Topography Past Papers - Key Terms (Vocabulary)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key physical and climatic terms found in Pakistan’s topography past papers, including landforms, rivers, deserts, and climate-related concepts.

Monsoon

A seasonal reversal of prevailing winds bringing a wet season with heavy rainfall, typically from the sea to the land in South Asia.

Western Depressions

Low-pressure systems that bring winter rainfall to western Pakistan, originating from the Mediterranean region/Afghanistan-Iran area.

Relief Rainfall

Rain produced when moist air rises over mountains, cools, and condenses (orographic rainfall on windward slopes).

Alluvium

Fertile soil deposited by rivers, especially after floods, forming floodplains.

Floodplain

A flat, low-lying area next to a river that floods periodically and is often very fertile.

Levee

Raised banks along a river designed to prevent flooding of adjacent land.

Doab

A strip of land between two converging rivers.

Oxbow Lake

A crescent-shaped lake formed when a river meanders and is cut off from the main channel.

Salt Range

A mountain range in Punjab, Pakistan, within the northern limb of the region’s uplands.

Sulaiman Range

A mountain range in western Pakistan near Quetta.

Karakoram Range

High mountain range in northern Pakistan, containing some of the world’s highest peaks.

Balochistan Plateau

A high, expansive plateau in southwestern Pakistan.

Potwar Plateau

A plateau in northern Punjab, near the Islamabad region.

Indus River

Major river flowing through Pakistan from Tibet to the Arabian Sea; key for irrigation.

Sutlej River

River in Punjab, tributary of the Indus system.

Jhelum River

River in northern Pakistan that joins the Indus system.

Ravi River

River in Punjab that is a tributary of the Indus.

Hub River

River in southern Pakistan near Karachi, flowing into the Arabian Sea.

Thar Desert

Large desert in eastern Pakistan and western India.

Kharan Desert

Desert in western Balochistan.

Thal Desert

Desert in eastern Punjab between the Indus and Jhelum basins.

Makran Desert

Coastal desert along southern Balochistan and into Iran.

Hydel Power

Electricity generated from hydropower (water-based energy).

Drought

A prolonged period of deficient rainfall leading to water shortages.

Transhumance

Seasonal movement of people and livestock between highland and lowland pastures.

Desertification

The process by which fertile land becomes desert, typically due to drought, deforestation, or inappropriate agriculture.

Tropic of Cancer

A line of latitude at approximately 23.5°N that marks the northern boundary of the subtropical zone.

Latitude

Distance north or south of the Equator; affects day length and temperature.

Altitude

Height above sea level; generally, temperature decreases with increasing altitude.

Confluence

Point where two rivers join to form a larger river.

Arete

A sharp, narrow ridge formed by glaciation between two cirques or valleys.

Cirque

A bowl-shaped hollow formed by a glacier, often with an amphitheatre-like appearance.

Glacier

A persistent, slow-moving mass of ice formed from compacted snow in high mountains.

Moraine

Accumulations of debris deposited by a glacier, such as terminal or lateral moraines.