Edexcel GCSE Geography B key terms

The purpose for which an area of land is used, such as housing, industry, shopping or recreation.

Heat released when water vapour condenses into liquid water, helping to power the rising air within a tropical cyclone.

Distance north or south of the Equator, measured in degrees.

Molten rock that has erupted onto the Earth's surface.

The movement of dissolved substances out of waste or soil as water passes through it, potentially contaminating groundwater or rivers.

A raised embankment built to reduce flooding from a river or surrounding water.

The percentage of the total population living in urban areas at a particular time.

The average number of years a person is expected to live.

A graph with numerical axes that uses connected points to show changes, commonly over time.

Earth's rigid outer shell, made of the crust and uppermost mantle and divided into tectonic plates.

Dead organic material, such as fallen leaves, on the ground.

Someone's everyday, personal experience of living in a place.

The cutting down of trees to obtain timber.

A side view showing changes in river-bed height and gradient along a river from its source to its mouth.

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

A statistical neighbourhood used to report small-area data. These areas have broadly similar populations, averaging approximately 1,500 residents.

An area of relatively low land, often with flatter or gently rolling terrain.

Molten rock beneath the Earth's surface.

A measure of an earthquake’s size, related to the energy it releases.

A theory that population can grow geometrically while food production grows arithmetically, eventually causing population demand to exceed food supply.

The thick layer of mainly solid, iron- and magnesium-rich silicate rock between Earth's crust and core.

The explanation of the symbols, lines and colours used on a map.

The key explaining the meaning of a map’s colours, lines and symbols.

The ratio between a distance on a map and the corresponding distance on the ground.

The wearing away and removal of coastal rock or sediment by the sea.

The downhill movement of rock or soil under the influence of gravity.

A measure of how frequently women die from causes associated with pregnancy and childbirth.