Geography and Population Dynamics Study Set

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering agricultural systems, soil types, population dynamics, and environmental geography theories.

Agricultural productivity

The ratio of agricultural output in relation to land area.

Commercial farming

A farming system focused on profit, common in HICs, characterized by high output and productivity.

Subsistence farming

A farming system common in LICs and EDCs where farmers produce just enough for their family, resulting in low productivity.

Intensive farming

Farming that aims to produce as much as possible for a specific land area, which can be either capital or labour intensive.

Extensive farming

Farming involving large land areas with low capital and labour input, often resulting in less food production.

Nomadic farming

A system where farmers move from place to place to produce food, often in locations with degraded soil.

Farms as Open Systems

Systems that allow for the loss and gain of energy and matter; inputs include natural factors like solar energy and rain water, and human factors like seeds and fertilizers.

Population distribution

Patterns of where people live based on environmental conditions and the environment's ability to support life.

Population density

The number of people per square kilometre, calculated by dividing the population of an area by its size.

Neolithic Revolution

A major shift around 12,000 years ago in Asia where humans developed agriculture, allowing for permanent settlement instead of hunting and gathering.

Industrial Revolution

The 18th-19th century period that increased food production through machinery and improved living standards through infrastructure.

Polar Climate Zone

Areas above $66^\text{o}$ latitude with precipitation less than $100\text{ mm}$ a year and temperatures between $-40^\text{o}\text{C}$ and $+10^\text{o}\text{C}$, where development is difficult due to permafrost.

Arid Climate Zone

Areas $30^\text{o}$ north and south of the equator with less than $250\text{ mm}$ of precipitation a year and temperature ranges from $4^\text{o}\text{C}$ to $40^\text{o}\text{C}$.

Zonal Soils

Fully developed soils formed through climate interaction over a long period, influenced by weathering, vegetation, and minerals.

Soil Profile

A vertical section of soil divided into horizons: O (organic matter), A (topsoil), E (leached pale layer), B (accumulation zone), and C (broken bedrock).

Podzols

Soils found in cool temperate climates where precipitation exceeds evapotranspiration, often acidic and nutrient-poor due to leaching.

Latosols

Deep red soils (approx. $30\text{--}40\text{ m}$) found in tropical rainforests where high humidity and temperature cause rapid bedrock weathering.

Slash and Burn

A human adaptation in Latosol areas involving clearing land and burning vegetation to put nutrients back into the ground, then leaving it to recover.

Waterlogging

A soil condition where air spaces are filled with water, leading to root rot; caused by high precipitation, hard pans, or excessive irrigation.

Salinisation

The build-up of salts in the soil caused by high temperatures evaporating water, which can stop crops from absorbing water and reach toxic levels.

Structural deterioration

The compaction and loss of water storage ability in soil caused by livestock, people, or heavy machinery.

Soil erosion

The wearing away of soil by wind or water, which removes nutrients and reduces the soil's ability to hold water.

Food Security

The state of having reliable access to quality and affordable food.

Epidemiological Transition Model

A model stating that the main cause of disease shifts from infectious diseases to non-communicable/degenerative diseases as a country develops.

HALE (Healthy life expectancy)

A health indicator measuring the number of years a newborn can be expected to live in full health without major disease.

Morbidity

The rate of disease in a population.

Prevalence

The total number of disease cases in a population at a particular time.

Incidence

The number of new disease cases in a population at a particular time.

Demographic Transition Model (DTM)

A 5-stage model showing how the population of a country changes through birth rates, death rates, and total population growth.

Demographic dividend

Rapid economic growth that results from a shift in a population's age structure, specifically a reduced dependency ratio.

Refugees

People forced to flee their country and unable to return due to threat of persecution, conflict, or environmental issues.

Asylum seekers

Individuals who have fled their home and are seeking legal protection as a refugee but have not yet been officially recognized.

Brain drain

The emigration of highly trained or intelligent people from a particular country.

PRP Model

The Population, Resources, and Pollution model showing the relationship between natural resources, human population, and the resulting pollution.

Carrying capacity

The largest population an area is capable of supporting long-term based on population size and resource consumption.

Ecological footprint

The amount of productive land and water area required to support a specific human lifestyle or consumption pattern.

Malthus's Theory

The belief that population grows exponentially while food supply grows arithmetically, leading to checks like war and famine.

Boserup's Theory

The theory that 'necessity is the mother of invention,' suggesting human innovation will resolve resource shortages.