Geography: Settlements, Tectonics, and Economic Development

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering urban settlements, tectonic boundaries and volcanic hazards, case studies, indicators of development, and the environmental impacts of economic growth.

Settlement Land Use Ranking

The proportion of land used in settlements from lowest to highest: Offices ($2.5$), Shops ($5-10$), Open spaces ($15-25$), and Residential ($60-70$).

Central Business District (CBD)

A land use zone characterized by tall buildings and shops on the ground floor.

Low-Density Residential Zone

A residential land use zone characterized by small houses, gardens, and driveways.

High-Density Residential Zone

A residential land use zone characterized by flats located close together.

Industrial Zone

A land use zone characterized by big warehouses and trucks, containing no houses.

Open Space

An area characterized by no buildings, consisting of grass and trees.

Rural-Urban Fringe Land Uses

Land uses commonly located at the rural-urban boundary, including smallholdings, informal settlements, and industrial estates.

Environmental Impacts of Fringe Land Use Change

Consequences of converting fringe land, including loss of farmland, habitat destruction, pollution, water problems, deforestation, and urban sprawl.

Housing Shortages: Causes

Factors leading to inadequate housing supply: rural-urban migration, high population growth, low income, and poor planning.

Housing Shortages: Effects

Consequences of inadequate housing: growth of normal settlements, overcrowding, traffic congestion, and health problems.

Divergent / Constructive Boundary

A tectonic boundary where plates move away from each other.

Processes at Divergent Boundaries

Tectonic events including sea-floor spreading, magma rising to fill the gap, formation of new crust, mid-ocean ridges, gentle shield volcanoes, and small earthquakes.

Areas with Active Volcanoes

Geographic regions identified with active volcanic activity, specifically Japan, Iceland, and Kenya.

Convergent Boundary Volcanism

A process where plates collide, causing the denser oceanic plate to subduct under the continental plate and melt from heat, leading magma to rise and erupt as violent composite volcanoes.

Location Description Method

The formal method used to describe the location of a place using latitude / coordinates, continent / country / nearby feature, plate boundary, and compass direction plus distance.

Volcanic Hazards

Disadvantages and hazards posed to people by volcanoes: loss of life, destruction of houses, loss of farmland, air pollution, mudslides, economic loss, and tsunamis.

Pre-Eruption Strategies (Mt Etna Case Study)

Preventative measures used in Mt Etna, Italy to lower eruption impacts, including monitoring, hazard maps, evacuation plans, and early warning systems.

Post-Eruption Strategies (Mt Etna Case Study)

Response actions used in Mt Etna, Italy after an eruption, including concrete barriers to divert lava away from towns, evacuation to shelters, masks, and government aid.

Map Key Interpretation

A method to read and interpret geographic maps by identifying and analyzing different colours and symbols.

Life Expectancy Comparison Method

A four-step procedure using two figures to describe life expectancy differences: state overall pattern, give data, identify difference, and explain why.

GDP / GNI per Capita

An economic indicator of development representing the amount of money per person in a country.

Life Expectancy

A demographic indicator of development defined as the average number of years people live.

Infant Mortality Rate

A health indicator of development measuring the number of babies dying per $1000$ births.

Literacy Rate

An education indicator of development defined as a high percentage of the population that can read.

Life Expectancy in Developed Countries

A benchmark life expectancy range of $75-85\text{ years}$, maintained by good hospitals, vaccines, good diet, and clean water.

Life Expectancy in Developing Countries

A benchmark life expectancy range of $50-65\text{ years}$, caused by poor healthcare, HIV/AIDS, malnutrition, and dirty water.

Population Percentage Change Analysis

The framework for describing demographic change from a figure: state trend (increase or decrease), cite data (from $2000$ to $2020$), quantify change (an increase of $25\%$), and provide the reason (due to urbanisation).

Rural Education: Advantages

Benefits of improving education in rural areas: better job opportunities, improved quality of life, better farming techniques, reduced rural-urban migration, and better health awareness.

Rural Education: Disadvantages

Drawbacks of improving education in rural areas: expensive costs, brain drain, shortage of teachers, loss of traditional culture, and higher expectations.

Environmental Impacts of Economic Development

Global natural damages caused by economic growth: deforestation, global warming, air pollution, water pollution, loss of biodiversity, resource depletion, waste pollution in oceans, and acid rain.