non-competitive swimming. Passive leisure activities include just relaxing at home, such as watching television.

Question 20

Acid rain

Answer 20

The increased acidity of rainfall and dry deposition as a result of human activity.

Question 21

Accessibility A measure of the ease with which people can reach features (human and physical) in the wider environment.

Answer 21

A measure of the ease with which people can reach features (human and physical) in the wider environment.

Question 22

Asthenosphere

Answer 22

A plastic, deformable layer of the upper mantle.

Question 23

Avalanche

Answer 23

An Avalanche usually refers to a sudden downward movement of snow or ice in mountainous regions (though the word may sometimes be used for other materials).

Question 24

Basal sliding

Answer 24

Basal sliding is a movement of a glacier as a result of melting, which lubricates the flow over the bed of the glacier.

Question 25

Batholith

Answer 25

A large igneous intrusion.

Question 26

Biocapacity

Answer 26

This is a useful measure of the earth’s carrying capacity as it shows the biological productivity of the land including cropland, pasture, forests and fisheries, and also built-up or degraded land.