Geography Edexcel B Key Terms

Atmospheric Circulation

The movement of air within the Polar, Ferrel and Hadley Cells controlled by radiation from the sun

Asthenosphere

The upper layer of the Earth's mantle below the lithosphere

Conservative Plate Boundary

Convection currents cause tectonic plates to slide past each other e.g. Haiti.

Divergent Plate Boundary

Where two plates are moving apart e.g. Iceland

Enhanced Greenhouse Effect

The trapping of heat radiation around the Earth by excess greenhouse gases produced by human activity

Explosivity

A measure of the relative explosiveness of volcanic eruptions varying due to formation on convergent or divergent boundaries

Greenhouse Gases

Human activities such as energy, industry, transport and farming that produce greenhouse gases e.g. carbon dioxide and methane.

High Pressure System

The 'weight' of sinking air exerts more pressure on the ground and an area of high pressure is formed causing areas to become arid.

Lithosphere

Includes both the crust and the top layer of the upper mantle.

Low Pressure System

The warmth of the Earth's surface causes air to rise, exerting less pressure on the ground forming low pressure causing rainfall.

Natural Climate Change

Natural changes to Earth's climate caused by Milankovitch cycles, solar variation, volcanism and surface impact.

Past Climate Change

Points in Earth's history that have been comparatively warmer and significantly colder owing to natural causes.

Satellite Technology (Storm Warning)

Allows huge areas of ocean to be monitored for distinct tropical storm cloud formations.

Short Term Storm Relief

Immediate support that includes rescuing people, providing medical aid and restoring water and electricity.

Storm Surges

A tropical cyclone creates a large area of low pressure, which allows the level of the sea to rise

Tropical Cyclones

Large-scale, rotating storms that form over oceans (26.5°C) in tropical areas. They are also known as hurricanes and typhoons.

Warning Strategies

Forecasting, monitoring and prediction that allows advance warnings for preparation and evacuation.

Bottom-up Development

Projects that involve local people and communities in decision-making, often involving small-scale projects for the poorest.

Colonialism

Control over another country and exploiting it economically. Occurred mainly in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Frank's Dependancy Theory

A socialist view that explains how the core (developed countries) exploit the periphery

Fertility Rate

The average number of children born to a woman in her lifetime

Globalisation

The increasing inter connectedness and interdependence of the world economically, culturally and politically.

Gross Domestic Product (per capita) or GDP (per capita)

The total value of goods and services produced in a year by a country (divided by the population).

Inter Governmental Organisation (IGO)

A group of countries established by a treaty such as the World Bank or United Nations.

Non-governmental Organisation (NGO)

A private organisation, which is distinct from governmental agencies that works to make life better for the poor e.g. Oxfam.

Measures of Inequality

Economic, social and political measures that show disparities between countries such as GDP, life expectancy and corruption.

Neo-colonialism

The dominance of poor countries by rich countries, not by direct political control, but by economic power and cultural influence.

Rostow's Modernisation Theory

A view that suggests countries move through five stages of economic development.

Trans-national Corporations (TNCs)

A firm that owns or controls productive operations in more than one country through foreign direct investment.

Top-down Development

Where decisions are made by governments or large companies with little consultation; often large-scale and expensive.

Topography

The shape and features of Earth's surface that

affect the development of countries.

Connectivity

Improved connections with the rest of the world owing to globalisation.

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)

Overseas investment of capital by transnational companies.

Geopolitical Influence

When a country becomes a major international player in the world market having established good trading relationships.

Gross National Income per capita (GNI per capita)

The total income of the country, including that made outside the country by its companies, divided by the number of people.

Infrastructure (investment)

Money spent on services such as roads and power supplies which are needed to keep a country running.

Multilateral Aid

Aid provided by a group of countries or an institution such as the World Bank to a poor country to fund development.

Site

The actual location of a settlement on the Earth, composed of the physical characteristics of the landscape.

Situation

The location of a place relative to its surroundings and other places.

Tied Aid

Money that a rich country lends to a poor country on the condition that the poor country spends the money on goods and services from the rich country.

Counter-urbanisation

The movement of people from major cities to smaller settlements.

Formal Employment

Official work that is taxed with contacts and job security.

Informal Employment

Unofficial work (no taxes), often 'cash-in-hand' with no contract or job security.

Megacities

Cities with over 10 million people.

Planning Regulations

Decisions made by local government that determine what developments can take place when and where.

Suburbanisation

The outward spread of the built-up area.

Urbanisation

The increase in the percentage of people living in towns and cities

Natural Increase

The birth rate minus the death rate for a place. It is normally given as a % of the total population.

Migration

The internal (rural-urban) and international (country to country) movement of people.

Squatter/slum Settlements

Poor quality, illegal housing made from scrap materials that are often found on the outskirts of developing country cities.

Urban Land-use

What land is used for

Urban Structure

The location of the central business district (CBD), high and lower quality housing, and

squatter settlements within a city.

Antecedent Conditions

Conditions in drainage basin in the period before a rainfall event such as saturated ground from previous rainfall.

Concordant

When a rock type runs parallel to the coastline.

Discordant

Where bands of hard rock and soft rock lie at right angles to the coast forming headlands and bays

Drainage Basin

The area of land drained by a river and its tributaries

Erosion

The action of water wearing away rocks. There are four key erosion processes - hydraulic action, abrasion, solution and attrition.

Faults

A fracture or break in rocks caused by tectonic activity.

Floodplain

The flat land on the valley floor each side of a river channel, which sometimes floods.

Geological Structure

Geologic structures are usually the result of the

tectonic forces that occur within the Earth. These

forces fold and break rocks, form deep faults, and

build mountains.

Igneous Rock

Created by volcanic activity when magma or lava cools, forming rocks made of crystals that are usually hard e.g. granite.

Joints

A vertical crack within a layer of rock formed as rock cools during the metamorphic process.

Landscapes

UK upland landscapes (mountains) that are formed of harder, resistant rocks and UK lowland landscapes (hills) formed from younger, sedimentary rocks, which are less resistant.

Metamorphic Rock

Existing rocks that have been changed by extreme pressure or heat. They are usually comprised of layers or bands of crystals and are very hard e.g. slate (which is compressed shale).

Past Tectonic Processes

Previous active volcanoes, and plate movements that have caused massive folds and faults in the rocks. These processes have helped shape the geology and landscapes today.

Replenishment

The adding of sand or shingle to widen or improve a beach.

Seasonality

Regular change of climatic conditions annually.

Sedimentary Rock

Rock formed of small particles that have been eroded, transported, and deposited in layers or from the remains of dead plants and animals e.g. limestone.

Slope Processes

The downslope movement of rocks and soil under

the influence of gravity that include rock falls, slumping and sliding.

Slope Stabilisation

A technique used to prevent cliffs from slumping and to reduce erosion. Often involves installing drains to remove groundwater reducing the risk of slumping.

Strategic Realignment

The planned movement of the coastline inland because it can no longer be protected, also known as managed retreat.

Sub-aerial

Processes acting on the Earth's surface, including weathering and mass movement (e.g. slumping).

Weathering

The breakdown and decay of rock by natural processes (physical, biological and chemical) acting on rocks, cliffs and valley sides.

Employment Sectors

Primary - the extraction of raw materials from the land or sea.

Secondary - manufacturing goods from the raw materials.

Tertiary - providing a service to other people. Quaternary - involves research and development (highly skilled).

Enterprise Zones

Offer government grants and fewer planning regulations to stimulate business and create more jobs.

Ethnic and Cultural Diversity

When migrants introduce their home culture, for example, cuisine and religious practices in the host city.

Free Trade

Trade without tariffs or import duties allowing businesses to take part in international trade to increase their profits.

Immigration Policies

When a government encourages or reduces the need for immigration responding to the need for labour.

Policies (UK & EU)

UK - Enterprise zones that offer grants and fewer planning restrictions to promote business and create more jobs.

EU - European Regional Development Funds that support UK regions by economic regeneration and improved communications.

Privitisation

The sale of state-owned assets to the private sector to increase FDI and competition.

Trans-National Corporations (TNCs)

Transnational corporations are large companies that operate in a range of other countries. They are powerful players in the global economy, and they link national economies in different parts of the world.

Urban Core

Comprises of offices and retail, a high population density of mostly young adults where property prices are expensive.

Accuracy

This will be down to how the data was collected. It will be affected by human error, quality of the equipment used and the method itself e.g. using a floating object versus a flow metre to measure velocity.

Correlation

Is when two sets of veritable data are linked.

Discharge

The amount of water flowing in a river, made up of its volume and speed, and measured in cubic metres per second (cumecs).

Environmental Quality

Characteristics of the environment, such as litter and greenery, that are usually measured using an environmental quality survey (EQS).

Flood Risk

Places at risk from flooding owing to changes in weather patterns caused by climate change, rising sea levels and storm surges.

Gradient

The steepness/angle of a slope

Hypothesis

An idea (not a question) that you can study through an investigation.

Location

This is the place where the fieldwork was carried out. It is likely to be a wide area i.e. a town, village, a river of coastal area.

Primary Data

Data collected first hand

Qualitative data

Data without numbers based on people's opinions or ideas, for example an interview or field sketch.

Quantitative Data

Data which contains numbers and figures, for example a pedestrian count.

Questionnaire

A series of structured questions for the purpose of gathering data to support an investigation.

Random Sampling

Data that is collected by chance.

Reliability

Trustworthiness of results. This will be affected by the sampling method (and size) and is down to how representative the data collected is.

Risk Assessment

A method where hazards are identified, and suitable precautions are taken to minimise risk to people.

Secondary Data

Data that has already been collected and published.

Sediment

Material such as mud, sand and pebbles carried and deposited by rivers or waves.

Site

The actual location of a settlement on Earth, composed of the physical characteristics of the landscape specific to the area.