KEY TERMS
In order to succeed in IGCSE Geography it is important that you sound like a geographer when answering questions. To do this try to familiarise yourself with these key terms and use them within your work.
(definitions are taken from Cambridge IGCSE Geography by Steve Sibley and Gary Cambers)
(definitions are taken from Cambridge IGCSE Geography by Steve Sibley and Gary Cambers)
AACCESS how easy it is to obtain a good or service. It can be measured in terms of cost, time or distance
ALGAE small plants that live in or near water and have no true stem, leaves or roots ARABLE the growing of crops e.g. wheat |
NNATIONAL PARK area of such outstanding scenery that the government has put in place very strict checks on any new development
NATURAL POPULATION CHANGE change in population caused by birth and death rates only NEWLY INDUSTRIALISED COUNTRIES (NICs) these countries, mostly based in south-east Asia, showed rapid growth in the late 20th century, largely through the creation and expansion of multinational companies based on modern technology and IT NON-RENEWABLE energy sources that are limited and finite. Once used up there are future supplies available, e.g. oil, coal, natural gas |
BBARRAGE a low dam built across a wide stretch of water such as a large estuary in order to use the water held behind it to make electricity
BAY part of the sea that fills a wide-mouthed opening in the coastline BIRTH RATE the number of births per year per 1000 population |
OOVERALL POPULATION CHANGE change in population caused by births, deaths and migration
OVERPOPULATED when a country or region does not have enough resources to keep its people at a reasonable standard of living |
CCAPITALISM an economic system in which the majority of goods and services are owned and managed by individuals and companies rather than by the state
CASH CROP a crop grown for sale rather than subsistence CENSUS an official count of the population carried out at regular intervals COMMUNISM a system of government where most goods and services are owned and managed by the state and little private enterprise is allowed COMMUTING the process of travelling some distance to work, usually from villages and suburbs into the central areas of a town or city COMPARISON GOODS high order goods that, due to their big price, purchasers wish to compare. People are willing to travel long distances to buy them. COMPREHENSIVE REDEVELOPMENT a housing policy that involves the clearing of areas of low-quality buildings and replacing them with a new higher-quality environment CONSERVATION the care of species, resources and environments so that they will survive for future generations CONSERVATIVE BOUNDARY when plates are moving past each other in opposite directions at a plate boundary CONSTRUCTIVE BOUNDARY when plates are moving away from each other at a plate boundary CONVECTION CURRENTS differences in temperature of material beneath the places of the Earth’s crust leads to the creation of currents to transfer the heat. These currents move the plates above them. The terms also applies when air is heated and rises in the atmosphere CONVENIENCE GOODS low order goods and services that are cheap and bought often. People are not willing to travel far to buy them COUNTER-URBANISATION the process by which an increasing number of people within a country live in the countryside instead of in towns and cities. This could be the result of natural increase and/or migration CYCLONE an area of low atmospheric pressure, e.g. below 980 mb. A tropical cyclone, with pressure often below 970 mb, is known as a hurricane in North America and the Caribbean |
PPASTORAL the raising of animals on grass, e.g. cattle, sheep, goats
PLATEAU large area of relative flat upland POPULATION DENSITY the average number of people in a given area, e.g. per km2 POPULATION PYRAMID a diagram showing the ages and gender of the population in an area PREVAILING WIND the direction from which the wind blows into an area for most of the year |
DDEATH RATE the number of deaths per year per 1000 population
DECOMPOSITION the changing of rocks by chemical action causing a change in composition DEFORESTATION cutting down trees without replacing them DELTA a landform, often triangular in shape, that developed where a river meets a slow-moving body of water such as lake or ocean. Sediment builds up above the water level, forcing the river to split into distributaries to form a delta DEMOGRAPHY the study of human populations - their size, distributions and composition DESALINISATION the extractions of fresh water from salty sea water DESERT a dry area, hot or cold, where total annual precipitation is less than 250 mm DESTRUCTIVE BOUNDARY when plates are moving towards each other at a plate boundary DISINTEGRATION physical breaking down of rocks into smaller fragments with no change in their chemical composition |
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EECOSYSTEM a system of links between plants and animals (the living community) and the habitats where they live, including the non-living environment
EMIGRANTS people who permanently leave one country to live in another EMIGRATION the permanent movement of people outwards from a country EPICENTRE the point of the surface directly above where an earthquake has taken place EROSION the wearing away and removal of rocks by the actions of the agents of erosion - wind, water, ice, gravity EXTENSIVE FARMING where there are small inputs of capital and labour compared with the large amounts of land used, e.g. cattle-rearing. Yields per hectare are low |
RRANGE the distance people are prepared to travel to buy a good or service, e.g. low order goods and services have a small range; high order goods and services have a large range
RENEWABLE resources that can be used without endangering future supplies, e.g. solar energy RURAL to do with villages and the countryside RURAL-URBAN FRINGE the area on the very edge of a town or city where it meets the countryside |
FFERTILITY RATE in a country or region the average number of children a woman will have in her lifetime
FORMAL EMPLOYMENT official jobs with set hours and rates of pay. People who are formally employed pay direct taxes to the government FOSSIL FUEL an fuel found underground that is made up of the remains of plants and/or animals. Oil, natural gas, coal, brown coal and peat are fossil fuels |
SSEDIMENTARY ROCK material that has been deposited by the force which originally carried it from elsewhere, e.g. wind, water or ice. It can also consist of the accumulated remains of dead sea animals, e.g. limestone
SHIFTING CULTIVATION a farming system often found in rainforests in LEDCs where a patch of land is cleared, crops are grown, then the patch is deserted until it regains its fertility SPHERE OF INFLUENCE the area surrounding an activity that is influenced by it, e.g. a sports centre or a local park. It is also called the catchment area SPIT a sand ridge, usually curving, that is joint to the land at one end and juts out into the sea at the other STANDARD OF LIVING the factors that affect a person’s quality of life and which can be measured. Many measures to do with a person’s standard of living are to with material possessions SUBSISTENCE AGRICULTURE a means of supporting life by being able to meet one’s own basic needs of food, water and shelter SUB-TROPICAL referring to those areas of the Earth that lie between the Tropic of Cancer (23½°N and 40°N and the Tropic of Capricorn (23½°S) and 40°S SUSTAINABLE capable, by careful use and management, of being maintained over time for future generations to use or enjoy whilst meeting the needs of the present |
GGDP (GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT) PER PERSON the total value of all the goods and services produced in a country in one year by all the people living in that country, divided by the population. It is used as a measure of wealth
GEOTHERMAL POWER energy gathered from the natural heat produced by rocks deep underground GLACIAL to do with ice, its movements and the features formed by it |
tTECTONIC PLATES rigid segments of rock that make up the Earth’s crust. They meet at plate boundaries where earthquakes, volcanoes and fold mountains are created
THERMAL POWER energy generated by heating water to make steam which then turn turbines to create electricity. There heat sources can be coal, oil, gas, geothermal or nuclear THRESHOLD POPULATION the number of people needed to justify the provision of a good or service TRANSMIGRATION the relocation of a large number of people as a result of a government plan |
HHEADLAND a point of higher lands jutting out into the sea, usually made of a resistant rock such as granite
HIERARCHY any kind of organisation based on rank, class and order, e.g. a settlement hierarchy places cities, towns and villages in order of size or status HIGH ORDER goods or services that are brought infrequently and are often expensive HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER (HEP) electricity generated by using moving water to turn turbines |
UUNDERPOPULATED when a country or region has more resources available that are being urged by the people living there
URBAN to do with towns and cities URBANISATION the process by which an increasing proportion of people live in towns and cities instead of the countryside. This could be the result of natural increase and/or migration URBAN REGENERATION the renewal of a declining part of a town or city by removing existing houses and buildings as well as redeveloping the area URBAN RENEWAL the process whereby the derelict areas of a town or city are improved by upgrading existing buildings. This process is sometimes known as gentrification URBAN SPRAWL the expansion of the city into its surrounding rural area |
IIMMIGRATION the permanent movement of people inward to a country
INDEPENDENCE when a government takes on sole responsibility for making decisions about how to run the country it governs INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION the period of time in a country or region’s development when it changes from being mainly a rural agricultural society with small-scale cottage industries to one that is based on large-scale manufacturing industry in urban areas INFORMAL EMPLOYMENT unofficial jobs that have no set hours or rates of pay. People who are informally employed may avoid paying tax and are usually self-employed INFRASTRUCTURE the patters of communication and transport links, power supplies, administrative, health, education and other services necessary for economic development INSOLATION the amount of sun’s energy reaching the Earth’s surface INTENSIVE FARMING where there are large inputs of capital and labour compared with the small amount of land used, e.g. battery hen farming. Yields per hectare are high INTERNALLY DISPLACED PEOPLE (IDPs) people who are forces to leave their homes but who are not refugees because they stay within the country’s borders INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION the movement of people on permanent basis between countries IRRIGATED land that has water added to it for farming purposes. This can involve sprinklers, canals, lifting devices. It is usually required where rainfall is below 500 mm per year |
VVERTICAL EROSION where a stream or river flowing quickly down a steep gradient in an upland area wears away the bed at a faster rate than the valley sides, leading to a narrow V-shaped valley
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WWEATHERING the breakdown of rocks by elements of the weather or biological influences but not their physical removal, e.g. frost, alternate heat and cold, tree roots, burrowing animals
WORKFORCE the part of the population of a country that is employed. In MEDCs this is usually those aged between 16 and 65; in LEDCs this often starts at a lower age |
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LLATERAL EROSION where a stream or river wears away the sides and banks on each side of the channel
LAVA magma that has escaped from beneath the Earth’s crust and has flowed onto the surface LEDC a less economically developed country as defined by the Brandt Report (1980) LOW ORDER goods or services that are bought frequently and which are usually cheap |
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MMAGMA molten rock found beneath the Earth’s crust
MARGIN OF CULTIVATION land towards the edge of a cultivable area on which it is just possible to farm economically MEDC a more economically developed country as defined by the Brandt Report (1980) METROPOLITAN refers to a single urban settlement of outstanding size and importance which has absorbed other urban areas. It is often the capital city of the country. The Greater Tokyo Metropolitan area is the largest, contain gin about 35 million people MIGRATION the permanent, seasonal or temporary movement of people |
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