AQA GCSE Geography key terms

The artificial supply of water to crops.

A line on a map joining points with the same value of a measured variable.

The difference in value between neighbouring isolines, such as a height difference of 10 metres between contours.

A band of fast-moving winds high in the atmosphere that helps steer weather systems.

Supporting a decision or argument with evidence and reasoning that explains why it is appropriate.

The time between peak rainfall and peak river discharge on a flood hydrograph.

A country without a coastline, which must cross another country to reach a seaport.

A simplified drawing that records the main geographical features of a landscape rather than every visible detail.

The purpose for which people use an area of land, such as housing, farming, industry or recreation.

A disagreement arising when different groups want to use the same land in incompatible ways.

Energy released when water vapour condenses into liquid water, helping to power a tropical cyclone.

Sideways erosion of a river’s banks, widening the channel and valley.

Glacial debris carried and deposited along the sides of a glacier.

The angular position of a place north or south of the Equator, measured in degrees from 0° to 90° N or S.

The washing of dissolved nutrients down through soil by water.

Money leaving an economy rather than continuing to circulate within it, for example when a TNC sends profits abroad.

A naturally raised bank beside a river channel, built up by sediment deposited during repeated floods.

A low-income country: a country with a low average income per person.

The average number of years a newborn baby can expect to live, based on mortality conditions at the time.

An estimated line through the centre of a scatter-graph pattern, with points and their distances roughly balanced on either side.

The ability to understand and communicate meaning through reading and writing.

The percentage of adults who can read and write.

Dead organic material on the ground, including fallen leaves and twigs.

Obtaining food from producers close to where it will be sold or consumed.

Cutting down trees to obtain timber.

The angular position of a place east or west of the Greenwich prime meridian, measured in degrees from 0° to 180° E or W.

A side view along a river from its source to its mouth, showing how its height and gradient change.

Movement of sediment along a coastline by waves approaching the shore at an angle.