Key Words and Meanings - Year 11 Geography

• Water and Resource Management

  Agribusiness	intensive farming aimed at maximizing the amount of food produced
  Carbon footprint	measurement of the greenhouse gases individuals produce, through burning fossil fuels
  Development	the progress of a country in terms of economic growth, the use of technology and human welfare
  Energy conservation	reducing energy consumption by using less energy and existing sources more efficiently
  Energy mix	the range of energy sources of a region or country, both renewable and non-renewable
  Energy security	uninterrupted availability of energy sources at an affordable price
  Food miles	the distance covered supplying food to consumers
  Fossil fuels	a natural fuel such as coal or gas, formed in the geological past from the remains of living organisms
  Fracking	the process of extracting gas from gas shale where fluids at high pressure are injected to fracture the shale rock, allowing the gas to escape
  Grey water	recycled domestic waste water
  Import	goods and services bought by residents of a country from another country
  Organic produce	food produced without the use of chemicals such as fertilisers and pesticides
  Renewable energy	a resource that cannot be exhausted, e.g. wind, solar and tidal energy
  Resources	a stock or supply of something that has value or a purpose
  Resource management	control and monitoring of resources so that they do not become exhausted
  Undernourishment	a food intake below that needed to sustain a healthy life
  Undernutrition	when people do not eat enough nutrients to cover their needs for energy and growth, or to maintain a healthy immune system
  Water deficit	when demand for water is greater than supply
  Water quality	measured in terms of the chemical, physical and biological content of the water
  Water stress	when the demand for water exceeds supply in a certain period, or when poor quality restricts its use
  Water surplus	when the supply of water is greater than demand for water
  Water transfer	matching supply with demand by moving water from an area with water surplus to another area with water deficit
  Aquifer	underground water source
  Bund	a small dam which diverts water away from a stream to irrigate fields, usually made of stones and lined with leaves to make it waterproof
  Dam and reservoir	a barrier built across a valley to interrupt river flow and create a man-made lake to store water and control river discharge
  Desalinisation	the process of removing salt from seawater to produce fresh water
  Drought	a long, continuous period of dry weather
  Evaporation	the process of water changing from liquid to vapour
  Grey water	recycled domestic waste water
  Groundwater	freshwater source that is found beneath the Earth’s surface
  Groundwater management	regulation and control of water levels, pollution, ownership and use of groundwater
  Infrastructure	the basic equipment and structures (such as roads, utilities, water supply and sewage) that are needed for a country or region to function properly
  Irrigation	artificial application of water to the land or soil
  Johed	small earth dam for catching rainwater as a drinking water source, found in the Thar Desert, Pakistan
  Over abstraction	when groundwater is used more quickly than it is being replaced
  Pat system	irrigation channels that transfer water to the fields
  Permeable rocks	rocks that allow water to pass through them
  Pollution	chemicals, noise, dirt or other substances which have harmful or poisonous effects on an environment
  Sustainability	actions that meet the needs of the present without reducing the ability of future generations to meet their needs
  Taanka	underground storage systems about 3m in diameter and 3-4m deep which collect surface water from roofs
  Water conflict	disputes between different regions or countries over the distribution and use of water
  Water conservation	the preservation, control and development of water resources, both surface and groundwater, and prevention of pollution
  Water deficit	when the demand for water is greater than the supply of water
  Water insecurity	when water availability is insufficient to ensure the good health and livelihood of a population, due to short supply or poor quality
  Water pollution	the contamination of water by substances that are harmful or poisonous to the environment, and make water supplies unsuitable for drinking
  Water quality	measured in terms of the chemical, physical and biological content of the water
  Water recycling	process of extracting and reusing useful substances found in waste
  Water security	availability of a reliable source of acceptable quantity and quality of water
  Water stress	when the demand for water exceeds supply in a certain period, or when poor quality restricts its use
  Water surplus	when the supply of water is greater than demand for water
  Water transfer	matching supply with demand by moving water from an area with water surplus to another with water deficit
  Waterborne diseases	diseases like cholera and typhoid caused by microorganisms in contaminated water

• Natural Hazards

  Composite volcanoes	steep-sided volcanoes found at constructive plate margins
  Conservative plate margin	two plates sliding alongside each other, in the same or different directions
  Constructive (transform) plate margin	tectonic plate margin where rising magma adds new material to plates that are diverging or moving apart
  Continental crust	the low density, thick outer layer of Earth which forms our continents
  Convection currents	circular movement of heat within Earth which drive the movement of tectonic plates
  Destructive plate margin	tectonic plate margin where two plates are converging and oceanic plate is subducted – there could be violent earthquakes and explosive volcanoes
  Earthquake	a sudden or violent movement within the Earth’s crust followed by a series of shocks
  Fold mountains	uplifted land that is crumpled by the collision of two plates
  Geophysical measurements	measurements taken at the surface of the Earth to detect changes below, such as detecting changes in gravity as magma rises to the surfaces
  Ground deformation	changes in the shape of volcanoes which is closely monitored to predict eruptions
  Hot spots	where the Earth’s crust is thin so magma is able to break through the surface, forming volcanoes
  Hydrology	the study of Earth’s water
  Immediate responses	reaction of people as the disaster happens and in the immediate aftermath
  Landslide	the movement of rock, earth or debris down the slope of a hill
  Lava	magma that has erupted from a volcano
  Long-term responses	later reactions that occur in the weeks, months and years after the event
  Magma	molten rock beneath the Earth’s surface
  Management strategies	techniques of controlling, responding to, or dealing with an event
  Mantle	a hot, dense layer of Earth found between the crust and core
  Monitoring	recording physical changes, i.e. detecting heat and shape changes of volcanoes using remote sensing, to help forecast when and where a natural hazard might strike
  Oceanic crust	the dense, thin outer layer of Earth that lies underneath the ocean
  Disaster planning	actions taken to enable communities to respond to, and recover from, natural disasters
  Plate margin	the border between two tectonic plates
  Prediction	using historical evidence and monitoring, scientists can make predictions about when and where a hazard may happen
  Primary effects	initial impact of a natural event on people and property, caused directly by it, i.e. the buildings collapsing following an earthquake
  Protection	actions taken before a hazard strikes to reduce its impact, such as educating people or improving building design
  Remote sensing	satellites detect heat and changes to a volcano’s shape
  Search and rescue	an immediate response to a disaster where people are removed from danger and aid is provided
  Secondary effects	after-effects that occur as indirect impacts of a natural event, sometimes on a longer timescale, i.e. fires due to ruptured gas mains, resulting from the ground shaking
  Seismicity	the frequency and distribution of earthquakes in a certain area, recorded by seismographs
  Shield volcano	broad, flat volcano with non-violent eruptions formed at constructive margins and at ‘hot spots’
  Subduction	at a destructive margin, where the denser oceanic plate moves beneath the less dense continental plate
  Tectonic hazard	natural hazard caused by the movement of tectonic plates (i.e. volcanoes and earthquakes)
  Tectonic plate	section of the Earth’s crust about 100km thick
  Tsunami	huge waves caused by earthquakes
  Volcanic belt	distribution pattern of volcanoes that follows plate margins
  Volcano	an opening in the Earth’s crust from which lava, ash and gases erupt
  Aid	Money, goods and services given by single governments or an organisation like the World Bank or IMF to help the quality of life and economy of another country
  Atmosphere	a highly complex mass of gases, liquids and solids that envelopes the Earth
  Cells	section of Earth’s atmosphere where air moves in circular motions, together these form the overall circulation of Earth’s atmosphere
  Climate	the average weather over a long period of time
  Climate change	a long-term change in the earth's climate, especially a change due to an increase in the average atmospheric temperature
  Coriolis effect	the spinning effect caused by the rotation of the Earth
  Cyclone	the term given to a tropical storm in south-east Asia and Australia
  Cyclone shelter	accommodation for people who have been evacuated from areas threatened by cyclones (tropical storms), often built from strong concrete and on stilts to prevent flooding
  Depressions	areas of low atmospheric pressure
  Dredging	the removal of silt deposited on the river bed to increase river capacity
  Drought	a long, continuous period of dry weather
  Equator	an imaginary line that divides Earth’s surface into a northern and southern hemisphere
  Evacuation	movement of people away from danger to a place of safety
  Extreme weather	when a weather event is significantly different from the average or usual weather pattern, and is especially severe or unseasonal
  Eye (of the storm)	a small area at the centre of a storm where relatively cold air descends rapidly
  Eye wall	the outer edge of the eye of a storm where the most intense weather conditions occur
  Flood risk	the predicted likelihood and frequency of floods in an area
  Flood	where river discharge exceeds river channel capacity and water spills
  Global warming	the increase of global temperatures
  Grid reference	a map reference that indicates a location using numbered vertical and horizontal lines that run up and down, and increase in value from bottom to top of the map
  Heatwave	an extreme weather event of very high temperatures
  Hurricane	the term given to a tropical storm in the USA and Caribbean
  Immediate response	reaction of people as the disaster happens and in the immediate aftermath
  Jet stream	a narrow ribbon of air in Earth’s atmosphere that encircles the globe, which create that cause weather systems to cross over the UK mainly from west to east
  Latitude	lines that run parallel to Earth’s Equator, measured in degrees
  Long-term response	later reactions that occur in the weeks, months and years after the event
  Monitoring	recording physical changes, i.e. tracking a tropical storm by satellite, to help forecast when and where a natural hazard might strike;
  Planning	actions taken to enable communities to respond to, and recover from, natural disasters
  Hazard prediction	using historical evidence and monitoring, scientists can make predictions about when and where a hazard may happen
  Pressure belts	zones of either high or low pressure that encircle the Earth between circulation cells
  Primary effects	initial impact of a natural event on people and property, caused directly by it, i.e. the buildings collapsing following an earthquake
  Protection	actions taken before a hazard strikes to reduce its impact, such as educating people or improving building design
  Saffir-Simpson Scale	scale used to measure the strength of hurricanes based on wind speed
  Secondary effects	after-effects that occur as indirect impacts of a natural event, sometimes on a longer timescale, i.e. fires due to ruptured gas mains, resulting from the ground shaking
  Storm surge	a wall of water often 3-5 metres high, driven onshore by a tropical storm. The most destructive hazard associated with tropical storms
  Trade winds	easterly winds that blow towards the Equator
  Tropical storm	an area of low pressure with winds moving in a spiral around a calm central point called the eye of the storm – winds are powerful and rainfall is heavy
  (hurricane, cyclone, typhoon)
  Tropics	regions either side of the Equator where the Sun moves directly overhead from its farthest point in the North and the South
  Weather	the day to day conditions of the atmosphere, for example, temperature, winds and rainfall
  Weather warning	advance information that helps people prepare for potential threats and hazards
  Weather hazard	extreme weather events that pose a threat to humans and/or property
  Adaptation	actions taken to adjust to natural events such as climate change, to reduce damage, limit the impacts, take advantage of opportunities, or cope with the consequences
  Alternative energy	sources of energy that are not produced from the burning of fossil fuels, such as hydro-electricity, nuclear power and solar power
  Atmosphere	a highly complex mass of gases, liquids and solids that envelopes the Earth
  Axial tilt	the angle of Earth’s axis
  Carbon capture and storage (CCS)	technology that captures CO2 produced from the burning of fossil fuels, which is compressed, transported and then injected underground into suitable geological reservoirs
  Carbon sinks	the removal of CO2 from the atmosphere
  Climate change	a long-term change in the earth's climate, especially a change due to an increase in the average atmospheric temperature
  Eccentricity	the path of the Earth as it orbits the Sun
  Enhanced greenhouse effect	the increased effectiveness of the greenhouse effect, believed to be the cause of recent global warming
  Fossil fuel	a natural fuel such as coal or gas, formed in the geological past from the remains of living organisms
  Global warming	the increase of global temperatures
  Greenhouse effect	the blanketing effect of the atmosphere in retaining heat given off from the Earth’s surface
  Greenhouse gases	atmospheric gases such as carbon dioxide and methane that can absorb heat
  Ice cores	columns of ice that are extracted from ice sheets and used to reconstruct temperature patterns from the past 400,000 years
  Milankovitch cycles	three distinct cycles of Earth’s orbit around the Sun (Eccentricity, Precession, Axial tilt) which scientists believe affect the timings and seasons of Earth’s climate
  Mitigation	action taken to reduce the long-term risk from natural hazards, such as earthquake-proof buildings or international agreements to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
  Precession	the natural ‘wobble’ of Earth’s axis as it orbits around the Sun
  Quaternary period	the geological time period that covers the last 2.6 million years
  Renewable energy	a resource that cannot be exhausted, i.e. wind, solar and tidal energy
  Solar flare	large explosions on the surface of the Sun
  Sunspots	a dark patch that occasionally appears on the surface of the Sun
  Volcanic eruption	when volcanoes blast ash, gases and liquids onto the Earth’s surface and atmosphere

• The Changing Economic World

  Aid	when a country or non-governmental organization (NGO) donates resources to another country to help it develop or improve people’s lives
  Birth rate	the number of births a year per 1000 of the total population
  Death rate	the number of deaths in a year per 1000 of the total population
  Debt crisis	when a country cannot pay its debts, often leading to calls to other countries for assistance
  Debt relief	cancellation of debts to a country by a global organisation such as the World Bank
  Dependency ratio	the proportion of people below (aged 0-14) and above (over 65) normal working age
  Development	the progress of a country in terms of economic growth, the use of technology and human welfare
  Development gap	difference in standards of living and wellbeing between the world’s richest and poorest countries
  Displaced person	a person who is forced to move from home but stays in his/her country of origin
  Economic migrant	a person who moves voluntarily to seek a better life, such as a better-paid job or benefits like education and health care
  Ecotourism	nature tourism usually involving small groups with minimal impact on the environment
  Emigration	the migration of people out of a country
  Malaria	a life-threatening disease caused by parasites transmitted to people by infected mosquitoes
  Microfinance loans	very small loans which are given to people in the LICs to help them start a small business
  Migration	when people move from one area to another; in many LICS people move from rural to urban areas (rural–urban migration)
  Multiplier effect	a series of consequences where one development makes another one possible, such as an increase in money available
  Natural population change	the gap between birth rate and death rate
  Newly-Emerging Economies (NEE)	countries that have begun to experience high rates of economic development, usually along with rapid industrialization
  Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO)	an organization which is not part of a government, but provides important resources
  Population pyramid	a graph showing the age and sex of a population
  Population structure	the number of each sex in each age group, usually displayed in a population pyramid diagram
  Primary products	unprocessed raw materials extracted from the earth or agricultural products
  Fairtrade	producers in LICs given a better price for their goods such as cocoa, coffee and cotton
  Free trade	when countries do not use tariffs or quotas to restrict trade
  Gross National Income (GNI)	measurement of economic activity calculated by dividing the gross (total) national income by the size of the population
  Highly-Indebted Poor Country (HIPC)	the 38 countries with the largest amount of debt
  Human	a method of measuring development where GDP per capita, life expectancy and adult literacy are combined to give an overview
  Development Index (HDI)
  Immigrant	a person who moves into a country
  Immigration	the migration of people in to a country
  Infant mortality rate	the number of babies that die under a year of age, per 1000 live births
  Infrastructure	the basic equipment and structures (such as roads, utilities, water supply and sewage) that are needed for a country or region to function properly
  Intermediate technology	simple, easily learned and maintained technology used in LICs for a range of economic activities
  Investment	the action or process of putting in money, usually for profit
  Life expectancy	the average number of years a person is expected to live.
  Loan	a sum of money borrowed to be paid back on agreed terms
  Sustainability	actions that meet the needs of the present without reducing the ability of future generations to meet their needs
  Tariff	taxes or customs dues paid on imports
  Tourism	the commercial organisation of attracting non-resident people to areas of interest
  Trade	buying and selling of goods and services between countries
  Trading group	countries which have grouped together to increase trade between them by cutting tariffs to discourage trade with non-members
  Quality of life	how good a person’s life measured by such things of housing and environment, access to education, healthcare, how secure people feel and how happy they are with their lifestyle
  Quota	limits on the quantity of goods that can be imported
  Refugee	a person forced to move from his/her country of origin as a result of civil war or a natural disaster such as an earthquake
  African Union	an organization of 54 countries formed to encourage co-operation between African nations
  Balanced economy	an even balance between the employment sectors which form a country’s economy
  CEN-SAD (Community of Sahel-Saharan States)	trading group of West and Central African countries bordering the Sahara Desert
  Commercial farming	growing crops or raising livestock for profit, often involving vast areas of land
  Commonwealth	a voluntary association of 53 independent and equal sovereign states, most being former British colonies
  Deforestation	the cutting down and removal of forest
  Developmental aid	long-term support given by charities, governments and multi-lateral organisations, which aims to improve quality of life
  ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States)	a trading group of West African countries
  Emergency aid	short-term aid that takes the form of food, water, medical supplies and shelter
  Gross Domestic Product (GDP)	the total value of goods and services produced by a country in a year
  Human Development Index (HDI)	a method of measuring development where GDP per capita, life expectancy and adult literacy are combined to give an overview
  Employment structure	relative proportion of the workforce employed in different sectors of the economy
  International aid	money, goods and services given by single governments or an organisation like the World Bank or IMF to help the quality of life and economy of another country
  Life expectancy	the average number of years a person is expected to live
  Manufacturing	making goods by processing raw materials
  Mining	extraction of raw materials from the ground
  Newly-Emerging Economies (NEE)	countries that have begun to experience high rates of economic development, usually along with rapid industrialisation
  Oil spills	the accidental leakage of oil from rigs or refineries into the surrounding area, resulting in severe environmental damage and pollution
  OPEC (Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries)	aims to stabilise the price of oil and ensure a regular supply
  Primary products	unprocessed raw materials extracted from the earth or agricultural products
  Primary sector	employment sector that includes farming, mining and other related activities
  Quality of life	how good a person’s life is as measured by such things as quality of housing and environment, access to education, health care, security and levels of happiness
  Secondary sector	employment sector that involves manufacturing
  Tertiary sector	employment sector that includes service industries, such as health care, offices, financial services and retailing
  Transnational corporation (TNC)	a company that has operations (factories, offices, research and development, shops) in more than one country
  Business park	an area of land occupied by a number of businesses
  Commonwealth	association that represents Commonwealth countries and provides advice on a range of issues, aiming to help governments achieve sustainable, inclusive and equitable development
  Secretariat
  Commonwealth	the Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 53 independent and equal sovereign states, most being former British colonies
  Culture	the values and beliefs of a particular society or group of people
  De-industrialisation	the decline of a country's traditional manufacturing industry due to exhaustion of raw materials, loss of markets and overseas competition
  Enterprise zones	a scheme supported by the government to encourage new businesses and new jobs in areas where there were no pre-existing businesses
  European Union (EU)	a politico-economic union of a number of European countries
  Exports	goods and service sold by a country and bought by another country
  Extraction industries	industries that involve the extraction of raw materials, such as mining and quarrying
  Financial services	the management of money within the service sector, including banking, insurance, securities dealing, and fund management
  Freight	the transport of goods in bulk by lorries, train, ship or aircraft
  Science park	a collection of scientific and technical knowledge-based businesses located on a single site
  Secondary sector	employment sector that involves manufacturing
  Sustainable	actions that meet the needs of the present without reducing the ability of future generations to meet their needs
  Globalization	process creating a more connected world, with increases in the global movements of goods (trade) and people (migration & tourism)
  Imports	goods and services bought by residents of a country from another country
  Information technology	computer, internet, mobile phone and satellite technologies
  Infrastructure	the basic equipment and structures (such as roads, utilities, water supply and sewage) that are needed for a country or region to function properly
  Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs)	voluntary partnerships between local authorities and businesses that aim to identify the business needs in the local areas and encourage companies to invest
  Manufacturing	making goods by processing raw materials
  Migration	when people move from one area to another; in many LICS people move from rural to urban areas (rural–urban migration)
  North–South divide	economic and cultural differences between southern England and the rest of the UK
  Population structure	the number of each sex in each age group, usually displayed in a population pyramid diagram
  Post-industrial economy	the shift of some HIC economies from producing goods to providing services
  Primary sector	employment sector that includes farming, mining and other related activities
  Quaternary sector	employment sector that includes jobs in hi-tech industries, research, information technology and the media
  Tertiary sector	employment sector that includes service industries, such as health care, offices, financial services and retailing
  Trade	buying and selling of goods and services between countries
  Trading group	countries which have grouped together to increase trade between them by cutting tariffs to discourage trade with non-members
  Traditional industries	industries such as coal mining, engineering and manufacturing

• Issues Evaluation and Exam Revision
• Exam Revision