Geography key terms

A prolonged shortage of rainfall compared with the amount normally expected in an area.

A greenhouse gas released by activities including cattle farming, rice cultivation and natural gas extraction.

Small loans offered to people who may be unable to obtain conventional bank loans, often to start or expand a small business.

Small-scale electricity generation in which flowing water turns a turbine connected to a generator.

A social group with incomes that allow spending beyond basic necessities, often associated with skilled, professional or managerial employment.

The movement of people from one place to another to live.

Long-term variations in the shape of Earth's orbit, its axial tilt and the direction of its axis, which alter the distribution of incoming solar radiation.

An agreement between countries to cooperate on military or security matters.

Eight international development goals adopted in 2000, with a 2015 deadline, addressing poverty, education, gender equality, health, environmental sustainability and global partnership.

Economic activity that removes valuable minerals from the ground, usually through mining.

Permission granted by a government to explore for or extract minerals in a specified area.

A stream that is too small to have formed the much larger valley through which it flows.

Action taken to reduce the harmful effects of a development or decision.

Development that combines different uses, such as housing, workplaces, shops and community facilities.

The class interval containing the greatest frequency in a grouped frequency table.

The value occurring most frequently in a dataset.

Rostow’s explanation that countries develop through five successive stages as investment, industry and consumption increase.

Collecting and recording measurements to detect changes associated with a hazard.

Growing a single crop over an area, often replacing a more diverse ecosystem.

A seasonal change in wind direction that produces distinct wet and dry periods in affected regions.

Mainly upland, open land with vegetation such as heather and rough grasses, often in wet and exposed conditions.

An accumulation of rock debris transported and deposited by a glacier.

The place where a river enters the sea, a lake or another river.

Describes a society in which people from different cultural backgrounds live.

Deprivation across several aspects of life, such as education, health, housing and access to basic services, rather than low income alone.

Aid provided through an international organisation using contributions from several countries.

The process through which an initial investment creates further spending, jobs and business growth in an economy.