Key Words Flashcards
Abrasion
The process by which rocks within ice sheets and rivers scrape and erode the land over which they pass.
Arête
A narrow ridge between two corries, created as corries are formed on two adjacent sides of a mountain.
Corrie
An armchair-shaped hollow on the side of a mountain. They form by ice filling a hollow and eroding the side of the mountain through abrasion and plucking and by rotational movement at the base of the hollow. When the glacier melts a lake or lock may be left called a Corrie-loch or tarn.
Country park
An area in the countryside surrounding a town or city that has been set aside for people to visit.
Erosion
The process by which rocks and landscapes are worn away by agents such as moving ice, wind, flowing water and sea/wave action.
Forestry commission
This organisation is responsible for planting and looking after forests throughout the uk.
Glacier
A large mass of moving ice that changes the shape of the land over which it is passing.
Land use conflict
This occurs when different activities compete with each other to make use of the land.
National Park Authority
The organisation that looks after Britain’s National Parks. It also aims to protect these areas outstanding scenic beauty.
Plucking
The process by which moving ice tears rocks from the surface over which it moves.
Pyramidal peak
A jagged peak on top of a mountain
Settlement
A place where people live
Spit
A long, narrow pice of land made of sand or shingle, jutting out into the sea, formed by marine disposition.
Transportation
The process by which rock particles are carried by rivers, glaciers or wind.
Truncated spur
A piece of land, the bottom of which at one time jutted into a valley and was cut away or eroded by a glacier flowing through the valley.
U-shaped valley
A valley with very high, steep-sides and a wide, flat bottom formed by a glacier flowing through the original valley.
Weathering
The process by which rocks are worn away. This may be through physical action, such as flowing water or wind, or through a chemical reaction between rocks and rainfall, which may have become acidic.
Active population
That section of the population of a country which is economically active/working.
Birth rate
The number of births per thousand of the population in a country in a given year.
Death rate
The number of deaths per thousand of the population in a country in a given year.
Demographic Transition Model
Shows the different stages of population a country goes through towards development.
Developed countries
Sometimes referred to as ‘more economically developed countries’ (MEDCs).
Developing countries
Sometimes referred to as ‘less economically developed countries’ (LEDCs).
GNP
Gross national product - the value of all goods and services produced by a country, in a given year.
Infant mortality
Number of kids below 1 that die each year.
Population density
The average number of people within an area.
Population structure
The grouping of the population by age and sex.
Standard of living
The level of economic well-being of people in a country.
Central business District
The zone that contains the major shops, offices, restaurants etc. In an urban area - normally at centre of settlement at junction of main roads.
Commuter settlements
Small settlements on the outskirts of major towns and cities where people who work in the CBD live.
Dereliction and urban decay
Closed and abandoned buildings (mines, offices or industries) which often produce visual pollution .
Greenbelt
Area surrounding cities and towns in which laws control developments to protect the countryside.
Inner city
Area near the centre of a city that basically consists of the older manufacturing zone and low-cost housing zone.
Land Use zones
These are areas of a settlement where certain functions are dominant, eg. The industrial zone.
Pedestrainised zones
Traffic free zones, usually within a city centre and used for walking and sitting.
Renewal and regeneration
When older buildings are demolished and replaced by completely different new buildings.
Settlement function
Individual activities that settlements perform,e.g. Commercial, industrial, transport etc.
Traffic congestion
Heavy build-up of traffic along major routes which cause serious problems and pollution in many cities.
Arable farming
Farms where the main activity and income source is the growing of crops.
Biofuels
Non-fossil fuels, obtained from various sources such as gas from animals and crops.
Cereal crops
Crops that are grain crops such as oats, wheat etc.
Diversification
Adding different enterprises to a farm in order to improve income and allow the farmer to be less dependent on income from farm produce.
Drainage
If the underlying rock in an area is clay, bog and marshland may develop in fields - pipes are then lead to drain excess water from the surface and allow land to be farmed.
Fertilisers
Substances added to increase fertility and improve crop yield.
Insecticides
Chemicals that kill insects that may be attacking the crops and damaging yields.
Organic farming
Producing crops and rearing livestock without the use of harmful chemical pesticides, herbicides and fertilisers, antibiotics and growth hormones and no GM organisms or additives.
Quotas
Limits imposed on farmers in order to limit the output of certain typed of produce to avoid surpluses and therefore a drop in prices.
Climate
This refers to the average weather conditions in a particular area or region, usually measured from temperature and rainfall data taken over a period of 35 years.
Climate change
Changes to the average weather conditions over the last 150 years.
Fossil fuels
Fuels such as coal and oil obtained from the fossilised remains of plants and animals - when burned they produced gases that pollute the atmosphere, including CO2 (a greenhouse gas).
Global Warming
A rise in average global surface temperatures - it began in the mid-nineteen century and is still continuing.
Greenhouse effect
The process by which the Earth’s atmosphere traps energy from the sun and warms the Earth - it is increasing due to the release of additional greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
Pollutants
Materials that are released into the environment and ultimately cause damage to the physical landscape and atmosphere.
Renewable energy
The use of technology to produce cleaner sources of energy that can be continually renewed.
Ecotourism
The main aim of this type of tourism is to educate tourists on ecological issues such as conservation and the protection of wildlife and ecosystems.
Mass tourism
Refers to the global tourist industry involving hundreds of thousands of tourists visiting both developed and developing countries of the world.
National Parks
Areas that are designed as being under the control and protection of National Park Authorities but are open to the public.
Regulatory boards
Boards designed to set controls on the impact of tourism on natural environments.
Sustainable tourism
This involves monitoring the impact of tourism on society, culture and local ecology and ensuring that it has a positive rather than a negative effect on these areas.
