AQA GCSE Geography key terms

Straight lines on a map that join the start and end of journeys, showing the connections between places rather than the routes actually taken.

A plate boundary where plates move towards each other and one plate is forced beneath another, allowing crust to be recycled into the mantle.

A wave whose backwash is stronger than its swash, tending to remove sediment from a beach.

Improvement in people’s standard of living and quality of life, including income, health and education.

The difference in wealth and quality of life between more-developed and less-developed countries or populations.

A statistic used to assess an aspect of economic development or quality of life.

The transfer of decision-making powers from central government to regional or local authorities.

An event in which the potential harm of a hazard is realised, causing actual damage or loss.

The volume of water passing a particular point in a river each second, measured in cubic metres per second (m³/s), also called cumecs.

Numerical data that take separate values rather than any value within a range, such as the number of pedestrians counted.

A graph showing individual observations along a numerical scale so that their spread and clustering can be compared.

The forced movement of people away from their homes, for example because flooding makes an area unsafe.

Money available to a household after paying taxes, which can be spent or saved.

The way a feature is spread across an area, including its concentrations, gaps and exceptions.

The difference between the highest and lowest temperatures within a day.

Energy resources produced within a country rather than imported from abroad.

A period when an organism greatly reduces its activity and growth to survive unfavourable conditions.

A settlement where many residents travel elsewhere to work, leaving fewer people there during the working day.

A map showing distribution using dots, with each dot representing a fixed quantity stated in the key.

The arrangement of rivers and their tributaries across an area.

A prolonged period of unusually low rainfall that can cause water shortages.

A streamlined, elongated hill, commonly made of till, shaped beneath moving glacial ice.

Restoring or stabilising sand dunes, for example through planting vegetation and controlling access.

Sudden ground shaking caused by the release of stored energy when rocks slip along a fault.

A numbered vertical map-grid line. Easting values increase towards the east and are read first in a grid reference.

Work that produces goods or provides services, creating income and employment.

An improvement in economic activity and living standards, supported by changes such as greater employment, investment and productivity.