Geography GCE Ordinary Level: Syllabus Vocabulary (Clusters 1-4)

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts, terms and definitions from the Geography GCE Ordinary Level syllabus notes (Geography, Tourism, and Tectonics topics).

Geographical lens

A perspective that uses geographic concepts and spatial relationships to understand everyday life and the environment.

Disciplinary concepts

Core ideas geographers use to classify and understand concepts and phenomena in geography.

Sense of place

The meanings, attachments and memories people associate with a specific location.

Regions

Areas with similar physical and/or human characteristics or spheres of influence on services, events and objects.

Spatial patterns

Non-random arrangements of services, events or objects in an area.

Spatial associations

The tendency for two features to locate near each other, suggesting a connection.

Town planning

The process of organising land use, housing, services and nature across precincts, neighbourhoods and towns.

Spatial scales

Different levels of geographic analysis, from precinct to town to country or region.

Ecosystem services

Benefits provided by ecosystems to people, including provisioning, regulating, cultural and supporting services.

Provisioning services

Material resources provided by ecosystems, such as water and food.

Regulating services

Ecosystem regulation of microclimate, floods, air and water quality.

Cultural services

Aesthetics, education and recreation provided by ecosystems.

Supporting services

Ecosystem processes like soil formation, pollination and photosynthesis.

Sustainable urban neighbourhoods

Neighbourhoods balancing economic, social and environmental sustainability, with dense living and efficient design.

Environmental stewardship

Volunteer and stakeholder efforts to protect ecosystems and promote sustainability.

Disaster risk management

Strategies to prevent, reduce and manage disaster risks and strengthen resilience.

Community resilience

The ability of communities to resist, adapt and recover from disasters.

Fieldwork

Geographical inquiry conducted outside the classroom to study real places and phenomena.

Research questions

Topic-driven questions outlining scope and measurable variables.

Hypothesis

A testable statement about the relationship between variables.

Data collection sequence

Order of gathering data, combining primary/secondary sources and qualitative/quantitative approaches.

Primary data

Data collected firsthand for a study (e.g., surveys, measurements).

Secondary data

Data collected from existing sources (reports, maps, articles).

Non-probability sampling

Sampling methods (e.g., convenience, quota) that do not give every individual a known chance of selection.

Convenience sampling

Selecting samples that are easy to reach.

Quota sampling

Sampling to fill predefined categories or quotas.

Probability sampling

Random sampling methods where each population member has a known chance of selection.

Simple random sampling

Each member of the population has an equal chance of being selected.

Stratified random sampling

Population divided into strata, then random samples are drawn from each.

Closed-ended questionnaire

Survey questions with predefined responses (e.g., Yes/No, rating scales).

Likert scale

A rating scale measuring agreement or frequency from strongly disagree to strongly agree.

Frequency scale

A scale indicating how often something occurs (e.g., never, sometimes, often).

Ranking scale

A scale asking respondents to order items from most to least preferred.

Mental maps

Internal maps drawn from memory that represent features and labels of a study area.

Semi-structured interviews

Interviews with open-ended questions guiding exploration while allowing flexibility.

Central tendency

Measures of the center of a data set (mean, median, mode).

Scatter plots

Graphs showing relationships or correlations between two variables.

Best-fit line

A line that best represents the overall trend in a scatter plot.

Maps

Spatial representations using dots, lines and polygons, with title, date, orientation, scale, legend, author and sources.

Satellite imagery

Aerial or space-borne images used to display spatial information.

Tourism system

A system with tourist generating regions, tourist destination regions and transit routes.

Tourist generating region

Regions where tourists originate from.

Tourist destination region

Places that are visited by tourists as destinations.

Transit routes

Paths connecting generating and destination regions that influence travel flows.

Push factors

Factors at the generating region that push people to travel (e.g., seeking new experiences).

Pull factors

Attractions at the destination that draw tourists.

Interdependence

Mutual dependence among tourists, businesses and organizations across generating and destination regions.

Motivation to travel

Reasons for travel, such as relaxation, self-fulfilment, and higher incomes.

Mobility in travel

Increased transport services and new travel modes enabling travel.

Dependables

Travelers who spend cautiously, prefer structure, and value company of friends and family.

Venturers

Travelers who spend readily and seek diverse activities and new experiences.

Development and consolidation stage

Stage where destinations gain attractions and amenities; tourism grows and becomes established.

Stagnation and rejuvenation stage

Stage where tourist numbers peak or decline, potentially rejuvenated by new attractions.

Globalisation and tourism

Continued international growth and increasing diversity in destinations and demand.

Overdependence

Reliance on tourism that increases vulnerability to shocks.

Economic leakage

Tourism revenue that leaves the local economy and is not retained locally.

Ecotourism

Tourism that focuses on conservation and local involvement, ranging from hard to soft approaches.

Community-based tourism

Tourism managed by local communities, often small-scale and locally operated.

Pro-poor tourism

Tourism aimed at improving livelihoods of the poor through training and micro-finance.

Sustainable tourism production

Tourism where demand for ecosystem services does not exceed supply, achieved through long-term stakeholder coordination.

Sustainable tourism consumption

Tourism consumption that is responsible and managed to benefit local communities.

Equitable distribution of tourism benefits

Sharing tourism benefits fairly among stakeholders and balancing economic, social and environmental dimensions.

Sustainable tourism development

Balancing economic, social and environmental dimensions to ensure long-term viability.

Stakeholders

All parties involved in tourism development: governments, organisations, businesses, local communities and tourists.

Plate tectonic theory

Earth’s crust and mantle are divided into plates that move due to internal forces, shaping landforms and earthquakes/volcanoes.

Convection currents

Mantle movement that drives plate motions.

Slab-pull

Gravity-driven subduction that drags plates during tectonic movement.

Seafloor spreading

Upwelling magma at mid-ocean ridges that creates new oceanic crust.

Magnetic striping

Alternating normal and reversed magnetic polarity on the seafloor rocks.

Age of rocks

Younger rocks form near ridges; rocks get older farther away.

Divergent boundaries

Plate boundaries where plates move apart, creating mid-ocean ridges.

Convergent boundaries

Plate boundaries where plates move toward each other, forming mountains and trenches.

Transform boundaries

Plate boundaries where plates slide past one another, causing earthquakes.

Earthquakes

Sudden ground shaking due to the release of seismic energy.

Magnitude (Richter)

Local magnitude scale used to measure earthquake size.

Moment Magnitude

Scale for larger earthquakes, based on seismic moment.

Seismometer

Instrument that records ground motion during earthquakes.

Volcanic Explosivity Index

Index measuring the explosivity of volcanic eruptions.

Stratovolcano

Tall, steep volcano with potentially violent eruptions.

Shield volcano

Low-profile volcano with typically gentler eruptions.

Tephra

Ejected volcanic material such as ash and rocks.

Lahar

Volcanic mudflow or debris flow.

Pacific Ring of Fire

Region around the Pacific Ocean with many earthquakes and volcanic activity.

Tectonic hazards

Natural hazards such as earthquakes and volcanoes resulting from plate movement.

Focus

Point within the Earth where an earthquake originates.

Seismic waves

Energy waves released during earthquakes.

Hazard

Potential source of harm or adverse event.

Resilience

Ability of a community to resist, adapt and recover from disasters.

Hazard-resistant building designs

Construction methods that improve buildings’ resistance to hazards.

Monitoring and warning systems

Systems that monitor hazard indicators and provide early warnings.

Disaster response

Immediate actions to save lives and mitigate impact after a disaster.

Disaster recovery

Restoration and improvement of facilities and living conditions after a disaster.

Vulnerability

Susceptibility of people or communities to harm from hazards.

Exposure

Presence of people or assets in hazard-prone areas.