Grade 8 Geography: Settlements, Aerial Photographs, Migration, Trade, and Transport

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering Grade 8 CAPS Geography Terms 3 and 4 topics, including settlement patterns, land-use zones, aerial photography, migration, trade, and transport networks.

Urban settlement

A built-up area where many people live close together, such as a town or city.

Central Business District (CBD)

The city centre containing offices, banks, shops, and tall buildings, often characterized by high land values and good transport access.

Residential zone

Areas within an urban settlement where people live, consisting of houses, flats, and apartments.

Industrial zone

An urban land-use zone containing factories, manufacturing facilities, and warehouses, which typically requires large sites and road access.

Commercial zone

An urban area composed of businesses that sell goods or provide services, such as shops and shopping centres.

Transition zone

The area located between the CBD and residential areas, which may feature older buildings, warehouses, and mixed land uses.

Rural–urban fringe

The outer edge of an urban settlement where urban and rural land uses meet, which may include farms, new housing, and large shopping centres.

Open spaces

Designated urban areas comprising parks, sports fields, recreation areas, and conservation spaces.

Land value

The price or worth of land, which is often highest in the CBD and tends to decrease towards the outskirts of an urban settlement.

Rural settlement

A settlement situated in the countryside, generally with a lower population density than an urban area, where residents may depend on farming, forestry, or other primary activities.

Nucleated settlement

A settlement pattern where buildings are clustered close together, such as a village with houses near a shared water source, road, or community facilities.

Dispersed settlement

A settlement pattern where buildings are spread far apart, such as isolated farmsteads separated by fields or large expanses of land.

Linear settlement

A rural settlement pattern where buildings are arranged in a line along a road, river, railway, or valley.

Circular settlement

A rural settlement pattern where buildings are arranged around a central feature, such as an open space or a water source.

Aerial photograph

A photograph taken from above the Earth's surface, typically captured from an aircraft or a drone.

Vertical aerial photograph

An aerial photograph taken with the camera pointing straight down; it shows mainly rooftops and layout with a relatively uniform scale and is useful for mapping.

Oblique aerial photograph

An aerial photograph taken with the camera pointing at an angle; it displays both rooftops and the sides of buildings, with varying scale and perspective distortion.

Migration

The movement of people from one place to another to live, whether temporarily or permanently.

Push factors

Negative conditions or circumstances that make people leave a place, such as unemployment, poverty, drought, poor living conditions, lack of services, or conflict.

Pull factors

Favourable conditions that attract people to a new location, including more job opportunities, higher wages, better schools and healthcare, superior housing, or enhanced safety.

Rural–urban migration

The movement of people relocating from the countryside to a town or city, such as moving from a rural village to an urban centre to seek employment.

Trade

The activity of buying, selling, or exchanging goods and services.

Goods

Physical products that can be bought and sold.

Services

Activities or functions provided to people, such as banking or transport.

Import

Goods or services bought from another country.

Export

Goods or services sold to another country.

Domestic trade

Trade that occurs within the boundaries of a single country.

International trade

Trade carried out between different countries.

Pipeline transport

A mode of transport used for the continuous movement of liquids and gases (such as oil, gas, or water) that features high initial building costs but low operating costs.

Gqeberha

A coastal city in the Eastern Cape (part of Nelson Mandela Bay, formerly Port Elizabeth) situated along Algoa Bay; an important centre for trade, transport, and motor vehicle manufacturing with a major harbour.

Private transport

Transport owned, hired, or used privately by individuals or groups rather than as a public service, including private cars, motorcycles, and bicycles.

Public transit

Transport services available for use by the general public, such as buses, trains, and minibus taxis.

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)

A high-efficiency public transit system utilizing organized bus services and dedicated bus lanes, exemplified by Rea Vaya in Johannesburg.

Park-and-ride

A transport arrangement where commuters drive to a designated parking area and switch to public transport to complete the rest of their journey.