OCR GCSE Geography A key terms

A small coral animal. Reef-building coral polyps usually contain photosynthetic algae within their tissues.

A marine structure built from the accumulated hard skeletons of tiny animals called coral polyps, providing a habitat for many other organisms.

The deflection of moving air caused by Earth’s rotation: to the right in the northern hemisphere and to the left in the southern hemisphere.

A pattern describing how two variables vary together. Correlation alone does not establish that one variable causes changes in the other.

The movement of people from towns and cities into rural areas, including villages and small towns outside the continuous built-up area.

A graph showing a slice through a landscape or feature, such as the shape of a river channel.

A pipe or tunnel that allows water to flow beneath a road or another obstruction.

A running total of frequencies up to a particular value or class boundary.

The number of deaths each year per 1,000 people in a population.

Money owed to a lender, which must be repaid, usually with interest.

Describes a tree that sheds its leaves seasonally.

Safely closing and dismantling a facility, such as a nuclear power station, after it stops operating.

An organism, such as a fungus or bacterium, that breaks down dead organic material and waste, returning nutrients to the environment.

The breakdown of dead organisms and waste by decomposers, releasing nutrients that can be used again.

Breaking a source into its main elements, such as features, labels, symbols, claims and evidence, to understand how it communicates its message.

The removal of forest, often to make space for farming or other economic activities.

A decline in the importance of manufacturing within an economy, particularly its share of employment.

A model showing how birth rates, death rates and natural population change tend to alter as a country develops.

The laying down of transported sediment when water no longer has enough energy to carry it.

An area of low atmospheric pressure, often bringing unsettled weather, strong winds and rain.

The removal of salt from seawater to produce fresh water.

The degradation of land in dry regions, making it less productive through processes such as vegetation loss and soil erosion.

A map using straight lines to connect origins and destinations, showing links and their direction rather than necessarily the actual routes travelled.

Improvement in people's standard of living and quality of life, involving economic, social and environmental change.

Long-term assistance intended to improve a country's ability to meet people's needs and support economic progress.

The wearing away of different rocks at different rates because their resistance to erosion varies.

Inequality in access to reliable internet connections, suitable devices and the skills needed to use them.