Geography key terms

The physical systems needed to collect, treat and distribute water and to remove sewage, including pipes and treatment facilities.

A lack of reliable access to sufficient clean water to meet people's needs.

The addition of harmful substances or waste to water, reducing its quality and potentially damaging human health or ecosystems.

A measure of how suitable water is for uses such as drinking and supporting river ecosystems.

Treating used water so that it can be used again.

Reliable access to sufficient clean water to meet people's needs.

Pressure on water resources when demand exceeds the available amount during a particular period, or when poor quality restricts its use.

The amount of water available for use in an area.

The systems and facilities needed to supply water, including pipes and distribution networks.

A situation in which the available water supply exceeds demand in an area over a particular period.

Moving water between areas, usually from an area of surplus to an area of deficit, through infrastructure such as canals and pipelines.

A system that moves water from one area to another using pipes, canals or rivers.

An indentation eroded into the base of a cliff by wave action.

A gently sloping rock surface at the foot of a cliff, left exposed as the cliff retreats.

Atmospheric conditions at a particular place and time, including temperature, rainfall and wind.

An atmospheric event that can harm people, property, economic activity or the environment.

The breakdown of rock in place, without its removal.

Prevailing winds in the middle latitudes that blow from west to east.

An area where water covers the ground or keeps its soil waterlogged, permanently or seasonally.

A largely natural area with little disturbance from human development. Wilderness does not necessarily mean uninhabited.

A group of wind turbines used to generate electricity from moving air.

A change in wind speed or direction with height. Low vertical wind shear allows a tropical storm's rising clouds to remain organised.

A habitat combining trees with open areas of vegetation grazed by animals.

A city whose economic, political or cultural influence extends internationally, beyond its own country.

The amount of agricultural produce obtained from a given area of land.

A population with a large proportion of children and young people.

Photosynthetic algae that live within the tissues of many reef-building corals, supplying them with products of photosynthesis.