QCAA Geography key terms

A structured process of asking questions, collecting and interpreting data, and drawing evidence-based conclusions about places and the relationships between people and environments.

A testable statement predicting a relationship or pattern that fieldwork or data analysis will either support or reject.

Information a researcher collects firsthand for a specific investigation, such as survey responses, field measurements or photographs taken on site.

Information gathered by someone else and reused, including census tables, satellite imagery, government reports and historical maps.

Organised observation and measurement carried out in a real place to gather evidence about processes, patterns or people's experiences.

Selecting a smaller subset of a population or area to study so that findings can reasonably represent the whole.

Digital tools such as geographic information systems, GPS and remote sensing used to capture, map and analyse location-based data.

Software that stores and layers mapped data so users can query, combine and visualise spatial patterns for analysis or decision-making.

A map that shades whole regions by colour or pattern according to the value of a variable, making broad spatial contrasts easy to see.

The arrangement of features or phenomena across an area, described by their location, density, clustering, dispersion and pattern.

A relationship in which the locations of one phenomenon tend to coincide with those of another, suggesting a possible connection.

A statistical measure of how strongly two variables vary together; it shows association but does not by itself prove cause and effect.

The level of detail or extent at which a phenomenon is examined, ranging from local to regional, national and global.

A location given meaning by the people who live in or visit it, shaped by physical features, culture and personal attachment.

The feelings, memories and identity that people attach to a particular location, influencing how they value and use it.

Meeting present needs without undermining the ability of future generations to meet theirs, balancing environmental, social and economic considerations.

The capacity of a community or system to absorb disturbance, adapt and recover while retaining its essential functions.

The likelihood that people or places will suffer harm from a hazard, shaped by exposure, sensitivity and their capacity to cope.

The chance of harmful consequences from a natural event, combining the likelihood of the event with what is exposed and how vulnerable it is.

A naturally occurring event or process that threatens people, property or environments where it intersects with human activity.

The people, assets and activities located in an area affected by a hazard, which determine what could potentially be harmed.

A serious disruption to a community caused by a hazard, exceeding local capacity to cope and causing widespread loss or damage.

Actions taken to reduce the severity or likelihood of hazard impacts, such as land-use controls, levees or building codes.

Adjusting practices, infrastructure or behaviour to reduce harm from hazards or to cope with changed environmental conditions.

The theory that Earth's rigid outer shell is broken into plates that move over the mantle, causing earthquakes, volcanoes and mountain building at their boundaries.

The process where a denser tectonic plate sinks beneath another, generating deep ocean trenches, earthquakes and volcanic arcs.

A fracture in rock along which movement has occurred, releasing energy as earthquakes when stress overcomes friction.

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

The low-lying land beside a river that is periodically covered by water during floods and often enriched by deposited sediment.

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

Alteration of natural systems over time, driven by processes such as erosion, climate shifts or human land use.

Long-term shifts in temperature and weather patterns, currently driven largely by human greenhouse gas emissions.

A decline in the quality and productivity of land through erosion, salinity, nutrient loss or poor management practices.

How people are spread across an area, from densely settled coasts and cities to sparsely occupied deserts and remote regions.

The average number of people per unit area, usually expressed as persons per square kilometre.

A paired bar graph showing the age and sex structure of a population, revealing its growth stage and dependency patterns.

The movement of people from one place to another, driven by push factors such as conflict or poverty and pull factors such as jobs or safety.

The increasing proportion of a population living in towns and cities, accompanied by the physical growth of urban areas.

The degree to which a place supports a good quality of life through housing, services, safety, environment and community connection.

The maximum population or level of use an environment can support indefinitely without being degraded.

A person forced to flee their country because of persecution, conflict or disaster and who crosses an international border seeking protection.

Reliable access by all people to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and preferences.

Weighing the strengths, limitations and reliability of evidence and arguments before reaching a justified judgement.

Any person or group with an interest in a geographical issue, such as residents, businesses, governments or environmental groups.

A planned set of actions designed to address a geographical challenge, ideally balancing environmental, social and economic outcomes.