GEOGRAPHY MOCK GCSE ALL TERMS

Population

the total number of people living in an area

Population density

number of people per unit area (usually per km²)

Distribution

how population is spread over an area

Overpopulation

when population exceeds available resources

Underpopulation

when resources are underused due to low population

Birth rate

number of live births per 1000 people per year

Death rate

number of deaths per 1000 people per year

Natural increase

birth rate minus death rate

Population growth

increase in population over time

Population decline

decrease in population over time

Life expectancy

average number of years a person is expected to live

Infant mortality rate

deaths of infants under 1 year per 1000 live births

Dependency ratio

ratio of dependents to working-age population

Young dependent

people aged 0-14

Elderly dependent

people aged 65+

Working population

people aged 15-64

Population pyramid

bar graph showing age and sex structure

Migration

movement of people from one place to another

Internal migration

movement within a country

International migration

movement between countries

Emigration

leaving a country

Immigration

entering a country

Push factor

reason why people leave an area

Pull factor

reason why people move to an area

Rural-urban migration

movement from countryside to cities

Urbanisation

growth of urban areas due to migration and natural increase

Settlement

place where people live

Site

physical features of land where a settlement is built

Situation

location of a settlement relative to surroundings

Function

main purpose of a settlement

Hierarchy

ranking of settlements by size and services

Hamlet

very small settlement

Village

small rural settlement

Town

medium-sized settlement with services

City

large settlement with many services and jobs

CBD (Central Business District)

commercial centre of a city

Residential area

area where people live

Industrial zone

area with factories

Sphere of influence

area served by a settlement

High-order service

specialised service used infrequently

Low-order service

everyday service used frequently

Urban sprawl

outward growth of a city into rural land

Land-use zone

area used for a specific purpose

Shanty town / informal settlement

illegal housing area with poor services

River

natural flow of water to the sea, lake, or another river

Source

start of a river

Mouth

end of a river

Tributary

smaller river joining a main river

Drainage basin

area drained by a river and its tributaries

Watershed

boundary between drainage basins

Channel

bed and banks of a river

Discharge

volume of water flowing past a point per second

Velocity

speed of river flow

Hydrograph

graph showing river discharge over time

Lag time

delay between peak rainfall and peak discharge

Erosion

wearing away of river bed and banks

Hydraulic action

force of water breaking rock

Abrasion

rocks scraping the river bed

Attrition

rocks colliding and becoming smaller

Solution

minerals dissolved by water

Transportation

movement of eroded material

Traction

rolling of large material

Saltation

bouncing of small material

Suspension

fine material carried in water

Deposition

dropping of material when energy decreases

Meander

bend in a river

Ox-bow lake

cut-off meander

Floodplain

flat land beside a river

Levee

raised river bank formed by deposition

Delta

deposited land at river mouth

Coastline

boundary between land and sea

Wave

movement of water caused by wind

Fetch

distance wind blows over water

Destructive wave

erodes coastline

Constructive wave

deposits material

Longshore drift

movement of sediment along coast

Cliff

steep rock face

Wave-cut notch

undercut at base of cliff

Wave-cut platform

flat area left after cliff retreat

Cave

hollow in cliff

Arch

cave eroded through headland

Stack

isolated pillar of rock

Stump

eroded stack

Beach

accumulation of sand or shingle

Spit

narrow ridge of sand

Bar

ridge across a bay

Tombolo

spit linking island to mainland

Hard engineering

artificial coastal defence

Soft engineering

natural coastal management

Groynes

barriers trapping sediment

Sea wall

concrete wall against erosion

Beach nourishment

adding sand to beaches

Weather

day-to-day atmospheric conditions

Climate

average weather over long time

Temperature

degree of heat

Rainfall

amount of precipitation

Precipitation

water falling from atmosphere

Humidity

amount of water vapour in air

Air pressure

weight of air

Wind speed

rate of air movement