Year 11-12 Geography Syllabus Terms

Aboriginal Peoples

Aboriginal Peoples are the first peoples of Australia and are represented by more than 250 language groups, each associated with a particular Country or territory.

An Aboriginal person is someone who:

is of Aboriginal descent

identifies as an Aboriginal person, and

is accepted as such by the Aboriginal community(ies) in which they live

benefit sharing

Formal and mutually agreed terms for the ongoing, equitable distribution of benefits, arising from the application or commercial utilisation of knowledge, practices and/or resources. Benefit sharing agreements with Indigenous Peoples may relate to Indigenous cultural and intellectual property (ICIP), such as knowledges and practices associated with sustainable management of land and resources.

biocapacity

The capacity of nature/ecosystems to produce and renew the resources that people use and to absorb and filter the waste generated by human activities, within a limited period of time.

biodiversity

A variety of living organisms and ecosystems they form. Biodiversity has value through the provision of ecosystem services, and intrinsic value independent of its utility to humans.

biophysical

Biological and physical elements of the environment. It includes various life forms, both plant and animal, and elements such as temperature, light, humidity and soil nutrients.

cartographic conventions

Accepted practices associated with constructing and interpreting maps: eg using a border, orientation or compass point, legend or key, title, scale, giving latitude readings before longitude.

climate

The average types of weather, including seasonal variations, experienced by a place or region over a long period of time.

climate change

A long-term change in regional or global climate patterns, eg annual precipitation, frequency of weather events.

continentality

The effect of land mass on climatic conditions/patterns.

demographic transition

A model consisting of various stages used to show population change over time, including the influence of birth rates and death rates.

diversity

In a geographic context, diversity refers to variations within and between places, environments, natural or human phenomena, for example in relation to biophysical characteristics, culture, religion, settlement, economic activity.

dynamic equilibrium

In the context of Geography 11-12, when an ecosystem is able to maintain its natural balance and remain relatively stable, subject to gradual changes through natural succession. An ecosystem that is in a state of dynamic equilibrium is able to return to its balanced state in response to natural and/or human stresses.

ecological disturbance

Temporary changes or events in an ecosystem that cause disturbance to its functioning, eg increased mortality of organisms, changes in spatial patterning. Ecosystems are typically resilient to ecological disturbance.

ecological hazard

A biological hazard that has the potential to impact adversely on the wellbeing of people or the environment more generally. Examples of ecological hazards include malaria, coronavirus, Dengue fever, rabies, cholera, locust plagues, invasive species.

ecological integrity

The ability of an ecosystem to support and naturally maintain ecological processes, species, a diverse community of organisms, and other important characteristics, with minimal or no intervention through human management.

economic integration

The process by which places become increasingly linked and interdependent economically. This involves the reduction or elimination of the barriers to the flow of goods, services and factors of production between places and nations.

ecosystem

A system formed by the interaction of all living organisms (plants, animals, humans) with each other and with the physical elements of the environment in which they live.

While an ecosystem may be synonymous with a specific environment, the 'system' approach enables a focus on the various components and their interconnected nature.

environment

The living and non-living elements of the Earth's surface and atmosphere. Where unqualified, it includes human changes to the Earth's surface, eg croplands, planted forests, buildings and roads.

ethical practices

The application of fundamental ethical principles when undertaking research and collecting information, eg confidentiality, informed consent, citation and integrity of data. This includes, but is not limited to:

respecting confidentiality and anonymity

avoiding use of deception or misleading information

preventing physical and/or emotional risk or harm

obtaining permission to access private property or restricted areas

minimising damage to the natural environment

observing referencing conventions to avoid plagiarism

storing data appropriately, eg securely, depersonalising data collected

acknowledging the provenance of sources, eg information, data, visual materials.

feedback loop

Feedback loops are reactions in response to environmental change. Positive feedback loops cause one or more components to increase overall, creating a negative impact on the ecosystem. A negative feedback loop has a positive impact on the ecosystem because it decreases the impact of change, bringing it closer to dynamic equilibrium.

geographic region

A region exhibits shared natural or human characteristics, eg political, economic, social, cultural, climate, land/water cover, vegetation, that distinguishes the region from neighbouring regions. Regions can be divisions of a nation, or larger than a nation.

geographic methods

The tools and skills associated with the discipline of geography that geographers use to develop their understanding of places, environments, and geographical phenomena.

geographical processes

The physical and human processes that form and transform the world, eg the water cycle, erosion, migration and urbanisation. Geographical processes can work in combination and operate within and between places.

geomorphic

Relating to the form of the landscape and other features on the Earth's surface.

geomorphic processes

Natural processes that transform the lithosphere to create distinctive landscapes and landforms, eg erosion, weathering, tectonic activity.

geopolitical

Politics and international relations as influenced by geographical factors, eg related to space, place and environment.

human diversity

Variations in how people use the places and spaces they occupy, including the nature of their settlements, economies, cultures and societies.

human wellbeing

The quality of life of a population; eg access to opportunities, healthcare, education, infrastructure, a clean environment.

informal settlements

Areas where housing or shelter is constructed on land where the occupants either have no legal claim, occupy illegally and/or are not in compliance with planning and building regulations. These settlements typically lack provision of amenities and services.

inspirational landscapes

Landscapes that stimulate emotional responses based on aesthetic elements, eg their dramatic physical form, vibrant colour, arrangement of physical features, diversity of plant species. An inspirational landscape may be experienced directly or through soundscapes and tactile representations, eg physical models.

Landcover

The natural and artificial features and structures that cover the land's surface, eg trees, grass, crops, wetlands, water, ice, buildings and pavement.

liveability

An assessment of the quality of a place. The concept of liveability has been linked to a range of factors, eg health, sense of safety, access to services, cost of living, comfortable living standards, mobility and transport, air quality and social participation.

megaregion

An expanding urban cluster, formed as a result of the convergence of more than one metropolitan/urban area.

megacity

In the context of Geography 11-12 and Geography 11-12 Life Skills, a megacity is a metropolitan area with a total population in excess of 10 million.

natural hazard

Atmospheric, hydrological and geomorphic processes and events in the environment that have the potential to damage the environment and endanger communities, eg bushfires, tropical cyclones, floods, earthquakes.

natural system

A combination of physical and/or biological elements, and their interconnected processes, that form an integrated whole.

oceanity

The effect of vast bodies of water on climatic conditions/patterns.

Overview Effect

A shift in awareness reported by some astronauts who have viewed the Earth from space, including the wonder of the Earth, the thinness of its atmosphere, and the absence of national boundaries.

primary data

Original material collected eg field notes, measurements, responses to a survey or questionnaire.

range of scales

The varying frames of reference used for viewing and analysing the world in spatial terms. These are commonly described as local, national, regional and global. These scales can be used to develop an understanding of places, environments, natural and human phenomena, geographical patterns and processes, and management. They represent the geographical way of investigating the world.

regional centres

Places that have an economic and social role, servicing the area around them. They are often characterised by factors such as population growth, increasing population density and growth in employment.

remote settlement

A place that has less access to various goods and services because of its location and distance from larger urban settlements.

resilience

The ability of an ecosystem to tolerate and recover from natural and/or human-induced disturbance.

risk management

In the context of Geography 11-12 and Geography 11-12 Life Skills, risk management is defined in terms of preparedness, mitigation and/or prevention of a natural or ecological hazard. Preparedness involves planning the interventions needed to prevent or mitigate the effects of a hazard. Mitigation involves the implementation of strategies to eliminate or minimise the effects of these hazards. Adaptation involves adjusting to the changed environmental circumstances.

rural place

A reference to a settlement in the countryside typically serving a farming or agricultural area.

secondary information

Sources of information that have been collected, processed, interpreted and published by others, eg census data, newspaper articles and images or information in a published report.

settlement pattern

The spatial distribution of different types of human settlement, eg dwellings, towns, cities. Settlements may take a range of forms, including linear, scattered, clustered, nucleated, dispersed, planned, radial.

shifting baselines

A theory that describes the way changes to an ecosystem are measured against previous reference points or baselines, which themselves may represent changes from an even earlier state of the ecosystem.

It reflects the perception of each new generation that current conditions are the same as past conditions. An ecosystem may therefore be degraded successively over time, so that the extent of change from its original state, is greater than perceived. Shifting baselines describes the situation where knowledge is lost about the original state of the natural world.

sociocultural

Related to social and cultural factors that influence people and communities.

spatial change

Change in the location and arrangement of particular features, phenomena or activities across the surface of the Earth.

spatial distribution

The location and arrangement of particular features, phenomena or activities across the surface of the Earth.

spatial technologies

Any form of technology that interacts with place, space and location. Spatial technologies may be used to collect, organise, record, visualise, manipulate, analyse and display spatial data.

spheres of influence

The geographical area over which the services and functions of an urban settlement extend. Larger settlements typically have a greater sphere of influence than smaller settlements and attract people from a wider geographical area.

students investigate

In the context of Geography 11-12, this encompasses a broad range of learning approaches and activities, facilitated by a variety of teaching strategies.

tipping point

A critical point (often called a threshold) where a series of smaller changes become significant enough, collectively, to trigger a larger-scale change. The change is often abrupt and irreversible, permanently altering the state of the original system, leading to flow-on effects that have more widespread consequences for other natural systems, and for people.

transformation

In the context of this syllabus, the term transformation refers to the processes of change from which forms of environmental, social, cultural and economic relationships and patterns emerge.

urban corridor

A part of an urban area defined by a particular geographical feature such as a transportation route.

urban heirarchy

The ranking of urban places in descending order, eg cities, determined by population size.

urban place

A reference to a permanent settlement or built-up area with a relatively dense population compared to its hinterland.

urbanisation

The process of demographic, economic and/or social change in which an increasing proportion of the population of a country or region live in urban areas. The size and rate of urbanisation is influenced by push-pull factors.

vulnerability

In the context of this syllabus, the term vulnerability refers to an ecosystem's risk of exposure or susceptibility to stress.

Torres Strait Islander Peoples

Torres Strait Islander Peoples are represented by 5 major island groups, and are associated with island territories to the north of Australia's Cape York which were annexed by Queensland in 1879.

A Torres Strait Islander person is someone who:

is of Torres Strait Islander descent

identifies as a Torres Strait Islander person, and

is accepted as such by the Torres Strait Islander community(ies) in which they live.