Geography key terms

A map showing how the likelihood or potential effects of flooding vary between locations, according to its key and stated assumptions.

A wall built along a riverbank to contain higher water levels and protect land behind it.

The plants found in a particular region or habitat.

A map using lines of different widths to represent the size of movements between places; arrows can indicate direction.

Lines on a map that show movement between places, with the width of each line in proportion to the amount moving.

Relating to rivers and the processes carried out by flowing river water.

A landscape shaped by rivers and their processes.

The point within Earth where an earthquake begins.

The amount and range of food supplied through domestic production and imports.

A community organisation that distributes donated food to people who cannot afford enough to eat, usually as emergency support.

A sequence of organisms showing feeding relationships and the transfer of energy from food to consumer.

The food people actually eat. Purchase records can indicate consumption patterns, but include food that may be wasted.

A shortfall in food supply compared with the amount needed.

A lack of reliable access to enough safe and nutritious food for a healthy, active life.

Food lost before reaching shops, for example through deterioration during storage or transport.

The distance food travels from where it is produced to where it is consumed.

Reliable access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food.

A situation in which the amount of food available exceeds the amount needed.

Food discarded by retailers, catering businesses or consumers, including food that could have been eaten.

A network of linked food chains showing the different feeding relationships within an ecosystem.

The number of people visiting a shopping street, centre or shop over a period of time.

Investment by a business in another country that establishes ownership or a lasting influence over business operations, for example through acquiring a company or establishing a factory.

Money in foreign currencies earned through activities such as exports or spending by international tourists.

A government's approach to relations with other countries, including diplomacy, trade and security.

A reduction in tree cover. It can indicate deforestation, but tree-cover loss alone does not necessarily establish permanent conversion to another land use.

Damage that reduces a forest’s quality and its ability to support wildlife and provide services, without necessarily removing all its trees.

The death of trees across an area of forest, which can leave degraded forest or more open vegetation.