HSC Geography key terms

A community of living organisms interacting with each other and with their non-living surroundings, such as climate, soil and water, within a defined area.

The combined living and non-living components of a place, including landforms, soils, climate, water, vegetation and fauna, which together shape its character.

The variety of life in a place, measured by the number of species, the genetic differences within species, and the range of ecosystems present.

Meeting the needs of people today without reducing the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, balancing environmental, social and economic outcomes.

The maximum number of people or organisms an area can support indefinitely with the resources available, without damaging the environment on which they depend.

A measure of the land and water area needed to supply the resources a person or population consumes and to absorb the waste they produce.

The movement of people, goods, information or ideas between places, and the way those places influence one another through such flows.

The ease with which people or goods can reach a place, determined by distance, transport networks, cost and the availability of services.

The increasing proportion of a population living in towns and cities, usually accompanied by the growth and spread of built-up areas.

The outward, often low-density spread of a city into surrounding rural land, which increases car dependence and the cost of providing infrastructure.

A planning strategy that directs new housing into existing built-up areas at higher densities, making better use of established infrastructure and services.

A metropolitan area with a population of at least ten million people, typically associated with rapid growth, complex infrastructure and severe management challenges.

A condition in a person's place of origin, such as conflict, unemployment or environmental decline, that encourages them to leave that place.

A feature of a destination place, such as employment, safety or better services, that attracts people to move there.

The relatively permanent movement of people from one place to another, either within a country or across international borders.

A person forced to flee their country because of war, persecution or disaster, and who is unable or unwilling to return safely.

A model describing how birth and death rates change as a country develops, shifting populations from high growth to low growth over time.

A graph showing the age and sex structure of a population, with age groups stacked vertically and the numbers or percentages of males and females shown on each side.

The proportion of people too young or too old to work compared with the number of people of working age, expressed as a ratio.

The pattern of where people live across an area, ranging from dense clusters in cities and coastal zones to sparse settlement in dry or mountainous regions.

The average number of people per square kilometre in a defined area, calculated by dividing total population by total land area.

Reliable access by all people at all times to enough safe, nutritious food to maintain an active and healthy life.

The degradation of dryland ecosystems through drought, overgrazing, deforestation or poor irrigation, causing fertile land to become desert-like and less productive.

The decline in the quality and productivity of land caused by erosion, salinity, nutrient loss, contamination or unsound land management practices.

The breaking up of a continuous natural area into smaller, isolated patches by roads, clearing or development, reducing biodiversity and animal movement.

Land largely unaffected by modern human activity, valued for its ecological, scientific and recreational qualities and often protected by legislation.

A large-scale map using contour lines and symbols to show relief, drainage, vegetation and human features of an area in detail.

A line on a map joining points of equal height above sea level, used to interpret slope steepness and landform shape.

The ratio between distance on a map and the real distance on the ground, shown as a statement, ratio or linear bar.

A profile drawn from a topographic map that shows the shape of the land along a chosen straight line between two points.

The compass direction in which a slope faces, which affects the sunlight, temperature, moisture and vegetation a site receives.

The entire area of land drained by a river and its tributaries, bounded by ridges, within which all runoff flows to a common outlet.

The volume of water flowing past a point in a river channel per unit of time, usually measured in cubic metres per second.

A graph plotting river discharge against time after rainfall, showing the lag time between peak rainfall and peak flow.

Computer software used to capture, store, analyse and display spatial data as layered maps, allowing patterns and relationships to be identified.

Information that records the location of features on the Earth's surface, often stored as points, lines or areas with associated attributes.

Collecting information about the Earth's surface from a distance, using satellites, aircraft or drones to record reflected or emitted energy.

Information collected firsthand by the researcher through fieldwork methods such as surveys, interviews, transects, mapping or direct measurement.

Information gathered by others and reused by a researcher, including census statistics, government reports, maps and published research.

Organised observation and data collection carried out in a real place to investigate a geographic question and test ideas against evidence.

Selecting a representative subset of sites, people or items for study so that findings can be generalised to the wider area or population.