OCR GCSE Geography B key terms

A curved lake formed when a meander loop becomes cut off from the main river.

Farming that involves keeping grazing animals, such as sheep or cattle.

A proportion expressed out of 100.

An increase or decrease expressed as a percentage of the original value.

The difference between two percentages, found by subtracting the earlier percentage from the later one.

A value marking a percentage position in data ordered from smallest to largest. Approximately 70% of observations lie at or below the 70th percentile; ties and calculation conventions can affect the exact proportion.

An integrated approach to designing sustainable systems using patterns and processes found in nature, linking food production with soil, water, biodiversity and people's needs.

Ground that remains frozen for at least two consecutive years.

A feature that occurs naturally rather than being made by people, such as a mountain or river.

The natural features of an area, such as its relief, rivers and climate.

Microscopic organisms that drift in water and use sunlight to photosynthesise, forming the base of many marine food chains.

A chart using repeated pictures or symbols to represent quantities, with a key stating the value of each complete symbol.

The zone where two tectonic plates meet; also called a plate margin.

The movement and interaction of the large plates that make up the Earth's lithosphere.

A deep hollow eroded at the foot of a waterfall.

A country’s ability to influence international decisions, cooperation and responses to problems such as conflict.

Protests or other challenges to a government that can create political instability.

The average number of people per unit area, usually expressed as people per square kilometre.

A diagram showing a population's distribution between age groups and sexes.

The composition of a population, particularly the proportions of people in different age groups and the balance of males and females.

A factor that raises the death rate and therefore limits population growth, such as famine, disease or war in Malthus's theory.

Purchasing power parity: a way of adjusting monetary comparisons to account for differences in prices between countries.

Water falling from the atmosphere to Earth's surface, including rain, snow, sleet and hail.

An attempt to establish when and where a hazard event will occur, and how large it will be, before it begins.

A difference in atmospheric pressure over a distance. A steeper pressure gradient generally produces stronger winds.

A factor that lowers the birth rate and therefore limits population growth in Malthus's theory.

Original information collected directly for an investigation, such as river-depth measurements or questionnaire responses.