Geography key terms

Regular travel between home and a workplace elsewhere.

A measure made by combining several indicators into one overall score.

A steep-sided volcano built from alternating layers of lava and ash, also called a stratovolcano.

A final answer to a question, justified by the evidence and reasoning presented.

A coastline where bands of different rock types run parallel to the shore.

A fee charged for driving within a designated area, intended to discourage car use and reduce traffic.

A fee charged for driving within a designated area, intended to discourage traffic and encourage alternative ways of travelling.

A cone-bearing tree, such as pine, spruce or fir, usually with needle-shaped leaves.

Trees that bear cones, such as pine and fir; those typical of boreal forests are evergreen.

How well places are linked, affecting how easily people and goods can travel between them.

A decision-making approach in which agreement is reached without any participating decision-maker formally objecting.

The protection and careful management of habitats, species and natural resources.

Using grazing animals to maintain or restore habitats and support their wildlife.

A plate boundary where plates slide past one another without creating or destroying crust; also called a transform boundary.

A plate boundary where plates slide past one another without creating or destroying crust.

A boundary where tectonic plates move apart and new crust forms.

A plate boundary where plates move apart and magma cools to form new crust.

A wave whose swash is stronger than its backwash, tending to deposit sediment and build up a beach.

An organism that obtains energy and nutrients by eating other organisms.

The use of resources such as food, energy and water by people and economic activities.

Transporting goods in standard-sized containers that can be transferred between ships, lorries and trains. Larger container ships could not use older docks, such as London's, which contributed to their closure.

The effect of distance from the sea on climate: inland locations generally have a greater difference between summer and winter temperatures.

Numerical data that can take any value within a range, such as temperature or river depth.

A line joining points at the same height above sea level.

A low barrier of earth or stones built along a contour, across a slope, to slow runoff and retain soil and water.

The vertical difference in height between successive contour lines.

A line on a map joining points of equal height above sea level.