Geography Key words definitions (CIE igcse)

• Abrasion - a type of erosion where a river scrapes and grinds away (sandpaper action) its bed (vertical erosion) or rock fragments carried by a wave scrapes a cliff edge
• Afforestation - the planting of trees in an area which did not previously have a forest
• Altitude - The height of a place above sea level, usually measured in metres.
• Aquifer - A layer of permeable rock that allows water to move through it and the water is stored due to the impermeable rock beneath it
• Arable - The cultivation of only crops
• Arid - A region with usually less than 250mm of rainfall each year
• Aspect - the direction somthing faces
• Bid rent - a model that states that land value and rent deacreases away from the CBD
• Biome - An area of similar climate and vegetation
• Biodiversity - The variety of different species of organisms in a particular area.
• Birth/Death rate - the number of births/deaths per 1,000 of a population in a year
• Carbon credit - a permit which allows an organisation to emit a certain amount of greenhouse gases
• Carrying capacity - the maximum population that the resources of a given environment can support
• Central Business district - A district of a city or town where most of the commercial and business activities take place.
• Chamber - the reservoir of magma located located deep inside a Volcano
• Climate - The average weather conditions in a particular area over a long period of time.
• Commercial farming - farming for profit
• Community energy - energy produced close to the point of consumption
• Cone volcano - steep volcanos formed of vicious acidic lava ash and cinders(small rocks)
• Confluence - the point where two rivers meet
• Coral - living organisms which form a coral reef in warm slow moving, alkali shallow water with lots of nutrient in
• Delta - A delta is a type of floodplain usually near the mouth of the river that is formed when a river floods and deposits sediment.
• Demographic divide - the difference between countries where population growth remains high and population is constant/declining
• Dependancy ratio - the ratio of people under 15+over 65 to those between those ages who are economically active
• Deposition - the laying down of sediment due to a decrease in speed or discharge
• Desertification - the gradual transformation of arable land into desert
• Development - the use of resources to improve the quality of life in a country
• Destination footprint - the environmental impact caused by an individual tourist on holiday in a particular destination
• Discharge - the volume of water passing a certain point per unit of time
• Drainage basin - The area of land drained by a river or stream.
• Dry point sight - an area free from flooding in an otherwise wet region
• Economic leakage - the part of the money the tourist pays which does not benifit the destination
• Economic water scarcity - when a population does not have enough money to utilise an adequate source of water
• Economies of scale - the reduction in unit cost as the scale of an operation increases
• Emigration rate - the number of emigrants per 1000 population leaving the country of origin for a year
• Epicentre - the point on the earth's surface directly above the focus
• Evapotranspiration - the combined water loss of evaporation and transpiration
• Erosion - the wearing away of the Earth's surface through often hydraulic action, attrition, abrasion, corrosion
• Extensive farming - small amount of agricultural product per hectare
• Fetch -the distance of open water over which wind can blow to create waves