Geography Flashcards
(176 cards)
1
Q
Define Latitude
A
The measurement of distance north or south of the equator
2
Q
Define Longitude
A
The measurement of distance east or west of the prime meridian (which is at 0 degrees longitude)
3
Q
Air pressure
A
The force exerted on a surface by the air above it as gravity pulls it to earth
4
Q
Trade winds
A
winds that reliably blow east to west, found just north and south of the equator
5
Q
Ocean current
A
the continuous, predictable, directional movement of seawater driven by gravity, wind and water density
6
Q
Coriolis effect
A
the pattern of deflection taken by objects not firmly connected to the ground as they travel long distances around the earth (e.g. hurricanes in the Northern Hemisphere spin in a counterclockwise direction, while hurricanes in the Southern Hemisphere spin in a clockwise direction)
7
Q
Resource potential of the ocean (?)
A
provides food, fuel, renewable energy, minerals, sand, gravel, also tourism
8
Q
Acidification
A
a decrease in the alkalinity/pH ofoceans, caused by the uptake of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, released by burning fossil fuels
9
Q
Dead zones
A
low-oxyygen (hypoxic) areas in the world’s oceans and lakes
10
Q
Overfishing
A
catching too many fish at once, so the breeding population becomes too depleted to recover
11
Q
Marine debris
A
human-created waste that has deliberately or accidentally been releasedin a sea or ocean
12
Q
Fishery
A
the taking of one or more particaular species of fish or shellfish with particular gear in a particular geographic area
13
Q
Bycatch
A
the incidental capture of non-target species such as dolphins, marine turtles, and seabirds
14
Q
Sustainability
A
the practire of using natural resources responsibly, so they can suppport both present and future generations
15
Q
Erosion (noun)
A
Processes by which rock, sand, and soil are broken down and carried away by wind, rain or sea (i.e. weathering, glaciation)
16
Q
To erode (verb)
A
the verb from “erosion”, to rub or be rubbed away gradually by the wind, sea or rainq
17
Q
Hydraulic action (noun)
A
A type of coastal erosion due to the power of the waves as they smash against the cliff. Air becomes trapped in the cracks in the rock and causes the rock to break apart.
18
Q
Attrition (noun)
A
A type of coastal erosion. This is when rocks that the sea is carrying knock against each other. They break apart to become smaller and more rounded.
19
Q
abrasion (noun)
A
A type of coastal erosion. This is when pebbles (small stones) grind along a rock platform, much like sandpaper. Over time the rock becomes smooth.
20
Q
corrosion / solution (noun)
A
A type of coastal erosion. This is when salts and acids in the sea water dissolve certain types of rocks.
21
Q
headland (noun)
A
an area of land that sticks out from the coast into the sea
22
Q
bay (noun)
A
a part of the coast where the land curves in so that the sea is surrounded by land on three sides
23
Q
cliff (noun)
A
a large area of rock or a mountain with a very steep side, often at the edge of the sea or a river
24
Q
constructive beach (noun phrase)
A
Usually a flat or gentle sloping, wide beach. This beach is affected by constructive waves which bring sediments to build up the beach. When the water flows back, it doesn’t take the sediment with it.
25
destructive beach (noun phrase)
Usually a steep, narrow beach. This beach is affected by destructive waves. When the water from the waves flows back to sea it takes the sediment from the beach with it.
26
crack (noun)
a very narrow space between two rocks
27
cave (noun)
(in this unit:) a large hole in the side of a cliff
28
arch (noun)
a natural rock formation in the shape of a U upside down.
29
stack (noun)
a land form consisting of a steep and often vertical column or columns of rock in the sea near a coast, formed by wave erosion
30
stump (noun)
When a stack (a tall column of rock) is eroded so much that the structure is weakened and it collapses to form a stump.
31
Coastal deposition (noun)
The sea transports materials along the coast with waves. Deposition takes place when the sea loses energy, it drops (or deposits) the sand, rock particles and pebbles it has been carrying.
32
sediment (noun)
sand, stones, mud, etc. carried by water or wind and left, for example, on the bottom of a lake, river, etc.
33
Longshore drift (noun)
When eroded material in the sea is carried along the beach in a zig zag course.
34
spit (noun)
a long thin piece of land that sticks out into the sea/ocean/a lake
35
marsh (noun)
an area of low flat ground that is always wet and soft
36
prevailing wind direction (noun phrase)
the most common wind direction
37
Adventure Tourism
Tourism to experience something exciting or risky in nature, e.g trekking, rock climbing, river rafting etc.
38
Health Tourism
Traveling to somewhere to recieve specialist treatment
39
Music Tourism
Tourism to visit music festivals
40
Rural Tourism
Tourism for leisure and pleasure
41
Sports Tourism
Tourism to participate in official sport competitions or to detox/refresh the soul
42
Eco Tourism
Tourism that does not damage the environment and helps local people
43
Cultural Tourism
Tourism to experience the place, artifacts, historic sites and indigenous
44
Disaster Tourism
Visiting Locations at which an environmental disaster, either natural or man-made, has occured
45
Gambling Tourism
Traveling for the purpose of gambling
46
Space Tourism
The act of traveling to space for pleasure or interest
47
Overtourism
When too many tourists visit one place, making it spoiled and difficult for the inhabitants who actually live there
48
Sustainable Tourism
Tourism that conserves primary tourist resources and supports the jobs and culture of local people
49
Nature Reserve
| q
An area of land that is protected in order to keep the animals and plants that live there safe, often due to the fact that they are rare
50
Afforestation
the action of planting trees on an area of land in order to make a forest
51
LIC
Low income country - Refers to countries with a low standard of living, in which most people are poor
52
HIC
High income country - refers to countries with a high standard of living in which most people are wealthy
53
Population distribution
how spread out people are across an area
54
Population density
concentration of individuals within a specific area
55
Location factors (Geographic)
Climate, Water, Vulnerabity, Precipitation, Air/soil/land quality/scarcity
56
Location factors (Human)
Jobs, Tourism, Culture
57
Location factors (Industry)
Material, Land, Transport, Market, Power, Labour, Technology
58
Overpopulation factors
poverty, child labour, immigratioin, reduced mortality rates
59
Underpopulation
pandemics, war, low fertility rates, emigration, diseases
60
Anti natalist
*encourages* more child births to increase population in a country
61
Pro natalist
*discourages* child births
62
Migration
the movement of people from one place to another
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Internal (migration)
short distance, usually within same country
64
External (migration)
moving from one country to another
65
Push (factors)
"push" people away from their homes
E.g. war, conflict, drought, famine
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Pull (factors)
"pull" people into a *new* home to seek better opportunities
E.g. Employment, higher income, better working/living conditiond, educational opportunities, freedom
67
sparsely populated
(adjective)
describes an area where few people live; e.g. the Australian Outback
68
densely populated
(adjective) describes an area where a lot of people live; e.g. Mumbai
69
population growth
(noun) An increase in population over a period of time.
70
human factors
(noun) factors which influence the rate at which an area may develop, such as economic, social and political factors
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physical factors
(noun) factors which influence the rate at which an area may develop, such as climate, natural resources or natural hazards
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immigration
(noun) the process of coming to live permanently in a country that is not your own; the number of people who do this
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host nation
(noun) the country that immigrants move to after leaving their home countries
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emigration
(noun) the act of leaving one's own country to settle permanently in another; moving abroad
75
Choropleth Map
(noun) maps, where areas are shaded according to a prearranged key, each shading or colour type representing a range of values
76
origin nation
(noun) country of nationality or of former habitual residence of a person or group of persons who have migrated abroad
77
scale
(noun) the size or level of something, or the amount that something is happening
78
trend
(noun) a general development or change in a situation or in the way that people are behaving
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pattern
(noun) how events, information or processes are arranged in a given geographic area
80
Drainage Basin
An area of land where precipitation collects and drains off into a body of water e.g river or bay
81
Watershed
The boundary between 2 drainage basins
82
River bed
Ground over which the water flows in a river
83
River Bank
The land at the side of the river
84
Downstream
Direction in which a river or stream flows from its source to its mouth
85
River Mouth
Where the river enters into another body of water e.g ocean, sea or lake
86
River Source
The beginning of a river
87
Tributary
A stream or river that flows into a larger stream or river
88
Confluence
The place where 2 rivers flow together to become one
89
Hydrological Cycle (water cycle)
The cycle through which water moves which includes processes such as evaporation, condensation, precipitation and surface and groundwater runoff and infiltration.
90
Evaporation
The process of liquid turning into gas
91
Condensation
The process of gas turning into liquid, and, in the case of geography, falling as rain
92
Precipitation
Any form of water that falls from clouds and reaches the earths surface
| E.g rain, sleet, snow, mist, fog and hail
93
Transpiration
The process of water passing through the surface of a plant or leaf
94
Runoff
Water flowing downhill on Earth's surface
95
Groundwater flow
Movement of underground water through rocks
96
Interception
Precipitation that does not reach the soil, but is instead intercepted by the leaves, branches of plants and the forest floor
97
Infiltration
Flow of water from the land surface into the subsurface
98
Percolation
The process by which water moves downward in the soil, toward the water table
99
Erosion
The wearing away of pieces of rock, soil or other solid materials
100
Hydraulic Action
Type of erosion. Water that passes by the river bank forces itself into cracks on the face of the rock in the river bank. This widens the cracks and forces pieces of material away from the river bank. These pieces of material make their way downstream.
101
Abrasion
Type of erosion. The water in a river has a lot of force and moves rock downstream. As it moves, the rock grinds and scrapes away like sandpaper on the bed and banks of the river. The rocks wear away the landscape.
102
Attrition
Type of erosion. Rocks and pebbles are carried in the flow of a river. They repeatedly knock into each other, which causes the rocks to erode, break and get smaller and smoother.
103
Corrosion
Type of chemical erosion. Rocks or stones can be eroded as water gets into cracks and holes and dissolves rock through chemical changes.
104
River Channel
a passage that water can flow along, especially in the ground, on the bottom of a river, etc.
105
Vertical Erosion
Erosion which makes a river channel deeper. This happens more in the upper stages of a river (the V of vertical erosion should help you remember the v-shaped valleys that are created in the upper stages).
106
Lateral Erosion
Erosion which makes a river wider. This occurs mostly in the middle and lower stages of a river.
107
Sediment
small pieces of rock (silt, gravel, pebbles, cobbles) eroded by rivers that are carried downstream
108
Load
bits of eroded material (such as rocks) that the river transports until it drops it
109
Solution
The smallest particles which are carried by the river are dissolved into the water and become part of the river's load
110
Suspension
Silt (sand, mud, soil) is held in the moving water and gets carried along the river downstream
111
Saltation
Gravel sometimes gets picked up off the base of the river and bounces along the river bed downstream
112
Traction
When there is a lot of water in the river or there is a high flow velocity, the water in the river moves pebbles and cobbles. The water does not lift them off the riverbed, but rolls them along the riverbed.
113
Deposition
the dumping of rocks, sand and silt wherever the river slows down
114
Discharge
The volume of water in a river passing a point in a given time.
115
V-shaped valley
Rivers flow through V-shaped valleys in their upper course. V-shaped valleys are usually found in the mountains and hills. They are so called because they often have very steep sides.
116
Meander
large bends in a river
117
oxbow lake
An oxbow lake is a U shaped body of water that forms when a wide meander from the main stem of a river is cut off, creating a free-standing body of water.
118
Delta
a flat land shaped like a triangle where the river splits and spreads into many branches before entering the sea
119
Gorge
a deep, narrow valley with steep sides, usually formed by a river or stream cutting through hard rock
120
Gradient
how steep a slope is
121
rapids
part of a river where the water looks white because it is moving very fast over rocks
122
Flood Plain
the large area of flat land on either side of a river that is sometimes covered with water when the river becomes too full
123
Salt Marsh
area of low, flat ground that is subject to flooding by salt water
124
Hard Engineering
Articial/Controlling structures to prevent damage and erosion
| e.g sea walls, groynes, revetments, rock armour
125
Soft Engineering
Soft engineering does not involve building artificial structures but takes a more sustainable and natural approach to managing the coast.
126
Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
the total value of goods and services produced within a country's borders in a year
127
Gross National Product (GNP)
the total value of goods and services produced by a country in one year, including profits made in foreign countries
128
per capita
For each person. If you state an amount per capita, you mean that amount for each person.
129
GDP per capita
the total value of all the goods and services produced within a country's borders in a particular year, divided by the number of people living there
130
GNP per capita
the total value of goods and services produced by a country in one year, including profits made in foreign countries, divided by the number of people living there
131
Low Income Country (LIC)
country with a GNP per capita of $1,025 or less
132
Middle Income Country (MIC)
One of the countries of the world that is neither very rich nor very poor. There are Lower Middle Income Countries and Upper Middle Income Countries. Lower Middle Income economies are those with a GNP per capita between $1,036 and $4,045; upper middle-income economies are those with a GNP per capita between $4,046 and $12,535.
133
High Income Country (HIC)
country with a GNP per capita of $12,536 or more
134
development indicators
A method used to measure how developed a country or region is compared with others.
135
Human Development Index (HDI)
a measurement (developed by the United Nations) of the development of a country that is based on the health, education, and standard of living of the people who live there
136
literacy rate
the percentage of people who are able to read and write
137
life expectancy
the length of time that a living thing, especially a human being, is likely to live
138
primary industry
The part of the economy that produces or extracts raw materials; examples include agriculture, fishing, mining, and forestry.
139
secondary industry
an industry that makes goods, rather than producing raw materials
140
tertiary industry
an industry that provides services rather than producing goods
141
quarternary industry
The sector of industry that describes the knowledge-based part of the economy and involves research, development, and information technology and media.
142
consumption rate
the number of resources (goods or services) used up during a certain amount of time
143
production rate
the number of goods or services that can be produced during a given period of time
144
unemployment rate
the number or percentage of people in a country or area who do not have jobs
145
state benefits
money given by the government to people who are poor or ill, or who do not have a job
146
disparity
a lack of equality or similarity, especially in a way that is not fair
147
equality
the right of different groups of people to receive the same treatment
148
equity
promoting fairness through treating people differently dependent on need
149
hazard
(noun) A threat (whether natural or human) that has the potential to cause loss of life, injury, property damage, socio-economic disruption or environmental degradation.
150
hazard event
(noun) The occurrence (realisation) of a hazard, the effects of which change demographic, economic and/or environmental change and/or environmental conditions.
151
geophysics
(noun) the study of the rocks and other substances that make up the earth and the physical processes happening on, in, and above the earth
152
natural hazard
(noun) An extreme geophysical process which can occur naturally in any part of the world and which has the potential to cause loss of life, damage to infrastructure and disruption to human activity.
153
tectonic hazard
(noun) A natural hazard created when the Earth's crust moves (e.g. tectonic plates collide into each other). This includes earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis.
154
geomorphological hazard
(noun) A natural hazard originated at or near Earth's surface. This includes river and coastal flooding, landslides and avalanches.
155
atmospheric hazard
(noun) A natural hazard associated with Earth's atmosphere, such as tropical cyclones, severe storms, tornadoes, wildfires and drought.
156
biological hazard
(noun) A natural hazard driven by biological processes. This includes various types of disease, including infectious diseases
157
Subsidence
(noun) the process by which land or buildings sink to a lower level
158
natural process
(noun) a process existing in or produced by nature (rather than by the intent of human beings)
159
natural disaster
(noun) A major hazard event that causes widespread disruption to a community or region, with significant demographic, economic and/or environmental losses, and which the affected community is unable to deal with adequately without outside help.
160
unprecedented
(adjective) never before known or seen, without having happened previously
161
inundation
(noun) a flood, or the fact of being flooded with water
162
infrastructure
(noun) the fundamental structure and facilities that an area needs, such as roads, electricity, buildings
163
magnitude
(noun) the size of a geophysical hazard event and is measured by the amount of energy or the amount of material produced by the event
164
volcanologist
(noun) a scientist who studies volcanoes
165
Saffir-Simpson Scale
(noun) A scale that classifies hurricanes according to wind speed, air pressure in the center, and potential for property damage.
166
aftermath
(noun) the period that follows an unpleasant event or accident, and the effects that it causes
167
frequency
(noun) the number of hazardous events of a certain magnitude that occur over a given period of time
168
fluctuations
a change, or the process of changing, especially continuously between one level or thing and another
169
fault
(noun) a crack in the earth's surface where the rock has divided into two parts that move against each other:
170
likelihood
(noun) probability, chance that something will happen
171
human vulnerability
(noun) the degree to which people are susceptible to loss, damage, suffering and death, in the event of a disaster
172
exposure
(noun, in the context of human vulnerability) the nature of the area in which people live - how hazardous it is
173
sensitivity
(noun, in the context of human vulnerability) some groups of people are more at risk than others, for instance the elderly or infants
174
resilience
(noun, in the context of human vulnerability) the ability of individuals and societies to cope with the sudden impact of disasters, and to restore as quickly as possible their ability to function
175
coping capacity
(noun, in the context of human vulnerability) the resources available to individuals and societies to cope with a threat or resist the impact of a disaster
176
GIS
Geographic Information System, A computer system that stores, organizes, analyzes, and displays geographic data.
