Geography Geography Exam Review

Comprehensive practice flashcards covering landform regions, geographical themes, demography calculations, and earth sciences based on the lecture review.

Western Cordillera

A landform region in Western Canada (British Columbia/Yukon) formed by colliding plates that created folded mountains; industries include forestry, mining, and tourism.

Interior Plains

A major agricultural region between the Cordillera and Canadian Shield, formed from sediment of an ancient inland sea; looks like flat or rolling plains.

Canadian Shield

The largest landform region in Canada, characterized by the oldest rock in Canada and thin soil; formed by glaciers and shaped around Hudson Bay.

Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Lowlands

The most populated region in Canada, located in Southern Ontario and Quebec, featuring fertile soil and flat plains formed by glacial sediment.

Hudson Bay-Arctic Lowlands

A flat and swampy region characterized by permafrost and a very cold climate; industries include oil, gas, and mining.

Appalachian Mountains

Old folded mountains in Atlantic Canada that have been worn down by erosion into rounded hills; among the oldest mountains in the world.

Innuitian Mountains

Cold, icy mountains located on the far north Arctic islands, formed by plate collision and folding, with many areas permanently frozen.

Fredricton

The capital city of New Brunswick.

Iqaluit

The capital city of Nunavut.

Latitude

A grid system measuring distance North or South of the Equator ($0^\circ$), with a total of $180^\circ$ ($90^\circ$ in each hemisphere).

Longitude

A grid system measuring distance East or West of the Prime Meridian ($0^\circ$), totaling $360^\circ$ ($180^\circ$ in each hemisphere).

Cardinal Points

The four principal points of a compass rose: North (N), South (S), East (E), and West (W).

Compass Bearings

A directional method measuring the angle in relation to North ($0^\circ$ or $360^\circ$) moving in a clockwise direction.

Absolute Location

A specific location given in degrees of latitude and longitude.

Relative Location

The location of a place compared to another point of reference, using terms like "near," "far," or "north of."

Time Zone Calculation

Each time zone is separated by $15^\circ$ longitude, representing $1$ hour; Canada has $6$ such zones (PT, MT, CT, ET, AT, NT).

Greenhouse Gases

Gases including Carbon dioxide ($CO_2$) and Methane ($CH_4$) that contribute to rising temperatures and climate change.

Hydraulic Fracturing

Also known as "Fracking," a process of injecting water, sand, and chemicals at high pressure deep underground to crack rock and release oil and gas.

Population Density

$\text{Population} / \text{Area km}^2 = \text{people/km}^2$.

6 R’s of Sustainability

Rethink, Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repair, and Recycle.

Human Development Index (H.D.I)

A measure of overall quality of life ranging from $0$ to $1$, based on education, healthcare, and income.

Ecological Footprint (E.F)

A tool measured in hectares ($ha$) used to compare how much land and water area is needed to support a person's or country's lifestyle.

Renewable Resources

Resources consistently replenished by nature fast enough to be available as long as needed, such as fish and trees.

Primary Industry

Also called the "Extractive" industry, it takes raw materials directly from the Earth, such as mining, agriculture, or fishing.

Tertiary Industry

The sector providing services that support primary and secondary industries; it employs almost $75\%$ of Canadians.

Natural Increase Rate (NIR)

$\text{Birth rate} - \text{Death rate}$.

Net Migration Rate (NMR)

$\text{Immigration Rate} - \text{Emigration Rate}$.

Basic Job

A job that brings money into an economy from somewhere else, such as airlines or manufacturing companies.

Maritime Climate

A coastal climate with a low temperature range ($< 25^\circ\text{C}$), high precipitation ($> 1000\text{mm}$), and winter maximum precipitation.

Continental Climate

An inland climate with a high temperature range ($> 25^\circ\text{C}$), low precipitation ($< 1000\text{mm}$), and summer maximum precipitation.

Isodemographic Map

A map where the size of each country is represented by its population size rather than its actual land size.

Dependency Load

The part of the population that is not working age, consisting of Children ($0-14$) and Older adults ($65+$).

Igneous Rock

Meaning "Fiery" in Latin, these rocks comprise $80\%$ of the lithosphere and are categorized into Intrusive (magma) or Extrusive (lava).

Sedimentary Rock

Rock formed in layers of strata from pieces of rock, sand, or organic matter; categories include Clastic (inorganic) and Non-clastic (organic/marine).

Metamorphic Rock

Rock that has changed form from igneous or sedimentary through intense heat, pressure, or chemical activity.

Convectional Rainfall

Precipitation occurring when warm air rises, cools, and condenses, often resulting in thunderstorms.

Geological Eras

Divisions of Earth's history including Precambrian (oldest), Paleozoic (fish/plants), Mesozoic (dinosaurs), and Cenozoic (mammals/present).

The rule of 70

A calculation for doubling time of a population: $\frac{70}{\text{PGR}}$.

Thomas Malthus Theory

The 1798 theory that population grows at a geometric rate while food production grows at an arithmetic rate, leading to a "point of crisis."

Alfred Wegener

The scientist who proposed the theory of continental drift and the existence of the supercontinent Pangaea.